League | British League |
---|---|
No. of competitors | 19 |
Champions | White City Rebels |
Knockout Cup | King's Lynn Stars |
Individual | Ole Olsen |
Pairs | Ipswich Witches |
Midland Cup | Coventry Bees |
London Cup | White City Rebels |
Highest average | Michael Lee |
Division/s below | 1977 National League |
The 1977 Gulf British League season was the 43rd season of the top tier of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom [1] and the 13th season known as the British League. [2]
Newport had dropped down to the National League but their riders transferred to the Bristol Bulldogs so the league retained 19 teams. Cradley Heath reverted to their nickname of Heathens after four years of being called United. [3] The league was sponsored by Gulf Oil for a third season. [4]
White City Rebels won the title in only their second season of existence. The London team caused a surprise with their consistent form throughout the season with heavy scoring of Gordon Kennett leading the team. The success came from a group of five other riders hitting around a seven average to support Kennett. The five were Englishmen Mike Sampson, Steve Weatherley and Trevor Geer, Pole Marek Cieślak and Finn Kai Niemi. [5] Wolverhampton Wolves signed 18 year-old Danish rider Hans Nielsen.
Kevin Holden of Poole Pirates had started the season in great form for his new club, following his move from Exeter Falcons. He was hitting over a 9 point average but sadly was killed during the home match against Reading on 27 April. After sliding into the fence he ruptured a blood vessel of the heart. [6]
Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
1 | White City Rebels | 36 | 27 | 1 | 8 | 55 |
2 | Exeter Falcons | 36 | 25 | 3 | 8 | 53 |
3 | Reading Racers | 36 | 25 | 3 | 8 | 53 |
4 | Ipswich Witches | 36 | 25 | 1 | 10 | 51 |
5 | Belle Vue Aces | 36 | 19 | 3 | 14 | 41 |
6 | King's Lynn Stars | 36 | 19 | 2 | 15 | 40 |
7 | Cradley Heathens | 36 | 20 | 0 | 16 | 40 |
8 | Coventry Bees | 36 | 19 | 1 | 16 | 39 |
9 | Wimbledon Dons | 36 | 17 | 2 | 17 | 36 |
10 | Poole Pirates | 36 | 17 | 2 | 17 | 36 |
11 | Swindon Robins | 36 | 17 | 1 | 18 | 35 |
12 | Bristol Bulldogs | 36 | 17 | 0 | 19 | 34 |
13 | Sheffield Tigers | 36 | 16 | 2 | 18 | 34 |
14 | Hull Vikings | 36 | 15 | 0 | 21 | 30 |
15 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 36 | 14 | 0 | 22 | 28 |
16 | Hackney Hawks | 36 | 13 | 1 | 22 | 27 |
17 | Halifax Dukes | 36 | 12 | 0 | 24 | 24 |
18 | Birmingham Brummies | 36 | 8 | 0 | 28 | 16 |
19 | Leicester Lions | 36 | 6 | 0 | 30 | 12 |
M = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Total Points
Rider | Nat | Team | C.M.A. | |
1 | Michael Lee | ![]() | King's Lynn | 10.64 |
2 | Ivan Mauger | ![]() | Exeter | 10.62 |
3 | Peter Collins | ![]() | Belle Vue | 10.49 |
4 | Gordon Kennett | ![]() | White City | 10.41 |
5 | Ole Olsen | ![]() | Coventry | 10.40 |
6 | Billy Sanders | ![]() | Ipswich | 10.39 |
7 | Anders Michanek | ![]() | Cradley | 10.35 |
8 | Dave Jessup | ![]() | Reading | 10.27 |
9 | Malcolm Simmons | ![]() | Poole | 10.22 |
10 | John Davis | ![]() | Reading | 9.84 |
The 1977 Speedway Star British League Knockout Cup was the 39th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams. King's Lynn Stars were the winners. [7]
First round
Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|---|
18/05 | Poole | 41-37 | Reading |
25/04 | Exeter | 50-28 | Swindon |
25/04 | Reading | 43-35 | Poole |
15/04 | Wolverhampton | 51-27 | Leicester |
12/04 | Leicester | 40-38 | Wolverhampton |
Second round
Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|---|
23/07 | Halifax | 38-40 | Reading |
22/07 | Wolverhampton | 41-37 | Kings Lynn |
28/06 | White City | 51-27 | Birmingham |
20/06 | Birmingham | 34-44 | White City |
18/06 | Coventry | 57-21 | Exeter |
18/06 | Kings Lynn | 55-23 | Wolverhampton |
17/06 | Bristol | 56-22 | Wimbledon |
16/06 | Wimbledon | 48-30 | Bristol |
13/06 | Exeter | 38-40 | Coventry |
09/06 | Sheffield | 46-32 | Hackney |
08/06 | Hull | 46-32 | Cradley Heath |
