SCB Posted June 3, 2005 Report Share Posted June 3, 2005 (edited) I have this evening watched the 1983 Northern Rider Championship from Belle Vue. WOW, what a track. It was twice as wide as anything I have ever seen and longer than Exeter. I just wish I had got the change to go there at least once, what a great shame the place is no longer around, I know it won't be the same but I hope one day someone can re-create the track as it was so big, it's hard to imagine just how big and wide, even after hearing the stories. Chris Morton and Peter Collins, Amazing Does anyone have any videos they'd be willing to sell/loan me that feature Hyde Road, it would really be appreciated. Edited June 3, 2005 by SCB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Steve Dixon Posted June 4, 2005 Report Share Posted June 4, 2005 I have this evening watched the 1983 Northern Rider Championship from Belle Vue. WOW, what a track. It was twice as wide as anything I have ever seen and longer than Exeter. I just wish I had got the change to go there at least once, what a great shame the place is no longer around, I know it won't be the same but I hope one day someone can re-create the track as it was so big, it's hard to imagine just how big and wide, even after hearing the stories. Chris Morton and Peter Collins, Amazing Does anyone have any videos they'd be willing to sell/loan me that feature Hyde Road, it would really be appreciated. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Now you know why it is talked about so much, a great race track. I also have this meeting, tho my copy doesn't have heat 4(i think it is)when Mort broke the track record. Also have the last ever meeting,1987 BLRC. You can get old speedway clips(some of Hyde Rd) from Wally Loak and there is a series out called Aces of Yesteryear,these were done by Roy Nicol but he doesn't film the Aces anymore so don't know if they are available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyM Posted June 4, 2005 Report Share Posted June 4, 2005 (edited) You're so right! It was the greatest speedway track and a sad loss. A good place to start looking for footage is the Aces of Yesteryear series, most of which include at least some Hyde Road racing. Try eBay for starters, where they regularly come up for auction (I've also got part 1 if you'd like to borrow it.) You could also approach Roy Nicol Video Productions direct. As Steve says, Roy was the chap who used to film the Aces, but he also put the AoY series together and he would certainly know about other sources of Hyde Road action. His number is 0161-220 7278. Edited June 4, 2005 by AndyM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youngy105 Posted June 4, 2005 Report Share Posted June 4, 2005 I've got The Peter Collins Farewell Meeting on Video....at that stage Hyde Road was looking rather derelict but the track was still awesome...Got all the Aces of Yesteryear videos and The 83 Northern Riders (the extended version that was shown on Granada). Got a match from 1982 I think between the Aces and Cradley. Got the 86 and 87 BLRC's but the quality leaves a lot to be desired. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted June 4, 2005 Report Share Posted June 4, 2005 Also have the last ever meeting,1987 BLRC. Wasn't the last speedway meeting on 1/11/87 v Coventry in the KOC replay? Always thought it a bit of a shame that the last track action at Hyde Road was a stock car meeting held in mid-November 1987. It should really have been the bikes which closed the place in my opinion. Should also mention that Belle Vue was in fact slightly smaller than Exeter, 382 metres v 396. Great track. No-one I know really likes the new place very much. It just isn't the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Steve Dixon Posted June 4, 2005 Report Share Posted June 4, 2005 Ok, second to last. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Evans Posted June 4, 2005 Report Share Posted June 4, 2005 (edited) Now you know why it is talked about so much, a great race track.I also have this meeting, tho my copy doesn't have heat 4(i think it is)when Mort broke the track record. Also have the last ever meeting,1987 BLRC. You can get old speedway clips(some of Hyde Rd) from Wally Loak and there is a series out called Aces of Yesteryear,these were done by Roy Nicol but he doesn't film the Aces anymore so don't know if they are available. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Didn't Kenny Carter break it in this meeting as well ? then Mort lowered it to 66.4 ? Edited June 4, 2005 by Mark Evans Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liesdale Posted June 4, 2005 Report Share Posted June 4, 2005 Hyde Road was a proper speedway track - unline some of the trick tracks we have these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salty Posted June 4, 2005 Report Share Posted June 4, 2005 Does anyone have any videos they'd be willing to sell/loan me that feature Hyde Road, it would really be appreciated. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Do a search in E-Bay. There is a seller calling himself "NutsaboutSpeedway" who has got a good supply of DVD's copied from videos covering Speedway from the 70's and 80's. I have bought 3 or 4 off him and they certainly bring the memories flooding back. I know he is selling one currently that has a couple of Hyde Road meeting on from 1982. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fireblade Posted June 4, 2005 Report Share Posted June 4, 2005 Wasn't the last speedway meeting on 1/11/87 v Coventry in the KOC replay? Always thought it a bit of a shame that the last track action at Hyde Road was a stock car meeting held in mid-November 1987. It should really have been the bikes which closed the place in my opinion. Should also mention that Belle Vue was in fact slightly smaller than Exeter, 382 metres v 396. Great track. No-one I know really likes the new place very much. It just isn't the same. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> ...and that was the first half of a double header, the second meeting was rained off. I have the 1986 BLRC on video - there is plenty of footage around if you look. Isn't Buxton a scaled down version of Belle Vue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCB Posted June 4, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2005 Didn't Kenny Carter break it in this meeting as well ? then Mort lowered it to 66.4 ? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> The track record was broke 3 times in the first 4 heats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyM Posted June 4, 2005 Report Share Posted June 4, 2005 Granada covered that meeting, and eventually showed Mort's fastest time of 66.4 on an end of year sports round up programme. Don't think it's available on any video compilation but that would be a good one for the archives. If I had the time and money to do so, I'd really love to recreate the Hyde Road track on a brown field site somewhere around Manchester - big enough to build a dedicated speedway track for running all the showcase meetings. Good fantasy, but can't see it ever happening, sad to say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted June 5, 2005 Report Share Posted June 5, 2005 There was an awful lot more to the secret of Hyde Road than just the size or shape of the track. One of ther big elements which added to the atmosphere was the fact that the stadium was almost enclosed by stands, walls etc, which kept the atmosphere in, so to speak. That could never be recreated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conkers Posted June 5, 2005 Report Share Posted June 5, 2005 fireblade Posted Yesterday, 08:03 PM Isn't Buxton a scaled down version of Belle Vue? Bernard Loftus told me this story just after the new track staged it's first meeting. He said that when Ken and he moved the location of the Buxton track in 1995/6 from the centre of the Stock Car Track to it's present location, they used the plans of the old Belle Vue Track and scaled it down to 2/3rds the size. No doubt Jayne can shed further light on this. As for the Old Belle vue, I went almost every week from 24/8/1968 to it's closure and it was the best race track I ever saw. The number of classic races there was phenominal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iris123 Posted June 5, 2005 Report Share Posted June 5, 2005 I only went the once,but was lucky enough to see PC,Mort and Smudger all get a max or paid max,as they thrashed King's Lynn.Great place Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehone Posted June 5, 2005 Report Share Posted June 5, 2005 fantastic track, fantastic racing ... some of those BLRC's were fantastic ... and to go up there and see Wimbledon whooped erm...er ... not quite so fantastic. priveliged to be able to say i rode on the track a couple of times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Steve Dixon Posted June 5, 2005 Report Share Posted June 5, 2005 Wow.....i must have seen steve Hone ride...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehone Posted June 5, 2005 Report Share Posted June 5, 2005 no you wouldn't Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyM Posted June 5, 2005 Report Share Posted June 5, 2005 Steve, you rode under a different name, didn't you? Something like Dave Jessup, was it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehone Posted June 5, 2005 Report Share Posted June 5, 2005 i am taller Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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