Speedway Super Prix

{{Speedway Grand Prix}} The '''Super Prix''' was an event introduced by the [[Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme]] (FIM), and [[Speedway Grand Prix]] organisers, Benfield Sports International, to the [[2008 Speedway Grand Prix]] series offering an additional [[Prize money|prize fund]] of [[United States dollar|US$]]200,000 to the Grand Prix riders. Four Super Prix events were held at four rounds of the Grand Prix season, with the winner of each of the four events qualifying for the Super Prix Final. The Super Prix final was won by Polish rider [[Tomasz Gollob]].

==Rounds== The four Super Prix meetings will take place at the Swedish, Danish, British and German Grand Prix rounds which are held at the largest stadia on the Grand Prix calendar. Each Super Prix represents a helmet colour, and the winner of each Super Prix round will wear this colour and have the corresponding starting gate in the Super Prix Final.<ref name="superprix">{{cite web | year = 2008 | url = http://www.speedwayworld.tv/en/sgp/a8996 | title = Super Prix | work = SpeedwayWorld.tv | publisher = BSI Speedway Ltd | accessdate = 2008-06-15 }}{{dead link|date=October 2017 |bot=Josve05a |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The Grand Prix of Sweden winner will wear the red helmet (gate 1) in the final, the Danish GP winner the blue helmet (gate 2), the British GP winner the white helmet (gate 3) and the German GP winner the yellow helmet (gate 4).<ref name="superprix"/> The Super Prix final is a one-off race between the four event winners held after the German Grand Prix in the [[Veltins-Arena]], [[Gelsenkirchen]] on 11 October 2008.<ref name="superprix"/><ref name="express">{{cite web | year = 2008 | url = http://express.co.uk/posts/view/48066/Nicholls-revs-up-for-fast-lane | title = Nicholls revs up for fast lane | publisher = [[Daily Express]] | accessdate = 2008-06-15}}</ref> The Grand Prix of Germany is also the last Grand Prix event of 2008.<ref name="express"/>

<div style="float: right; clear: right; text-align: center"> <div style="position: relative"> [[Image:Europe location.png|200px]] {{Image label|x=0.47 |y=0.345|scale=200|text=[[Image:Red pog.svg|8px|Gothenburg]]}} {{Image label|x=0.475|y=0.385|scale=200|text=[[Image:Red pog.svg|8px|Copenhagen]]}} {{Image label|x=0.315|y=0.455|scale=200|text=[[Image:Red pog.svg|8px|Cardiff]]}} {{Image label|x=0.425|y=0.46 |scale=200|text=[[Image:Red pog.svg|8px|Gelsenkirchen]]}} </div> </div>

The 2008 Super Prix events:

*24 May 2008 {{flagicon|SWE}} [[2008 Speedway Grand Prix of Sweden|Swedish Grand Prix]], [[Ullevi Stadium]], [[Gothenburg]] (Red helmet) *14 June 2008 {{flagicon|DEN}} [[2008 Speedway Grand Prix of Denmark|Danish Grand Prix]], [[Parken]], [[Copenhagen]] (Blue helmet) *28 June 2008 {{flagicon|GBR}} [[2008 Speedway Grand Prix of Great Britain|British Grand Prix]], [[Millennium Stadium]], [[Cardiff]] (White helmet) *11 October 2008 {{flagicon|GER}} [[2008 Speedway Grand Prix of Germany|German Grand Prix]], [[Veltins-Arena]], [[Gelsenkirchen]] (Yellow helmet) {{clear}}

== Rules == If a Super Prix event is won by a rider who has already qualified for the Super Prix Final, then the [[2008 Speedway Grand Prix#The Final Classification|World Championship Final Classification]] following the completion of the Grand Prix of Germany determines who is awarded a place in the final.<ref name="superprix"/> If a rider has won more than one Super Prix he will take the starting gate colour of his first Super Prix win and if a rider is unable to participate in the Super Prix Final due to injury or other circumstances, they are replaced using the World Championship Final Classification.<ref name="superprix"/> [[Wild card (sports)|Wild card]] and reserve riders can also qualify to the Super Prix Final in Germany.<ref name="superprix"/> The Super Prix events do not affect the World Championship standings.