11/06 | Cradley Heath | 42-36 | Hull |
03/06 | Hackney | 49-29 | Sheffield |
02/06 | Ipswich | 38-40 | Belle Vue |
30/05 | Reading | 53-25 | Halifax |
Quarter-finals
Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|---|
22/08 | Reading | 51-27 | Belle Vue |
08/08 | White City | 50-28 | Coventry |
06/08 | Kings Lynn | 42-36 | Hackney |
05/08 | Bristol | 52-26 | Hull |
03/08 | Coventry | 43-35 | White City |
03/08 | Hull | 49-29 | Bristol |
29/07 | Hackney | 34-44 | Kings Lynn |
Semi-finals
Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|---|
14/10 | Bristol | 42-36 | Reading |
10/10 | Reading | 47-31 | Bristol |
24/09 | Kings Lynn | 44-34 | White City |
21/09 | White City | 42-34 | Kings Lynn |
First leg
Reading Racers John Davis 10 Dave Jessup 8 Hans Wassermann 7 Bengt Jansson 6 Doug Underwood 4 Bob Humphreys 3 Ian Gledhill 2 | 40 - 38 | King's Lynn Stars Michael Lee 15 Terry Betts 12 Carl Glover 5 Ian Turner 5 Richard Hellsen 1 Billy Spiers 0 David Gagen 0 |
---|---|---|
[8] |
Second leg
King's Lynn Stars Terry Betts 10 Michael Lee 7 Richard Hellsen 7 David Gagen 6 Ian Turner 6 Billy Spiers 3 Carl Glover 2 | 41 - 37 | Reading Racers Dave Jessup 15 John Davis 8 Bengt Jansson 6 Doug Underwood 4 Bob Humphreys 3 Hans Wassermann 1 Ian Gledhill 0 |
---|---|---|
[8] |
King's Lynn Stars were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 79-77.
Ole Olsen won the British League Riders' Championship for the third time, it was held at Hyde Road on 15 October and sponsored by Leyland Cars. [9]
Pos. | Rider | Heat Scores | Total |
---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() | 3 3 3 3 3 | 15 |
2 | ![]() | 3 3 3 2 3 | 14 |
3 | ![]() | 3 2 2 3 3 | 13 |
4 | ![]() | 3 2 2 2 3 | 12 |
5 | ![]() | 2 3 1 3 2 | 11 |
6 | ![]() | 2 1 3 2 1 | 9 |
7 | ![]() | 1 3 1 1 2 | 8 |
8 | ![]() | 1 0 2 2 2 | 7 |
9 | ![]() | 0 2 3 1 1 | 7 |
10 | ![]() | 2 0 2 1 0 | 5 |
11 | ![]() | 1 1 0 3 0 | 5 |
12 | ![]() | 0 2 1 0 1 | 4 |
13 | ![]() | 1 1 1 0 1 | 4 |
14 | ![]() | 0 EF 0 1 2 | 3 |
15 | ![]() | EF 1 0 0 0 | 1 |
16 | ![]() | 2 0 0 0 0 | 2 |
The British League Pairs Championship was held at Foxhall Stadium on 29 September and was won by Ipswich Witches for the second consecutive year. [10]
Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Ipswich Witches | 26 | Billy Sanders 14, John Louis 12 |
2 | King's Lynn Stars | 23 | Michael Lee 18, David Gagen 5 |
3 | White City Rebels | 20 | Gordon Kennett 13, Steve Weatherley 7 |
4 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 17 | Jim McMillan 10, Finn Thomsen 7 |
5 | Reading Racers | 17 | Dave Jessup 10, John Davis 7 |
6 | Belle Vue Aces | 12 | Alan Wilkinson 8, Chris Morton 4 |
7 | Sheffield Tigers | 11 | Craig Pendlebury 6, Doug Wyer 5 |
Rider | Nat | Team | C.M.A. | |
1 | Michael Lee | ![]() | King's Lynn | 10.59 |
2 | Ole Olsen | ![]() | Coventry | 10.52 |
3 | Ivan Mauger | ![]() | Exeter | 10.50 |
4 | Peter Collins | ![]() | Belle Vue | 10.46 |
5 | Gordon Kennett | ![]() | White City | 10.41 |
6 | Anders Michanek | ![]() | Cradley | 10.35 |
7 | Dave Jessup | ![]() | Reading | 10.32 |
8 | Malcolm Simmons | ![]() | Poole | 10.27 |
9 | Billy Sanders | ![]() | Ipswich | 10.18 |
10 | John Davis | ![]() | Reading | 9.80 |
Coventry won the Midland Cup for the second consecutive year. The competition consisted of six teams and was sponsored by the Trustee Savings Bank. [11]
First round
Team one | Team two | Score |
---|---|---|
Birmingham | Swindon | 36–42, 26–52 |
Leicester | Cradley | 38–40, 31–47 |
Semi final round
Team one | Team two | Score |
---|---|---|
Coventry | Swindon | 54–24, 48–29 |
Cradley | Wolverhampton | 51–27, 38–40 |
First leg
Coventry Mitch Shirra 11 Ole Olsen 10 Tommy Nilsson 8 Mick Bell 6 Alan Molyneux 5 Frank Smith 4 Alf Busk 3 | 47–31 | Cradley Heath Bruce Cribb 11 Bob Valentine 8 Steve Bastable 5 Larry Ross (guest) 4 Arthur Price 2 Dave Perks 1 Anders Michanek r/r |
---|---|---|
Second leg
Cradley Heath Bruce Cribb 12 Steve Bastable 6 Bob Valentine 5 Les Collins (guest) 5 Arthur Price 4 Dave Perks 4 Bernt Persson r/r | 36–42 | Coventry Mitch Shirra 13 Ole Olsen 12 Alan Molyneux 9 Tommy Nilsson 6 Mick Bell 1 Alf Busk 1 Frank Smith 0 |
