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1970 British League Division Two Season
The 1970 British League Division Two season was the third season of second tier motorcycle speedway in Great Britain. Team changes The league expanded from 16 to 17 teams in its third season. Plymouth Devils dropped out and were replaced by Peterborough Panthers. Peterborough promoted by Allied Presentations (headed by Maurice Littlechild) were to race at the East of England Showground. Workington Comets under the promotion of Ian Thomas and Jeff Brownhut also joined the league and raced at Derwent Park. Before the season got underway the 1968 and 1969 champions Belle Vue Colts disbanded with most of their riders and the promotion team moving to Rochdale and becoming the Rochdale Hornets. Doncaster changed their nickname from Stallions to Dragons. Summary Two teams changed venue during the season. The first was in July when the Nelson Admirals moved to Bradford to become Bradford Northern. The second saw promoters Cyril Crane and Gordon Perkins receive planning ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British League Division Two
The British League Division Two was created in 1968 and was the second tier of motorcycle speedway, speedway racing in the United Kingdom until the restructuring of British speedway in 1995. It was renamed the New National League in 1975 and the National League between 1976 and 1990. History After the formation of the speedway British League, British League in 1965, riders wanting to break into teams found it more difficult to do so. The idea of forming a second division was suggested and in 1968 the idea became a reality when ten teams formed the league. The ten teams were: Belle Vue Colts, Berwick Bandits, Canterbury Crusaders (speedway), Canterbury Crusaders, Crayford Kestrels, Crayford Highwaymen, Middlesbrough Bears, Middlesbrough Teessiders, Nelson Admirals, Plymouth Devils, Rayleigh Rockets, Reading Racers and the Weymouth Wildcats, Weymouth Eagles. The league was renamed the New National League (to avoid confusion with the original National League (1932–1964), National Le ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Derwent Park
Derwent Park is a Rugby League Stadium and former motorcycle speedway in Workington, England situated beside the Cumbrian River Derwent. It is used mostly for rugby league matches and is the home stadium of Workington Town who play in League 1 the 3rd tier of the British rugby league system. Derwent Park has a capacity of 12,000 people with 1,200 seats and the pitch is surrounded by a motorcycle speedway track. History The stadium was opened in 1956. The record attendance at Derwent Park was set on 13 March 1965 when 17,741 spectators turned up for a third round Challenge Cup match against Wigan. Speedway began in Workington after a successful application was made by the promotion team for a licence to race at Derwent Park for the 1970 season. The promoters included former rider Ian Thomas and the rugby pitch required moving 25 yards sideways to accommodate the speedway track. Workington Comets raced at the stadium from 1970 until 1982. Speedway returned to Derwent P ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crewe Kings
The Crewe Kings was a British Motorcycle speedway, Speedway team which operated in Crewe, Cheshire from 1969 until its closure in 1975. History Origins A speedway track operated for a short time in the late 1920s / early 1930s, at the London Midland Region of British Railways, London Midland Region (L.M.R) Sports Ground, as it was known at the time. Previously also used as a cycling, athletics track and cricket pitch. 1960s In 1969, Maurice Littlechild of Allied Presentations formed a team to compete in the British league system. The set up costs exceeded £10,000 and the team were given the nickname the Crewe Kings. The track was a banked shale surfaced oval and was built on what was previously an athletics ground. Littlechild also promoted the Rayleigh Rockets, the Sunderland Stars and the Reading Racers. The team joined division two for their inaugural season and finished 7th during the 1969 British League Division Two season. Geoff Curtis starred with a 10.10 average ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Middlesbrough Bears
The Middlesbrough Bears were a British speedway team which operated under various names from 1929 until their closure in 1996. History Origins and 1920s Speedway arrived in Middlesbrough during 1928 when an attendance of 15,000 turned up for the inaugural meeting at the recently built Cleveland Park Stadium. The racing was arranged by Northern Speedways and a challenge match between Middlesbrough and Manchester resulted in 8,000 attending. The introduction was a success and the following season a company called Albion Auto racers of Stockport, Cheshire, took over and the team (not known as the Bears yet) were founder members of the 1929 Speedway English Dirt Track League, holding their first home fixture was on 16 May 1929 against Salford. However, on 12 July 1929, Dennis Atkinson suffered critical injuries following an accident at Cleveland Park, riding in a Golden Helmet meeting. He died the following day. 1930s The speedway licence was taken over by the Stadium's own ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eastbourne Eagles
The Eastbourne Eagles were a British motorcycle speedway team, based at Arlington Stadium, near Eastbourne, England. They were founded in 1929 and are two times champions of Britain in 1995 and 2000. The team last raced on 31 July 2021. History Origins & 1930s During 1928 the Eastbourne Motorcycle Sports Club purchased a field in Arlington for the purposes of dirt track racing. Practice sessions took place before the official opening on 5 August 1929 by the Arlington Motor Sports Club. Over the following years the race meetings continued at regular intervals but there was still no team formed to compete in the British league system. However the Hailsham Cup was the main prize available and large attendances frequented the track. In 1937, George Newton broke the track record, which lasted until 1955. In 1938, a team was formed to compete in the Sunday Amateur Dirt Track League. The team included Tiger Hart, Bob Lovell, Danny Lee, Charlie Dugard, Stan Johns, Charlie Page ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Barry Thomas (speedway Rider)
