Emil Damirovich Sayfutdinov (; born 26 October 1989) is a

motorcycle speedway Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four clockwise, anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines that ...

rider from Russia. He is a member of the

Russia national speedway team The Russia national speedway team are one of the major international motorcycle speedway nations. History As the Soviet Union The Soviet Union speedway team (which was composed predominantly of Russian riders but also Ukrainian, Latvian an ...

. He is a three times World team champion, twice World Junior champion and a two-time winner of the European Championships in 2014 and 2015.

Career history

Sayfutdinov gained his speedway licence in 2005, just before his 16th birthday. He started his career in the Russian league with Mega-Lada Togliatti and won the Russian Champion title. He averaged 2.271 (15th place in league), won the Russian Pairs Championship and won the Individual under-21 Russian Championship and was 6th in the Russian Senior Championship. In international competitions he started in the Individual U-19 European Championship and won qualification to the final but was too young to take part. In 2006, he signed for Polish team

Polonia Bydgoszcz Polonia Bydgoszcz is a Polish sports club based in Bydgoszcz most known for its Motorcycle speedway, speedway team ŻKS Polonia Bydgoszcz which currently races in the Polish Speedway First League, 1. Liga. The club has won the Team Speedway Pol ...

and rode his first meeting in the Polish Ekstraliga, on 9 April 2006. Polonia Bydgoszcz finished 3rd in Polish Championship - Emil's average was 1.353 (38th place). In 2007, Sayfutdinov remained with Polonia Bydgoszcz, where he averaged 1.463 (36th place). He also made his debut in the Swedish Elitserien with

Masarna Masarna are a Swedish motorcycle speedway team based in Avesta, Sweden. They last rode in the Elitserien during the 2022 Swedish Speedway season but are currently not racing due to financial problems. They are two times champions of Sweden. ...

who finished in 5th place in league. The following season (2007) he returned to Russian league with Mega-Lada Togliatti and won the league championship. In June 2007, Sayfutdinov took part in the Team U-21 World Championship and he also made his senior debut for Russia at the

2007 Speedway World Cup The 2007 Speedway World Cup (SWC) was the 7th FIM Speedway World Cup season. The Final took place on 21 July 2007 in the Alfred Smoczyk Stadium in Leszno, Poland. The tournament was won by host team Poland (55 pts) and they beat defending cha ...

, finishing in sixth place. After winning the quarter and semi-finals, he qualified to the Individual U-21 World Championship Final. In September, he finished the year on a high, becoming the World Under-21 Champion for the first time with a 15-point maximum score, breaking the track record twice during the meeting. In 2008, Sayfutdinov remained with Polonia Bydgoszcz in the

2008 Polish speedway season The 2008 Polish Speedway season was the 2008 season of motorcycle speedway in Poland. Individual Polish Individual Speedway Championship Golden Helmet Criterium of Aces Junior Championship Silver Helmet * winner - Maciej Janowski ...

winning the 1.Liga with the club. He also rode in Sweden for Masarna again and in Russia for Mega-Lada Togliatti, winning the league championship title again. Sayfutdinov won Individual U-21 Russian Champion title and won the silver medal in the Russian Senior Championship. In July 2008, he participated in the

2008 Speedway World Cup The 2008 FIM Nordicbet Speedway World Cup (SWC) is the 8th Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, FIM Speedway World Cup season. The final took place on 19 July 2008 in sports, 2008 in Vojens, Denmark. The tournament was won by host team D ...

. In the semi-final he was the top point scorer for Russia with 14 points. Sayfutdinov did not take part in the race-off because he was taking part in the Individual U-21 World Championship semi-final, where he won qualification to the final. On 4 October 2008, he defended his World Under-21 Champion title, becoming the first rider to ever do so. In 2009. Sayfutdinov was given a permanent wild card to the

2009 Speedway Grand Prix The 2009 Speedway Grand Prix was the 64th edition of the official World Championship and the 15th season of the Speedway Grand Prix era, deciding Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme Speedway World Championship. It is the third series unde ...

by the SGP Commission. His first season in the

Speedway Grand Prix Speedway Grand Prix are a series of stand-alone motorcycle speedway events over the course of a season used to determine the Speedway World Champion. The series started in 1995 replacing the previous format of a single event final. The first ...

