The 1974 British League season was the 40th season of the top tier of
speedway
Speedway may refer to:
Racing Race tracks
*Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta
*Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a motor raceway in Speedway, Indiana
Types of races and race cours ...
in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
and the tenth season known as the British League.
Summary
The
1973 Champions Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
didn't compete as they no longer had a stadium, following the closure of
Reading Stadium
Reading Stadium also known as Smallmead Stadium was an English greyhound racing and speedway stadium in Bennet Road, Reading in the county of Berkshire.
It is not to be confused with Reading Stadium on the Oxford Road that closed in 1974 an ...
and
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 ...
replaced them. The league was reduced to seventeen teams when the
Coatbridge Tigers dropped down to
Division Two. Overseas riders that rode in other leagues abroad were banned which meant that top Swedish riders such as
Anders Michanek
Anders Michanek (born 30 May 1943 in Stockholm, Sweden) is a Speedway rider. In 1974 he won the Speedway World Championship in his Swedish homeland with a maximum score of 15 points.
Career
Michanek had a very successful career riding in the B ...
,
Bernt Persson
Bernt Eveart Persson (24 June 1946 to 20 September 2020) was a Swedish international speedway rider who finished runner up in the 1972 Speedway World Championship final. He rode in Britain for the Edinburgh Monarchs, the Cradley Heath Heathens (f ...
,
Tommy Jansson
Per Tommy Jansson (2 October 1952 – 20 May 1976) was a motorcycle speedway rider. He was one of Sweden's most exciting speedway prospects in the 1970s but was killed in the Swedish Final a World Championship Qualifying Round meeting.
He was t ...
and
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 Wo ...
didn't compete.
The
Exeter Falcons
The Exeter Falcons were a speedway team based in the city of Exeter. The Falcons operated from 1947 to 2005 at the County Ground Stadium in Exeter.
History
In 1947, the Falcons competed in a league for the first time when they finished fourth ...
won their first title. They were headed by the legendary four time world champion
Ivan Mauger
Ivan Gerald Mauger (4 October 1939 – 16 April 2018) was a New Zealand motorcycle speedway rider. He won a record six World Championships (Finals), a feat equalled only with the inclusion of the Speedway GP Championships by Tony Rickardsson ...
and backed up well by
Scott Autrey
Scott Brian Autrey (born July 9, 1953) is an American former professional motorcycle speedway rider. In 1976, he became the first American rider to reach a speedway world final since Ernie Roccio in 1951.
__TOC__
Motorcycle racing career
Born in ...
(8.32),
Tony Lomas
Anthony Carl Lomas (born 10 May 1943) is a former motorcycle speedway rider From England.
Biography
Born in Coventry, Lomas took up speedway at a Coventry training school in 1967 and after being signed by Coventry Bees was loaned out to Weymou ...
(7.29) and
Kevin Holden
Kevin Holden (30 July 1950 – 27 April 1977) was a speedway rider from England.
Speedway career
Kevin Holden was the nephew of Poole, Southampton and England rider Bill Holden and cousin to Paul Holden, who later rode for Weymouth juniors. ...
(7.26).
At the end of the season
Oxford Rebels
The Oxford Cheetahs are a British Motorcycle speedway, speedway teamLawson,K (2018) “Riders, Teams and Stadiums”. based at Oxford Stadium, in Oxford, England. They were founded in 1939 and are five times champions of Britain, in 1964 Speed ...
finished four points above the
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 ...
courtesy of a protest over Hull's victory against the Rebels. Hull were later re-awarded the points after a close season hearing and moved above the Rebels.
Final table
M = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Total Points
Leading riders
British League Knockout Cup
The 1974 Speedway Star British League Knockout Cup was the 36th edition of the
Knockout Cup for tier one teams. Sheffield were the winners.
First round
Second round
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Final
First leg
Second leg
Sheffield Tigers were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 90-65.
Teams
Belle Vue Aces
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Coventry Bees
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Cradley United
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*+ (+ rode under the name of Kid Brodie)
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Exeter Falcons
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Hackney Hawks
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Halifax Dukes
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Hull Vikings
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Ipswich Witches
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King's Lynn Stars
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Leicester Lions
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Newport
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Oxford Rebels
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Poole Pirates
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Sheffield Tigers
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Swindon Robins
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Wimbledon Dons
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Wolverhampton Wolves
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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 ...
References
{{British Speedway League seasons
British League
1974 in British motorsport
1974 in speedway