Leicester Super was a
motorcycle speedway team based at the Leicester Super Speedway near Melton Road.
History
Promotion company Speedways and Sports Ltd initially approached
Leicestershire County Cricket Club in 1929 with a proposal to construct Leicester's second speedway track (after
Leicester Stadium) around the edge of the pitch on Aylestone Road, but when this was rejected an alternative site near the tram terminus on Melton Road was used, the
Syston Sports Stadium
Syston Sports Stadium also known as Syston Greyhound Stadium was a greyhound racing and Motorcycle speedway track located at Central Avenue and East Avenue, off the Melton Road in Syston, Leicestershire.
Origins
The stadium was built in 1929 in ...
was built in just five weeks.
[Jones, Alan (2010) ''Speedway in Leicester: The Pre-War Years'', Automedia, p. 30 et seq][Bamford, Robert & Jarvis, John (2001) ''Homes of British Speedway'', Tempus, , p. 149-150] The new Leicester Super Speedway was, at 586 yards in length the largest track used for league racing in the UK, races taking place over three laps rather than four as a consequence, and facilities included a 5,000-capacity grandstand built by local timber merchant George Walker.
The track was officially opened on 18 May 1929 by the Lord Mayor of Leicester, the first meeting attracting a crowd of between 20,000 and 25,000, and featuring riders such as
Lloyd "Sprouts" Elder and
Stewie St. George.
Riders who appeared regularly at the track included
Fred Wilkinson,
Arthur Sherlock and
Aubrey Williams.
Leicester Super entered the English Knock-Out Cup in 1929, losing to Leicester Stadium in the first round in a match that was watched by 27,000 spectators.
The track also staged light car racing, and later
greyhound racing.
Leicester Super joined the
Northern League in 1930, recruiting Sherlock (who captained the team),
Hal Herbert
Harold Thomas Herbert (June 17, 1922 – July 25, 2003) was a British-born Canadian politician. He introduced the Private Member's Bill in 1982 which amended the ''Holidays Act'' to change the name of Canada's national holiday from " Domi ...
, George Marsh, and Alec Bowerman from Leicester Stadium, joining Wilkinson, Nev Wheeler, Bert Spencer, Harold Stevens, and Freddie Hore in the team.
Herbert and Wilkinson were the top riders for the team in 1930.
[Hoare, Ron (1979) ''Speedway Panorama'', Haynes, , p. 123] With several meetings affected by bad weather, the team failed to complete the full programme of meetings.
The track had an unprecedented ban on overtaking on the inside, due to the high speeds attained on the long straights, unless there was a minimum of four feet space on the inside of the rider in front.
["Round the Outside Please", '']Speedway Star
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 cour ...
'', 22 January 1965, p. 18
Super remained in the Northern League in 1931, team manager Alec Jackson signing England international
Arthur Jervis as the new captain, also signing Australian international
Bruce McCullum,
Tommy Price
Thomas Price (2 December 1911 – 26 December 1997) was a British speedway rider. In 1949 he won the first Speedway World Championship to be held after the Second World War.Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). ''A History of the World Speedway Ch ...
, Cliff Watson, and Alf Summersby.
Falling attendances led to Super's withdrawal from the league in August.
Racing continued at the Super Speedway in 1932 in the form of 'pirate' meetings, with the last meeting held on 9 July.
Racing returned to Melton Road in 1936, with speedway and sidecar races in unsanctioned meetings, including appearances from
Paddy Mills (riding under his real name, Horace Burke, to avoid being fined by the
ACU) and
Wilf Plant
Wilfred Graham Plant (28 August 1914 – May 2001) was a British motorcycle speedway rider.
Career
Born in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, Plant gained his early racing experience in grasstrack.Morgan, Tom (1949) ''Who's Who in Speedway 194 ...
.
Speedway was never revived again at the Super track, and the stadium was demolished.
Season summary
See also
*
Speedway in Leicester
References
{{Reflist
Sport in Leicester
Defunct speedway teams in the United Kingdom