(SGP) as a 19 year old, was the youngest permanent rider in SGP history. He made his debut on 25 April at the Czech Grand Prix in Prague. Sayfutdinov qualified for the final which he won, making him the youngest ever rider to win a Grand Prix. At the British GP in Cardiff, during heat 5 Emil had a fight on the track with Scott Nicholls. The final round of 2009 season was on his home track in

Bydgoszcz Bydgoszcz is a city in northern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Kuyavia. Straddling the confluence of the Vistula River and its bank (geography), left-bank tributary, the Brda (river), Brda, the strategic location of Byd ...

. He ended the World Championship with the bronze medal, winning 3 Grand Prix in his first season at the sport's premier competition. Domestically he rode for Polonia Bydgoszcz,

Piraterna Piraterna are a Swedish motorcycle speedway team based in Motala, Sweden The team are two times Swedish Speedway Team Championship, champions of Sweden. and compete in the Elitserien (speedway), Elitserien History 1949 to 1951 Piraterna made ...

Vojens Vojens () is a railway town in Denmark with a population of 7,424 (1 January 2025).Denis Gizatullin Denis Rashitovich Gizatullin (born 11 March 1983 in Oktiabrsky, Russia) is a former international motorcycle speedway rider and former captain of the Russian national team. He earned 15 caps for the Russia national team. Career He is a two ...

and Andrey Kudryashov was won Pairs Russia Cup for Turbina Balakovo. Emil started the 2010 season with a third place in the Polish Grand Prix in Leszno but in the Czech Grand Prix, he was involved in a serious crash and broke his arm. After injury, he returned in the Swedish Grand Prix in Malilla but crashed and broke his arm once again, which ended his season. he following year in 2011, he started out with a 3rd place, just like the previous year, in the first Grand Prix in Leszno. That was his only time on the podium until the last round in Gorzow, where he made another 3rd place. He was 6th overall in the Grand Prix series, which was enough to be one of the eight best and automatically qualify for the 2012 Grand Prix. Sayfutdinov was nominated to Russia team to Team U-21 World Championship Qualifying Round 2, but Russia was withdrew. In 2014, an injury and financial costs forced Emil Sayfutdinov to withdraw from

series. He did however ride in the

Individual Speedway European Championship The Individual Speedway European Championship is an annual individual speedway event organized by the European Motorcycle Union (UEM) to determine the champion of Europe. The competition was founded in 2001 and was initially staged as a one-off ...

, where he won the gold medal. He repeated the European success the following season in 2015, before returning to the World Championship (Grand Prix series in 2017. In 2018, Sayfutdinov finished 8th in the 2018 World Championship but won a gold medal with Russia in the

2018 Speedway of Nations The 2018 Speedway of Nations was the first FIM Speedway of Nations. The competition consisted of two race-off events and a two-legged final. The event was won by Russia, who beat Great Britain in the Grand Final. It replaced the Speedway World Cup ...

(the World Team Championship). In 2019, Sayfutdinov finished third and won his second bronze medal in the 2019 World Championship, finishing with 126 points. The bronze came ten years after his first. He also won his second gold medal with Russia in the

2019 Speedway of Nations The 2019 Speedway of Nations was the second FIM Speedway of Nations. The competition consisted of two race-off events and a two-legged final. The event was won by Russia for the second consecutive year. They beat Poland in the Grand Final with Au ...

(the World Team Championship). Sayfutdinov was now regarded as one of the world's leading riders but had a disappointing 2020 World Championship, finishing 8th but he did win his third consecutive gold medal with Russia in the

2020 Speedway of Nations The 2020 Speedway of Nations (sponsored by Monster Energy) was the third FIM Speedway of Nations. The competition was scheduled to consist of a two-legged final but was reduced to a single leg because of heavy rain on the opening day. The Speedwa ...

