| California Poppies | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Club information | |||
| Track address | Longmoor Speedway California, California Country Park Nr Wokingham Berkshire | ||
| Country | England | ||
| Founded | 1933 | ||
| Closed | 1957 | ||
| Major team honours | |||
| |||
California Poppies were a British speedway team based at Longmoor Speedway
California in England, California Country Park, Nr Wokingham, Berkshire. [1] [2] [3]
Speedway in California first started in 1933 [4] at the California Country Park, an area known as California in England at the time. The track was situated on the north west side of Longmoor Lake (51°22'54.3"N 0°52'35.4"W) on land that formed part of Longmoor Bog and the track had a concrete starting grid. [5] Events were held every year from 1933 to 1940 before the Reading and District Motor Club ended racing due to World War II. [6]
The team known as California Poppies first raced league speedway in 1954 in the 1954 Southern Area League and were crowned champions. [7] The following season in 1955, they finished runner-up to Rye House Roosters [8] before they competed for one more league season in 1955, finishing 4th. [6] [9]
The team disbanded the following season with the promotion and nickname moving to Aldershot to become the Aldershot Poppies. The move was primarily made because of the petrol rationing caused by the Suez Crisis. [10]
| Year and league | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1954 Southern Area League | 1st | Champions |
| 1955 Southern Area League | 2nd | |
| 1956 Southern Area League | 4th |
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United Kingdom Speedway Seasons | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tier One League Top division |
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| Tier Two League Second division |
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| Tier Three League Third division | ||
| Champions | ||