Professional Speedway locations closed post 2000 - what does each site look like from above in 2024?
Вставка
- Опубліковано 30 лип 2024
- Each Speedway location which has seen professional racing but has closed since 2000, seen from above using Google Earth data. My definition of professional racing is the top two tiers, not any third tier which has largely been amateur and/or for rider development.
There are 19 locations, use the chapters to just see your track of interest.
If you want to see the video on the Rise and Decline of UK Speedway, use this link • The Rise & Decline of ...
CHAPTERS
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00:00 - Introduction
00:27 - Trelawny
00:50 - Exeter
01:21 - Hull
01:45 - Reading
02:14 - Isle of Wight
02:37 - Mildenhall
03:01 - Stoke
03:24 - Newport
03:54 - Coventry
04:26 - Rye House
05:10 - Workington
05:47 - Lakeside / Arena Essex
06:13 - Swindon
06:42 - Somerset
07:07 - Eastbourne
07:36 - Kent
08:07 - Newcastle
08:35 - Peterborough
09:05 - Wolverhampton
Credits
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Google Earth
Thanks for the numerous sites where I obtained brief still images of the Speedway locations
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I raced at most of those stadiums but not Trelawney or Isle of Wight, i started racing as an 8 year old in 1968, o raced for alot of clubs including the Sunderland Saints and Stars,although i lived in Essex a huge trek from Cranham to Sunderland every Friday night i was a Wizard, Hawk, Kestrel, Diamond, Hammer, Bomber and guested for many other clubs during my long career, i was never a fantastic racer but could hold my own, my claim to fame was racing as a no. 7 and beating the great Ivan Mauger for Hackney away at Hull
Well done for contributing to the sport, you are a braver man than me!
And the mystery racer you are? What's your name ?
I saw racing at Isle of Wight once. It was the first and only time I have seen sidecar Speedway racing. What a bonkers sight, but really entertaining and immense fun. Great little circuit. I also went to Arena Essex a couple of times. It was really well attended and a great stadium for Speedway. Sad what has happened. I used to regularly go to Wimbledon as well. What happened there is even sadder :-(
Yes, I have enjoyed meetings on IoW and at Arena Essex. The track at Arena Essex was a bit too small for me but made a different challenge for riders than other tracks!
My Dad used to take me to watch the Robins ride for many years
I can't believe how the local councils are so boring, they don't care about having any Speedway, or music venue in Swindon
We are supposed to be living in a growing Town, but less entertainment
It seems they are more interested in seeing new homes being built on site
It seems they won't listen to the local people what we say, because they have no clue about the Speedway fans, it needs more local people to press on and support the future of Speedway in the UK, just finding the right location for a proper track that brings fans in to watch the greyhounds and other sporting events that brings in real joy & money to our community
I was very surprised to hear about Oxford being able to start up again after 15 years of no racing 🏁
Let's hope Swindon can generate a positive response from Croatia & Latvian,capital of Riga built a stadium in 2014 to keep the dreams come true in maitland travel
I think the greatest sadness is that I don't think that the Robins had poor crowds, certainly they looked reasonably healthy on the occasions I have visited. But in urban locations, the stadium owners will often be looking to play the redevelopment card and earn a lot more money by selling for redevelopment. You need a really strong council to resist this, Oxford is the perfect example and Coventry is another example although without the right outcome.
@speedwayuk I totally agree 👍 It seems that way with the councils
I believe that it is pressure from the whole economy with lack of housing, but they could of had built around the outskirts of the Town
The national sport is ⚽ in the UK, many lower league clubs seem to be survived on a low attendance, then you look at the cost of tickets for sale and membership would be a real benefit for some people. Back in the late 1980s Swindon was very much a growing Town with Honda & Motorola. Our Population as really doubled. Most of the shops & pubs have closed down since the lockdown, I have noticed more flats have been built on industrial land.
The culture of Swindon is always changing with more Brazilian and Portuguese people who don't know anything about Speedway. Times change.
I often passed the solemn faces of Tadpole Farm or Garden Village or whatever they call it now, queuing miserably every morning past the stadium, trying to escape their half million pound prison cells.
