The Bradford Dukes were a British
motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines that use only ...
team which operated from the
Odsal Stadium
Odsal Stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, is the home of Bradford Bulls Rugby League team. It has also been used by the Bradford Dukes speedway team, BRISCA F1 and F2 stock cars, the football team Bradford City, following the Valley ...
in
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 ...
from 1986 until their closure in 1997.
[Bamford, R & Jarvis J.(2001). ''Homes of British Speedway''. ]
History
Speedway has long been associated with
Odsal Stadium
Odsal Stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, is the home of Bradford Bulls Rugby League team. It has also been used by the Bradford Dukes speedway team, BRISCA F1 and F2 stock cars, the football team Bradford City, following the Valley ...
; there have been three eras of racing activity at the venue spanning the years 1945-1960, 1970-1975 and most recently 1985-1997. There was also a short-lived existence at the old
Greenfield Stadium Greenfield Stadium could refer to:
* Greenfield Stadium (Trelawny), a multi-purpose stadium in Jamaica.
* Greenfield Stadium, Bradford, a former rugby league, greyhound racing and speedway stadium in Bradford, England.
* Greenfields Sports Ground, ...
between 1961-1962.
[
Speedway returned to Odsal in 1985 after a ten-year absence when it was selected by the ]Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme
The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM; en, International Motorcycling Federation) is the global governing/sanctioning body of motorcycle racing. It represents 116 national motorcycle federations that are divided into six regiona ...
to host the 1985 Speedway World Championship
The World Championship of Speedway is an international competition between the highest-ranked motorcycle speedway riders of the world, run under the auspices of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). The first official championsh ...
. Bradford Council were quick to seize on the prestige of being associated with a World event and approved £1 million project to refurbish the Odsal Stadium
Odsal Stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, is the home of Bradford Bulls Rugby League team. It has also been used by the Bradford Dukes speedway team, BRISCA F1 and F2 stock cars, the football team Bradford City, following the Valley ...
. A 40,000 crowd attended at the final.[
In March 1986, Odsal opened its doors to ]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 ...
action for the first time since the 1950s after the Halifax Dukes
The Halifax Dukes were a Speedway team which operated from 1949–1951 and again from 1965 until their closure in 1985 at The Shay Stadium in Halifax. The team were nicknamed the "Dukes" after the local Duke of Wellington's Regiment, whose tra ...
were offered a new home track. The new 'Bradford Dukes' team would in later years include Gary Havelock
Robert Gary Havelock (born 4 November 1968, in Eaglescliffe, County Durham, England) is a former speedway rider who was World Champion in 1992. For several years he captained the Redcar Bears in the Premier League. He is the son of former speed ...
, the multi- British Champion 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 ...
, England number one Kelvin Tatum
Kelvin Martin Tatum MBE (born 8 February 1964, in Epsom, Surrey) is a former British international motorcycle speedway and grasstrack rider.
Career
Tatum attended Brighton College from 1977 to 1980. He started riding speedway bikes at Hackney' ...
and Mark Loram
Mark Roysten Gregory Loram (born 12 January 1971)
is a former British motorcycle speedway rider who won the World Speedway Championship in 2000 and won the British Championship in 1997, 1999, and 2001.
Career
Born in Mtarfa, Malta, Mark ...
. However, the club suffered the loss of Kenny Carter
Kenneth Malcolm Carter (28 March 1961 – 21 May 1986), was a British world class speedway rider. He rode for Newcastle Diamonds (1978), Halifax Dukes (1978–1985) and Bradford Dukes (1986). On Wednesday, 21 May 1986, he shot dead his w ...
who died in a shooting incident during their first season.
Bradford speedway then enjoyed its greatest period of success winning eight trophies and a World Title until the club's closure in 1997 when despite winning the Elite League, the club folded for the third time. The success included four Knockout Cup wins from 1991 to 1995, three of which were in consecutive years.
In 2013 businessman Tony Mole successfully applied for planning permission to again use Odsal for speedway, with the possibility of racing returning in 2014 with the Bradford and Halifax Dukes.
World Champions
Gary Havelock
Robert Gary Havelock (born 4 November 1968, in Eaglescliffe, County Durham, England) is a former speedway rider who was World Champion in 1992. For several years he captained the Redcar Bears in the Premier League. He is the son of former speed ...
became Speedway World Champion whilst a Bradford rider in 1992, winning the title at the Olympic Stadium
''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words ''Olympic Stadium'' as ...
in Wroclaw, Poland.[Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). ''A History of the World Speedway Championship''. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. ]
Notable riders
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Season summary
See also
* Odsal Boomerangs
Odsal Boomerangs were a motorcycle speedway team based at Odsal Stadium, Rooley Lane, Odsal, Bradford, West Yorkshire, from 1945 to 1950. The team became the Odsal Tudors during the 1950 season.Bamford, R & Jarvis J.(2001). ''Homes of Britis ...
* Bradford Tudors
The Odsal Tudors or Bradford Tudors were a motorcycle speedway team based at Odsal Stadium in Bradford from 1950 to 1960.Bamford, R & Jarvis J.(2001). ''Homes of British Speedway''.
History
At the end of July 1950 the Odsal Tudors replaced ...
* Bradford Panthers
The Bradford Panthers were a motorcycle speedway team based at Odsal Stadium and Greenfield Stadium, in Bradford, Yorkshire, from 1960 to 1963.Bamford, R & Jarvis J.(2001). ''Homes of British Speedway''.
History Odsal
In 1960 the Bradford ...
* Bradford Barons
Bradford Barons were a motorcycle speedway team based at Odsal Stadium in Odsal, Bradford, from 1974 to 1975.Bamford, R & Jarvis J.(2001). ''Homes of British Speedway''.
History
1974 saw yet another name change with Bradford Barons replaci ...
* Bradford Northern (speedway)
*
References
{{Bradford Sports Teams
Sport in Bradford
Defunct British speedway teams