Leicester Stadium were a
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 1929 until 1931.
[Bamford, R & Jarvis J. (2001) ''Homes of British Speedway'', , p. 147-149]
History
Speedway was first staged in Leicester in 1928 and the following year a team based at
Leicester Stadium
Leicester Stadium was a sports stadium on Parker Drive in Leicester. The stadium was initially used for greyhound racing with motorcycle speedway starting there five years later. It was also a venue for BriSCA Formula 1 Stock Cars.
Greyhound ...
joined the
English Dirt Track League
The Northern League was founded in 1929 when it was known as the English Dirt Track League, the earliest league (along with the Southern League) in speedway racing in the United Kingdom, comprising teams from Northern Britain. The addition of two ...
.
In 1930, the team joined the
Southern League.
Financial problems meant that the team failed to complete the 1931 season, with
Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...
taking over the remaining fixtures.
League speedway was later briefly revived at the stadium in 1937.
[Jones, Alan (2010) ''Speedway in Leicester: The Pre-War Years'', Automedia, p. 22, 53 105-9]
Notable riders
Notable Stadium riders include team captain
Syd Jackson,
Cyril "Squib" Burton
Cyril Frederick "Squib" Burton (16 January 1908 – June 1990) was a motorcycle speedway rider who was one of the sport's early stars, becoming a leading rider for the Leicester Stadium team and for Rochdale, and going on to represent England. ...
,
Billy Elmore,
Alby Taylor
Alby may refer to:
Places
* Alby, Botkyrka, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden
** Alby metro station
* Alby, Ånge, a locality in Västernorrland County, Sweden
* Alby, Öland, a village in Hulterstad district, Sweden
* Alby, Norfolk, a settlemen ...
, and
John "Slider" Shuttleworth.
[Hoare, Ron (1979) ''Speedway Panorama'', Haynes, , p. 122]
Season summary
See also
*
Speedway in Leicester Motorcycle speedway was first staged in Leicester in 1928. It has continued on and off until the present day, with Leicester Lions currently competing in the SGB Championship and Leicester Lion Cubs competing in the National League (speedway)
Lei ...
*
Leicester Stadium
Leicester Stadium was a sports stadium on Parker Drive in Leicester. The stadium was initially used for greyhound racing with motorcycle speedway starting there five years later. It was also a venue for BriSCA Formula 1 Stock Cars.
Greyhound ...
*
Beaumont Park Stadium
Beaumont Park Stadium or the Pidcock Motorcycles Arena for sponsorship purposes is a sports stadium on Beaumont Park, Leicester. The stadium is mainly used for motorcycle speedway and is the home track for the Leicester Lions.
At the meeting of ...
References
{{Reflist
Sport in Leicester
Defunct speedway teams in the United Kingdom