Original BL stadiums still operating speedway.

[BOBBATH 467]

Just got updated, great news but I'm sorry they don't plan to call them "Cheetahs"- I wish these historic names were preserved. Why "Chargers"?

[arnieg 3,649]

1 hour ago, BOBBATH said:

Just got updated, great news but I'm sorry they don't plan to call them "Cheetahs"- I wish these historic names were preserved. Why "Chargers"?

Senior team WILL be the Cheetahs, Chargers name is reserved for the junior team 

[steve roberts 9,246]

3 hours ago, BOBBATH said:

Just got updated, great news but I'm sorry they don't plan to call them "Cheetahs"- I wish these historic names were preserved. Why "Chargers"?

...all that awful "Silver Machine" name that was adopted during the Wagstaff years!

[chunky 6,101]

34 minutes ago, steve roberts said:

...all that awful "Silver Machine" name that was adopted during the Wagstaff years!

But that was a "cool" name! Look at all the youngsters that it attracted to the sport! 

Edited February 19, 2022 by chunky

[BOBBATH 467]

Thank Arnieg-glad to hear the Cheetahs will live on!!!

[Chadster 221]

20 hours ago, BOBBATH said:

Well done chadster, I couldn't have answered that- I do recall them holding WCQR meetings though, and I agree with Chunky-they just wanted to promote speedway at different venues. One name of the participants stuck in my mind- Leo Ramm-does anybody recall him?

Also is it true that Cowley are reopening? That would be great!! What about the Abbey Stadium will they keep going?

I only knew because I was looking at the Speedway Researcher's account of the 1965 season. I guess they had to keep more riders involved in the World Championship as there were probably no more than about 10 non-eligible riders in the BL ( people like Nygren, Harrfeldt etc) compared to previous years with a biggish Swedish contingent in the NL. They also needed to keep riders without team places interested as there were no guests and no R/R in 1965. I wonder whether there was a hope that tracks like Ipswich, Rayleigh and Kings Lynn might be a basis for a sort of revised SAL type operation?

[Fireblade2022 13]

On 2/18/2022 at 1:50 PM, iris123 said:

We haven't actually lost White Hart Lane. It has been modernised/redeveloped, but the stadium is still on the same site as it was

Not entirely. The footprint overlaps the old stadium. 

[Beirao 202]

On 2/18/2022 at 2:34 PM, Sotonian said:

Ipswich were also running Open meetings in 1965.

On the subject of 1965, what did these 4 tracks have in common?

Cowdenbeath, Ipswich, K.Lynn, Rayleigh.

 

And Middlesbrough too. The five non league tracks each staged a meeting in the Preliminary Round of the World Championship in 1965. Mainly contested by tracks number sixes and sevens - though Tommy Sweet man and Eric Hockaday rode in these meetings -  each rider had two meetings with the top dozen or so going through to the Qualifying Rounds which were held at all BL tracks. Previously the PL tracks had staged preliminary meetings ahead of the NL rounds and this repeated this format , though it wasn't required again. 

Leo Ramm rode in a few second halfs at Glasgow and Cowdebeath in 1965 but never made either team. I believe he subsequently  became a taxi driver in Edinburgh