|
London Riders' Championship
The London Riders' Championship was an individual speedway competition for top riders of teams from London. It was a very prestigious competition, especially in its early days. However, as the number of teams from London dwindled, so did interest in the competition. The last competition was held in 1983.Oakes, P & Rising, P (1986). ''1986 Speedway Yearbook''. An attempted revival of the Championship was made in 2011 at the Arena Essex Raceway speedway track in Purfleet , Essex , where the riders taking part represented not their current clubs, but long-defunct London clubs including West Ham , New Cross , Wembley and Walthamstow. It was staged there as the track, home of the Lakeside Lakeside or Lake Side may refer to: Places Australia * Lakeside College, Pakenham, Victoria * Lakeside Joondalup Shopping City, Joondalup, Western Australia * Lakeside, near Reservoir, Victoria * Lakeside International Raceway, Pine Rivers, Quee ... Hammers was the closest track to London stagin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines that use only one gear and have no brakes. Racing takes place on a flat oval track usually consisting of dirt, loosely packed shale, or crushed rock (mostly used in Australia and New Zealand). Competitors use this surface to slide their machines sideways, powersliding or broadsiding into the bends. On the straight sections of the track, the motorcycles reach speeds of up to . There are now both domestic and international competitions in a number of countries, including the Speedway World Cup, whilst the highest overall scoring individual in the Speedway Grand Prix events is pronounced the world champion. Speedway is popular in Central and Northern Europe and to a lesser extent in Australia and North America. A variant of track racing, speedway is adm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
New Cross Stadium
New Cross Stadium, Hornshay Street, Old Kent Road, in South East London was opened in the early 1900s as an athletic stadium but was mainly used for greyhound racing and speedway. The ground was adjacent to The Old Den, the then home of Millwall F.C. and was used as a training ground by the club when they did not have facilities of their own. The track was often referred to as 'The Frying Pan'. It was built inside the greyhound track and had banking all the way round. At the time of its closure in 1969 the stadium had a capacity of 26,000. The stadium was demolished in 1975. Stock car racing The birth of oval track stock car racing in the UK and the first ever BriSCA Formula One Stock Car Racing took place at the New Cross Stadium, London on Good Friday, 16 April 1954. The final was won by car 11, Chevalier D'Orgeix. Racing continued here until 1956. Three meetings also took place in 1968 whilst Harringay was being revamped. During 1966 racing at the stadium was promoted by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ronnie Moore (speedway Rider)
Ronald Leslie Moore (8 March 1933 – 18 August 2018) was a New Zealand international speedway rider. He twice won the Individual World Speedway Championship, in 1954 and 1959. Early life Moore was born in Hobart, Tasmania in 1933. He moved with his family to New Zealand when he was still a child, and although he was born in Australia, Moore always considered himself to be a New Zealander and rode under the flag of his adopted home. Career Moore began riding at the Aranui Speedway in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 1949 at the age of 15. He moved to England and rode for the Wimbledon Dons from 1950 to 1956. Moore represented Australia in Test Match series in England in 1951, 1952 and 1953, although subsequently he raced for New Zealand, and Australasia (combined Australia and New Zealand), as well as representing Great Britain in the World Team Cup. In 1957 and 1958 he switched his attention to motor racing, but returned to ride for the Dons in late 1958 and stayed with them un ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aub Lawson
Aubrey "Aub" Lawson (born 5 April 1914 in Kelly's Gully, Warialda, New South Wales - died 20 January 1977) was an Australian international speedway rider who featured in ten World Championship finals including the 1939 final which was never run due to the outbreak of World War II. Career Lawson first came to the UK in 1939 and rode in two leagues for the Wembley Lions and Middlesbrough Bears but at his mother's insistence, his sister accompanied him as chaperone. It was not until after the war in 1947 that he returned to the UK when league racing started again. He joined the West Ham Hammers where he stayed for five seasons, top scoring in three of them. In 1951 he won the London Riders' Championship whilst riding for the Hammers. After a year back in Australia he returned to the UK where he joined the Norwich Stars, where he remained until he retired from racing in 1960. Lawson then returned to Australia where he continued racing in Sydney, winning his then record 5th NSW C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cyril Roger
Cyril Manners Roger (27 December 1921 - 26 May 2015) was a former international motorcycle speedway rider reached the final of Speedway World Championship five times.Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). ''A History of the World Speedway Championship''. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. Career Roger started his career with the Exeter Falcons in 1947 on loan from the New Cross Rangers. Until July 1948 he was part of the Falcons team that won the National League Division Three Championship, but was recalled by New Cross. He featured in ten outings for New Cross, and received a medal when they won the National League Division One title in the same season.Jacobs, N. (2008) ''Out of the Frying Pan'', The History Press LTD In 1949 he joined the Rangers full-time and qualified for the first of his five World Final appearances. In 1950 Roger won the prestigious London Riders' ChampionshipBelton, Brian (2003). ''Hammerin' Round''. Stroud: Tempus Publishing and made his debut for England. Rog ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alec Statham (speedway Rider)
Alec George Statham (30 May 1912 Coventry, England - 8 March 1977) was a Speedway rider who won the London Riders' Championship in 1949 whilst with the Wimbledon Dons, and also represented England many times.Belton, Brian (2003). ''Hammerin' Round''. Biography Statham began grasstrack racing at the age of sixteen. He first rode in speedway as a novice at the Brandon track, going on to ride for Coventry, signed for Birmingham in 1932, and then Southampton, riding as a hobby with his garage business his main priority.Morgan, Tom (1949) ''Who's Who in Speedway 1949'', Sport-in-Print, p. 68 He rode for the Harringay Tigers in 1935 before dropping down a division to the Southampton Saints. He gave up racing, thinking he was not good enough to progress, but due to financial difficulties with his garage business in 1937 he returned to the National League with Harringay, soon rising to heat leader status.Storey, Basil (1947) "Once Rode Just for Fun", in ''Speedway Favourites'', Sport ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Split Waterman
