Motorcycle speedway was first staged in

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

in 1928. It has continued on and off until the present day, with Leicester Lions currently competing in the SGB Championship and Leicester Lion Cubs competing in the

National League (speedway) The National Development League formerly called the National League was formed in 2009 as the third division of Motorcycle speedway, speedway in the United Kingdom, replacing the Conference League (speedway), Conference League. It follows the ...

Leicester Stadium

The first speedway to be staged in Leicester was on a dirt track constructed inside the greyhound racing track at

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 ...

on Parker Drive in 1928. The team based there joined the English Dirt Track League in 1929 finishing 5th, with Syd Jackson and

Billy Elmore Billy may refer to: * Billy (name), a name (and list of people with the name) * Billy (surname), a surname (and list of people with the surname) Animals * Billy (dog), a dog breed * Billy (pigeon), awarded the Dickin Medal in 1945 * Billy ( ...

the leading riders.Hoare, Ron (1979) ''Speedway Panorama'', Haynes, , p. 122-3 The team were referred to as 'Leicester Stadium' to differentiate them from the other team that operated in Leicester, the Leicester Super team. The team competed in the Southern League in 1930, with Cyril "Squib" Burton emerging at the team's top rider. The Stadium team completed only part of the 1931 season.

Leicester Super

A new track was constructed at the Leicester Super Speedway on Melton Road, which opened in 1929.Jones, Alan (2010) ''Speedway in Leicester: The Pre-War Years'', Automedia, p. 37, 105-9 A team based there competed in the Northern League in both 1930 and 1931, but failed to complete either season.

Leicester Hounds

Speedway was revived on a relaid track at Leicester Stadium in 1937, with Leicester Hounds competing in the Provincial League.

Leicester Hunters

Leicester Hunters formed in 1948, and began competing in the National League in 1949. They competed in the top division of British speedway between 1957 and 1961, before dropping down to the newly formed

Provincial League Provincial League (formerly known as Professional League) also known as Pro League was the old regional Football league in Thailand in 1999–2008. It was founded in 1999 under the name "Provincial League" organized by Sports Authority of Thailan ...

in 1962, which was their final season.

Leicester Lions

Leicester LionsLawson, K (2018) “Riders, Teams and Stadiums”. began in 1968, when the team transferred from

Long Eaton Long Eaton is a town in the Borough of Erewash, Erewash district of Derbyshire, England, just north of the River Trent, about south-west of Nottingham and south-east of Derby. The town population was 37,760 at the 2011 census. It has been part ...

. They competed in the

British League The British League was the main motorcycle speedway league in Britain from its formation in 1965 until 1995 when British speedway was restructured. It initially had a single division, with a British League Division Two, second division starting i ...

until their closure in 1983, when they lost their home after the stadium was sold. The Lions name was revived in the 2000s, with occasional challenge matches before the team returned to league competition at a new stadium called the

Beaumont Park Stadium Beaumont Park Stadium or the Hydroscand Arena for sponsorship purposes is a sports stadium on Beaumont Park, Leicester. The stadium is mainly used for motorcycle speedway and is the home track for the Leicester Lions. At the meeting of the Lei ...

in Beaumont Leys in 2011.

Indoor speedway

Speedway was also staged on an indoor track at Granby Halls.Jones, Alan (2010) ''Speedway in Leicester: The Lions Roar'', Automedia, p. 114-8 The first event was the Midland Individual Championship in January 1972, which was won by

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

Around Leicestershire

Wilf Plant set up a training track near

Melton Mowbray Melton Mowbray () is a market town in the Borough of Melton, Melton district in Leicestershire, England, north-east of Leicester and south-east of Nottingham. It lies on the River Eye, Leicestershire, River Eye, known below Melton as the Rive ...

in 1936.Bamford, Robert & Jarvis, John (2001) ''Homes of British Speedway'', Tempus, , p. 166 Speedway was also staged at the greyhound stadium on Saxby Road in Melton Mowbray in 1949.Jones, Alan (2004) ''Speedway in Leicester: The Hunters Era'', Automedia, p. 105-7 The Melton Mowbray Motorcycle Club, chaired by Plant, staged several meetings on a cinder track there. Paddy Mills set up a training track in a field in Syston in 1952, running training sessions attended by several riders who went on to represent Leicester Hunters, including Ivor Brown and Bryan Elliott.

References

{{Reflist

Sport in Leicester