Bikernieki Speedway track has received an impressive makeover as it celebrates its 50th anniversary with the DEWALT FIM Speedway GP of Latvia – Riga on Saturday, August 8.
With 11.lv FIM Speedway World Cup Semi-Final 2 – Riga also coming to Bikernieki on Friday, August 7, which sees hosts Latvia take on Denmark, Sweden and Norway for a place in the BOLL FIM SWC Final – Warsaw on August 29, the stakes are high on a huge weekend of racing in the capital.
With Latvia’s biggest speedway event now firmly established at Bikernieki, the track has been completely resurfaced for 2026, with the corners widened and the banking increased.
Latvian Speedway GP icon Andzejs Lebedevs took part in a test session on the circuit with his international teammates and is delighted with the results.
He said: “Everything has been done according to the plan laid out before the reconstruction – the track is wider now and with much more pronounced banking, which will allow us to use several different lines. The races should become spicier, providing spectators with even more exciting and dynamic heats.
“Of course, the track will be the same for all riders, and the skill level of the world-championship riders is very high. But I hope that the renovated Riga track will be especially favourable for the Latvian national team and Latvian speedway riders, who will have both the SWC Semi-Final and the Speedway GP World Championship round here in August.”
As a result of the reconstruction, the speedway track has changed significantly – it has become 1.5 metres wider in the turns. The track's banking has also been significantly increased and will now be almost twice as high. Until now, it was 4% in the turns. It is now 7%. Meanwhile, the banking on the straights has been increased from 1.5% to 3%.
Almost 1,700 tons of new track material have also arrived in Riga – it was brought from neighbouring Estonia, where shale is available, which is much more suitable for the requirements of a speedway track surface than the gravel or dolomite common in Latvia.
Shale allows the track to withstand greater loads, and it also has higher resistance to rain. Improvements have also been made to the drainage system – ensuring track personnel can prepare the racing surface after adverse weather quickly.
The Bikernieki safety fence will now be equipped with shock-absorbing springs almost along its entire length. This is in addition to the air fence already in place on the corners.
Daniels Kārkliņš, head of D4K, the organiser of the Latvian FIM Speedway events, said: “This year, Riga will host an FIM Speedway Grand Prix meeting for the fourth time.
“Every year, highly experienced members of the speedway community with very wide backgrounds in the sport come to watch the events at Bikernieki. We are talking about current and former riders, people involved in organising the championship, representatives of the FIM – from whom we have received very similar comments so far that the bends of the Bikernieki track are too narrow, and their angle too sharp, which generally leads to a limited number of lines and, accordingly, relatively few opportunities to overtake.
“The unpredictability of racing is exactly why speedway is such a popular motorsport discipline among spectators. I really hope that with the changes made to the track, we will have a solution to provide riders with the opportunity to choose between several lines – thus, ensuring even more nerve-wracking heats!”
Tickets for the DEWALT FIM Speedway GP of Latvia – Riga on Saturday, August 8 and 11.lv FIM Speedway World Cup Semi-Final 2 – Riga on Friday, August 7 are available online HERE now.