The 1971 British League season was the 37th 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 ...
and the seventh season known as the British League.
Summary
Reading Racers
Reading Racers are a British motorcycle speedway team. Formed in 1968, they won four British League titles during their history. The club closed in October 2008 after the lease on Smallmead Stadium was sold and the site was demolished. In 2016 a ...
moved up from Division 2 and
Newcastle Diamonds
Newcastle Diamonds were a motorcycle speedway team that raced in the SGB Championship, every Sunday night during the season (March–October) from their home at the Newcastle Stadium on the Fossway, Byker. The Stadium, previously known as Broug ...
dropped out.
Belle Vue Aces
The Belle Vue Aces are a British speedway club, based in Manchester. The club hold the record of having won the top tier League championship 13 times. They currently compete in the SGB Premiership, racing at The National Speedway Stadium, wi ...
retained their title to become the first team to win the title for the second time. The team included three 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 ...
, Swedish international
Sören Sjösten
Sören Willy Ernfrid Sjösten (born 12 December 1938,
Krylbo, Sweden, died 1999) was a motorcycle speedway rider. He won the world pairs championship in 1974 with Anders Michanek and became world team champion three times representing Sweden, ...
,
Tommy Roper
Thomas Roper (born 6 July 1940) is a former motorcycle speedway rider from England.
Speedway career
Roper rode in the top tier of British Speedway from 1965 to 1974, riding for various clubs. He was an integral part of the Halifax Dukes team ...
,
Eric Broadbelt,
Chris Pusey
Chris Pusey (born June 30, 1965 in Brantford, Ontario) is a former professional ice hockey goaltender. He is notable for returning after retiring from professional ice hockey, with the Dundas Real McCoys, an OHA senior team, and the club made ...
and a 17 year old
Peter Collins in his debut season.
Final table
M = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Total Points
Leading riders
British League Knockout Cup
The 1971 Speedway Star British League Knockout Cup was the 33rd edition of the
Knockout Cup
A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
for tier one teams. Hackney were the winners.
First round
Second round
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Final
First leg
Second leg
Hackney Hawks were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 88-68.
Teams
Belle Vue Aces
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Coventry Bees
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Cradley Heath
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Exeter Falcons
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Glasgow Tigers
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Hackney Hawks
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Halifax Dukes
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King's Lynn Stars
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Leicester Lions
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Newport Wasps
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Oxford Cheetahs
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Poole Pirates
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Reading Racers
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Sheffield Tigers
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Swindon Robins
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Wembley Lions
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West Ham Hammers
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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 c ...
References
{{British Speedway League seasons
British League
League
League or The League may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band
* ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football
Sports
* Sports league
* Rugby league, full contact footba ...
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 ...