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Gone but not forgotten speedway tracks. « Thread Started on Nov 6, 2009, 9:15pm »
I had a few days up in Yorkshire this week. We came back through Halifax, and stuck in traffic, looked down on The Shay. I've been there to watch footy, but didn't watch speedway there. What a beautiful setting it looked with the hills behind. I knew Boocock and Carter had ridden there, but what a loss to the sport that track was. Anyone been to a long forgotten track?
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Re: Gone but not forgotten speedway tracks. « Reply #1 on Nov 7, 2009, 6:18am »
Speedway at the Shay was quite a spectacle. You could stand high on the terraces around the third and fourth turns and enjoy a great view of the action. A heavily banked track, the shay lent itself to those riders that liked to blast round the boards, although riding the white line could be quite effective: I remember Preben Eriksen beating Kenny Carter in this fashion.
The Shay Hotel was just outside the stadium and had quite an array of speedway memorabilia.
I can't think of an existing track that is similar. Perhaps one or two of the larger PL tracks are as big (Workington?) but none with the sense of drama.
Other defunct tracks I remember visiting.....
Crewe Ellesmere Port Coatbridge
as well as the more obvious ones...
Wimbledon, Hackney, White City, Reading (both tracks), Leicester, Bradford. Others as well. Just missed out on West Ham.
Joined: Mar 2005 Gender: Male Posts: 3,639 Location: STAFFORDSHIRE
Re: Gone but not forgotten speedway tracks. « Reply #3 on Nov 7, 2009, 9:47am »
There have been some great tracks closed down over the years, possibly the best is the old Hyde Road track for Belle Vue. Every year as a child my dad would drive us up to see the BLRC when ALL the top riders wanted to ride in it.
Back then there were more than 16 teams and a few tracks had their top riders only as reserves. Possibly the most memorable BLRC for me there was John Louis absolutley going through the card in brilliant fashion. You could stand right near the fence and down the straights the riders were but a few feet away as they came flying past.
White City was another great stadium and track and while on holiday once in Bournemouth I travelled with the Poole coach to the Inter-Continental final. They held a sweepstake on the bus and I picked out the Pirates top man, Michael Lee. Luckily I managed to swap it with a Poole fan who had Hans Nielsen who went on to win the meeting. Great trip back to Poole being the only Nielsen fan on board.
Leicesters Blackbird Road was another big track. Situated actually in Parker Drive, I first went there to see Birmingham in action in the early 80's with Neil Collins in the Leicester team. Its one of the few meetings where I saw Hans Nielsen fall off as he was taken wide entering a turn and both riders went down.
Then of course you have the Perry Barr stadium in Birmingham where the One Stop Shopping Centre now is. When Wolves closed, my father took me to this every week, luckily Hans Nielsen moved there too. It produced good racing, you could get close to the riders and even watch races next to them at the pits entrance. One of the most memorable meetings I had there was when my father and I went with Tom Leadbitter who was riding for Teeside at the time.
He finished 3rd in heat one and wasn't too pleased. He then went on to win his remaining rides and the following day me and Tom cleaned his bike off at my house ready for his next meeting.
Hackney, Halifax, Bradford, Wimbledon, Glasgow, Long Eaton, spoonland Heath, Reading, Oxford, Milton Keynes, Hull x2, Middlesbrough and Bristol are other tracks I have been too that are no longer in action.
The biggest loss to speedway though has to be the loss of Wembley. The first time they never held the World Final at the Twin Towers spelt the end of the site and with finals only being held there every 3 or 4 years (71,75, 78 and 81) it became too costly to carry on as the FA didnt want it there. The 81 final was a brilliant meeting but my most vivid memory from Wembley was Dave Jessup walking back across the centre green after another costly engine failure that stopped him ever winning the title.
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Re: Gone but not forgotten speedway tracks. « Reply #6 on Nov 8, 2009, 1:07pm »
I lived in Hull in the mid 70s and my introduction to speedway was at The Boulevard Stadium in 1976 watching the Vikings.
Unfortunately time has not been kind and the dog racing finished there this June and the stadium has been badly damaged by theft and neglect since then. Its future does not look good.
I had a few days up in Yorkshire this week. We came back through Halifax, and stuck in traffic, looked down on The Shay. I've been there to watch footy, but didn't watch speedway there. What a beautiful setting it looked with the hills behind. I knew Boocock and Carter had ridden there, but what a loss to the sport that track was. Anyone been to a long forgotten track?
I lived in Hull in the mid 70s and my introduction to speedway was at The Boulevard Stadium in 1976 watching the Vikings.
Unfortunately time has not been kind and the dog racing finished there this June and the stadium has been badly damaged by theft and neglect since then. Its future does not look good.
No, it's not looking good on them. I remember Pat Foley on beacon radio, saying how much they loved their speedway in Hull.
Re: Gone but not forgotten speedway tracks. « Reply #9 on Nov 17, 2009, 11:37pm »
Wonder how many remember the track at Brafield in Northants that used to hold open meetings on Sundays - I think in the early 70s.
One of my favourite extinct tracks is the one at Blackbird Road at Leaicester. Used to regularly stick around for the scratch race finals to see Olsen in action against the Leicester heat leaders including the likes of Ray Wilson, Michanek and Boulger.
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