(the World Team Championship). In 2021, he had a better World Championship, winning his third bronze medal in the 2021 World Championship, finishing with 140 points. However, Sayfutdinov was unable to compete for the world title in 2022, following the

Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme The International Motorcycling Federation (Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme) or (FIM) is the global governing/sanctioning body of motorcycle racing. It represents 123 national motorcycle federations that are divided into six continent ...

ban on Russian and Belarusian motorcycle riders, teams, officials, and competitions as a result of the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

. In 2023, he joined the

Ipswich Witches The Ipswich Witches are a British motorcycle speedway club based at Foxhall Stadium near Ipswich, Suffolk. They compete in the British SGB Premiership. Meetings are staged on most Thursdays from March until October, normally commencing at 7.30 ...

for the

SGB Premiership 2023 The 2023 Sports Insure SGB Premiership was the 88th season of the top tier of British speedway and the 6th known as the SGB Premiership. There was an increase of one team after the Leicester Lions opted to move up from the SGB Championship. ...

and won the Knockout Cup with them. He was able to ride for Ipswich by virtue of having a Polish licence and dual citizenship and therefore overcoming the ban on Russian riders. Despite the dual citizenship, he was not awarded a place for the

2024 Speedway Grand Prix The 2024 Speedway Grand Prix season was the 30th season of the Speedway Grand Prix era, and decided the 79th FIM Speedway World Championship. It was the third series promoted by Discovery Sports Events. A new sprint race was introduced at sele ...

but did re-sign for Ipswich for 2024.

Personal life

His parents are

Tatar Tatar may refer to: Peoples * Tatars, an umbrella term for different Turkic ethnic groups bearing the name "Tatar" * Volga Tatars, a people from the Volga-Ural region of western Russia * Crimean Tatars, a people from the Crimea peninsula by the B ...

father Damir and Russian mother Tamara; his brother,

Denis Denis may refer to: People * Saint Denis of Paris, 3rd-century Christian martyr and first bishop of Paris * Denis the Areopagite, Biblical figure * Denis, Bishop of Győr (13th century), Hungarian prelate * Denis, son of Ampud (died 1236), bar ...

(born 2 June 1981) is also a speedway rider. Denis was a member of the Russian team during the

2002 Speedway World Cup The 2002 Speedway World Cup (SWC) was the 2nd Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, FIM Speedway World Cup season. The final took place on 10 August 2002 in Peterborough, England. The tournament was won by Australia national speedway tea ...

and 2004 Speedway World Cup Qualification. In March 2009, Sayfutdinov gained Polish citizenship. Before the 2010 season, his Polish club

applied to Main Commission of Speedway Sport (GKSŻ) for him to be exempt from the Polish speedway licence (''Licencja "Ż"'') exam based on his individual honours (including bronze medal in the

and two

Individual Speedway Junior World Championship The Speedway Under-21 World Championship is an annual Motorcycle speedway, speedway event held each year organized by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) since 1977. As of 2022, the title ...

titles). GKSŻ excepted him, and on 22 April 2010 confirmed Sayfutdinov as domestic rider and known as Emil Sajfutdinow. In the

Speedway Ekstraliga The Speedway Ekstraliga (, ) is the top division of motorcycle speedway in Poland and determines the winner of the Team Speedway Polish Championship. It has been called the "richest and most popular speedway league in the world", and attracts r ...

minimum three riders must have Polish licency. In international competitions he will continue to represent Russia. He currently lives at the Zielona Tarasy (Green Terrace) residential estate in

, Poland.

Major results

World individual Championship

- 3rd (including Czech Rep, Swedish and Slovenian grand prix wins) *

2010 Speedway Grand Prix The 2010 Speedway Grand Prix was the 65th edition of the official World Championship and the 16th season of the Speedway Grand Prix era, deciding the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, FIM Speedway World Championship. It was the tenth se ...

- 15th *

2011 Speedway Grand Prix The 2011 Speedway Grand Prix was the 66th edition of the official World Championship and the 17th season of the Speedway Grand Prix era, deciding the FIM Speedway World Championship. It was the eleventh series under the promotion of Benfield Sport ...

- 6th *

2012 Speedway Grand Prix The 2012 Speedway Grand Prix season was the 67th edition of the official World Championship and the 18th season of the Speedway Grand Prix era, deciding the FIM Speedway World Championship. It was the twelfth series under the promotion of Benfield ...

- 5th *

2013 Speedway Grand Prix The 2013 Speedway Grand Prix season was the 68th edition of the official World Championship and the 19th season of the Speedway Grand Prix era, deciding the FIM Speedway World Championship. It was the thirteenth series under the promotion of Be ...

- 6th (including European, British and Swedish grand prix wins) *

2017 Speedway Grand Prix The 2017 Speedway Grand Prix season was the 23rd season of the Speedway Grand Prix era, and decided the 72nd FIM Speedway World Championship. It was seventeenth series under the promotion of Benfield Sports International, an IMG company. The wo ...

