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Leicester Speedway ?


Chris-P

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Colin was at the End of Era meeting at Exeter last season.Still very warmly welcomed down that way too.

 

Loved my visits to Blackbird Road,even though it was never actually in it,I seem to remember!

 

Favourite Leicester rider? There can only be one.........RAY WILSON.

 

THE BEST CAPTAIN OF ENGLAND.....................EVER.

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Loved my visits to Blackbird Road,even though it was never actually in it,I seem to remember!

 

Favourite Leicester rider? There can only be one.........RAY WILSON.

 

THE BEST CAPTAIN OF ENGLAND.....................EVER.

 

You are correct Bob, the stadium was actually on Parker drive, wich led off Blackbird road, there is now a housing estate where the stadium stood ( spit) lol

Actually, ive just remembered that i have a black and white photo that i took of the stadium when i was about 11,...hmm, wonder where it is,....." goes off to search".............

 

Glad you agree on Ray Wilson, ive been enjoying some old video tapes that i picked up recently :D

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I've got a few photos of the stadium on my webshots album if you are interested.

I suppose it was a bit grotty inside but the outside of the building was quite striking. I'm surprised it wasn't listed, but like most things in Leicester beautiful buildings get knocked down. :sad:

 

 

http://image32.webshots.com/33/7/29/46/243...46LCoGFw_fs.jpg

Edited by Gemini
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I've got a few photos of the stadium on my webshots album if you are interested.

 

http://community.webshots.com/photo/243463...047007148LCoGFw

 

Gemini, ! those photos are amazing, would you mind if i saved a few of them to my pc to make a collage, they bring back so many memories, the pic i have is of that big sign on the parker drive bend that says " Leicester Speedway", i will get in scanned and post it up for you to see,and take a copy for yourself too.

 

I love this stuff !! Anyone got any more Leicester Lions Memorabilia ?

 

Gemini, do you go to Coventry at all ? :)

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Help yourself to any photos that you want Chris.

Do I go to Coventry? :D Have been since Leicester closed in '83 with my trusty 4 legged friend, but as you can imagine it was hard transferring to our deadliest enemy. I supported the visiting teams for a few years, but then made friends with a group of Bees fans so had to conform. :wink:

If you ever have a walk round we are on the 3rd/4th bend. You can't miss us as the crowd is pretty sparse round that way and there are normally two Border Collies with us. (Won't be there on the 29th though as we are on holiday.)

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I love this stuff !! Anyone got any more Leicester Lions Memorabilia ?

 

Funnily enough when I was moving house in January I found a Leicester Lions t shirt in my shed.

 

I've got loads of memorabilia up in my loft, & I chucked a folding footrest & one or two other bits away when I moved.

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Help yourself to any photos that you want Chris.

Do I go to Coventry?  :

If you ever have a walk round we are on the 3rd/4th bend.  You can't miss us as the crowd is pretty sparse round that way and there are normally two Border Collies with us.

 

Thank you Gemini thats very kind, ive down loaded the staduim pics and of course the Ray wilson one, they will go to make a very nice collage of retro pics along with ones i have downloaded from the net previousely

 

Awww, shame you are not going to be at Cov on the 29th, i would have come to say hi. My work commitments prevent me to going along to many meetings, but monday meetings i can get to. :)

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Funnily enough when I was moving house in January I found a Leicester Lions       t shirt in my shed.

 

I've got loads of memorabilia up in my loft,

 

I wish i had kept the stuff i bought back then, i was silly to let stuff go. As i recall i had a race jacket, lots of badges, team and rider pics, and a set of the britains rider models (that now fetch good money on ebay)., programs and speedway star and news mags, as it was called then.

Edited by Chris-P
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Funnily enough when I was moving house in January I found a Leicester Lions t shirt in my shed.

I've got one of those somewhere which I bought for my son when he was about 7 or 8. You know - when you can dress them in what you like and they don't complain. :wink:

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I've got a few photos of the stadium on my webshots album if you are interested.

I suppose it was a bit grotty inside but the outside of the building was quite striking.  I'm surprised it wasn't listed, but like most things in Leicester beautiful buildings get knocked down.

 

Gracious me..: great pix and great memories.

I was a regular at Blackbird Rd. when at University in Leicester '78-'81.

Where was that pic of Ken McKinlay on Cycle Speedway track taken..?? Amazing stuff!!

 

The whole business of stadiums not being listed in this country is a national scandal.

In Germany they preserve their stadiums - goodness me, the 1936 venue in Berlin is being used for the Football World Cup Final in a few weeks' time...

Here we demolished White City without a by-your-leave and even the hallowed Twin Towers bit the dust.

Frankly, once Wembley was demolished without a finger being lifted by English Heritage (the organisation that regularly prevents Council Housing departments from demolishing unloved, unliveable-in and ugly tower blocks), then it became 100% clear that no stadium in this country will EVER be rescued from developers.

Blackbird Rd. was a magnificent place.

Edited by Parsloes 1928 nearly
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As you probably know John was at a Leicester Reunion last September and gave an interesting talk.  A good evening was had by all and if anyone would like to know what John looks like now take a look at this photo.  (I am on the left and my friend Hazel on the right.)

 

http://image51.webshots.com/51/3/55/65/457...65zxxKzv_fs.jpg

 

 

Thanks for that, great to finally see who the man was. Before my time, but I beleive he must have rode for Long Eaton at one time or another? My dad gave me one of his old Australian race jackets (not sure how my dad came to have it).

