| Leeds Lions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Club information | |||
| Track address | Fullerton Park Leeds | ||
| Country | England | ||
| Founded | 1928 | ||
| Closed | 1938 | ||
| League | Northern League National League | ||
| Major team honours | |||
| |||
Leeds Lions are a defunct British motorcycle speedway team who were based at Fullerton Park Sports Stadium, adjacent to the Elland Road football ground in Leeds, England. [1]
The city of Leeds first experinced the sport of speedway at a little known track at Post Hill on 9 April 1928. [2] Organised by the Leeds Motor Club events were held at the foot of Post Hill. [3] Later that year on 13 October, speedway was introduced to Fullerton Park, following an earlier inspection by the Auto-Cycle Union. [4] [5] The introduction of speedway at Fullerton Park in 1928 included a team fixture against Middlesbrough and seemed to end the planned expansion of the Post Hill track. [2]
League racing first took place in 1929 with the formation of the English Dirt Track League, effectively a Northern League, which ran alongside the Southern League. [6] The inaugural season started with a home win against Barnsley on 29 March and the Leeds team went on to win the league title. [7] Their success was helped by the withdrawal of White City (Manchester) who were leading the league but failed to complete the season. [8] The 1929 league winning team included riders such as George Greenwood, Arthur Atkinson and the Langton brothers Eric and Oliver. [9]
After a season when Fullerton Park opted not to field a team, the club competed in the 1931 Speedway Northern League finishing second. [10] The subsequent season saw the merger of the Northern and Southern Leagues to form the National League but Leeds di not participate. Despite a few fixtures being held at Fullerton Park in 1932, speedway would cease until 1938.
The team's final appearance was in the 1938 Speedway National League Division Two, where they finished 9th. [11] [12]
| Year and league | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1929 Speedway English Dirt Track League | 1st | Champions |
| 1931 Speedway Northern League | 2nd | |
| 1938 Speedway National League Division Two | 9th | |
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 14 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.
Eric Kemp Langton was an English motorcycle speedway who won the Star Riders' Championship in 1932, the forerunner to the Speedway World Championship. He earned 44 international caps for the England national speedway team.
The Middlesbrough Bears were a British speedway team which operated under various names from 1929 until their closure in 1996.
The National League was formed in 1932 combining teams from the Northern League and Southern League. It was the fourth season of speedway in the United Kingdom.
The 1934 National League Division One was the sixth season of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain. It was also the first time that a second division/tier of racing was introduced following the creation of a reserves league.
The 1936 National League Division One was the eighth season of the highest tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain.
Crystal Palace Glaziers were a British speedway team that existed from 1928 to 1939.
Lea Bridge also known as Clapton Saints were a British speedway team that existed from 1928 to 1938. They raced at the Lea Bridge Stadium.
Barnsley were a British speedway team from Barnsley, England, that competed in the English Dirt Track League in the inaugural season of British Speedway in 1929.
The 1929 English Dirt Track League was the inaugural season of speedway in the United Kingdom, featuring from Northern England. In the same year, the 1929 Speedway Southern League also commenced, catering to teams from Southern England The sport had been introduced to England in 1928 at High Beech Speedway.
The 1930 Northern League was the second season of speedway in the United Kingdom for Northern British teams. The league was previously known as the English Dirt Track League but the addition of two Scottish teams prompted a name change and 1930 was the inaugural Northern League. The Southern teams also had their second season known as the 1930 Speedway Southern League. The league was won by Belle Vue Aces.
The 1931 Northern League was the third season of speedway racing in the United Kingdom for Northern British teams. It was the final season of the Northern League before amalgamation with the Southern League which also had their third season known as the 1931 Speedway Southern League.
The Nottingham speedway team competed in the 1930s, with a home track on Trent Lane, Nottingham.
Fullerton Park was a former speedway and greyhound track in Leeds.
Harringay Speedway was a motorcycle speedway team who raced at the Harringay Stadium from 1929 until 1954.
Eva Askquith (1905–1985), at times misspelt as Ashquith or Asquith, was a pioneering British female speedway motorcycle racer in the three seasons from 1928 and 1930 when female riders were allowed race speedway in Britain. She was one of only four British female speedway riders at this time and also raced internationally.
Halifax Speedway were a British motorcycle speedway team who operated between 1928 and 1930 and were based at Thrum Hall Cricket Ground, Spring Hall Lane, Halifax, West Yorkshire. England.
White City Speedway (Manchester) were a British motorcycle speedway team who operated between 1928 and 1930 and were based at White City Stadium (Manchester), Chester Road, Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England.
George Greenwood was an international motorcycle speedway rider from England.
Oliver Langton was an international motorcycle speedway rider from England. He earned one international cap for the England national speedway team.
