Lakeside Hammers

Last updated

Lakeside Hammers
Lakeside hammers logo.png
Club information
Track address Arena Essex Raceway
A1306 Arterial Road
Purfleet
CountryEngland
Founded1984
Closed2018 [1]
Club facts
ColoursBlue red and white
Track size252 metres (276 yd)
Track record time56.8 seconds
Track record date30 May 2008
Track record holder Andreas Jonsson
Major team honours
Knockout Cup (tier 1) 2009
British League Division Two 1991
BL Div Two Four-Team Championship1991
BL Div 2 KO Cup 1991

The Lakeside Hammers (formerly the Arena-Essex Hammers) were a speedway team who raced in the British league system from 1984 to 2018, most recently racing in the SGB Championship in 2018. The team were nicknamed the Hammers after the West Ham Hammers, a speedway team that closed twelve years earlier. [2] The team's home track, the Arena Essex Raceway, closed shortly before the end of the 2018 season. [3]

Contents

History

Origins and 1980s

Arena Essex Raceway Arena Essex Raceway.jpg
Arena Essex Raceway

The Arena Essex Raceway was built in 1978 to stage banger racing. [4]

Speedway returned to Essex in 1983 following the founding of the Arena-Essex Hammers by promoter Wally Mawdsley and stock car promoter Chick Woodroffe. [5] Former West Ham promoter Mawdsley touted the new club as the successors to or the reincarnation of the old West Ham Speedway, which had closed in the early 1970s – the team took the Hammers nickname, the race colours of white crossed hammers on red and blue halves, and the racenight programmes also carried photos of past West Ham riders from the 1930s through to the early 1970s. There was even a direct link to West Ham speedway within the first Arena-Essex team itself – Alan Sage had ridden for West Ham in 1970 and 1971. [6]

The inaugural 1984 season ended with 14th-place finish [7] but the following two seasons saw an improvement to 6th and 4th respectively. [8] the team's leading rider in the 1980s was Martin Goodwin. [9]

1990s

The Hammers in 1997 Arena Essex Hammers 1997 speedway.png
The Hammers in 1997

The speedway track was unusual because it did not have a safety fence as the stock car circuit acted as a run-off area. It was not until 1991 that a safety fence was installed.

It was also in 1991 that major changes were undertaken, Terry Russell and Ivan Henry purchased the club from Chick Woodroffe [10] and they built a new team. Martin Goodwin left the club and six new signings came in. Three Danes (Bo Petersen, Brian Karger and Jan Pedersen) were joined by Alan Mogridge, Andy Galvin and Paul Hurry. The team were dominant, winning 21 of their 22 league matches, winning the Knockout Cup [11] and claiming the fours championship held at the East of England Arena on 21 July. [12]

Following the successful 1991 season the team were promoted to the first division (one of the rare seasons that speedway operated a promotion/relegation system) and remained in the top flight until the end of the 1995 season. The leading rider was Australian Leigh Adams.

A club promotion change resulted in the Hammers dropping to the Conference League for 1996 before moving into the Premier League from 1997. [13]

2000s

Hefenbrock and Kennett race for the Hammers in 2007 Speedway 2007 Christian Hefenbrock (left) Edward Kennett (right) Oxford v Lakeside 2007.jpg
Hefenbrock and Kennett race for the Hammers in 2007

Little of note happened during the early part of the 2000s before the team entered the Elite League in 2004 and signed former world champion Mark Loram. The following season in 2005, two more former world champions were signed in Tony Rickardsson and Gary Havelock and Rickardsson went on to win his sixth world title as a Hammer's rider.

In January 2007, the new promoter Stuart Douglas renamed the team the 'Lakeside' Hammers. [14] [15] In 2008, the club had a successful year, finishing joint top of the Elite League table, but due to race points, were in second place. The Hammers lost three of their top four riders with serious injuries towards the end of the season, but still reached the Craven Shield and Elite League play-off finals. [16]

In 2009, the club won their first piece of silverware since 1991 and their most significant because it was the first trophy won in the highest division. They defeated the Coventry Bees 108–77 on aggregate in the KO Cup Final, with Adam Shields scoring 31 points over two legs.

2010s

Lee Richardson led the team into the new decade, with the Hammers making the play-offs on several occasions. The team continued to compete in the top division until they dropped two divisions to race in the National League for 2017.

