Hot To Trot…: Or Not..?!

[Parsloes 1928 nearly]

Writing a piece for a magazine on the role of Trotting tracks in Speedway: early and more recent…

What I’m after, basically, is info. on what tracks used for Speedway/dirt track racing in all its forms, have been adapted/converted Trotting tracks over the years.

 

I think we all know that two of the early tracks (in one case, arguably the earliest..??!!) in the Manchester area were trotting venues (Droylsden & Audenshaw). And, of course, the original (but not actually used..) venue picked by the Ilford MCC – before they settled on the King’s Oak was a trotting track in Becontree’s Parsloes Park..

Camberley staged dirt track racing in the late ‘20s and that was a trotting track; and so, of course, was the track that most historians have down as second behind High Beech is staging pukka Speedway: Greenford.

 

Also from ‘Homes’, I’ve established that the track in Blackpool in 1928-31 was originally a trotting venue.

I reckon there may be some other examples from the early days, though..?

 

In more recent times, I’ve already opened another thread asking for info. about the meeting held at Amman Valley in 1970. At around that same time, also in Wales, there were some Long Track-style meetings held at Prestatyn on the Trotting track there.

And the only other two I’ve a little info. on are Chasewater, a 800m trotting track used for Long Track in the mid-‘70s; and also in that same decade, Kendal.

 

Anymore for anymore..?? Well let’s be honest..: it keeps up the interest on these cold winter evenings..!!!!

[speedyguy]

I remember seeing a trotting race at Rayleigh (yes I used to go further than Wimbledon!)

Trouble is not certain whether it was late 1950s or early 1970s! Getting old and confused, but taking a chance would say it was the late 1950s.

 

Intriguing subject: I also saw trotting on a track also used for speedway when in Holland (another outside Wimbledon venture!) in about 1956. This track was somewhere between The Hague and Rotterdam.

[iris123]

Ludwigslust in North Germany,started out as a trotting track.Remember the Jubilee celebrations a couple of years back included horses because of this fact.Was a try-out last year at the trotting track here in Hamburg.I think Matten Kröger and Stephan Katt(?) had a spin round the place to see if longtrack would be viable.Also for the past 2 years there has been a very succesful meeting at a horse track in Berlin.Even Egon Müller was impressed,and that is saying something

[star ghost]

The Firs Stadium at Norwich staged trotting events at times. This was in the 50's. On one evening a horse tried to jump the fence by the pit-gate and the "cart" and rider were left crumpled on the track.

The Firs also staged Showjumping Events on nights when Junior Speedway was run during the 50's

[Parsloes 1928 nearly]

Thanks everyone so far...

My emphasis is more on trotting tracks that were converted into Speedway tracks..

This was, for example, the way the majority of early American & Australian motorcycling dirt-tracks came into existence...

[Parsloes 1928 nearly]

First of all there are 2 locations: Droylsden (what was to become Moorside Stadiium) and Audenshaw (behind the Snipe Inn).

 

The Droylsden site was not converted for speedway just the opposite. The farmer who owned the land built a small cinder track for the first meeting. Obtaining cinders from the local power station.

The Audenshaw site was a trotting track converted for use as a speedway   

Hope this helps

 

Many thanks for this ILS. This is exactly the sort of clarification I needed.

The information that the track used at Droylsden in June 1927 for a dirt track meeting was in fact custom-built for the purpose raises an interesting point which – though I don’t doubt has been debated by the great & the good of our sport many times before – now perplexes me greatly..

 

As a citizen born & bred of the south-east of England and living now for many years a stone’s throw away from Ilford in Essex, I’ve been brought up and been more than happy to accept that it was the MCC from that town using the track at King’s Oak in High Beech who staged the first Speedway meeting in this country in Feb. 1928.

 

But learning more about Messrs Dodd and Gill and their custom-built cinder track at Moorside, I can’t for the life of me now see many (any..??!!) reasons why that meeting eight months earlier and on the outskirts of Manchester wasn’t in fact the UK’s first dirt track motorcycling (later renamed Speedway) meeting..???

Edited December 8, 2006 by Parsloes 1928 nearly

[speedyguy]

Many thanks for this ILS.  This is exactly the sort of clarification I needed.

The information that the track used at Droylsden in June 1927 for a dirt track meeting was in fact custom-built for the purpose raises an interesting point which – though I don’t doubt has been debated by the great & the good of our sport many times before – now perplexes me greatly..

 

As a citizen born & bred of the south-east of England and living now for many years a stone’s throw away from Ilford in Essex, I’ve been brought up and been more than happy to accept that it was the MCC from that town using the track at King’s Oak in High Beech who staged the first Speedway meeting in this country in Feb. 1928.

 

But learning more about Messrs Dodd and Gill and their custom-built cinder track at Moorside, I can’t for the life of me now see many (any..??!!) reasons why that meeting eight months earlier and on the outskirts of Manchester wasn’t in fact the UK’s first dirt track motorcycling (later renamed Speedway) meeting..???

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Perhaps High Beech just got all the publicity as the 'start of ditrt track racing' because it happened in the early part of the year, in winter, when the Press had nothing else to cover. And, more importantly, none of the reporters knew anything about the sport's origins until High Beech happened! So they all used the angle that it was something new happening...

 

 

PS: Just 'done a google' with 'UK horse trotting racing' and lots of sites were listed. They may provide more contacts for the information you seek. I see the sport is also called harness and alternatively stndardbred racing. Couldn't see anything about tracks ever being used for dirt-track racing, but somewhere someone on their sites might know a man who does!

Edited December 8, 2006 by speedyguy

[iris123]

I guess there were a number of "Dirt track motorcycling meetings" before High Beech.Maybe the fact that this was,like speedyguy said,the one that attracted the press and news cameras.Maybe the fact that it was the real deal,so to say.The Aussies had arrived with their version of motorcycling, that was to become speedway.

[Shaledodger]

Anymore for anymore..??  Well let’s be honest..: it keeps up the interest on these cold winter evenings..!!!!

 

Motherwell Trotting Track at the Milton Street Stadium was 680 yards long and built round the outside of a tarmac surfaced stock car circuit. It staged three long track meetings in 1972. In addition a conventional speedway track was built inside the stock car track but it lasted for only one meeting which was held on 12th June 1972 when the Eagles lost 33-42 to Teesside.

 

The Long Track meetings were as follows:-

 

The Golden Eagle Trophy was won by Ivan Mauger on a freezing 2nd January afternoon;

 

The Duckhams Silver Cup took place on 12th April and was won by Garry Middleton;

 

The Champion of Champions Trophy was held on 7th May and was won by Jim McMillan.

 

While I attended all three long track meetings and the one speedway match, I needed Homes of British Speedway to refresh my failing memory.