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 between ...

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 The 1959 Southern Area League was the final season of the Southern Area League as the regional second tier of speedway racing in the United Kingdom for Southern British teams. With no league in 1958, a set of 6 new teams competed in 1959. Summary ...

. There were a few changes of nicknames; the Chesterton Potters changed their team name to the Stoke Potters,

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

became the Barons,

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

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 Lea ...

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 George Major (born 26 October 1939) is a British former motorcycle speedway rider. Biography Born in Donnington, Oxfordshire,Hearn, Dan (2010)Speedway stars hold memorial reunion, ''Banbury Cake'', 9 October 2010, retrieved 2012-03-24 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.

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.

References

{{Speedway British League Division Two seasons Speedway British League Division Two / National League