Favourite Closed Tracks

[george.m 3,063]

 

Just a short clip on YouTube (2mins 33 secs). Full film available on www.fulltv.tv apparently! You can buy the film on DVD as well.

Great clip thanks for that.

Surprised those riders had any teeth left.

You'll know what I mean if you watched it.

[StevePark 2,781]

Great clip thanks for that.

Surprised those riders had any teeth left.

You'll know what I mean if you watched it.

 

There was a great piece in one of the monthly speedway mags about the making of the film (It may have been an interview with Bill Owen). Some of the action scenes were done in a studio where they built a bit of track (a straight and a bend, I think) to film some of the close-ups.

 

I can't remember which (real speedway) rider it was, but in one of the scenes he came a cropper and broke a leg.

[Arson fire 4,785]

The shay was superb aswell

[g13webb 4,254]

To pick out one specific track, I liked, that has closed is a difficult task, cause there are so many. Unlike today, I use to go to many away tracks, not necessary because I actually liked the track, but because of the entertainment on offer. An example of what I mean was Wimbledon. Every Whit Bank Holiday we went to see the class field assembled for the INTERNATIONAL. Riders trying their hardest to win the Jawa Bike on offer.

Another date in the dairy, that was never missed, was Hyde Road, for the BLRC. The track created far better racing then that Plough Lane, but both the occasions were looked upon as the same.

I would never class Wembley as a good track, but again The World Finals were always paramount and were never missed from ’63 till the close.

 

I used to followed the Stars to many away meetings and regularly went to other places like:- Ipswich, Leicester, West Ham, Hackney, Exeter, Halifax, Reading, Cradley, all of which could offer it's merits to the best closed track, all have either closed or changed from what they were. But to get back to the question in the thread title I would have to go with White City just ahead of Blackbird Road, Leicester, both good race tracks which generated exciting speedway meetings…

Edited January 15, 2014 by GRW123

[stratton 1,491]

To pick out one specific track, I liked, that has closed is a difficult task, cause there are so many. Unlike today, I use to go to many away tracks, not necessary because I actually liked the track, but because of the entertainment on offer. An example of what I mean was Wimbledon. Every Whit Bank Holiday we went to see the class field assembled for the INTERNATIONAL. Riders trying their hardest to win the Jawa Bike on offer.

Another date in the dairy, that was never missed, was Hyde Road, for the BLRC. The track created far better racing then that Plough Lane, but both the occasions were looked upon as the same.

I would never class Wembley as a good track, but again The World Finals were always paramount and were never missed from ’63 till the close.

 

I used to followed the Stars to many away meetings and regularly went to other places like:- Ipswich, Leicester, West Ham, Hackney, Exeter, Halifax, Reading, Cradley, all of which could offer it's merits to the best closed track, all have either closed or changed from what they were. But to get back to the question in the thread title I would have to go with White City just ahead of Blackbird Road, Leicester, both good race tracks which generated exciting speedway meetings…

I really only went to White City for individual and World Cup events, so never really see league racing there when Kennett was in his prime.A great size and shape and was often slick there but there was some entertaining racing produced.

[Tsunami 10,219]

Trelawny, The Shay, New Cross and Custom House, Hyde Road, BV. All memorable for different reasons.

[waiheke1 4,295]

Hyde rd, the shay, odsal and wembley.

[Tigerite 319]

Belle Vue (Hyde Road) - awesome track

Bradford (Odsal) - for the sheer size of the stadium

Exeter (County Ground) - for the speed and Sheffield generally used to go fairly well round there

Trelawny (Moto-Parc) - like having speedway on the moon and a good little racetrack (still don't know how Scud Smith didn't end up in the 3rd bend lake there )

[Red Panda 366]

Dudley Wood..........Hyde Road...........The Shay..........White City though only ever went there for the big meetings not league............

 

RP

[Ray Stadia 1,071]

Stadium was tatty at the end, but Rayleigh, as I recall, was a good race track. I did like Hackney and Wimbledon. Hackney was banked, but had some good racing. Wimbledon had good racing too, although only saw top flight there.