National League Pairs Championship
The National League Pairs Championship is a motorcycle speedway contest between the top two riders from each club competing in the National League in the UK. The meetings comprise a competition between teams of two riders drawn into two qualifying groups.
Rules
Gate positions
In the Qualification Heats, riders are allocated starting gates. For the Semi-Finals, the group winners have first choice of gate positions (A&C or B&D). Gate A is on the inside of the track, whilst Gate D is on the outside. For the Final, the gate positions (A&C and B&D) are decided by the toss of a coin.
Points scoring
All heats are scored as follows:
- 1st = 4pts
- 2nd = 3pts
- 3rd = 2pts
- 4th = 0pts
This system is used to encourage team riding. A pair finishing first and second will score seven points, whereas a pair finishing first and last will score only four. Race points scored over all 'qualification heats' are used to determine the final group placings.
Ties
Where two are tied for a place, the team who scored most points scored in the heat where they met go through. Where more than two teams are tied for a place, the tie is resolved as follows:
- Most wins
- Most second places
- A ballot
Winners
| Year | Winners | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Newport Hornets (Tony Atkin & Grant Tregoning) |
Bournemouth Buccaneers (Mark Baseby & Jay Herne) |
| 2010 | Plymouth Devils (Nicki Glanz & Mark Simmonds) |
King's Lynn Young Stars (Simon Lambert & Adam Lowe) |
| 2011[1] | Stoke Potters (Simon Lambert & Tim Webster) |
Newport Hornets (Jay Herne & Todd Kurtz) |
| 2012[2] | Mildenhall Fen Tigers (Lewis Blackbird & Cameron Heeps) |
Buxton Hitmen (Robert Branford & Charles Wright) |
| 2013 | Dudley Heathens (Ashley Morris & Lewis Blackbird) |
Mildenhall Fen Tigers (Josh Bates & Daniel Halsey) |
| 2014 | Stoke Potters (Ben Wilson & Jon Armstrong) |
Mildenhall Fen Tigers (Joe Jacobs & Daniel Halsey) |
| 2015[3] | Kent Kings (Ben Morley & Danny Ayres) |
Cradley Heathens (Max Clegg & Ellis Perks) |
See also
References
- ↑ "Speedway: We'll be even better next season, vows Stoke team boss Vasey", The Sentinel/thisisstaffordshire.com, 5 November 2011, retrieved 29 July 2012
- ↑ Butt, Randall (2012) "On-Song Tigers", Speedway Star, 28 July 2012, p. 26-7
- ↑ Official BSPA Website http://www.speedwaygb.co/news.php?extend.29498, 6 September 2015, p. 26-7