The Workington Comets are a British

speedway 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 cours ...

club, based in

Workington Workington is a coastal town and civil parish at the mouth of the River Derwent on the west coast in the Allerdale borough of Cumbria, England. The town was historically in Cumberland. At the 2011 census it had a population of 25,207. Loca ...

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumb ...

, racing out of the Northside Training Track. The team previously operated from 1970 to 2018 and were based at Derwent Park Stadium which they shared with

Workington Town Workington Town R.L.F.C. is a semi-professional rugby league club playing in Workington in west Cumbria. Their stadium is Derwent Park, which they share with Workington Comets, a speedway team. They became Rugby League Champions in 1951 and ...

Rugby League Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

Football Club. They were closed at the end of the 2018 SGB Championship season, but re-opened in 2022 and competed in the 2023 National Development League speedway season.

History

1970–1987

The team's inaugural league season was the

1970 British League Division Two season The 1970 British League Division Two season was the third season of second tier motorcycle speedway in Great Britain. Team changes The league expanded from 16 to 17 teams in its third season. Plymouth Devils dropped out but two new teams had bee ...

in which they finished in 11th place. The team spent 12 years in Division 2, finishing 2nd in 1973 and 3rd in 1976. The 1987 season saw Glasgow Tigers based at Derwent Park. However the team changed its name to Workington Tigers soon afterwards but held their last fixture against Stoke on 31 July. The team's results were expunged. It was the last season of speedway at Workington for 12 years.

1999–2018

Speedway returned in 1999 as Workington joined the

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

(division 2). They would spend 20 consecutive years in the division but before their 2018 play off victory their best finish was 2nd in 2004. At the end of the 2007 season, the club was sold by promoter Tony Mole to businessman Keith Denham. Several riders left for the

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 Le ...

but Carl Stonehewer and

Kauko Nieminen Kauko Tapio Nieminen (born 29 August 1979, in Seinäjoki) is a Finnish former speedway rider who raced for several teams in the UK, Sweden, and Poland, and as part of the Finland national speedway team. Career summary Nieminen started his Un ...

stayed. The club went on to win the Young Shield, Premier League Pairs and

Premier League Four-Team Championship The Premier League Four-Team Championship was a contest between teams competing in the Premier League in the United Kingdom. Eight teams are grouped into fours, with one rider from each team in each race. The winners and second place of each group ...

during the 2008 season. The Premier League Fours was an event that they had won on three previous occasions, in 2001, 2004 and 2006. In October 2018, the Comets won 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 ...

for the first time in their history. In the same month, the Comets made it a treble win with Knockout Cup and Championship Shield victories. In January 2019, the Comets announced their withdrawal from the SGB Championship and from racing in the 2019 season.

2022-Present

Speedway was announced to return to Workington, with the previous Northside training track in the town being redeveloped for league racing. The side, under the control of local businessman Andrew Bain, were set to enter to 2022

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

but a series of vandalism incidents at the circuit has pushed this back a year. Having received permission to use the 'Comets' nickname, the club returned to action for the 2023 National Development League speedway season.

Notable Riders

The club's most notable rider was Carl Stonehewer, who still holds the record for the most Comets appearances and remains the only Premier League rider to qualify for the

Speedway Grand Prix Speedway Grand Prix are a series of stand-alone motorcycle speedway events over the course of a season used to determine the Speedway World Champion. The series started in 1995 replacing the previous format of a single event final. The first win ...

series. *

René Bach René Bach (born 7 June 1990, in Hjordkær, Rødekro)www.speedway.com.pl
Retrieved on 2009-04-18. is a Danis ...

Adam Roynon Adam Wayne Roynon (born 30 August 1988, in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria) is a British motorcycle speedway rider. His father, Chris Roynon, was a speedway rider and promoter for the Barrow Blackhawks. Career Roynon won three trophies in his fir ...

Simon Stead Simon Trevor Stead (born 25 April 1982) is a British speedway team manager and former rider. Career Summary Born in Sheffield, Stead started his career at local track Sheffield Tigers before riding for Buxton Hitmen, Peterborough Panthers and ...

* Carl Stonehewer *

Brent Werner Brent Werner (born April 15, 1974) is an American motorcycle speedway rider who was a member of United States team at Speedway World Cups.

* James Wright

Season summary

Honours

SGB Championship
Winners: 2018 SGB Championship Knockout Cup
Winners: 2018 SGB Championship Shield
Winners: 2018 Young Shield
Winners: 2008, 2009, 2010 Premier League Four-Team Championship
Winners: 2001, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009 Premier League Riders Championship *2000 Carl Stonehewer *2001 Carl Stonehewer *2007 James Wright Premier League Pairs Championship *1999 Carl Stonehewer with

Brent Werner Brent Werner (born April 15, 1974) is an American motorcycle speedway rider who was a member of United States team at Speedway World Cups.

*2000 Carl Stonehewer with Mick Powell *2001 Carl Stonehewer with Peter I. Karlsson *2003 Carl Stonehewer with

*2008

with

Daniel Nermark Daniel Nermark (born 30 July 1977, in Karlstad, Sweden) is a Swedish international motorcycle speedway rider. Career summary Nermark first rode in the UK in 2001 when he signed for the Wolverhampton Wolves. In his second season Wolves won the E ...

*2012

René Bach René Bach (born 7 June 1990, in Hjordkær, Rødekro)www.speedway.com.pl
Retrieved on 2009-04-18. is a Danis ...

with

References

{{Reflist Speedway Premier League teams SGB Championship teams Sport in Cumbria Workington