Australians Leigh Adams and Jason Crump will be shooting for the pay packet of a lifetime in Germany this Saturday night - a staggering $US100,000 ($A111,000) for the winner of the final world speedway grand prix of 2007.
The event, which is being billed as "The Richest Minute In Motorsport", is offering the mega loot to commemorate the 100th GP since 1995.
If someone leads from go to whoa in this Saturday's four-lap final, their winnings will equate to approximately $1850 per second. In comparison, former Australian media mogul and now American citizen, Rupert Murdoch, earns 'just' $1.12 a second as the chairman and chief executive of media behemoth, News Corporation.
With such a massive amount of money at stake, the 16 riders will be giving their all to end the year on a high note, including Australia's dual world champion, Crump.
"I am going to Germany on a mission, and that's to win the GP and collect the 100 grand on offer," said Crump. "I need to ride better than I have all year and if I can get that right on the night, there is no reason why I can't take the win."
This will be the first GP in Germany since 2001, at a new venue and on a purpose-built circuit. Crump believes those factors alone will conspire to bring the field closer together.
"There is no home track advantage for anyone," continued Crump. "There is a lot of money at stake and plenty of people wanting to get their hands on it, so it is going to be one of the toughest meetings I've raced in."
This year's championship has already been won by Dane Nicki Pedersen, who wrapped it up with a superb win -- his fourth for the year -- at the penultimate round in Slovenia.
Pedersen is on an unassailable 187 points, followed by Adams (142), Crump (109), Tomasz Gollob (101) and Hans Andersen (98).
Adams will definitely finish the year in second, which will go down as his best finish in 12 seasons of world speedway. However, the 36-year-old is also lamenting about what could have been.
"This weekend is a massive challenge for me both mentally and physically. I'm not fit and I also have that little feeling of regret that I didn't win the world title having come so close."
"The 100 grand would be a nice way to finish the season - and who knows, it could be my last ever GP? And what a way to go out. I'm not saying that's the case, but it would certainly be a big night if I win it."
Meanwhile, Gollob and American Greg Hancock are the only 'survivors' from that first GP in 1995, which was held in Poland. Prior to that time, all world speedway titles were one-off affairs.
The German GP will be held at the six-year-old Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen, which was a showpiece stadium in last year's FIFA World Cup. Veltins (named after a German brewer) hosted five World Cup matches, including a quarter final. It holds 61,000 spectators.
Aside from the monetary riches, the German GP is also important for the riders who are battling to finish in the championship top eight, which guarantees automatic inclusion in next year's proceedings.
Hancock (90pts) and Brit Chris Harris (87), in sixth and seventh, appear quite safe, while Scott Nicholls (83) currently holds onto eighth - just in front of Poles Rune Holta (81) and Wieslaw Jagus (75).
OVERALL STANDINGS (after round 10 of 11):
1 Nicki Pedersen, Denmark - 187 (world champion)
2 Leigh Adams, Australia - 142
3 Jason Crump, Australia - 109
4 Tomasz Gollob, Poland - 101
5 Hans Andersen, Denmark - 98
6 Greg Hancock, America - 90
7 Chris Harris, Great Britain - 87
8 Scott Nicholls, Great Britain - 83
9 Rune Holta, Poland - 81
10 Wieslaw Jagus, Poland - 75
