Learn The Sport
Rules & Race Procedures
Everything you need to know about how speedway racing works in New Zealand — from flag signals to scoring, championship formats to contact rules.
Flag Signals
Flags are the primary communication between race officials and drivers. Every competitor and spectator should know what each flag means.
Green Flag
Race start — GO
The race is underway. Drivers may race at full speed.
Yellow Flag
Caution — hazard on track
Slow down immediately and hold your position. No passing allowed. A hazard or incident is on the track.
Red Flag
Race stopped — all cars halt
Stop racing immediately. All cars must slow down and halt safely. A serious incident has occurred.
White Flag
Last lap
One lap remaining. Give it everything — the chequered flag is next.
Black Flag
Driver ordered to pits
The flagged driver must leave the track and report to the infield. Usually for a rule violation or mechanical issue.
Chequered Flag
Race finished
The race is over. The first car to see the chequered flag wins.
Race Procedures
Rolling Starts
All speedway races in New Zealand use rolling starts. Cars line up in formation behind a pace car and accelerate together when the green flag drops. The pace car peels off into the infield and racing begins immediately.
New Competitors
First-time racers at a meeting must start at the rear of the grid for their first 4 races. This gives new drivers time to learn the track and race-craft before competing for position from the start.
Yellow Flag Caution Rules
When the yellow flag is displayed, all drivers must immediately slow to a safe speed and hold their position. No passing is permitted under yellow. Cars form up behind the pace car until the track is cleared and racing resumes with a green flag restart. Any driver who improves their position under yellow will be penalised.
Grid Position Rotation
To ensure fairness across heats, grid positions rotate. If you started at the front in Heat 1, you will start further back in Heat 2. This means every driver gets a mix of front-row and back-of-grid starts throughout the night.
Scoring System
Points Per Race
Heat Accumulation
Points accumulate across all heats during a meeting. Your total heat points determine your qualification position for the feature races (A-Main, B-Main, etc.).
A-Main / B-Main Qualification
The top point scorers from heats qualify directly for the A-Main (the premier final). The next group qualifies for the B-Main. The top finishers from the B-Main may transfer into the rear of the A-Main grid, depending on the class and event format.
Tie-Breaking
When drivers are tied on points, the tie is broken by count-back — the driver with more race wins ranks higher. If still tied, the best single-race finish is compared. In championship events, a run-off race may be used.
Championship Format
Major NZ championships like the Nationals and NZ Grand Prix follow a structured multi-night format to handle large fields fairly.
Large Field Groups
With 100+ entrants over 2 nights, drivers are split into groups for qualifying heats. Groups are randomised or seeded based on past results.
Heat Racing
Each driver races multiple heats against different opponents. Points accumulate across all heats to determine rankings.
Repechage Rounds
Drivers who narrowly miss direct qualification get a second chance through repechage (last-chance) races. Top finishers from repechage rounds advance to the finals.
Tiered Finals
Finals are tiered: D-Main, C-Main, B-Main, then A-Main. Top finishers from each lower final transfer up, ensuring the very best drivers race in the A-Main for the championship.
Contact Rules
Contact level is one of the biggest differences between speedway classes. Understanding the rules keeps everyone safe and the racing fair.
Full Contact
Superstocks, Stockcars, Streetstocks
Deliberate contact is legal and expected. Drivers may hit, push, and spin opponents using their car. Rolling and flipping cars is common in these classes. The goal is to be the last car running or first across the line.
Legal: Rear and side panel hits, pushing into walls, spinning opponents
Illegal: T-boning the driver door, deliberate hits to exposed drivers, ramming stationary cars head-on
Limited Contact
Saloons, Production Saloons, Ministocks
Incidental contact is tolerated, but deliberate contact is penalised. Rubbing and nudging happens in tight racing, but aggressive hits or spinning other cars leads to penalties or disqualification.
Legal: Light panel rubbing, incidental contact while racing
Illegal: Deliberate hits, spinning opponents, aggressive driving
Non-Contact
Sprintcars, Midgets, TQ Midgets, Modifieds
No contact allowed. These open-wheel cars are not designed to withstand impacts — contact can cause serious injury. Drivers must race cleanly and give space. Any contact results in penalties.
Legal: Clean side-by-side racing, drafting
Illegal: Any deliberate contact, blocking, chopping across other cars