Etihad Stadium to Host Australian Round of FIM Speedway Grand Prix Series

The World Championship FIM Speedway Grand Prix series is set to return to the southern hemisphere in 2015 at the Etihad Stadium, asthma Melbourne.

The 2015 FIM Speedway World Champion will be crowned Down Under after BSI Speedway, medstore rights holders of the FIM Speedway Grand Prix (SGP) series, medic signed a five-year deal to stage the Australian FIM Speedway Grand Prix at Melbourne’s state-of-the-art Etihad Stadium.

The largest indoor motor racing spectacle in the Southern Hemisphere sees SGP action return to Australia on October 24, 2015; the first time it has featured Down Under for 13 years.

With everything from FIM Speedway World Championship medals to 2016 FIM Speedway Grand Prix qualification places set to be decided at Etihad Stadium, BSI Speedway managing director Paul Bellamy is delighted to be bringing the series home to the country where speedway was born in the early 20th century.

He said: “Australia is one of the true superpowers of world speedway and it has been a long-term goal of ours to take the FIM Speedway Grand Prix series back Down Under.

“The SGP series has visited some fabulous venues across the globe and Etihad Stadium is up there with the very, very best of them.

“Melbourne lives and breathes motor sport and sport in general. We hope Melburnians, Victorians and fans from all over Australia, New Zealand and the rest of the world embrace the event next year.

“Despite the retirement of triple world champion Jason Crump and record 10-time Aussie champ Leigh Adams in recent years, the production line of world-class Australian talent just keeps rolling.

“I’m sure the likes of Chris Holder and Jason Doyle, who has qualified for the 2015 series, will be absolutely elated to be racing in such a big meeting on home soil.

“Their fans spend most of the season getting up in the early hours of the morning to watch them in action live on the Speed channel. I hope they will enjoy the opportunity to support them at Etihad Stadium, and at a far more civilised hour!”

Etihad Stadium is situated in Melbourne’s CBD, surrounded by shops and restaurants and adjacent to Southern Cross Station – the city’s main transport hub.

As well as hosting some of the world’s top music artists, the venue stages everything from AFL (Aussie Rules) and cricket to soccer and darts.

Paul Sergeant, chief executive officer of Melbourne Stadiums Ltd, owners of Etihad Stadium, looks forward to bringing more world-class sport to a world-class venue.

He said: “Bringing FIM Speedway Grand Prix racing to Etihad Stadium has been on our agenda for some time and is a tremendous coup for Melbourne. We’re looking forward to an exciting five years of SGP action and are in no doubt it will become a hugely popular event.

“We’re proud to be staging and promoting the Australian FIM Speedway Grand Prix, which will be privately funded.

“The SGP series is spectacular. It’s in an easy to follow format with fast and exciting racing. Here at Etihad Stadium, air horns will be more than welcome, so the noise will be something special under our roof!

“With adult tickets starting at $49 AUD, this is a fantastic opportunity to see the best riders in the world live, without spending the thousands of dollars needed to travel to Europe.

“We’re also looking forward to working with Australian Speedway legends Jason Crump and Leigh Adams, who will serve as Australian SGP ambassadors. It’s an honour to have them on board and we hope the event will help the current crop of Aussie stars become legends in their own right.”