The Polish Motor Union (PZM) and many of the nation’s Grand Prix level riders are embroiled in a row with the FIM, the governing body of Speedway Grand Prix, over the use of a new silencer. Among the riders are Tomasz Gollob, Jaroslaw Hampel, and Janusz Kolodziej, who all claim that the new silencers are unsafe for riders. The FIM has flatly denied that to be the case, and has issued a terse statement to that effect.
The issue stems from a new mandate to use a specific model of silencer, which is designed to reduce noise emissions, for the 2011 Speedway GP season. Some riders believe that there are problems in the way this silencer affects the engine output; the claims are an unpredictable power curve which has the side effect of causing instability. In Speedway racing, a rider is on what most would call a razor’s edge and dicing it up at the same time, all the while moving at over 70 MPH on a loose surface with no brakes.
The Polish do not seem to be protesting the idea behind the change; they have no problem with any sort environmentally focused improvements, it simply must be proven safe. Their argument is purely based on what they believe to be an issue with not enough testing being completed to satisfy the Polish contingent.
Of course, the FIM believes the amount of testing already completed is more than enough to suit any safety concerns. In 2010, when the silencer was first homologated, it was tested in “48 competitions included (sic) the World Cup, which used the new silencers, that is 960 races,
768 laps and 3,840 individual riders.” The FIM’s reply continues to say that during that period, “There was not one incident because of the new silencer. According to all manufacturers and tuners, the speedway bike did not lose power and have the same speed as before.”
The issue lurking behind this disagreement is that Speedway GP will not be able function without the Polish riders and organizers involved. In fact, Banfield Sports International (BSI) is the primary organizer for the series, and it is said that the company will not allow the season to be held unless the Poles are there and part of the action.
The last word on this was that the PZM was to meet on Wednesday, 23 March, in order to further discuss their stance on the issue, and they have requested more input from their national riders. Nothing seems to have been released to the public yet, but many are awaiting 
their announcement.
It is not expected that the PZM, or the Polish riders, will acquiesce to the FIM, but the entire 2011 Speedway GP season could be determined by what happens here. Riders from other nations have come down on both sides, and all agree that the series cannot go on without Poland’s participation.
If you are a Speedway fan, you will want to watch the motorcycle racing news for any new developments. The 2011 FIM Speedway Grand Prix season is completely dependent on how this row is settled.
