The 1985 British League season was the 51st 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 21st known as 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 ...
.
Team changes
Wimbledon Dons
The Wimbledon Dons were a professional motorcycle speedway team who operated from the Wimbledon Stadium, Plough Lane in London.Jacobs, N. ''Speedway in London'',
The track opened in 1928 and the Dons operated there from 1929 until 1991. They w ...
dropped to the National league, this was the first time that Wimbledon would not compete in the top tier of speedway.
Summary
Oxford Cheetahs
The Oxford Cheetahs are a British 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, 1985, 1986, 1989 and ...
won the league and cup double. The Oxford team, financed by the
Oxford Stadium
Oxford Stadium is a greyhound racing and speedway venue in Oxford, located in Sandy Lane, Cowley.
Races were historically held every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday evening with afternoon BAGS (Bookmakers Afternoon Greyhound Service) racing on ...
owners Northern Sports and headed by David Hawkins was the most expensive team assembled in the history of the league. The team included Danish international
Hans Nielsen (signed for a record £30,000) in 1984. Nielsen had topped the previous season's averages on Oxford's return to the league and was imperious during 1985, finishing with an exceptional average, way ahead of any other rider. The team eased to the league title by a clear ten points, with
Simon Wigg
Simon Antony Wigg (15 October 1960 – 15 November 2000) was an English speedway, grasstrack and longtrack rider who won five World Long Track Championships and finished runner-up in the Speedway World Championship in 1989.Rogers, G.(200 ...
,
Andy Grahame
Andrew George Grahame (born 10 September 1957 in Birmingham, England) is a former motorcycle speedway rider.
Career
Grahame began his British leagues career when he joined his older brother Alan Grahame at Birmingham Brummies for the 1976 Brit ...
,
Marvyn Cox
Marvyn Cox (born 11 July 1964 in Whitstable, Kent) is a former Speedway rider . Cox was twice a winner of the German Individual Championship in 1993 and 1995, when he raced under a German licence.
Domestic career
In 1984 he was signed by Oxfor ...
,
Jens Rasmussen and
Melvyn Taylor
Melvyn Roy Taylor (born 26 April 1961) is a former speedway rider from England.
Speedway career
Taylor started his career at Mildenhall Fen Tigers in 1977 before riding in the top tier of British Speedway for King's Lynn Stars and Reading Ra ...
all riding over 50 matches each during the season.
Defending champions
Ipswich Witches
The Ipswich Witches are a British speedway club based at Foxhall Stadium near Ipswich, Suffolk. They compete in the British SGB Premiership. Meetings are staged on most Thursdays from March until October, normally commencing at 7.30pm (first ra ...
finished mid-table which was not surprising taking into account that just three matches into the season their leading rider
Billy Sanders
William Robert Sanders (9 September 1955 – 23 April 1985Oakes, P (1982). ''Daily Mirror 1982 Speedway Yearbook''. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. ) was an Australian international Speedway rider who won six Australian Championships and w ...
committed suicide on 23 April. The news shocked the club and the wider speedway world at the time.
Final table
M = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Total Points
British League Knockout Cup
The 1985 Speedway Star British League Knockout Cup was the 47th edition of the
Knockout Cup for tier one teams.
Oxford Cheetahs
The Oxford Cheetahs are a British 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, 1985, 1986, 1989 and ...
were the winners.
First round
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Final
First leg
Second leg
Oxford Cheetahs were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 79-76.
League Cup
The League Cup was contested as a league format.
Coventry Bees
Coventry Bees were a motorcycle speedway team that existed from 1929 to 2018. They raced at Brandon Stadium, Brandon near Coventry, England.
History
A Coventry team was first formed in 1928 and competed in the inaugural season of the Southern ...
won the final over two legs defeating
Oxford Cheetahs
The Oxford Cheetahs are a British 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, 1985, 1986, 1989 and ...
86-70 on aggregrate.
Qualifying table
Semi-finals
Final
Pairs
The
British League Pairs Championship
The British League Pairs Championship was a speedway contest between the top two riders from each club competing in the British League in the UK, or the top division thereof when it had multiple divisions. The meetings comprised a competition ...
was held at
Monmore Green Stadium
Monmore Green Stadium is a greyhound racing and speedway stadium located in Wolverhampton. The stadium has private suites, a restaurant and a number of bars. The venue is owned and operated by the Ladbrokes Coral group.
Speedway
Motorcycle s ...
on 30 June and was won by Oxford.
Leading final averages
Riders & final averages
Belle Vue
* 9.77
* 8.92
* 7.59
* 6.16
* 5.83
* 4.90
* 4.36
* 3.33
* 1.33
* 1.10
Coventry
* 10.13
* 9.09
* 6.68
* 6.12
* 5.93
* 5.76
* 4.11
* 3.41
Cradley Heath
* 10.38
* 7.93
* 7.91
* 7.37
* 6.21
* 5.41
* 4.26
* 1.23
* 1.20
Halifax
* 10.13
* 7.26
* 6.62
* 6.17
* 5.41
* 5.40
* 5.16
* 4.19
Ipswich
* 9.33
* 9.12
* 8.12
* 6.14
* 5.47
* 5.16
* 5.10
* 3.07
* 2.38
King's Lynn
* 7.80
* 7.20
* 6.19
* 6.12
* 5.91
* 5.76
* 4.84
* 4.54
Oxford
* 11.35
* 9.10
* 7.18
* 6.07
* 6.07
* 4.87
* 4.78
* 2.22
Reading
* 9.43
* 9.01
* 6.79
* 6.33
* 6.33
* 5.59
* 5.57
* 4.72
* 4.67
* 2.05
Sheffield
* 10.39
* 7.33
* 6.91
* 6.81
* 6.33
* 5.85
* 5.50
* 4.22
* 3.34
Swindon
* 9.35
* 8.92
* 7.90
* 6.54
* 6.31
* 5.54
* 5.40
* 5.02
* .3.69
* 1.71
Wolverhampton
* 9.80
* 7.72
* 7.69
* 7.42
* 4.97
* 4.89
* 4.79
* 3.88
* 2.00
See also
*
Speedway in the United Kingdom
The sport of speedway in the United Kingdom has changed little since the first meetings in the 1920s. It has three domestic leagues, its own Speedway Grand Prix, and an annual entry into the Speedway World Cup / Speedway of Nations.
History
Se ...
*
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
{{British Speedway League seasons
British League
1985 in British motorsport
1985 in speedway