2014 Speedway Grand Prix


The 2014 Speedway Grand Prix season was the 20th season of the Speedway Grand Prix era, and decided the 69th FIM Speedway World Championship. It was the fourteenth series under the promotion of Benfield Sports International, an IMG company. Tai Woffinden was the defending champion from 2013.
1997 and 2011 world champion Greg Hancock won a third world title, after taking top-five placings in all but one race he contested, including a victory at the British round, in Cardiff. Hancock won the title by eight points ahead of Krzysztof Kasprzak, who was the season's most frequent winner, with three victories. Third place in the championship was decided in a run-off at the final round of the season at Torún in Poland. Three-time world champion Nicki Pedersen and defending champion Woffinden – a winner in back-to-back events in Prague and Målilla, Sweden – finished tied on points, but Pedersen clinched the position after beating Woffinden in the run-off.
Aside from Hancock, Kasprzak and Woffinden, six other riders won rounds during the season. Martin Smolinski was the winner of the opening race in Auckland, New Zealand; it was his first victory in the series. Like Smolinski, Slovenia's Matej Žagar was a first-time winner in the Finnish round at Tampere, en route to a fifth-place finish in the championship. Niels Kristian Iversen and Jarosław Hampel, who finished third and second behind Woffinden in 2013, each won races; Iversen won in Copenhagen while Hampel triumphed at Stockholm. Other winners were Andreas Jonsson in Vojens, Denmark and Bartosz Zmarzlik, who won on a wildcard appearance, on home soil, at Gorzów Wielkopolski.

Qualification

For the 2014 season there were 15 permanent riders, joined at each Grand Prix by one wild card and two track reserves.
The top eight riders from the 2013 championship qualified automatically. In March 2014, before the start of the season, Emil Sayfutdinov – who finished sixth in 2013 – elected not to compete in 2014 series, because he has failed to recover from serious injuries sustained the previous season. He was replaced by second substitute Troy Batchelor. Those riders were joined by three riders who qualified via the Grand Prix Challenge. Since the winner of the Grand Prix Challenge, Niels Kristian Iversen, had already qualified following his third position in the 2013 championship, fourth-placed Martin Smolinski qualified.
The final four riders were nominated by series promoters, Benfield Sports International, following the completion of the 2013 season. Early in October 2013, former world champion Tomasz Gollob accepted a nomination for the series, but later withdrew from the competition due to unforeseen developments in his sponsorship program. He was replaced by first substitute Chris Harris.

Qualified riders

#Riders2013 placeGP Ch placeAppearancePrevious appearances in series
1 Tai Woffinden1—3rd2010, 2011, 2013
33 Jarosław Hampel2—9th2000–2002, 2004–2007, 2008–2009, 2010–2013
88 Niels Kristian Iversen314th2004–2005, 2006, 2008, 2009–2010, 2013
45 Greg Hancock4—20th1995–2013
5 Nicki Pedersen5—14th2000, 2001–2013
55 Matej Žagar7—4th2003–2005, 2006–2007, 2008–2009, 2011, 2013
43 Darcy Ward8—2nd2011, 2013
507 Krzysztof Kasprzak1023rd2004–2007, 2008, 2012, 2013
66 Fredrik Lindgren11—7th2004, 2006–2007, 2008–2013
23 Chris Holder12—5th2010–2013
100 Andreas Jonsson13—13th2001, 2002–2013
91 Kenneth Bjerre—35th2004–2008, 2009–2012
84 Martin Smolinski—41st2008
37 Chris Harris2057th2003, 2007–2012, 2013
75 Troy Batchelor—61st2013

Qualified substitute

The following rider qualified as a substitute due to their result in the Grand Prix Challenge.
#Riders2013 placeGP Ch place
19 Michael Jepsen Jensen217

Calendar

The 2014 season consisted of 12 events, just like 2013.

Classification