The 1974 British League Division Two season was the second tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain. It was the final season of
British League Division Two
The British League Division Two was created in 1968 and was the second tier of 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 betwee ...
before it was renamed as the
New National League.
Summary
The league was again expanded by one team from 18 to 19 teams.
Weymouth Wizards were the new addition to the league, returning to action after five years out. Additionally there were two in and two out;
Hull Vikings
The Hull Vikings were a speedway team from Hull, England, who operated primarily from The Boulevard (stadium) and Craven Park from 1971 to 2005.
History
The team originated as the Hull Angels and were based at Hedon Stadium in Hedon on the ...
had moved up to 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 second division starting in 1968 (which was renamed the ...
swapping places with
Coatbridge Tigers and also swapping their top riders.
Rayleigh Rockets
The Rayleigh Rockets were a Speedway team which operated from 1949 until their closure in 1973 from the Rayleigh Weir Stadium in Rayleigh, Essex .
History
The Rockets inaugural league season was in 1949 Speedway National League Division Three, ...
closed down but the promotion, riders and nickname moved to
Rye House. It was the first season of speedway at Rye House since the
1959 Southern Area League.
There were a few changes of nicknames; the
Chesterton Potters changed their team name to the Stoke Potters,
Bradford became the Barons,
Sunderland became the Stars and
Long Eaton
Long Eaton is a town in the Erewash district of Derbyshire, England, just north of the River Trent, about south-west of Nottingham and some 8½ miles (13.7 km) south-east of Derby. The town population was 37,760 at the 2011 census. It has ...
raced as the Archers.
Birmingham Brummies
Birmingham Brummies are a British speedway team founded in 1928. They were inaugural members of the Southern League in 1929. The team have twice finished runner-up in the highest tier of British speedway, during the 1952 Speedway National Le ...
won their first title, completing a league and cup double. Australian
Phil Herne
Philip Edwin Herne (born 27 March 1955)Oakes, Peter (1982) ''1982 Speedway Yearbook'', Studio Publications, , p. 173 is an Australian former motorcycle speedway rider who won the World Team Cup in 1976.
Biography
Born in Ballina, New South W ...
improved his average by over 3 points from the 1973 season and
Arthur Browning also exceeded a 10 average, the two factors proved to be the catalyst for Birmingham's success.
John Hart and
George Major both scored heavily throughout the season too.
[
]
Final table
Top Five Riders
British League Division Two Knockout Cup
The 1974 British League Division Two Knockout Cup was the seventh edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams. Birmingham Brummies
Birmingham Brummies are a British speedway team founded in 1928. They were inaugural members of the Southern League in 1929. The team have twice finished runner-up in the highest tier of British speedway, during the 1952 Speedway National Le ...
were the winners of the competition.
First round
Second round
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Final
First leg
Second leg
Birmingham were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 81–74.
See also
* List of United Kingdom Speedway League Champions
*Knockout Cup (speedway)
Knockout Cup (sometimes referred to as the KO Cup) is a type of British motorcycle speedway competition, examples of which have run annually since 1929.
Each tier of British Speedway has its own respective Knockout Cup. The current Knockout Cup c ...
References
{{Speedway British League Division Two seasons
Speedway British League Division Two / National League