1998 Speedway Grand Prix Qualification

The 1998 Speedway Grand Prix Qualification or GP Challenge was a series of motorcycle speedway meetings used to determine the 16 riders that qualified for the 1998 Speedway Grand Prix to join the other 8 riders that finished in the leading positions from the 1997 Speedway Grand Prix.

There was a late change to the qualifying when the Grand Prix increased to 24 permanent riders. Therefore 4 riders would qualify straight from the Intercontinental and Continental finals and 9 riders would qualify through the GP Challenge (originally just 4). The final 3 GP places would go to wildcards.

Piotr Protasiewicz won the GP Challenge.

Format

 * First Round - 5 riders each from Sweden & Denmark, 3 riders each from Finland & Norway to Scandinavian Final
 * First Round - 32 riders from Continental quarter finals to Continental semi-finals
 * First Round - 8 riders from British final to Overseas Final
 * First Round - 4 riders from Australian/New Zealand final to Overseas Final
 * First Round - 4 riders from United States final to Overseas Final
 * Second Round - 8 riders from Scandinavian final to Intercontinental Final
 * Second Round - 8 riders from Overseas final to Intercontinental Final
 * Second Round - 16 riders from Continental semi-finals to Continental Final
 * Third Round - 7 riders from positions 9-15 from the 1997 Grand Prix to GP Challenge
 * Third Round - 2 riders from the Continental Final to 1998 Grand Prix and 4 to GP Challenge
 * Third Round - 2 riders from the Intercontinental Final to 1998 Grand Prix and 5 to GP Challenge
 * Final Round - 9 riders from the GP Challenge to the 1998 Grand Prix

Overseas Final
8 riders to Intercontinental Final

Scandinavian Final
8 riders to Intercontinental final

Continental semi finals
Continental semi-finals - 16 riders from to Continental final

Third round

 * 7 riders from positions 9-15 from the 1997 Speedway Grand Prix to GP Challenge

Intercontinental Final
2 riders direct to Grand Prix, 5 riders to GP Challenge

Continental Final

 * 2 riders direct to Grand Prix, 4 riders to GP Challenge
 * 26 July 1997 🇮🇹 Lonigo

GP Challenge
4 riders (changed to 9) to 1998 Grand Prix
 * 5 October 1997 🇦🇹 Wiener Neustadt