I'm a Racers Fan & we had a great local rivalry. But all clean fun. I feel & share your pain. I'm empty without speedway.
Great vid. I visited many of the mentioned tracks in the 70s and 80s. Cant believe this has happened in england to a great motor sport event. I was swindon supporter from the 60s to the end. We had great crowds and sometimes more than the local football team! I wish someone from the local councils would wake up and realise that there are thousands of speedway fans out there who have been sold down the river by politicans and house builders wanting more land! Sheer greed!
Yes, with land being so valuable in many locations where there are / have been Speedway tracks the councils have a vital role to resist the desire to redevelop sites, just like Oxford did.
The second picture you've used for Hull is the Boulevard in Hull, which is now a secondary school.
Speedway in Hull when in the 1970's when such as Briggs, Mauger and Moran rode for the Vikings was at the Boulevard, then the home stadium of Hull RLFC. When it returned after around a decade it was at the 'new' stadium of their local rivals Hull KR. Both versions of the Vikings were relatively successful.
I remember going to see Boston Barracudas 😊, also got a 7inch single by them ,Boston Barracudas Riding All The Way
A quick search reveals that racing at Boston Sports Stadium stopped part way through the season in 1987. Have you subsequently gone to Speedway at any other location such as Scunthorpe or have you been lost to the sport as so many spectators have?
@speedwayuk lost touch really i went to Wembley with my dad and grandad. When a scooter pass me and I smell the Castrol R oil always reminds me of Boston speedway I frist went 1970s
Add to this list the 3rd tier tracks at Carmarthen, Wimbledon, Weymouth & Buxton that have all disappeared since 2000.
Good point, I thought Wimbledon packed up in the 90s but you were right, the club was reborn in the 00s. Looking at the 3rd tier table for 2003 is quite depressing, not too many of these tracks remain; table (top down) was Mildenhall / Rye House / Oxford / Boston / Swindon / Buxton / Newcastle / Sheffield / Wimbledon / Wolverhampton / Carmarthen / Peterborough / Newport
Its sad that speedway has gone down the road it has I was a Newcastle fan 1962 to 1997 super times which will not come back good video but sad
That's a good shift as a fan but indicates that you, like me, are of a certain vintage and the ageing spectator base is yet another issue which Speedway didn't address in 80's & 90s
How I hate the word Greyhounds our housing developments or financial. Once you go, it's in your blood. I first went as a young child to the Reading Racers in Tilehurst. Then they moved to Tilehurst. I used to go with my wife & then when we had a son. On the day it's the greatest motorcycle sport ever. Oh, how I miss it at 62 years old. Oh to be a multi millionaire & bring Reading back. Use it or lose it fans. You will regret it when it's gone. God bless Denny Pyatt. Per Jonsson. My hero Jan Anderson, Boogaloo Bobby Swartz, and my all time Number 7 & super trier Tim Hunt. God bless you all.
Never made it to Tilehurst but went to Smallmead many many times. Yes, the stadium was tired but when you see the site now from the air, just demolished without any redevelopment, it makes me so sad that Speedway could have maybe continued although crowds were getting thinner
I’ve been a fan of Oxford since 2022. My Grandad was a fan of Eastbourne, before that White City
I wish the Oxford promoter the best of luck, he has been very bold. Having been to a few meetings at Oxford now and in the pre closure years, I think the improvements to the track have made the racing more exciting
ive been a massive fi stock car fan since mid 1970s altho i did go and watch cov bees when ole olson rode for them ,to me it dont matter if we have 4 wheels or 2 we have the same problems ,we need tracks and people to put bums on seats , compared to the 60s 70 s and even 80s there to much other entertainment for people to spend there cash on , £20 per adult maybe £10 per child so 50 for a familay without fuel to get there then theres food and drinks your talking a days wage gone in 1 night for some people ,this is going to set some people but i think its time stock and speedway promoters shud get together and work together im not saying run on same night but we used to share alot of tracks in the past ( in some places still do ) maybe if the promoters had double income maybe we can save some tracks and even possably have new ones . lets face it we all need shale turn left at the bend some clean loos and food and drink and we have a track it doesnt have to be the worlds best but we need something to keep both our sports ALIVE
I agree, better usage of stadiums by combining more sports would help. Classically in city locations Speedway was paired with Greyhound racing but that has been in decline too since the 80s (just like Speedway) and having two declining sports in a stadium is going to lead to what has happened in those city centres, especially with the pressure on land for other usages. Now we large urban populations with no speedway track within 60+ miles, certainly in London and I think Birmingham is following that trend.