---|---|---|
Coventry won on aggregate 89–67
White City Rebels won the London Cup. Two of their fixtures doubled up as League and Knockout Cup matches. [12]
Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | White City | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 161 | 150 | 6 |
2 | Wimbledon | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 170 | 141 | 5 |
3 | Hackney | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 136 | 176 | 1 |
Results
Team | Score | Team |
---|---|---|
White City | 42–36 | Wimbledon |
White City | 46–32 | Hackney |
Wimbledon | 51–27 | Hackney |
Wimbledon | 44–33 | White City |
Hackney | 38–40 | White City |
Hackney | 39–39 | Wimbledon |
Belle Vue
Birmingham
Bristol
Coventry
Cradley Heath
Exeter
Hackney
Halifax
Hull
Ipswich
King's Lynn
Leicester
Poole
Reading
Sheffield
Swindon
White City
Wimbledon
Wolverhampton
The 1967 British League season was the 33rd season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom and the third season known as the British League.
The 1970 British League season was the 36th season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom and the sixth season known as the British League.
The 1971 British League season was the 37th season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom and the seventh season known as the British League.
The 1972 British League season was the 38th season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom and the eighth season of the British League.
The 1973 British League season was the 39th season of the top tier of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom and the ninth season of the British League.
The 1974 British League season was the 40th season of the top tier of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom and the tenth season known as the British League.
The 1975 Gulf Oil British League season was the 41st season of the top tier of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom and the 11th season known as the British League.
The 1976 Gulf British League season was the 42nd season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom and the 12th season known as the British League.
The 1978 Gulf British League season was the 44th season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom and the 14th season known as the British League.
The 1979 Gulf British League season was the 45th season of the top tier of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom and the 15th season known as the British League.
The 1980 British League season was the 46th season of the top tier of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom and the 16th season known as the British League.
The 1981 British League season was the 47th season of the top tier of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom and the 17th known as the British League.
The 1982 British League season was the 48th season of the top tier of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom and the 18th known as the British League.
The 1971 British League Division Two season was the second tier/division motorcycle speedway in Great Britain.
The 1973 British League Division Two season was the second tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain.
The 1984 British League season was the 50th season of the top tier of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom and the 20th known as the British League.
The 1988 British League season was the 54th season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom and the 24th known as the British League.
The 1975 New National League was contested as the second division/tier of Speedway in the United Kingdom when British League Division Two was renamed. It was subsequently named the National League.
The 1977 National League was contested as the second division of Speedway in the United Kingdom.
The 1978 National League was contested as the second division of Speedway in the United Kingdom.