2021 Speedway Grand Prix | |
---|---|
Season details | |
Dates | 16 July - 2 October |
Events | 11 |
Cities | 7 |
Countries | 5 |
Riders | 15 permanents 1 wild card(s) 2 track reserves |
Heats | 253 (in 11 events) |
Winners | |
Champion | Artem Laguta |
Runner-up | Bartosz Zmarzlik |
3rd place | Emil Sayfutdinov |
The 2021 Speedway Grand Prix season was the 27th season of the Speedway Grand Prix era, and decided the 76th FIM Speedway World Championship.[1][2] The calendar of events was disrupted by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic[3] and the series was dominated by Polish venues once again, with six of the 11 races taking place in Poland. Great Britain and Germany did not hold an event, however Russia was added to the calendar for the first time. In 2020, six of the eight races had been held in Poland.[4]
Artem Laguta won his first world title. Laguta overtook defending champion Bartosz Zmarzlik in the points standings in round 10, which proved to be the pivotal moment of the championship.
Russian athletes competed as neutral competitors using the designation MFR (Motorcycle Federation of Russia), as the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld a ban on Russia competing at World Championships. The ban was implemented by the World Anti-Doping Agency in response to state-sponsored doping program of Russian athletes.[5]