customhouseregular Posted December 19, 2014 Report Share Posted December 19, 2014 From memory I have seen speedway at 22 tracks, the majority in the 60's. sadly only 5 are still operating. Anyone out there visited more than 17 defunct tracks?. Mine are as follows: West Ham Hackney Wimbledon Wembley London White City long Eaton Leicester Blackbird Road Oxford Newport Glasgow White City Edinburgh Old Meadowbank Cradley Heath Crayford Romford Rayleigh Exeter Canterbury Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leicester Hunter Posted December 19, 2014 Report Share Posted December 19, 2014 (edited) Since September 1976, I have visited the following tracks which are no longer operating as speedway venues (and in some cases not even existing now). Birmingham (Ladbrokes Perry Barr) Birmingham (Wheels) Leicester (Blackbird Road) Long Eaton Cradley Heath Hull (Boulevard) Halifax Middlesbrough/Teesside Berwick (Berrington Lough) Glasgow (Blantyre) Edinburgh (Powderhall) Scunthorpe (Ashby Ville) Boston Oxford Newport (Hayley Stadium) Reading (Smallmead) Hackney London White City Wembley Wimbledon Canterbury Exeter Weymouth (Radipole Lane - the original one) Isle of Wight Edited to add: Belle Vue (Hyde Road) Milton Keynes (Groveway) I make that 26. Just shows how the sport has contracted on itself over the years, I visited most of those tracks up to the end of 1986. Edited December 19, 2014 by Leicester Hunter 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickthemuppet Posted December 19, 2014 Report Share Posted December 19, 2014 Since September 1976, I have visited the following tracks which are no longer operating as speedway venues (and in some cases not even existing now). Birmingham (Ladbrokes Perry Barr) Birmingham (Wheels) Leicester (Blackbird Road) Long Eaton Cradley Heath Hull (Boulevard) Halifax Middlesbrough/Teesside Berwick (Berrington Lough) Glasgow (Blantyre) Edinburgh (Powderhall) Scunthorpe (Ashby Ville) Boston Oxford Newport (Hayley Stadium) Reading (Smallmead) Hackney London White City Wembley Wimbledon Canterbury Exeter Weymouth (Radipole Lane - the original one) Isle of Wight Edited to add: Belle Vue (Hyde Road) Milton Keynes (Groveway) I make that 26. Just shows how the sport has contracted on itself over the years, I visited most of those tracks up to the end of 1986. Not quite sure what you mean by the sport has contracted . so name a year and look to see how many clubs there were then and how many are there now.So if you said 1960 ,I would think there are more clubs today than there were in 1960 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The White Knight Posted December 19, 2014 Report Share Posted December 19, 2014 Not quite sure what you mean by the sport has contracted . so name a year and look to see how many clubs there were then and how many are there now.So if you said 1960 ,I would think there are more clubs today than there were in 1960 You are right - but - the Riders were better. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racers and royals Posted December 19, 2014 Report Share Posted December 19, 2014 (edited) From memory I have seen speedway at 22 tracks, the majority in the 60's. sadly only 5 are still operating. Anyone out there visited more than 17 defunct tracks?. Mine are as follows: West Ham Hackney Wimbledon Wembley London White City long Eaton Leicester Blackbird Road Oxford Newport Glasgow White City Edinburgh Old Meadowbank Cradley Heath Crayford Romford Rayleigh Exeter Canterbury You never came to Reading ??- shame on you !! My list is 29 IOW Berwick Berrington Lough Long Eaton Oxford Leicester Blackbird rd Edinburgh PowderhaLL Glasgow Shawfield Exeter Tralawney Reading X 2 Hull X 2 Skegness Wimbledon Wembley Hackney Newport Crayford Middlesborough Cradley Birmingham old Perry Barr Belle Vue Hyde Rd Milton Keynes X 2 Bradford Halifax White City Bristol Edited December 21, 2014 by racers and royals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leicester Hunter Posted December 19, 2014 Report Share Posted December 19, 2014 Not quite sure what you mean by the sport has contracted . so name a year and look to see how many clubs there were then and how many are there now.So if you said 1960 ,I would think there are more clubs today than there were in 1960 I'm talking about the time I started watching speedway in 1976. That year, there were 19 teams in the British League and 18 in the (New) National League. By 1978, that total had increased by a further two as the National League had 20 teams in it. Taking into consideration the amount of doubling up and even trebling up which occurs these days, and which didn't happen then, you can see how much the sport has contracted since then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
customhouseregular Posted December 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2014 You never came to Reading ??- shame on you !! My list is 28 IOW Berwick Berrington Lough Long Eaton Oxford Leicester Blackbird rd Edinburgh PowderhaLL Glasgow Shawfield Exeter Tralawney Reading X 2 Hull X 2 Skegness Wimbledon Wembley Hackney Newport Crayford Middlesborough Cradley Birmingham old Perry Barr Belle Vue Hyde Rd Milton Keynes X 2 Bradford Halifax White City Sorry old friend but I did not get to Reading, but somehow I left Belle Vue off my list. How could I do that after watching all those BLRC meetings in the 60's?. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOBBATH Posted December 20, 2014 Report Share Posted December 20, 2014 Do foreign tracks count?-if so I can add LA Coliseum(1982 World Final) and Ascot Park(LA) that would get me to 19!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
