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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] |
West Ham Speedway
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some Romance languages (''ouest'' in French, ''oest'' in Catalan, ''ovest'' in Italian, ''oeste'' in Spanish and Portuguese). As in other languages, the word formation stems from the fact that west is the direction of the setting sun in the evening: 'west' derives from the Indo-European root ''*wes'' reduced from ''*wes-pero'' 'evening, night', cognate with Ancient Greek ἕσπερος hesperos 'evening; evening star; western' and Latin vesper 'evening; west'. Examples of the same formation in other languages include Latin occidens 'west' from occidō 'to go down, to set' and Hebrew מַעֲרָב maarav 'west' from עֶרֶב erev 'evening'. Navigation To go west using a compass for navigation (in a place where magnetic north is the same dire ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jack Young (speedway Rider)
Jack Ellis Young (31 January 1925 in Adelaide, South Australia – 28 August 1987 in Adelaide) was a Motorcycle speedway rider who won the Speedway World Championship in 1951 and 1952. He also won the London Riders' Championship 1953 and 1954 and was a nine time South Australian Champion between 1948 and 1964.Belton, Brian (2003). ''Hammerin' Round''. By winning the 1951 and 1952 World Championships, Young became the first Australian to win two World Championships in any form of motorsport. Career Australia Jack Young started racing bikes with younger brother Frank on the Sand Pits at Findon in Adelaide, before starting his speedway career at the Kilburn Speedway on 9 May 1947 riding a 1926 Harley-Davidson Peashooter borrowed from his brother. There he rode alongside older brother Wally "Joey" Young (b. 1916 – d. 1990), and younger brother Frank. Jack and Frank both represented Australia in test matches against England. Quickly proving himself to be one of the best ride ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bob Harrison (speedway Rider)
Robert Edwin Harrison (26 April 1906 in Mellor, England – 1964) was a former international speedway rider who featured in the first Speedway World Championship in final in 1936.Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). ''A History of the World Speedway Championship''. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. Career summary Harrison started his career with the Belle Vue Aces in 1929 and stayed with them until the outbreak of World War II in 1939.Pavey,A. (2004) ''Speedway in the North-West'', Tempus Publishing Ltd. In 1930 he made his England debut in the first ever Test series against Australia.Foster, P. (2005) ''History of the Speedway Ashes'', The History Press Ltd. Harrsion was in the Aces team that won the National League championship four times in succession from 1933 to 1936. They also won the National Trophy four times between 1933 and 1937. After the war Harrison was allocated to the West Ham Hammers by the Speedway Control Board.Belton, Brian (2003). ''Hammerin' Round''. Stroud: T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Colin Watson (speedway Rider)
Colin Watson (born c.1899) was one of the most successful British motorcycle speedway riders from the sport's early years in the late 1920s and 1930s. Biography Born in Ilford, Essex, Watson was involved from the earliest days on British speedway, taking part in the early meetings held at High Beach in 1928.Storey, Basil (1947) "Colin Watson Blazed His Way Through" in ''Speedway Favourites'', Sport-in-Print, p. 3 He joined White City in 1929 and Harringay Canaries and Wembley Lions in 1930, playing a leading role in the team that dominated the sport in the early 1930s. He was a finalist in the Star Riders' Championship five times between 1929 and 1934.Bamford, Robert (2003) ''Speedway: The Pre-War Years'', Tempus, , p. 222 He was selected for the England team to face Australia in Test series in 1931, 1932, 1933, and 1934, also captaining the team.Morgan, Tom (1947) ''The People Speedway Guide'', Odhams Press, p. 73-4 He suffered a broken leg in 1935 that kept him out of the sp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Norman Hunter (speedway Rider)
Norman Frederick Hunter (born 21 February 1940 in Willesden, London) is a former motorcycle speedway rider who won the London Riders' Championship in 1963 and again in 1966 and the Midland Riders' Championship in 1969. He was also a member of the Great Britain national speedway team that won the World Team Cup in 1968. Biography Hunter worked as an electrician and was a successful cycle speedway rider with Wembley before, winning scores of honours.Oakes, Peter (1976) ''Who's Who of World Speedway'', Studio Publications, , p. 64 After taking up motorcycle speedway in 1961 at the Rye House track, his first team place was with the Leicester Hunters in 1962, reaching the Provincial League Riders Final in his first season.Rogers, Martin (1963) "Hackney Hawks Here to Stay?", ''Speedway Star'', 1 June 1963, p. 16 He then joined the newly formed Hackney Hawks in 1963, captaining the team in their first season, and won the London Riders' Championship at the first attempt. He then moved ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gerry Hussey
