All you need to know as Speedway comes to town

A newly-formed British Speedway team will host its first home fixture on Thursday.

Northampton Foxes meet Ipswich Witches - the reigning Speedway Great Britain Premiership champions - at Northampton International Shaleway at 19:30 BST.

The meeting will see speedway racing return to Northamptonshire for the first time in seven decades, with organisers hoping to attract new supporters from the county to the sport.

Motorcycle speedway, often referred to simply as speedway, sees competitors race around an oval circuit of about 300m (984 ft) in length.

Each rider rides a 500cc motorcycle with no brakes and fixed gearing. The bikes run on methanol for fuel, with each bike's tank holding enough fuel for one race.

The bikes can reach speeds of up to 80mph (128.8km/h) and can go from 0mph to 60mph (96.6km/h) in about three seconds.

Most events see two teams - each with seven riders - racing against each other. In British Speedway 15 heats take place with two riders from each team in each.

If a rider wins their race they earn their team three points. The second placed rider earns two points, third placed one point and the no points for the rider in last place.

The points each rider scores are counted towards their team's total at the end of the meeting. If scores are level, a further heat will be used to determine the winner of the meeting.

The newly-formed Foxes are taking part in British Speedway's Premiership for the first time.

The team will compete home fixtures at Northampton International Shaleway, near Brafield-on-the-Green, which has been adapted for speedway action.

The Foxes' nickname is a reference to a former Northampton speedway team, known as the Flying Foxes, who competed briefly at Brafield Speedway in the 1950s.

The inclusion of Northampton brought the league up to six teams for 2026, after both Birmingham and Oxford left after last season.

British Speedway said Northampton had a "limited speedway history", with racing being staged at Brafield briefly in the mid-1950s.

The team have already raced twice so far this season, but both matches have been on the road while work continued to get their home venue ready to host speedway.

Team affairs are being handled by Chris Adams, who joins the Foxes after spending the last two seasons as part of the management team at Birmingham.

The Foxes have also announced their roster of riders, which includes Australian Jaimon Lidsey, the former world under-21 champion.

Northampton captain Nicolai Klindt rode for King's Lynn last season.

Ahead of Thursday's meeting with Ipswich, Klindt expressed excitement at being involved with the Foxes.

"The amount of work that has been put in behind the scenes is incredible," he said.

"What has been achieved over the last eight weeks [to get the team ready] is absolutely remarkable.

"It's very early days for us as a team but the two away matches so far have been very encouraging."

Northampton Foxes said it offered "ample free parking" at Northampton International Shaleway, with gates for the Ipswich fixture to open from 18:00 BST.

Tickets can be purchased in advance, or on the gate with adults priced at £25 and reduced pricing for concessions and children.

Spectators are permitted to bring chairs, or access the stadium's 750-seat grandstand for an additional price.

A parade of the riders will commence at 19:30 with the first heat starting soon afterwards.

The club said it planned to stream future fixtures, but would not be able to do so in time for Thursday's meeting.

Do you have a story suggestion for Northamptonshire? Contact us below.

Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.