customhouseregular Posted December 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 Do foreign tracks count?-if so I can add LA Coliseum(1982 World Final) and Ascot Park(LA) that would get me to 19!! Lucky ****! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityrebel Posted December 21, 2014 Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 48 for me Belle vue (Hyde road) Berwick (berrington lough) Birmingham (perry Barr 1) Birmingham (wheels) Boston Bristol Buxton (stadium) Crayford Edinburgh (powderhall) Glasgow (Blantyre) Glasgow (craighead park) Glasgow (shawfield) Isle of Wight Leicester (blackbird road) Newport (somerton park) Newport (queensway meadows) Oxford Plymouth (pennycross) Scunthorpe (ashby ville) Sittingbourne Barrow (park road) Bradford Canterbury Carmarthen Cradley Heath Ellesmere Port Exeter Hackney Halifax Hull (boulevard) Hull (craven park) Linlithgow Long eaton Middlesbrough Milton Keynes (groveway) Milton Keynes (Enfield park) Rayleigh Reading (tilehurst) Reading (smallmead) Skegness Trelawny Weymouth (Wessex 1) Weymouth (Wessex 2) Romford Wembley West ham White city Wimbledon 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
customhouseregular Posted December 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 Now that's what I call a true Speedway fan...much respect. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The White Knight Posted December 21, 2014 Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 ..................... but cityrebel never got to Sunderland. :sad: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stratton Posted December 21, 2014 Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 (edited) ..................... but cityrebel never got to Sunderland. :sad: I didn't either WK what sort of track was it ? little trappy who were your favourites Smith,Wells,Vic, Barclay, Mad Jack (who was decent see him once at Swindon saying that did not score many that night). Edited December 21, 2014 by sidney 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityrebel Posted December 21, 2014 Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 ..................... but cityrebel never got to Sunderland. :sad: the nearest I got, was seeing the gladiators ride at rye house in 1974! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stratton Posted December 21, 2014 Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 the nearest I got, was seeing the gladiators ride at rye house in 1974!Did you ever venture outside the city much? Your knowledge is very very good excellent did you travel much or did you watch alot of clubs in the capital.? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The White Knight Posted December 21, 2014 Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 I didn't either WK what sort of track was it ? little trappy who were your favourites Smith,Wells,Vic, Barclay, Mad Jack (who was decent see him once at Swindon saying that did not score many that night). Graeme Smith and Jack Millen were my favourites at the time. Special mention though for Vic Harding he was good for us and such a lovely bloke. Sadly missed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityrebel Posted December 21, 2014 Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 Did you ever venture outside the city much? Your knowledge is very very good excellent did you travel much or did you watch alot of clubs in the capital.?as a kid I cut my teeth at Wimbledon, wembley and west ham in the early 70's. Although I was a Wimbledon fan I was still taken to plenty of meetings in the south east that didn't involve the dons. I started going further afield on the supporters club coaches in 1975, and by 1981 I had visited every track in the country. The rest they say is history! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
customhouseregular Posted December 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 as a kid I cut my teeth at Wimbledon, wembley and west ham in the early 70's. Although I was a Wimbledon fan I was still taken to plenty of meetings in the south east that didn't involve the dons. I started going further afield on the supporters club coaches in 1975, and by 1981 I had visited every track in the country. The rest they say is history! Like it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stratton Posted December 21, 2014 Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 (edited) Graeme Smith and Jack Millen were my favourites at the time. Special mention though for Vic Harding he was good for us and such a lovely bloke. Sadly missed.Sad see Vic for Weymouth and Hackney and for Hackney he was improving everyone gives Vic a great word a nice man sadly missed.as a kid I cut my teeth at Wimbledon, wembley and west ham in the early 70's. Although I was a Wimbledon fan I was still taken to plenty of meetings in the south east that didn't involve the dons. I started going further afield on the supporters club coaches in 1975, and by 1981 I had visited every track in the country. The rest they say is history!If you watched those clubs in London three days a week god was hard to travel much away anyway City .Wouldnt it be great to have three great clubs in the capital Wimbledon/Hackney i loved going to especially don't be late Friday at eight i loved Hackney i see Martin Ashby win the superama there. Edited December 21, 2014 by sidney Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halifaxtiger Posted December 21, 2014 Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 (edited) Barrow, Belle Vue (Hyde Road), Birmingham (Wheels),Bradford, Boston, Canterbury,Cradley,Crayford, Ellesmere Port, Exeter, Hackney,Hull(NCP), Isle of Wight,Milton Keynes (Groveway), Long Eaton, Newport (QM),Oxford, Reading, Sittingbourne, Weymouth (Wessex), White City,Wimbledon. Edited December 21, 2014 by Halifaxtiger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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