Squire Francis Waterman (27 July 1923 – 8 October 2019), better known as Split Waterman, was an English speedway rider who twice finished second in the Speedway World Championship final.Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). ''A History of the World Speedway Championship''. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. Waterman took up speedway while serving in the British Army in Italy and went on to become one of the top riders of the post-war era. He made the headlines again in the late 1960s when he was convicted of gold smuggling and firearms offences. Biography Born in New Malden, Waterman worked as a toolmaker's apprentice after leaving school.Burford, Brian (2019) "Squire Francis 'Split' Waterman (1923–2019) ''Speedway Star'', 19 October 2019, pp. 43–45 Wartime service Waterman applied to join the Royal Air Force when the Second World War broke out but was unable to do so as his job as a toolmaker was classed as a reserved occupation.Davies, Trevor (2008) ''Warzone Speedway'', Trevor Dav ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harringay Racers (speedway)
The Harringay Racers were a motorcycle speedway team who raced at the Harringay Stadium from 1947 until 1954 in the National League Division One. History The Racers were the third of three speedway teams to be based at Harringay Stadium. From 1929 to 1931 the Harringay Canaries were based there and later from 1934 to 1939, the team was known as the Harringay Tigers. Racing ceased because of World War II. The stadium reopened on 4 April 1947 at which point the team were revived as the Harringay Racers. The team finished runner-up in the league in 1948 and 1953. During the 1952 Speedway National League season the team became the National Trophy champions. Australian Vic Duggan Victor Duggan (16 October 1910, West Maitland, New South Wales – 24 March 2007, Queensland)Addison J. (1948). ''The People Speedway Guide''. Odhams Press Limited was a motorcycle speedway racer who won the London Riders' Championship in 1947 ... was the top man in the league for a few years. His b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vic Duggan
Victor Duggan (16 October 1910, West Maitland, New South Wales – 24 March 2007, Queensland)Addison J. (1948). ''The People Speedway Guide''. Odhams Press Limited was a motorcycle speedway racer who won the London Riders' Championship in 1947 whilst with the Harringay Racers. He started his career in 1937 with the Hackney Wick Wolves, before spells with the Bristol Bulldogs in 1938 and Wimbledon Dons in 1939. In 1947, he returned to the UK with the Harringay Racers. Was a co-director of the Sydney Sports Ground with Lionel Van Praag and Max Grosskreutz where he held the track record. Vic Duggan won his first Australian Solo Championship in 1941 at the Sydney Sports Ground. He followed this up with the 1947 Aussie title, again at the Sports Ground and backed up to win three Aussie titles in 1948 (2 x 2 lap and 1 x 3 lap) at both the Sports Ground and the Sydney Showground Speedway. He was also NSW State Champion in 1940 and 1947. Many believe Vic would have won more Australia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ron Johnson (speedway Rider)
Ron Johnson (Born Ronald Johnston) (24 February 1907 Duntocher, ScotlandBamford, R. & Stallworthy, D. (2003) ''Speedway – The Pre War Years'', Stroud: Tempus Publishing. – 4 February 1983) was a speedway rider who won the London Riders' Championship in 1945 (unattached) and in 1946 whilst with the New Cross Rangers. Career Johnson emigrated to Australia with his parents when he was just a child. He started racing at the Claremont Speedway in Perth, Western Australia in 1927 (the same year the venue first held racing), before his travelling to the UK with promoter Johnnie Hoskins in 1928 to start a career with Crystal Palace. Johnson initially struggled on British tracks that were half the size of the ones he was used to (the Claremont Showground, which doubled as the speedway, was some in length, while other Australian tracks of the day, usually showground tracks, ranged from to in length).Morgan, Tom (1947) ''The People Speedway Guide'', Odhams Press, p. 76Storey, B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
West Ham Hammers
The West Ham Hammers were a speedway team, first promoted by Jimmy Baxter in 1929. History They operated from the West Ham Stadium until the outbreak of World War II under several different promotions, most successfully under the control of Johnnie Hoskins. The track opened in 1928 and staged a few meetings during the early war years. Meetings were staged in 1945 but the Hammers re-opened in 1946 and ran until 1955. However dwindling crowds saw the promotion close. It did not re-open until 1964. The West Ham team were the inaugural winners of the British League in 1965, under a promotion fronted by former rider Tommy Price. Dave Lanning became promoter in 1966, and West Ham ran for a further six seasons until 1971 when they were informed that the stadium was being sold by the Greyhound Racing Association to make way for building development. The Romford Bombers The Romford Bombers were a speedway team which operated from 1969 until their closure in 1971. History In 196 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eric Chitty
Eric Stephenson Chitty (28 April 1909 – 1990) was a Canadian speedway rider who won the London Riders' Championship in 1938. Early days Chitty was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1909. Before taking up speedway he worked as an electrical engineer.Storey, Basil (1947) ''Speedway Favourites'', Sport-in-Print, p. 23 Chitty started speedway racing in 1930 in Detroit, Chicago and New York City in the United States, where he was noticed in 1934 by Johnnie Hoskins. In 1935 he came to the UK for a trial with the West Ham Hammers. He was not successful in his trial and was looking for other employment when the West Ham promoter Hoskins gave him another chance five months later, which he took. He was offered a contract by the Hammers. A broken collarbone in 1936 caused a long layoff, and he returned in 1937, scoring moderately well. The 1938 season saw a considerable improvement in his racing, Chitty winning the Opening Cup and the London Riders' Championship, both at New Cross. Chi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
