The Millennium Stadium is gearing up to host the annual British FIM Speedway Grand Prix which returns for the fourteenth consecutive championship on Welsh soil on Saturday 12 July.

The Millennium Stadium is gearing up to host the annual British FIM Speedway Grand Prix which returns for the fourteenth consecutive championship on Welsh soil on Saturday 12 July.

Cardiff's premier multi-event venue will undergo an impressive make-over as the countdown continues for the UK leg of a hugely competitive Speedway Grand Prix season

From this weekend, up to 150 trucks carrying 3,000 tonnes of shale between them will arrive at the multi-purpose home of Welsh rugby.

Speedway organisers will then set about transforming the city-centre venue into a world class racing track fit for some of the best riders in the world to roar their 500cc bikes into town.

Thousands of Speedway supporters are expected to descend on the Welsh capital for a day jam packed with fast and furious family fun, with riders reaching speeds of up to 70mph on bikes with no brakes and acceleration that's faster than an F1 car.

Fans will be looking forward to welcoming British World Champion Tai Woffinden back to Cardiff after he crashed out of last year's event with a broken collarbone and bounced back to become World Champion in October 2013.

The 23 year-old will go up against competitors from around the world, including three riders with six World Championships between them in Greg Hancock, Nicki Pedersen and Chris Holder.

Millennium Stadium Manager Mark Williams joined the Welsh Rugby Union, which owns and operates the stadium, after the 2013 Championship in Cardiff.

He anticipates yet another dramatic transformation at the venue which has been attracting motorsport-lovers back to Cardiff for Speedway every year since the inaugural event in front of 30,000 fans in June 2001. 

"It's been a great year of events at the Millennium Stadium and, like a chameleon, the venue has changed its colours over and over again to deliver a range of spectacular days out for stadium visitors.

"From the 2013 Rugby League World Cup Opening Ceremony, across seven Welsh rugby internationals, a host of grassroots rugby finals, the Heineken Cup Final and a brand new beer festival; the Welsh Rugby Union has proved over and over again that it has the expertise and infrastructure to get the best events to town and ensure the transformation between those events is seamless.

"As the countdown continues for the biggest event of the Speedway calendar on UK soil next weekend, my event team will continue to work with the organisers to ensure the Speedway on July 12th is as good, if not better, than the previous 13 events here in Cardiff.”  

The British FIM Speedway Grand Prix will start with pre-event entertainment in the Millennium Stadium followed by the Grand Prix itself (5pm start), and finishing with a fantastic firework display.

Fans can still get their hands on tickets for the event via speedwaygp.com or by calling 0844 858 8879.