In 2018, the team opted to move up into the SGB Championship, which would be their last season. [17] In September 2018, speedway racing ceased at the track and the Hammers moved to the Rye House Hoddesdon raceway to complete their fixtures. [18] [19]

Season summary

Extended content
Year and leaguePositionNotes
1984 National League season 14thas Arena Essex Hammers
1985 National League season 6th
1986 National League season 4th
1987 National League season 12th
1988 National League season 9th
1989 National League season 12th
1990 National League season 14th
1991 British League Division Two season 1st Champions & Knockout Cup, fours
1992 British League season 11th
1993 British League season 4th
1994 British League season 8th
1995 Premier League speedway season 10th
1996 Speedway Conference League 6th
1997 Premier League speedway season 7th
1998 Premier League speedway season 11th
1999 Premier League speedway season 9th
2000 Premier League speedway season 13th
2001 Premier League speedway season 10h
2002 Premier League speedway season 11th
2003 Premier League speedway season 7th
2004 Elite League speedway season 8th
2005 Elite League speedway season 10th
2006 Elite League speedway season 11th
2007 Elite League speedway season 5thchanged name to Lakeside Hammers
2008 Elite League speedway season 2ndPO final
2009 Elite League speedway season 3rd Knockout Cup winners
2010 Elite League speedway season 5th
2011 Elite League speedway season 4th
2012 Elite League speedway season 4th
2013 Elite League speedway season 6th
2014 Elite League speedway season 6th
2015 Elite League speedway season 8th
2016 Elite League 4th
2017 National League speedway season 4th
SGB Championship 2018 4thPO final

Notable riders

Riders previous seasons

Extended content

2018 team

2017 team

Also rode:

2016 team

2015 team

2014 team

2013 team

Also rode:

2012 team

The team finished in 4th place out of 10, qualifying for the play-offs, making it the 4th time in 5 years.

Also rode:

2011 team

The team finished 4th from 10, making the playoffs; however, they were eliminated by Eastbourne in the semi-finals.

Also rode:

2010 team

The 2010 team finished in 5th place from 9 teams, narrowly missing out on the playoffs.

Also rode:

2009 team

Lakeside finished 3rd out of 9, qualifying for the playoffs, but lost to Wolverhampton in the playoff semi-finals. The team became K.O Cup Champions by defeating Coventry.

Also rode:

(DU) Riders doubling-up between Premier and Elite League

2008 team

The team finished joint top on points with Poole, but lost the playoff final to an aggregate score of 108 – 75 to the Pirates. They also reached the Final of the Craven Shield, losing to Coventry.

Also Rode:

2007 team

The revamped Lakeside Hammers finished 5th from 10 teams (after the closure of Oxford).

Also Rode

2006 team

Arena Essex finished 11th out of 11, placing them bottom of the Elite League for a second consecutive season.

Also Rode

2005 team

The 2005 side finished bottom of the Elite League.

Also Rode

2004 team

Although the team finished 8th from 10 in their first season in the Elite League, they were 14 points above 9th place.

Also Rode

2003 team

The team finished 7th out of 18 teams. It would be their last at Premier League level.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poole Pirates</span> English motorcycle speedway team

Poole Pirates are a motorcycle speedway team based in Poole, England, competing in the SGB Championship. The club have been the champions of the United Kingdom on ten occasions.

The Ipswich Witches are a British motorcycle speedway club based at Foxhall Stadium near Ipswich, Suffolk. They compete in the British SGB Premiership. Meetings are staged on most Thursdays from March until October, normally commencing at 7.30pm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rye House Rockets</span> British motorcycle speedway team

The Rye House Rockets were a speedway team based at Rye House Stadium, Hoddesdon, England. They competed in various British speedway leagues from 1954 to 2018.

The Elite League was the top division of speedway league competition in the United Kingdom, governed by the Speedway Control Bureau (SCB), in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association (BSPA). It was sponsored by Sky Sports until the end of the 2013 season. In 2016, the Elite League featured 8 teams, unlike 10 in 2014, during a season which ran between March and October. Each team had a designated race day on which they normally staged their home fixtures, and they regularly had home and away fixtures scheduled in the same week.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swindon Robins</span> English motorcycle speedway team

The Swindon Robins are an motorcycle speedway team from England, established in 1949 that have competed primarily in the top division of speedway league competition in the United Kingdom. They are five times league champions of the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redcar Bears</span> British motorcycle speedway team

The Redcar Bears are a British motorcycle speedway team who compete in the SGB Championship. The club was founded in 2006 and their major team honour to date is the SGB Championship Knockout Cup win in 2019. The team have also run a junior side called the Middlesbrough Tigers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Riders' Championship</span> British motorcycle speedway competition

The London Riders' Championship was an individual motorcycle speedway competition for top riders of teams from London. It was a prestigious competition, especially in its early days.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leicester Lions</span> British motorcycle speedway team

Leicester Lions are a speedway team which originally operated from 1968 until 1983 and again from 2011. The team race at the Beaumont Park Stadium. Since 2019, the club have also ran a junior side known as the Lion Cubs.

