Leicester Super was 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 ...

team based at the Leicester Super Speedway near Melton Road.

History

Promotion company Speedways and Sports Ltd initially approached

Leicestershire County Cricket Club Leicestershire County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the coun ...

in 1929 with a proposal to construct Leicester's second speedway track (after

Leicester Stadium Leicester Stadium also known as the Blackbird Road Stadium, was a sports stadium on Parker Drive in Leicester. The stadium was initially used for Greyhound racing in the United Kingdom, greyhound racing with motorcycle speedway starting there fi ...

) around the edge of the pitch on Aylestone Road, but when this was rejected an alternative site near the tram terminus on Melton Road was used, the

Syston Sports Stadium Syston Sports Stadium also known as Syston Greyhound Stadium was a greyhound racing and Motorcycle speedway track located at Central Avenue and East Avenue, off the Melton Road in Syston, Leicestershire. Origins The stadium was built in 1929 in ...

was built in just five weeks.Jones, Alan (2010) ''Speedway in Leicester: The Pre-War Years'', Automedia, p. 30 et seqBamford, Robert & Jarvis, John (2001) ''Homes of British Speedway'', Tempus, , p. 149-150 The new Leicester Super Speedway was, at 586 yards in length the largest track used for league racing in the UK, races taking place over three laps rather than four as a consequence, and facilities included a 5,000-capacity grandstand built by local timber merchant George Walker. The track was officially opened on 18 May 1929 by the Lord Mayor of Leicester, the first meeting attracting a crowd of between 20,000 and 25,000, and featuring riders such as Lloyd "Sprouts" Elder and Stewie St. George. Riders who appeared regularly at the track included Fred Wilkinson, Arthur Sherlock and

Aubrey Williams Aubrey Williams (8 May 1926 – 27 April 1990) was a Guyanese artist. He was best known for his large, oil-on-canvas paintings, which combine elements of abstract expressionism with forms, images and symbols inspired by the pre-Columbian art o ...

. Leicester Super entered the English Knock-Out Cup in 1929, losing to Leicester Stadium in the first round in a match that was watched by 27,000 spectators. The track also staged light car racing, and later

greyhound racing Greyhound racing is an organized, competitive sport in which greyhounds are raced around an oval track. The sport originates from Hare coursing, coursing. Track racing uses an artificial lure (usually a form of windsock) that travels ahead of th ...

. Leicester Super joined the Northern League in 1930, recruiting Sherlock (who captained the team), Hal Herbert, George Marsh, and Alec Bowerman from Leicester Stadium, joining Wilkinson, Nev Wheeler, Bert Spencer, Harold Stevens, and Freddie Hore in the team. Herbert and Wilkinson were the top riders for the team in 1930.Hoare, Ron (1979) ''Speedway Panorama'', Haynes, , p. 123 With several meetings affected by bad weather, the team failed to complete the full programme of meetings. The track had an unprecedented ban on overtaking on the inside, due to the high speeds attained on the long straights, unless there was a minimum of four feet space on the inside of the rider in front."Round the Outside Please", ''

Speedway Star Speedway Star is a national motorcycle speedway magazine. The magazine is published every week of the year and the emphasis of the publication is on British speedway but also features international speedway from around the world. The magazine is ...

'', 22 January 1965, p. 18 Super remained in the Northern League in 1931, team manager Alec Jackson signing England international Arthur Jervis as the new captain, also signing Australian international Bruce McCullum,

Tommy Price Thomas Price (2 December 1911 – 26 December 1997) was a motorcycle speedway rider from England. In 1949 he won the first Speedway World Championship to be held after the Second World War.Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). ''A History of the W ...

, Cliff Watson, and Alf Summersby. Falling attendances led to Super's withdrawal from the league in August. Racing continued at the Super Speedway in 1932 in the form of 'pirate' meetings, with the last meeting held on 9 July. Racing returned to Melton Road in 1936, with speedway and sidecar races in unsanctioned meetings, including appearances from Paddy Mills (riding under his real name, Horace Burke, to avoid being fined by the ACU) and

Wilf Plant Wilfred Graham Plant (28 August 1914 – May 2001) was a British motorcycle speedway rider. Career Born in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, Plant gained his early racing experience in grasstrack.Morgan, Tom (1949) ''Who's Who in Speedway 19 ...

. Speedway was never revived again at the Super track, and the stadium was demolished.

Season summary

References

{{Reflist Sport in Leicester Defunct speedway teams in the United Kingdom

History

Season summary

See also

References