Gerald Arthur Hussey (1933–1959) was an international speedway rider from England. Speedway career Hussey reached the final of the Speedway World Championship in the 1956 Individual Speedway World Championship. He rode in the top tier of British Speedway, riding for various clubs. Hussey died on 6 March 1959, following a crash in a midget car race at Rowley Park Speedway in South Australia on March 6, 1959. World Final Appearances Individual World Championship * 1955 - London, Wembley Stadium- Reserve - did not ride * 1956 - London, Wembley Stadium - 16th - 0pts * 1958 - London, Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ... - 9th - 7pts References 1933 births 1959 deaths British speedway riders West Ham Hammers riders Norwich Stars riders ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Malcolm Craven
Malcolm Stewart Craven (25 September 1915 – 2 September 1984) was a motorcycle speedway rider from England, who rode before and after World War II. Career Craven was born in Ilford, Essex on 25 September 1915.Morgan, Tom (1947) ''The People Speedway Guide'', Odhams Press, p. 76 He had a trial for Norwich Stars in 1937 but was rejected by Max Grosskreutz.Storey, Basil (1947) "The Boy Who Carried His Hero's Leathers" in ''Speedway Favourites'', Sport-in-Print, p. 12 After practising at the Dagenham track he was spotted by his childhood hero, the former Wembley Lions rider Colin Watson, who took him to Wembley for a trial, after which he was signed by Alec Jackson. He was loaned to the Birmingham Bulldogs for whom he finished the season as top scorer, returning to Wembley in 1938 where he initially rode at reserve, establishing himself in the top five by the following year. The war interrupted his speedway career and he joined the Merchant Navy. When league racing resumed in 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wally Green
Walter Stanley Green (25 February 1918Addison J. (1948). ''The People Speedway Guide''. Odhams Press Limited – 11 December 2006) was an international motorcycle speedway rider who finished second in the World Championship final in 1950.Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). ''A History of the World Speedway Championship''. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. Career Green started his career with the West Ham Hammers in 1946 after being spotted at a training school run by Dicky Case. He was not a regular in the side at that time, so in 1947 he was loaned to the Eastbourne Eagles where he won the National League Division Three championship and finished as the Eagles' top rider.Jacobs, N. (2003) ''Speedway in the South-East'', Tempus Publishing Ltd. He was still making a few appearances for the Hammers. When the Eastbourne closed down at the end of 1947 he moved with the promotion along the south coast to Hastings with the Saxons. Green set the track record at Hastings and in the opening ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Christer Löfqvist
Christer Löfqvist (born 4 June 1944 in Visby, Gotland, Sweden - died 1 February 1978) was an international speedway rider who reached the final of the Speedway World Championship in 1974.Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). ''A History of the World Speedway Championship''. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. He competed in Great Britain for West Ham Hammers, Poole Pirates, and the Hackney Hawks. World Final Appearances Individual World Championship * 1972 - London, Wembley Stadium - 4th - 11pts * 1974 - Göteborg, Ullevi - 9th - 8pts World Team Cup * 1972 - Olching, Olching Speedwaybahn (with Tommy Jansson / Jan Simensen / Anders Michanek / Göte Nordin) 4th - 18pts (6) * 1974 - Chorzów, Silesian Stadium (with Anders Michanek / Sören Sjösten / Tommy Jansson) - 2nd - 31pts (5) * 1976 - London, White City Stadium (with Anders Michanek / Bengt Jansson / Bernt Persson Bernt Eveart Persson (24 June 1946 to 20 September 2020) was a Swedish international speedway rider who f ... [...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] |
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] |
Arthur Atkinson (speedway Rider)
Arthur Atkinson (12 November 1911 – July 1993)Bamford, R. & Stallworthy, D. (2003) ''Speedway - The Pre War Years'', Stroud: Tempus Publishing. was a former international motorcycle speedway rider and promoter who appeared in the first Speedway World Championship final in 1936.Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). ''A History of the World Speedway Championship''. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. Career Atkinson began riding motorcycles at the age of thirteen.Sandys, Leonard (1948) ''Broadside to Fame! The Drama of the Speedways'', Findon, p. 15 He rode in trials and grasstrack before taking up speedway in 1928 with Blackpool. In 1929 he joined Leeds, captaining the team, and in 1930 won the Western Australia Championship. In 1930 he joined the Johnnie Hoskins-managed Wembley Lions. The team won the Southern LeagueJacobs, N & Lipscombe, P (2005). ''Wembley Speedway : The Pre-War Years''. Stroud: Tempus Publishing but in the last league meeting of the season Atkinson was left unco ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |