The National League Pairs Championship is a motorcycle speedway contest for tier three clubs in the United Kingdom. The Championship is between the top two riders from each club competing in the National League. The meetings comprise a competition between teams of two riders drawn into two qualifying groups. It was known as the Conference League Pairs from 2004 to 2008.
Format
Gate positions
In the Qualification Heats, riders are allocated starting gates. For the Semi-Finals, the group winners have first choice of gate positions (A&C or B&D). Gate A is on the inside of the track, whilst Gate D is on the outside. For the Final, the gate positions (A&C and B&D) are decided by the toss of a coin.
Points scoring
All heats are scored as follows: 1st = 4pts, 2nd = 3pts, 3rd = 2pts, 4th = 0pts
This system is used to encourage team riding. A pair finishing first and second will score seven points, whereas a pair finishing first and last will score only four. Race points scored over all 'qualification heats' are used to determine the final group placings. Where two teams are tied for a place, the team who scored most points scored in the heat where they met go through. Where more than two teams are tied for a place, the tie is resolved as follows: most wins, most second places, ballot.
