West Ham How Good Was The Track.?

[Sidney the robin 4,735]

I never did go to West Ham unfortunately how good was the track? i have heard it was huge and pacy and it did host some big meeting's (ie B.Finals ect) over the years.Be nice to get some feedback of the place from personnal memories it seems when it closed it left a huge void a massive loss to the sport.From what i know and have learned it seemed it would of been my sort of track Hyde Rd and The Shay are my two favourite tracks that i ever went to would West Ham be high up on the list of good tracks.?

[steve roberts 9,246]

One track I would have liked to have gone to but unfortunately closed the same year I commenced attending speedway.

[norbold 7,116]

I suppose it is the track I have visited most. A bit of a toss up between that and Hackney. It was a good track, though generally I preferred smaller tracks like New Cross. However, there was probably no better site in speedway than seeing riders like Sverre Harrfeldt and Christer Lofqvist blasting round the outside at Custom House.I think the problem was that if races got processional there was a long way to go till the end of the race!

[racers and royals 8,736]

http://www.defunctspeedway.co.uk/West%20Ham.htm

[chunky 6,101]

I suppose it is the track I have visited most. A bit of a toss up between that and Hackney. It was a good track, though generally I preferred smaller tracks like New Cross. However, there was probably no better site in speedway than seeing riders like Sverre Harrfeldt and Christer Lofqvist blasting round the outside at Custom House.I think the problem was that if races got processional there was a long way to go till the end of the race!

Although I never went to West Ham as much as you did, I do echo your sentiments. Funny you should mention Christer and Sverre, but they were great to watch there. I was at Christer's debut, which was also the night Sverre broke his arm...

 

What I also remember is the cold wind that used to blow across from the river!

 

Steve

[racers and royals 8,736]

Is this correct- track size ??

1929-64 440yds(400m)

1964-71 415yds(379m)

[customhouseregular 1,651]

Is this correct- track size ??

1929-64 440yds(400m)

1964-71 415yds(379m)

The track length was reduced way before 1964 but I forget when.

[iris123 20,996]

The track length was reduced way before 1964 but I forget when.

On this excellent site about West Ham it states 1954

 

http://www.freewebs.com/customhousekid/trackrecords.htm

 

Seem to recall a story about Hoskins wanting his riders to race against Cheetahs.Don't think it came off,but Cheetah racing was seen at the Romford track.I wonder if this was where he got the idea from?

 

http://www.vaguelyinteresting.co.uk/the-great-romford-and-harringay-cheetah-races/

Edited July 28, 2017 by iris123

[customhouseregular 1,651]

A fantastic place to watch speedway. I loved it and still miss it.

On this excellent site about West Ham it states 1954

 

http://www.freewebs.com/customhousekid/trackrecords.htm

 

Seem to recall a story about Hoskins wanting his riders to race against Cheetahs.Don't think it came off,but Cheetah racing was seen at the Romford track.I wonder if this was where he got the idea from?

 

http://www.vaguelyinteresting.co.uk/the-great-romford-and-harringay-cheetah-races/

West Ham closed in the 50;s and the track length was reduced before they closed. If memory serves (could be faulty) it was reduced to satisfy Jack Young c. 1953. Norbold will know for sure.

[iris123 20,996]

A fantastic place to watch speedway. I loved it and still miss it.

West Ham closed in the 50;s and the track length was reduced before they closed. If memory serves (could be faulty) it was reduced to satisfy Jack Young c. 1953. Norbold will know for sure.

Well looking at the track records 1954 seems likely seeing as 2 seconds were knocked off the record time,but if you say it was earlier then you might be right

[customhouseregular 1,651]

A fantastic place to watch speedway. I loved it and still miss it.

West Ham closed in the 50;s and the track length was reduced before they closed. If memory serves (could be faulty) it was reduced to satisfy Jack Young c. 1953. Norbold will know for sure.

Jack Young was signed in 1952 so the track length would have been reduced then.

[Guest]

The 1950 junior speedway rider John 'Cisco Kid' Fry later appeared as a winning driver in stock car races at Custom House.

​Barry Lee, who rode speedway at West Ham in the early 1960s later turned to small oval car racing but I don't think he ever drove in car events there.

Apart from Fry, did any other racers with West Ham connections appear there in both speedway and car racing events?

Edited July 28, 2017 by Guest

[iris123 20,996]

The 1950 junior speedway rider John 'Cisco Kid' Fry later appeared as a winning driver in stock car races at Custom House.

​Barry Lee, who rode speedway at West Ham in the early 1960s later turned to small oval car racing but I don't think he ever drove in car events there.

Apart from Fry, did any other racers with West Ham connections appear there in both speedway and car racing events?

Maybe Fay the Fascist did?After she was interned between 1940-1943 for being a 'danger to the state' she did race cars until she retired in the late 50s.As it states on wikepedia,her fascist affiliations were omitted from post-war publicity

[chunky 6,101]

Jack Young was signed in 1952 so the track length would have been reduced then.

Actually, no; iris123 was correct!

 

I am currently reading Mr Jacobs' excellent Speedway in London, and I hope he won't mind me quoting him. This was at the end of 1953:

 

"At the end of the campaign, Young asked for a move from West Ham because he felt the track was too big and more a test of speed than skill. As he was probably the most skilful rider around at the time, he wanted to ride at a track where he could use this to his advantage, In a desperate bid to hang on to his services, the West Ham management agreed to shorten the 440-yard circuit to 415 yards and Young agreed to stay."

 

Steve

[cityrebel 2,960]

My favourite track of all time. A living, breathing speedway museum, just like Hyde road. You could be a bit far from the racing if you stood on the bends, but the view from the main stand was superb despite the hard wooden seats. I bawled my eyes out at the last ever meeting, and felt no shame!