The general sponsor of the competitions is traditionally Rietumu Bank.
In Latvia, motorcycle speedway competitions of the European and world class take place annually. Still, this championship is going to be especially remarkable – its final, for the first time, will be held in Riga, on the Bikernieki track, reconstructed a year ago.
“Motorcycle speedway enthusiasts are very familiar with Daugavpils, as many of them, not only from Latvia, but also from a number of other countries, arrive to this city annually. And now Riga will become the venue of the ‘premiere’ – it will host the European championship final for the first time. World class sportsmen will participate in both races, and therefore I am sure that the competitions will be held at a high level and fans will again experience plenty of bright and positive emotions,” said the Chairman of the Track Committee of the Latvian Motorcyclists Federation Vladimir Rybnikov.
“Speedway traditions have always been strong in Latvia, and in recent years this sport has found a new lease of life. Reconstruction of the Riga track has been performed; with Rietumu Bank support, a specialised section of speedway has been organised, where recognised masters of this sport train young professionals; international competitions are held annually. All of these events not only favourably affect the development of the professional sport, but also positively influence the image of Latvia, as increasingly more people find out about it,” said Member of the Council of Rietumu Bank Alexander Gafin.
The competitions in Daugavpils will take place on 6 August in Locomotive Stadium, which is recognised to be one of the best speedway tracks of Europe. Fifteen top-ranking riders from Poland, Sweden, Latvia, Russia, Denmark and other countries will strive for victory in the second final stage of the Rietumu Bank Individual Speedway Euro Championship, including the three-time world champion Nicki Pedersen from Denmark, the rising star of speedway Przemyslaw Pawlicki from Poland, and the two-time European champion Emil Sayfutdinov from Russia.
Latvia will also be represented by strong sportsmen – Andžejs Ļebedevs, who got into the Grand Prix semi-finals in 2013, and Maksim Bogdanov, who came sixth in 2014 as a result of four stages of Speedway European Championships.
The races will be viewed by millions of spectators – they will be broadcasted in 70 countries, including live broadcasts on the Eurosport TV channel.
The first final stage of the Individual Speedway Euro Championship has been held in the German city of Güstrow, the third will be held in the Russian city of Togliatti, and the fourth will take place in the Polish city of Rybnik.
And on 13 August the European Pairs Speedway Championship Final will be held in Riga on the fully reconstructed speedway track of Bikernieki Stadium. The fighters for European gold will be the reigning champions of Europe – the team of Poland, the vice-champions – the team of Russia, as well as sportsmen from the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Italy and, certainly, Latvia.
Motorcycle speedway has been actively developing in Latvia since the middle of the 20 th century. During the last 25 years international speedway competitions have been held in the Locomotive Stadium in Daugavpils. Since 2014, speedway has been given renewed momentum for development in the capital of Latvia – Riga, where a base has been created for the training of young sportsmen and arranging of competitions. The biggest sponsor of speedway competitions in Latvia is Rietumu Bank. Eleonora Gailisha Mass Media and Public Relations
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