Motorcycle speedway was first staged in

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

in 1928. It has continued on and off until the present day, with

Leicester Lions Leicester Lions are a speedway team which originally operated from 1968 until 1983.Bamford, R & Jarvis J.(2001). ''Homes of British Speedway''. The club returned to speedway for the 2011 Premier League season, moving up to the Elite League ...

currently competing in the

SGB Championship The Speedway Great Britain (SGB) Championship is the second division of speedway league competition in the United Kingdom, governed by the Speedway Control Bureau (SCB), in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association (BSPA). It ...

and Leicester Lion Cubs competing in the

National League (speedway) The current National Development League formerly the National League was formed in 2009 as the third division of speedway in the United Kingdom, replacing the Conference League. It follows the same rules and regulations as the SGB Premiership an ...

Leicester Stadium

The first speedway to be staged in Leicester was on a dirt track constructed inside the greyhound racing track 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 ...

on Parker Drive in 1928. The team based there 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 1929 finishing 5th, with Syd Jackson and

Billy Elmore Billy may refer to: * Billy (name), a name (and list of people with the name) Animals * Billy (dog), a dog breed * Billy (pigeon), awarded the Dickin Medal in 1945 * Billy (pygmy hippo), a pet of U.S. President Calvin Coolidge * Billy, a youn ...

the leading riders.Hoare, Ron (1979) ''Speedway Panorama'', Haynes, , p. 122-3 The team were referred to as 'Leicester Stadium' to differentiate them from the other team that operated in Leicester, the

Leicester Super 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 constr ...

team. The team competed in the Southern League in 1930, with

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. ...

emerging at the team's top rider. The Stadium team completed only part of the 1931 season.

Leicester Super

A new track was constructed at the Leicester Super Speedway on Melton Road, which opened in 1929.Jones, Alan (2010) ''Speedway in Leicester: The Pre-War Years'', Automedia, p. 37, 105-9 A team based there competed in the Northern League in both 1930 and 1931, but failed to complete either season.

Leicester Hounds

Speedway was revived on a relaid track at Leicester Stadium in 1937, with Leicester Hounds competing in the Provincial League.

Leicester Hunters

Leicester Hunters formed in 1948, and began competing in the National League in 1949. They competed in the top division of British speedway between 1957 and 1961, before dropping down to the newly formed

Provincial League Provincial League (formerly known as Professional League) also known as Pro League was the old regional Football league in Thailand in 1999–2008. It was founded in 1999 under the name "Provincial League" organized by Sports Authority of Thailan ...

in 1962, which was their final season.

Leicester Lions

Leicester LionsLawson,K (2018) “Riders, Teams and Stadiums”. began in 1968, when the team transferred from

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 ...

. They competed in 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 ...

until their closure in 1983, when they lost their home after the stadium was sold. The Lions name was revived in the 2000s, with occasional challenge matches before the team returned to league competition at a new stadium called the

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 ...

Beaumont Leys Beaumont Leys is a suburb and electoral ward in north-western Leicester, in the Leicester district, in the ceremonial county of Leicestershire, England. The population of the ward at the 2011 census was 16,480. Locally, Beaumont Leys is usual ...

in 2011.

Indoor speedway

Speedway was also staged on an indoor track at

Granby Halls Granby Halls was a popular live music, exhibition and sports arena in Leicester, England, also notable as the long serving home of professional basketball team, the Leicester Riders, from 1980 until 1999. It was located in a triangle of prime l ...

.Jones, Alan (2010) ''Speedway in Leicester: The Lions Roar'', Automedia, p. 114-8 The first event was the Midland Individual Championship in January 1972, which was won by

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

Around Leicestershire

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 1949 ...

set up a training track near

Melton Mowbray Melton Mowbray () is a town in Leicestershire, England, north-east of Leicester, and south-east of Nottingham. It lies on the River Eye, known below Melton as the Wreake. The town had a population 27,670 in 2019. The town is sometimes promo ...

in 1936.Bamford, Robert & Jarvis, John (2001) ''Homes of British Speedway'', Tempus, , p. 166 Speedway was also staged at the greyhound stadium on Saxby Road in Melton Mowbray in 1949.Jones, Alan (2004) ''Speedway in Leicester: The Hunters Era'', Automedia, p. 105-7 The Melton Mowbray Motorcycle Club, chaired by Plant, staged several meetings on a cinder track there. Paddy Mills set up a training track in a field in

Syston Syston ( ) is a town and civil parish in the district of Charnwood in Leicestershire, England. The population was 11,508 at the 2001 census, rising to 12,804 at the 2011 census. Overview There has been a settlement on the site for over 1,000 ...

in 1952, running training sessions attended by several riders who went on to represent Leicester Hunters, including

Ivor Brown Ivor John Carnegie Brown CBE (25 April 1891 – 22 April 1974) was a British journalist and man of letters. Biography Born in Penang, Malaya, Brown was the younger of two sons of Dr. William Carnegie Brown, a specialist in tropical diseases, ...

and

Bryan Elliott Bryan Elliott (1930–2015) was a Motorcycle speedway, speedway rider from England. Speedway career Bryan Elliott reached the final of the Speedway World Championship in the 1960 Individual Speedway World Championship. He rode in the List of ...

References

{{Reflist

Sport in Leicester