As for costs, certainly Speedway isn't cheap but professional sport is expensive, Speedway is broadly comparable with Division 1 & 2 football and much cheaper than Championship / Premier League or taking a motorsport comparison, F1.
Personally, I think our focus now should be on managing (slowing) the decline, I think the idea that there is a business case to build new locations (certainly near centres of large population) is a pipe dream. So bringing professional Speedway back to locations still with tracks such as Coventry, Eastbourne, IOW, Sittingbourne would be lovely but whether feasible financially is another matter. Oxford has been one of the only bright lights I can think of where a track with a large population catchment has been reborn and I worry that this promotion may be overstretched things by running 3 teams this season, 2 of them professional. Let us hope not!
@speedwayuk the music festivals seem to create more of attraction than ever all over the world
The Glastonbury is now a massive business event for the 📺 & entertainment purposes
All music festivals were free in the early stages, now the Landing Places are kicking off the animals for music
There is probably more green space available for Speedway in other countries now, where they don't have success in making records
The music venues in England are closing down,but it's the musicians who need to play in front of 💯 thousands of people
Just needs a few new stadiums built for all 🏁 sports & 🎯
That was very interesting. I remember when speedway was one of the sporting events to attend in the UK. At the height of the sport Wimbledon was my local team.
I now live in the L B of Lewisham and I was amazed to find out that there was a track in New Cross. I only discovered this because my dad's friend, Ken Vale used to ride for the New Cross team.
Wembley would host the Speedwat World Chapionship where Kenny Carter and Bruce Penhall were the stars of speedway when I was growing up.
Why has speedway lost so much interest in the UK? I would love to see it flourish again, as it is still very popular in other parts of the world.
The situation is complex as I covered in the Rise and Decline video but in my opinion, the time for radical action was the 90s. I know it is a totally different sport but Snooker was in serious decline but Barry Hearn was radical and this sport has recovered.
@@speedwayuk I understand what you are saying, but with owners of stadiums wanting to sell up, unless speedway can find their multiples of Barry Hearns, I have no idea how speedway can rise again.
went to Coventry with my uncle for a good few years, gave up when the owner raised the prices too much, it's great spectator sport, that the youngsters of now will never get to experiance, so few motorsports can boast that you can see all the action from where-ever you stand to watch, also all the riders where so approachable, looking into the pit area, they'd always have a chat with you if they had time.
I agree, I think it beats F1 in terms of excitement for spectators and approachability of riders. I still don't think it is that expensive, the top tier is probably comparable with Division 1 or 2 football and considerably cheaper than Premier League football or indeed F1 both or which are flourishing.
Very interesting but sad video. I have been to quite a few of them.
I agree, it is sad to see what was once the second biggest spectator sport in the country decline so much
Belle Vue greyhound track where the Aces used to be before moving into the newly built stadium? or their previous track.
True, I have ignored situations where a club moved stadium without much of a gap in riding. Workington is a notable exception as Speedway was lost for a number of seasons before being reborn. That's my thinking anyway!
I used to go to watch my loval team Stoke Potters at Loomer Road when I lived there. It's such a shame that speedway doesn't get things like TV coverage which would be so easy to do. With a bit of exposure I'm sure more people would spectate.
I never made it to Loomer Road but saw Stoke ride many times at other tracks. I fear that the time for action to arrest the decline should have been in the 80s and 90s, now Speedway is a minority sport and unlikely to be seen on free to air TV like it used to in heyday times.
@@speedwayuk Yes, very sad. I do watch it on TV now, highlights programmes on ITV 4 but there's nothing like the atmosphere of a speedway meeting, the noise, the smell of the engines and the excitement of close racing. Sorry, I'm getting all nostalgic for the smell of Castrol R!