- 6th *

2018 Speedway Grand Prix The 2018 Speedway Grand Prix season was the 24th season of the Speedway Grand Prix era, and decided the 73rd FIM Speedway World Championship. It was the eighteenth series under the promotion of Benfield Sports International, an IMG company. The ...

- 8th *

2019 Speedway Grand Prix The 2019 Speedway Grand Prix season was the 25th season of the Speedway Grand Prix era, and decided the 74th FIM Speedway World Championship. It was the nineteenth series under the promotion of Benfield Sports International, an IMG company. T ...

- 3rd (including Swedish grand prix win) *

2020 Speedway Grand Prix The 2020 Speedway Grand Prix season was the 26th season of the Speedway Grand Prix era, and decided the 75th FIM Speedway World Championship. It was the 20th series under the promotion of Benfield Sports International, an IMG company A new p ...

- 8th *

2021 Speedway Grand Prix The 2021 Speedway Grand Prix season was the 27th season of the Speedway Grand Prix era, and decided the 76th FIM Speedway World Championship. The calendar of events was disrupted by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the series was dominat ...

- 3rd

World team championships

- 6th *

2009 Speedway World Cup The 2009 FIM Speedway World Cup (SWC) was the ninth Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, FIM Speedway World Cup season. The final took place on 19 July 2009 in sports, 2009 in Leszno, Poland. The defending World Champions were Denmark na ...

- 4th * 2011 Speedway World Cup - 5th *

2012 Speedway World Cup The 2012 FIM Speedway World Cup (SWC) was the twelfth Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, FIM Speedway World Cup, the annual international Motorcycle speedway, speedway world championship tournament. It took place between 7 July and 14 ...

- 3rd *

2016 Speedway World Cup The 2016 Monster Energy FIM Speedway World Cup (SWC) was the sixteenth Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, FIM Speedway World Cup, the annual international Motorcycle speedway, speedway world championship tournament. It took place betw ...

- 6th *

2017 Speedway World Cup The 2017 Monster Energy FIM Speedway World Cup (SWC) was the seventeenth Speedway World Cup, the annual international motorcycle speedway world championship tournament organised by the FIM. The next edition would not be held until six years lat ...

- 3rd *

- Winner *

- Winner

World junior championships

* Individual U-21 World Championship (Under-21 World Championship) **

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

- Ostrów Wlkp. - World Champion (15 points) **

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

Pardubice Pardubice (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 92,000 inhabitants. It is the capital city of the Pardubice Region and lies on the Elbe River. The historic centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Repub ...

- World Champion (14 points) * Team U-21 World Championship (U-21 Speedway World Cup) ** ''

- 4th place in Qualifying Round 2'' ** ''

- 4th place in Qualifying Round 1'' ** ''

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

- team withdrew from Qualifying Round 2''

European Championships

* European Club Champions' Cup **

Miskolc Miskolc ( , ; ; Czech language, Czech and ; ; ; ) is a city in northeastern Hungary, known for its heavy industry. With a population of 161,265 as of 1 January 2014, Miskolc is the List of cities and towns in Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, ...

- 3rd place (0 points) **

Slaný Slaný (; ) is a town in Kladno District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 17,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, ur ...

- Winner (13 points)

Domestic competitions

* Individual Speedway Russian Junior Championship ** 2005 - Winner ** 2007 - Silver medal ** 2008 - Winner * Russian Pairs Speedway Championship ** 2005 - Winner ** 2007 - Bronze medal ** 2009 - Winner * Team Polish Championship ** 2006 - 3rd with

- 8th place with Bydgoszcz **

- First League winner with Bydgoszcz * Russian League Championship ** 2005 - Winner ** 2007 - Winner ** 2008 - Winner ** 2009 - Winner * Polish Team U-21 Championship ** ''2006 - 2nd place in Qualification Group C''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sayfutdinov, Emil 1989 births Living people People from Salavat Russian speedway riders Polish speedway riders Polonia Bydgoszcz riders Expatriate speedway riders in Poland Coventry Bees riders Ipswich Witches riders Russian expatriate speedway riders in England Russian emigrants to Poland Tatar people of Russia Naturalized citizens of Poland Sportspeople from Bashkortostan

Career history

Personal life

Major results

World individual Championship

World team championships

World junior championships

European Championships

Domestic competitions

See also

References