Barry John Thomas (born 29 October 1951, Harrow, Middlesex) is a former motorcycle speedway rider. He spent 20 consecutive seasons at the Hackney Wick Stadium and earned 26 international caps for the England national speedway team. Career Although originally preferring Junior Grasstrack, Thomas was first spotted during interval demonstration rides at the home of the West Ham Hammers with friend and rival Dave Jessup, following which, he signed for the Canterbury Crusaders. He progressed through to heat leader status in his very first season averaging 6.03 and in 1970 helped the Crusaders win the league title. The form shown during his first season prompted Hackney Hawks promoter Len Silver to buy him for the Hawks in 1970. He was given plenty of advice and help from Garry Middleton who helped him with any bike problems he had which resulted in him winning the British Junior Championship in that first season at Hackney. He also twice won the prestigious London Rider ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Barry Crowson
Barry Michael Crowson (born 20 April 1947) is a former motorcycle speedway rider from England. Biography Crowson, born in Tufnell Park, London, began his British leagues career riding for West Ham Hammers during the 1967 British League season season. He rode for the London Club for four years from 1967 to 1970 but enjoyed more success on loan at Canterbury Crusaders, captaining the club and winning the Knockout Cup with them, during the 1968 British League Division Two season. During the 1968 Rider's Championship, held at Hackney Wick Stadium on 27 September, several riders were involved in a crash, which resulted in Chris Bailey (broken wrist) and Crowson (suspected fractured thigh bone) going to hospital. However, Crowson after receiving an all-clear rode for his parent club West Ham the following evening. In 1969, Crowson joined Eastbourne Eagles on loan from West Ham and topped the team's averages that season. He returned to Canterbury in 1970 and helped the Crusad ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Graeme Smith (speedway Rider)
Graeme john Smith (born 14 November 1947) is a former motorcycle speedway rider from New Zealand. He earned two international caps for the New Zealand national speedway team. Biography Smith, born in Palmerston North, New Zealand, began his British leagues career riding for Rayleigh Rockets during the 1968 British League Division Two season season. He made an immediate impact topping the Rockets league averages and being made the club captain. He also made two appearances for Hackney Hawks in division 1. The following season in 1969, Smith improved further, averaging an impressive 10.74 for the Rockets, which was the second highest in the entire league for the season. He also broke into the Hackney first team for the season. He failed his driving test the same season for reportedly two wheel cornering. In September 1969 he represented a Young Austrlasians team against England. Canterbury Crusaders promoter Johnnie Hoskins signed Smith for the 1970 British League Division ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Boston Barracudas
The Boston Barracudas were a Motorcycle speedway, speedway team that competed from 1970 to 1987 and again from 2000 to 2008. the team were based at Boston Sports Stadium in New Hammond Beck Road, Boston, Lincolnshire. History Origins and 1970s The Boston Barracudas were founded mid-season in 1970 by promoters Cyril Crane and Gordon Perkins. Planning permission was received to construct a track at the Boston Sports Stadium and the promoters bought the second tier team known as the King's Lynn Starlets from Maurice Littlechild. The Barracudas first home fixture was an inter-counties cup match against Peterborough Panthers on 16 August. The team fulfilled the remaining King's Lynn fixtures and finished the season in 13th place. The team continued to compete in the second division and during the 1973 British League Division Two season completed the league and cup double by finishing 1st in the league table and winning the Knockout Cup (speedway), Knockout Cup. The team led by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Boston Sports Stadium
The Boston Sports Stadium was a greyhound racing and speedway stadium on New Hammond Beck Road, Wyberton, near Boston, Lincolnshire. Origins The stadium was constructed near Wyberton House in an area known as Wyberton Fen. To the south was the New Hammond Beck Road and on its north side was the South Forty-Foot Drain. Greyhound racing Racing started on 1 June 1964 and was independent (not affiliated to the sports governing body the National Greyhound Racing Club The National Greyhound Racing Club was an organisation that governed Greyhound racing in the United Kingdom Greyhound racing is a sport in the United Kingdom. The industry uses a parimutuel betting tote system with on-course and off-course be ...). The circuit was described as a good galloping grass track with distances of 300 and 525 yards behind an inside Sumner hare system. Racing was held on Monday and Friday evenings at 7.30pm. Speedway Speedway took place from 21 March 1971 until 1 August 1987. Closure T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bradford Northern (speedway)
The Bradford Dukes were a British motorcycle speedway team which operated primarily from the Odsal Stadium in Odsal, Bradford until their closure in 1997.Bamford, R & Jarvis J.(2001). ''Homes of British Speedway''. The Bradford speedway team previously raced at Odsal Stadium under various other names Odsal Boomerangs, Odsal Tudors, Bradford Tudors, Bradford Panthers, Bradford Northern, Bradford Barons and finally Bradford Dukes. History Origins, 1940s & Boomerangs During 1939, Bradford Bulls, Bradford Northern Rugby league club's Harry Hornby and the local MP H Hepworth investigated the possibility of introducing speedway racing in Odsal, but the outbreak of World War II put an end to their plans. However, in 1945 Hornby joined together with Johnnie Hoskins, to reactive the plans and on 23 June 1945 before a crowd of over 20,000 the Lord Mayor, Alderman Cecil Barnett, officially opened the track. The first season was a series of open and challenge meetings before league r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nelson Admirals
The Nelson Admirals were a motorcycle speedway team who operated from Seedhill Stadium in Nelson, Lancashire, England, from 1967 to 1970. History During March 1967, promoter Mike Parker applied for a speedway licence for Seedhill Stadium and the stadium duly hosted racing starting on 29 July 1967. The following season, Nelson were founder members of British League Division Two in 1968 and finished runners-up in its inaugural season. The following season the team finished 13th. In June 1970, halfway through the season, promoters Les Whaley, Mike Parker and Bill Bridgett moved the British League Division Two side across the Pennines to Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo .... Parker moved the team following difficulties in finding available race days for sp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