== Prize fund == The [[United States dollar|$]]200,000 prize fund is the richest race ever contested in speedway.<ref>{{cite web | year = 2008 | url = http://www.speedwayworld.tv/en/news/a8859 | title = The $200,000 Race | work = SpeedwayWorld.tv | publisher = BSI Speedway Ltd | accessdate = 2008-06-15 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Following the completion of the Super Prix final the prize fund is awarded as follows:<ref name="superprix"/> *'''1st''' place: $120,000 *'''2nd''' place: $40,000 *'''3rd''' place: $25,000 *'''4th''' place: $15,000

== Event winners == [[Norway|Norwegian]] born [[Poland|Polish]] rider [[Rune Holta]] won the [[2008 Speedway Grand Prix of Sweden|2008 Swedish Grand Prix]] and in doing so became the first rider to qualify for the super Prix final.<ref>{{cite web | year = 2008 | url = http://www.worldspeedway.com/artman/publish/article_6225.shtml | title = Holta breaks GP maiden - wins 2008 Swedish Grand Prix | publisher = WorldSpeedway.com | accessdate = 2008-06-15}}</ref> Holta takes the red helmet and the inside gate 1 for the final in Germany.<ref>{{cite web | year = 2008 | url = http://www.speedwayworld.tv/en/sgp/a9093?SID=a879b62da5ef313361a86bf15f2365a3 | title = Holta takes maiden win | work = SpeedwayWorld.tv | publisher = BSI Speedway Ltd | accessdate = 2008-06-15 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Polish rider [[Tomasz Gollob]] won his second Grand Prix round of the season at the [[Speedway Grand Prix of Denmark|Grand Prix of Denmark]] and became the second rider to qualify for the final, taking the blue helmet and gate 2.<ref>{{cite web | year = 2008 | url = http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12040_3691820,00.html | title = Gollob wins in Denmark | publisher = [[Sky Sports]] | accessdate = 2008-06-15}}</ref>[[Jason Crump]] won his first Grand Prix since 2006 at [[Cardiff]]'s [[Millennium Stadium]] to take the white helmet and gate 3.<ref>{{cite web | year = 2008 | url = http://www.speedwayworld.tv/en/news/a9182?SID=408ec9d9aae73e9d81cc7acedcf855ed | title = Crump is Back! | work = SpeedwayWorld.tv | publisher = BSI Speedway Ltd | accessdate = 2008-06-30 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The final round of the Super Prix took place on 18 October in [[Polonia Bydgoszcz Stadium|Bydgoszcz]] after the German Grand Prix was cancelled due to adverse track conditions, and was won by Tomasz Gollob.<ref name="gollob">{{cite web | year = 2008 | url = http://www.speedwayworld.tv/en/sgp/a9517 | title = Pedersen's title glory – Gollob's night | work = SpeedwayWorld.tv | publisher = BSI Speedway Ltd | accessdate = 2008-11-03 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

{| class=wikitable style= align="center" "text-align: center" !Super Prix Event||Gate Position||Winner |- {{speedway color|r}} |[[2008 Speedway Grand Prix of Sweden|Sweden]]||1||{{flagicon|POL}} [[Rune Holta]] |- {{speedway color|b}} |[[2008 Speedway Grand Prix of Denmark|Denmark]]||2|| {{flagicon|POL}} [[Tomasz Gollob]] |- {{speedway color|w}} |[[2008 Speedway Grand Prix of Great Britain|Great Britain]]||3|| {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Jason Crump]] |- {{speedway color|y}} |[[2008 Speedway Grand Prix of Germany|Germany]]||4|| {{flagicon|POL}} [[Tomasz Gollob]] |- {{speedway color|w}} |}

==Final== The final of the Super Prix took place at the [[Polonia Bydgoszcz Stadium|Polonia Stadium]], [[Bydgoszcz]] on 18 October 2008. [[Nicki Pedersen]] qualified for the final in the yellow helmet colour as the highest placed rider in the World Championship Classification after [[Tomasz Gollob]] won his second Super Prix event at Bydgoszcz.<ref name="gollob"/>

'''Result:''' #{{flagicon|POL}} [[Tomasz Gollob]] #{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Jason Crump]] #{{flagicon|POL}} [[Rune Holta]] #{{flagicon|DEN}} [[Nicki Pedersen]] (excluded for touching the start tapes)

==See also== *[[Motorcycle speedway]]

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/19990508050847/http://www.speedwaygp.com/ Official Grand Prix website]}}

[[Category:2008 Speedway Grand Prix|+]]