 

Never really new much about the man but the race jacket ended up being thrown away which I regret now.

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Gracious me..: great pix and great memories.

I was a regular at Blackbird Rd. when at University in Leicester '78-'81.

Where was that pic of Ken McKinlay on Cycle Speedway track taken..??  Amazing stuff!!

The whole business of stadiums not being listed in this country is a national scandal.

In Germany they preserve their stadiums - goodness me, the 1936 venue in Berlin is being used for the Football World Cup Final in a few weeks' time...

Here we demolished White City without a by-your-leave and even the hallowed Twin Towers bit the dust.

Frankly, once Wembley was demolished without a finger being lifted by English Heritage (the organisation that regularly prevents Council Housing departments from demolishing unloved, unliveable-in and ugly tower blocks), then it  became 100% clear that no stadium in this country will EVER be rescued from developers.

Blackbird Rd. was a magnificent place.

Yes agree totally and utterly!

 

Anyone whos been to grasstrack or 'sandbahns' (we know them as longtracks) in Germany would be amazed at how much better they are than the British at running and supporting events.

In Germany people support sports events and turn them into festivals that bring thousands into attend. Football grounds in Germany are also much bigger and crowds are much larger than most in Britain. Trouble with this country is that we've have so much red tape just to do anything these days as well as got to many NIMBY'S and do gooders who don't see the 'big picture', don't undertand what they are complaining about and don't want anything to happen.

 

- The same people then complain about the British yob culture in towns and Cities and wonder why we lag behind in so many different sports!

 

The ignorance and shotsightedness that is rife in all walks of society in this Country is appalling to say the least.

 

For instance look at the ongoing attempts to reopen Birmingham Brummies speedway team at their spiritual home at Perry Bar stadium that got turned down by the local Council planning committee recently who cited noise nuisance. - For christ sakes the sport ran their years ago when the bikes were much more noisier with no problems, over 90% of Brummie residents polled want the speedway back there as do local Perry Bar residents who were asked and only 14 letters of complaint against hundreds in support were handed into Council offices. Anyone whos been to the area where the stadium is would be absolutely bewildered at the claims that 24-28 2 hour speedway meetings a year speedway would be a noise nuisance when their is 2 main roads either side of the stadium and the motorway hums away in the distance!

 

White City was a wonderful venue that would of been suitable for big speedway meetings but league speedway wasn't viable there. Ironically near neighours Queens Park Rangers FC have complained their 19,000 CAP Loftus Road ground is to small for the club to ever progress in and are looking to move to a new bigger venue. If White City would of still been standing today it could of been converted into at least a 40,000 all seater and QPR would of been provided with their bigger arena. It could of also hosted events in the 2012 Olympic games.

 

Leicesters Blackbird Road was similar to my old 'haunt' Norwichs Firs stadium in that they were atmospheric large stadiums which gave pleasure to many thouands, with big following for the speedwy teams, with fabulous tracks that should of never been allowed to of been demolished. Subsequently both Councils in Norwich and Leicester' poor atitude towards speedway has hampered any revival bids for new speedway set ups in the respective areas.

 

Blackbird Road was sold by the Ochiltrees in order to make a quick buck and with the hope that Lions fans would convert to Coventry. They certainly made a quick buck but when a speedway track goes then a large majority of its support stops going to speedway as well.

 

I know that a Leicester speedway supporters club still hold get togethers in the Leicester area quite regularly, so if anyone knows how to find out about these meetings then post on here to inform others that might be interested in going.

 

I'm also led to believe that moves are afoot to relaunch a speedway set up in the area. I've heard this from a source recently and it has been mentioned in the speedway star recently.

 

I'll believe it when it happens not a moment before but wouldn't it be great to not have to talk about Leicester speedway in this 'years gone by' section, instead talk about the Lions on track progress in one of the League sections!

 

I'm sure a reopened Leicester speedway would pull in good crowds!

Edited by 25yearfan
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I was a regular at Blackbird Rd. when at University in Leicester '78-'81.

Where was that pic of Ken McKinlay on Cycle Speedway track taken..?? Amazing stuff!!

Sorry I haven't replied before but I was on holiday last week, followed by the usual weekend in Cardiff.

I'm pretty sure the photo of Ken was taken in 1960 and it was at a cycle speedway track off Anstey Lane in Leicester. Stefan Kwoczala was also riding.

Now here is a bit of useless information for you - at one time Leicester had no less than 13 tracks operating, but like speedway there has been a decline and unfortunately now there is only one at Slater Street.

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Gem, any clues to when the next Q and A is for Leicester rider at the Ukrainian? Me and my Uncle forgot about seeing the great Johnny Boulger talk but my Uncle's brother and his pal went along and loved it.

 

We tried to set up a Speedway day at the Phoenix Arts Centre, unfortuanely it never came off. It was going to be a great day, in the Afternoon we was going to have a history of World Finals DVD and talk. Later at night the attention would turn to the Lions, showing bits from Ray Wilson winning a British Final at Owlerton and other bits and bobs.

 

The only reason the Lions never won something major honour is that our beloved Blackbird Road was too fair of a track. It was one of the best in the land of England.

 

(My Uncle's Opinion rubbed off on me)

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Sorry Hazzman I don't know when the next reunion is. If I hear anything I will let you know.

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