SON FINAL 2020 | HOW IT WORKS

With the Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations Final just a day away, SpeedwayOfNations.com brings you our guide to the 2020 rules.

Don’t miss the action from Lublin on Friday and Saturday as hosts Poland face off with champions Russia, Australia, Denmark, Sweden, Great Britain and the Czech Republic for the last big prize of 2020.

There have been a few changes since Russia won their second world title in Togliatti last summer – and the main one is a new scoring system that ensures there will be no more drawn heats.

Every heat winner scores four points, with three for second, two for third and zero points for last place, failing to finish or being disqualified.

It’s a scoring system that will be very familiar to British fans after being used for decades in the SGB Championship Best Pairs.

With the Monster Energy SON all about teamwork, the new point structure rewards the best performing pair.

If for example a Great Britain star won a heat, but the Australian riders finished second and third, the Roos would claim a 5-4 heat advantage. A one-two for a team would earn them a 7-2 victory and finishing first and third would claim the victorious country a 6-3 advantage.

The secret to Monster Energy SON success is simply to avoid finishing last. Stay out of fourth place, and your country will claim a heat advantage.

As ever, all seven countries meet each other over 21 heats on Friday and another 21 heats on Saturday, with the points from both days and all 42 heats added together.

The top-scoring nation progresses automatically to the grand final at the end of day two, while the second and third-placed countries meet in the final qualifier, with the second-placed team handed first choice of gates.

The team scoring a heat advantage progresses to the grand final, where the country scoring a heat advantage claims the Monster Energy SON world title.

Under this year’s rules, there can be no run-offs as drawn heats are no longer possible – if a team takes second and third in the grand final, it will secure them the gold medal.

If any countries are tied for points on the heat scorechart, the team which gained the most points across their head-to-head meetings will be ranked higher. If their head-to-head record is a tie, the teams will be awarded a bonus point for every 7-2 and 5-4 heat advantage they claimed over two days, with the country scoring the most bonuses ranked higher.

Should countries still be deadlocked, the countback system will be used, with the team registering the most heat wins, then second places, thirds and fourths ranked highest – a zero counts for more than a retirement or disqualification.

If the rival nations still cannot be split, the one with the highest FIM ranking – decided by their finishing position in the 2019 Monster Energy SON – will be placed higher.