Stayer racing is an adrenaline-fuelled, motor-paced track discipline that was immensely popular during the early 20th century. Bloodthirsty crowds were drawn to the near-gladiatorial spectacle of extremely high speeds achieved in a heady atmosphere of very low safety. Speeds really were crazy – 100kph on unreliable rubber - rules were scant, and fatalities were common.
As safety standards improved and better tyres brought fewer high-speed blowouts, interest in Stayer racing declined, with the UCI finally pulling the plug on its Motor-paced World Championships in 1994. However, a toehold clings on in Northern Europe – it’s still moderately popular in Germany.