Bo Petersen is a former motorcycle speedway rider from Denmark. He was the 1980 Danish champion and earned 59 caps for the Denmark national speedway team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lewis Bridger</span> British speedway rider

Lewis Alan Bridger is an English motorcycle speedway rider.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danny King (speedway rider)</span> British speedway rider (born 1986)

Daniel Robert King is a British speedway rider. He earned six international caps for the Great Britain national speedway team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arena Essex Raceway</span> Car racing track in Essex, England

Arena Essex Raceway was a stock car and speedway racing track located near Purfleet, Essex. It opened in 1978 and closed in 2018. The Lakeside Shopping Centre was built close to the venue.

The 1994 British League Division Two season was contested as the second division of Speedway in the United Kingdom. The British League Divisions 2 and 3 were disbanded after this season and did not return until 1997. An Academy League was introduced.

The 1991 British League Division Two season was contested as the second division of Speedway in the United Kingdom. The league had been renamed from the National League. The season saw one of the rare occasions that speedway operated a promotion/relegation system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richie Worrall</span>

Richard Leonard Worrall is an English motorcycle speedway rider who in 2012 reached the final of the World Under-21 Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Ellis</span> British grasstrack and speedway rider (born 1996)

Adam Ellis is a British grasstrack and motorcycle speedway rider and former British champion.

Richard Lawson is a British speedway rider.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle Newman (speedway rider)</span> English speedway rider

Kyle Newman is an English motorcycle speedway rider.

The Speedway Great Britain (SGB) Championship is the second division of speedway league competition in the United Kingdom, governed by the Speedway Control Bureau (SCB), in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association (BSPA). It was introduced for 2017 following a restructuring of British speedway.

The SGB Championship 2018 was the 2018 season of the second division of Great British speedway. The season ran between March and October 2018 and consisted of 11 teams participating.

References

  1. ↑ "DOUGLAS TO STEP ASIDE – British Speedway Official Website". speedwaygb.co.uk. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  2. ↑ Bamford, R & Jarvis J.(2001). Homes of British Speedway. ISBN   0-7524-2210-3
  3. ↑ "Arena-Essex Lakeside Speedway". Defunct Speedway. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  4. ↑ "The Hammers". Lakeside Hammers.com. Archived from the original on 20 February 2007. Retrieved 27 October 2007.
  5. ↑ "New Speed track for Essex" . Harlow Star. 13 October 1983. Retrieved 16 May 2024– via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. ↑ "Alan Sage". WWOS backup. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  7. ↑ "1984 season" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  8. ↑ "British League Tables – British League Era (1965-1990)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  9. ↑ "Baldwin jets in as Tigers take the points" . Cambridge Daily News. 11 June 1984. Retrieved 16 May 2024– via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. ↑ "Speedway continues" . Brentwood Gazette. 8 February 1991. Retrieved 16 May 2024– via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. ↑ "1988 to 1993". Cyber Morotcycles. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  12. ↑ "Speedway" . Western Daily Press. 22 July 1991. Retrieved 13 May 2023– via British Newspaper Archive.
  13. ↑ "British League Tables – Modern Era (1991-Present)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 2 September 2021.[ dead link ]
  14. ↑ "Changing Fortunes". BBC. 30 October 2007. Archived from the original on 10 November 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2007.
  15. ↑ "New owner for Arena Essex". BBC. 4 December 2006. Retrieved 10 December 2007.
  16. ↑ "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  17. ↑ Ranson, Jacob. "Lakeside Hammers join the Championship".
  18. ↑ "RACEWAY FAREWELL – British Speedway Official Website". speedwaygb.co.uk.
  19. ↑ "EMOTIONAL NIGHT AT ARENA – British Speedway Official Website". speedwaygb.co.uk.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.