The 2017 SGB Premiership was the 83rd season of the top division of
British Speedway. It was the first time that it was known as the
SGB Premiership
The Speedway Great Britain (SGB) Premiership is the top division of speedway league competition in the United Kingdom, governed by the Speedway Control Bureau (SCB) in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association (BSPA). It was in ...
after changing its name from the Elite League.
Summary
The season ran between March and October 2017 and 8 teams participated (Coventry withdrew from the league before the season started, after they had originally entered the league). The lineup of teams for 2017 was different from the lineup of the 2016
Elite League. The
Lakeside Hammers
The Lakeside Hammers were a speedway team who most recently raced in the SGB Championship in 2018. They were founded (as the Arena-Essex Hammers) by promoter Wally Mawdsley and stock car promoter Chick Woodroffe. The team were nicknamed the Ham ...
and
Coventry Bees
Coventry Bees were a motorcycle speedway team that existed from 1929 to 2018. They raced at Brandon Stadium, Brandon near Coventry, England.
History
A Coventry team was first formed in 1928 and competed in the inaugural season of the Souther ...
dropped out of the league and were replaced by the
Rye House Rockets
The Rye House Rockets were a speedway team based at Rye House Stadium, Hoddesdon, England. They competed in various British speedway leagues from 1954 to 2018.
History
Rye House began life in 1934 hosting open meetings. Whilst at Hackney in ...
and the
Somerset Rebels
The Somerset Rebels were a British speedway team based in Highbridge, Somerset. Founded in 2000, the club competed in the British SGB Championship until 2019. Their home track was located at the Oak Tree Arena.
History
The club's stadium, The ...
.
At the annual Speedway AGM, which was held early in November 2016, it was agreed that speedway in Great Britain would be given what was described as "the biggest revamp of the sport in modern history". This involved numerous alterations to both the regulations and the branding of the sport. The former top level of British speedway, the
Elite League, was replaced by the Speedway Great Britain Premiership. Among the most notable changes to the regulations is the reintroduction of promotion and relegation between the top two leagues: the team that finishes in last place in the Premiership will race against the winners of the new second tier of British speedway (the
SGB Championship
The Speedway Great Britain (SGB) Championship is the second division of speedway league competition in the United Kingdom, governed by the Speedway Control Bureau (SCB), in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association (BSPA). It ...
) in order to decide who will compete in the Premiership in 2018.
The
Swindon Robins
The Swindon Speedway team, also known as the Swindon Robins, are an English motorcycle speedway team established in 1949 that have competed primarily in the top division of speedway league competition in the United Kingdom. They are five times ...
were the champions defeating the
Wolverhampton Wolves
Wolverhampton Wolves are a British speedway team based in Wolverhampton, England. They are sponsored by Parry's International Travel, and signed a deal with owner Dave Parry (previous speedway rider for the Wolverhampton Wolves) for the 20 ...
in the Grand Final.
British TV broadcasting rights changed hands before the start of the 2017 SGB Premiership season, when
Sky
The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from outer space.
In the field of astronomy, ...
withdrew from their negotiated contract with the BSPA. BT then obtained the broadcasting rights for the 2017 season to be shown on their
BT Sport
BT Sport is a group of pay television sports channels in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Owned by Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe and BT Group, they first launched on 1 August 2013. The channels are based at the former International Bro ...
channels.
[
]
League
Teams face each other four times: twice home and twice away. The first of the home and away meetings are called the 'A' fixtures, and the second are the 'B' fixtures.
Regular season
Final League Table
A Fixtures
B Fixtures
Play-offs
Draw
Home team scores are in Dark Black
Semi-Finals
----
----
----
----
Grand Final
----
Promotion and relegation play-off
----
Knockout Cup
The 2017 Knockout Cup was the 75th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams. The competition returned after a four-year absence under a new name, it had previously been known as the Elite League Knockout Cup
The Elite League Knockout Cup was a speedway Knockout Cup competition in the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2012.
History
It was governed by the Speedway Control Bureau (SCB) in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association (BSPA). T ...
. Belle Vue Aces were the winners of the competition for a 14th time and extended their all time record.
Draw
Home team scores are in bold
Final
----
Elite Shield
----
Riders' Championship
Freddie Lindgren won the Riders' Championship for the third time. The final was held at National Speedway Stadium on 16 September.
*f=fell, exc=excluded, ret=retired ef=engine failure t-touched tapes
Pairs Championship
A pairs championship was held for the top tier of speedway the first time since the Elite League Pairs Championship
The Elite League Pairs Championship was a motorcycle speedway contest between the top two riders from each club competing in the Elite League in the United Kingdom, staged from 2004 to 2011.
History
The Championship was a reincarnation of the B ...
. last held in 2011. Despite its comeback for 2017 it was not held again afterwards.
Final leading averages
Riders and final averages
Belle Vue Aces
* (8.98)
* (8.68)
* (8.10)
* (7.63)
* (7.31)
* (6.48)
* (5.52)
* (2.24)
King's Lynn Stars
* (8.00)
* (8.00)
* (7.87)
* (6.73)
* (6.38)
* (6.19)
* (5.73)
* (5.45)
* (5.33)
* (4.91)
* (4.29)
* (2.74)
* (1.33)
Leicester Lions
* (7.60)
* (7.19)
* (6.53)
* (6.52)
* (6.27)
* (6.00) (1 match only)
* (5.78)
* (5.54)
* (5.00)
* (5.00) (2 matches only)
* (4.40)
Poole Pirates
* (8.47)
* (8.42)
* (7.80)
* (7.07)
* (6.92)
* (6.85)
* (6.60)
* (6.48)
* (6.43)
* (5.83)
* (5.23) (3 matches only)
* (4.71)
* (3.96)
Rye House Rockets
* (8.64)
* (8.47)
* (7.94)
* (7.31)
* (7.09)
* (6.93)
* (6.83)
* (5.23)
* (3.92)
* (3.29)
* (2.86) (2 matches only)
Somerset Rebels
* (7.53)
* (7.21)
* (6.79)
* (6.67)
* (6.16)
* (5.93)
* (5.61)
* (5.33)
* (4.59)
* (4.27)
Swindon Robins
* (10.26)
* (9.42)
* (8.32)
* (7.90)
* (6.27)
* (5.05)
* (5.86)
* (4.40) (2 matches only)
* (3.62)
Wolverhampton Wolves
* (9.95)
* (9.33)
* (8.61)
* (8.12)
* (7.78)
* (6.00)
* (3.75)
* (3.04)
* (2.25)
* (1.45)
See also
*The second division of British speedway SGB Championship 2017
The Speedway Great Britain Championship 2017 was the second division of British speedway. It was the first time that it was known as the SGB Championship after changing its name from the Premier League.
The season ran between March and October 2 ...
* List of United Kingdom Speedway League Champions
*Knockout Cup (speedway)
Knockout Cup (sometimes referred to as the KO Cup) is a type of British motorcycle speedway competition, examples of which have run annually since 1929.
Each tier of British Speedway has its own respective Knockout Cup. The current Knockout Cup c ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Premiership
2017 in British motorsport
2017 in speedway
SGB Premiership 2017