No mention of 'Cradley Heathens' who I believe had at least 5 world champions on their team at various times 😢 Stadium sold and replaced by a housing development at the Dudley wood stadium
Because this is post-2000. Cradley Heath were (at Dudley Wood) pre-2000.
@@comond yep, missed the post 2000, they folded in 1997 I believe, my bad 🤨
I was thinking about maybe doing a video on closures 1980 through to 2000 but it might be depressing seeing a load of redevelopment? Anyone interested? At least in producing this video, I was surprised how many of the sites still do or could support Speedway in the future, even if many are now non-professional
My mother and father were great supporters of Peterborough Panthers.
I only made it once but the track looked good for providing the possibility of good racing and it was well supported
So sad we have lost all these tracks 😞
Yes it is.
I agree, it is sad to see what was once the second biggest spectator sport in the country decline so much
Its so sad
Exeter was been well known in Poland in old Times 😢
I had the experience of visiting Exeter a couple of times while on holiday, those steel fences were scary. A difficult track to overtake on so I doubt if I would have enjoyed going every week though, I do like tracks where there is the possibility of overtaking past lap 1 bends 1 & 2. The modern Belle Vue track is excellent in this regard.
Such a sad state of affairs. See more gp riders coming back to England. Just don’t see many youngster’s attending. I’m probably 100miles plus from my nearest track. Seems also the sport is moving more north. Suppose time’s change. It’s very sad as a family could go see Racing and not a hint of trouble. Very sad this is my 50th year of watching speedway. Old hackney fan would love to here from any speedway fans
When Oxford is the location closest to London & SE, that says something, vast populations can no longer be tempted to attend. Yes in the main, Speedway is remaining in locations away from population centres where land is cheaper. While this reduces the threat of the classic "redevelopment loss" it isn't great for getting people to attend! Yes, I've been down to Hackney a few times especially once West Ham packed up.
@@speedwayuk
It’s sad really, I’m only 14 so I didn’t get to see the brilliant era of speedway. The likes of Nicki Pedersen and Tomasz Gollob
Lovely to hear from a youthful Speedway supporter, a rarity these days. Looks like you get down to Oxford which is my "local" track (although too many miles away). It is madness that I watched them recently versus Ipswich and that could be viewed as a local derby!!!
Trelawny opened in 97
Mark, agreed on date of 1997 for Speedway at this site but the video is concerned with Professional rather than Amateur racing and that started in 2001 as Trelawny Tigers; up to that point it was Amateur with the name St Austell Gulls
@@speedwayuk ahh yes,my friends Paul oughton and Greene Gordon rode for st austell in their opening season
Is the Third Tier (now the NDL) an "amateur" League? All riders were paid so, surely, it's professional?
My understanding is that while there may be some payment to cover some costs in the NDL, the riders aren't earning an income as such, as in the main two leagues. Even here, some of the riders may now be semi-professional i.e. not earning all their income from Speedway but due to the dearth of riders of sufficient quality, many are doubling up between the two leagues and thus probably can just earn enough certainly in the season. May be wrong as I don't have inside information, but that is my understanding.
The one in Ellesmere Port was good. Think that closed in the 2000's...
My analysis for the video is based on review of league tables of each season but considering only professional leagues which have had several different names over the years but have typically been the top 2 tiers only and some years only 1 tier (a state I think will eventually return). A quick google has indicated racing stopped after 1985 (and that season was amateur I think).
1985
@@speedwayukEllesmere Port won the 2nd tier in 1985. There was no amateur league back then.
As others have said it is all very sad. I supported Cradley from 1960 to the end. The sport is in a worse state now than it has ever been. Within five years I don't think speedway as a team sport will exist.
You can see Cradley now as I have a new video covering 1980 to 2000. I fear that within 5 years we will have one professional league only and some time in the 2030s it will just be amateur racing that I have found still goes on at a number of locations.
Terrible😢 Peterbrough my city is all about greedy developers
So many tracks have suffered redevelopment. It is up to the council to resist such activities, a good example being Oxford.