| Hull Vikings | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Club information | |||||||||
| Track address | The Boulevard Stadium and Craven Park Hull | ||||||||
| Country | England | ||||||||
| Founded | 1971 | ||||||||
| Closed | 2005 | ||||||||
| Club facts | |||||||||
| Colours | Blue and White | ||||||||
| Track size | 346 metres (378 yd) | ||||||||
| Track record time | 64.4 seconds [1] | ||||||||
| Track record date | 30 June 2004 | ||||||||
| Track record holder | Magnus Karlsson | ||||||||
| Major team honours | |||||||||
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The Hull Vikings were a speedway team from Hull, England, who operated from 1971 to 2005, primarily from The Boulevard (stadium) and Craven Park. [2] [3]
Speedway in Hull began in 1948 when a corporation backed application was lodged with the Speedway Control Board. The team was managed by Fred Archer and the team wore the crest of the city's coat-of-arms (3 golden crowns on a blue shield and yellow background). [4] The team were based at Hedon Stadium in Hedon on the outskirts of Hull. [5] Their inaugural league season was in the 1948 Speedway National League Division Three where they finished 9th. [6] [7]
On 27 August 1949, the Angels raced their last match at home to Liverpool Chads and then after one more away match they withdrew from the league to be replaced by Swindon Robins. [8] [9] The speedway promotion applied, without success, to Hull City FC to see if they could use their old Anlaby Road ground. [10]
In 1971, promoter Ian Thomas brought speedway back to Hull, when the Vikings began to race at the Boulevard Stadium, a 380 metres (420 yards) circumference track. The initial plan to call the team the Hull Kestrels was scrapped. [11] The Vikings raced during the 1971 British League Division Two season. [12] The Boulevard was famous as the long time home of Rugby Football League team Hull FC. During the years of racing at The Boulevard, the Vikings had the dubious distinction of being the last league speedway team ever to appear at the famous West Ham Stadium, on 23 May 1972, when they beat the closing West Ham Hammers 40–38.
After three seasons in division 2 they applied for and gained division 1 status for the 1974 British League season. [13] The team struggled from 1974 to 1977 despite riders over the four seasons including the likes of Joe Owen, Scots pair Jim McMillan and Bobby Beaton and former multiple world champion Barry Briggs. In 1978 they signed the legendary New Zealander Ivan Mauger, a five times world champion at the time and a young American rider Kelly Moran and the team finished third in the league during 1978. [14]
The Vikings just missed out on becoming British champions during the 1979 British League season, led by Mauger and with solid contributions from Beaton, Moran, Owen, Dennis Sigalos, Graham Drury and Frank Auffret, the team lost by just two point from Coventry Bees. The 1979 season also saw Mauger become the world champion for a record sixth time. [15]
A sudden decline in form and attendances during 1980 and 1981 was overshadowed when Hull FC announced that they were revoking the Boulevard's speedway licence, leaving promoters Ian Thomas and Brian Larner without a track. [16]
In 1995, a speedway track was constructed at Craven Park, the home of the city's other rugby league team, Hull Kingston Rovers. [17] The 346 metres (378 yards) long speedway track built by Glyn Taylor ran inside the greyhound racing track. The stadium had opened only six years previous and the Vikings signed Paul Thorp and Jan Stæchmann to spearhead the team. On on 5 April 1995, the first race took place. [18]
When the Elite League was introduced in 1997, Hull chose to compete in the second tier of British speedway for the 1997 and 1998 seasons before competing in the top division during the 1999 Elite League speedway season.
Major changes took place for the 2000 season, with the Vikings choosing to drop back down to the Premier League. Paul Thorp was well supported by Garry Stead as the team competed for the league title before finally finishing 3rd. The following season the Vikings finished runner-up to Newcastle Diamonds and won the Knockout Cup.
In 2004, Paul Hodder took over the club from Nigel Wordsworth [19] and the Vikings signed Magnus Karlsson to support Thorp and Stead. The team swept the board by winning the Premier League title, Knockout Cup and Young Shield.
However, just one year later in 2005, the club were told by landords Hull Kingston Rovers that they would have to pay £75,000 in order to move the speedway track in oprder for the rugby pitch to be widened. [20] This and other financial issues ultimately resulted in the Vikings being disbanded after the 2005 season. [21]
The prospect of speedway returning to Hull would require a new venue to be built as The Boulevard was closed in 2009 and demolished, while in 2010 while Craven Park was redeveloped after the Vikings departure, with the speedway track removed and the ground becoming a rectangular sports venue suited to rugby league.
The Belle Vue Aces are a British speedway club, based in Manchester. The club hold the record of having won the top tier League championship 13 times. They currently compete in the SGB Premiership, racing at The National Speedway Stadium, with home matches usually taking place on Monday evenings. They also run a second team in the National Development League, known as the Belle Vue Colts.
The Boulevard was a multi-purpose stadium in Hull, England, from 1895 to 2010. The venue primarily hosted rugby league matches, speedway and greyhound racing.
Newcastle Diamonds were a motorcycle speedway team that raced in the British speedway leagues from 1929 to 2022. They were based at Newcastle Stadium on the Fossway, Byker. The Stadium was previously known as Brough Park.
Ivan Gerald Mauger was a New Zealand motorcycle speedway rider. He won a record six World Championships (Finals), a feat equalled only with the inclusion of the Speedway GP Championships by Tony Rickardsson of Sweden. In 2010, Mauger was named an FIM Legend for his motorcycling achievements.
William Robert Sanders was an Australian international Speedway rider who won six Australian Championships and was a five time Speedway World Championship finalist with a career best second place in West Germany in 1983.
Barry Briggs is a New Zealand former speedway rider.
Kelly Michael Moran was an American professional speedway rider who earned 47 caps for the United States national speedway team. His younger brother Shawn Moran was also a successful speedway rider.
Shawn Moran is an American former professional motorcycle speedway rider who was one of the most popular and talented riders ever to race for Sheffield Tigers. He earned 74 caps for the United States national speedway team.
Eric Henry Boocock is a former motorcycle speedway rider who appeared in three Speedway World Championship finals. He was the joint manager of the Great Britain national speedway team with Colin Pratt and earned 53 international caps for the England national speedway team and 37 caps for Great Britain.
Arthur Dennis Sigalos is an American former professional motorcycle speedway rider. He earned 52 caps for the United States national speedway team.
Robert Benjamin Schwartz is an American professional motorcycle speedway rider. He became World Pairs Champion with Bruce Penhall in 1981 and Dennis Sigalos in 1982. He earned 74 caps for the United States national speedway team.
John Kenneth Cook is an American former international motorcycle speedway rider. He was represented the USA in three World Team Cup finals and earned 49 caps for the United States national speedway team.
Nigel Boocock was a motorcycle speedway rider from England. who appeared in eight Speedway World Championship finals. He holds the record number of caps for Great Britain (64) and the record for total number of caps, when including England (154).
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 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 1971 British League Division Two season was the second tier/division 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.
Costa Mesa Speedway in Costa Mesa, California, US, is a major motorsports venue credited with the renaissance of motorcycle speedway racing in Southern California. The 185 yards long track hosts both Solo and Sidecar speedway.
Hedon Stadium was a motorcycle speedway venue between Hedon and Hull, England. The location of the stadium was south of the Hedon Racecourse railway station, which is on the east side of the Staithes Road, about 5 miles from the centre of Hull and 1 mile west of Hedon.
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