| Sunderland Stars | |
|---|---|
 Sunderland Stars Speedway Badge | |
| Club information | |
| Track address | Sunderland Greyhound Stadium Newcastle Road East Boldon Durham |
| Country | England |
| Founded | 1971 |
| Closed | 1974 |
| Club facts | |
| Colours | Red, white and gold |
| Track size | 310 yards (280 m) |
The Sunderland Stars were a motorcycle speedway team who raced at the Sunderland Greyhound Stadium from 1971 until 1974 in the Britrish League Division Two when Len Silver acted as promoter on behalf of Allied Presentations Ltd. [1] [2]
Speedway was operational at the venue for part of one season when eight meetings were staged in 1964 under the "Saints" nickname. The Saints introduced Aussies Jim Airey and Gordon Guasco to British Speedway during 1964. [3]
The inaugural season of league speedway took place during the 1971 British League Division Two season but unfortunately the team finished 17th out of 17. [4] This was followed by two seasons with 12th and 11th place finishes. [5]
In 1974, the club came under new ownership and were nicknamed the "Gladiators". It was also their final season before closure. [6]
| Year and league | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 Provincial Speedway League | N/A | Saints, withdrew results expunged |
| 1971 British League Division Two season | 17th | Stars |
| 1972 British League Division Two season | 12th | Stars |
| 1973 British League Division Two season | 11th | Stars |
| 1974 British League Division Two season | 18th | Gladiators |
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 Sheffield 'Tru Plant' Tigers are a motorcycle speedway team based in Sheffield, England. They currently race in the British SGB Premiership, and their home meetings take place at Owlerton Stadium. The Tigers traditionally hold their race nights on Thursdays between March and October. The Tigers are sponsored by Tru Plant, promoted by Damien Bates, Peter Mole and Julie Reading.
King's Lynn Stars are a motorcycle speedway team who compete in the SGB Premiership. The nickname "Stars" comes from the defunct Norwich Stars team. The team was founded in 1965 and has been running continually since then, except for 1996 when King's Lynn failed to have a team competing in the British league system.
The Eastbourne Eagles were a British motorcycle speedway team, based at Arlington Stadium, near Eastbourne, England. They were founded in 1929 and are two times champions of Britain in 1995 and 2000.
The Scunthorpe Scorpions are a motorcycle speedway team in the British SGB Championship. They have raced at various times since 1972, at three different venues.
The Hull Vikings were a speedway team from Hull, England, who operated primarily from The Boulevard (stadium) and Craven Park from 1971 to 2005.
The Rayleigh Rockets were a Speedway team which operated from 1949 until their closure in 1973 from the Rayleigh Weir Stadium in Rayleigh, Essex.
The Romford Bombers were a speedway team which operated from 1969 until their closure in 1971.
The Halifax Dukes were a speedway team which operated from 1949–1951 and again from 1965 until their closure in 1985 at The Shay Stadium in Halifax. The team were nicknamed the "Dukes" after the local Duke of Wellington's Regiment, whose training depot, Wellesley Barracks, was in Halifax, and used the Regiments elephant symbol on their race jacket.
Raymond Wilson is a former international motorcycle speedway rider who was World Pairs Champion in 1972 and British Speedway Champion in 1973, was also England Team Captain for five years in the early 1970s. He was the first Englishman to record a maximum score in a World Team Cup Final. His father Ron Wilson, was also a speedway rider for Leicester and Oxford in the early 1950s.
The Crewe Kings was a British Speedway team which operated in Crewe, Cheshire from 1969 until its closure in 1975.
The 1965 British League season was the 31st season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom. It was also the first known as the new British League which was formed in 1965, along with the British Speedway Promoters Association (BSPA). The league was an amalgamation of the National League and the Provincial League.
The 1969 British League season was the 35th season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom and the fifth 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.
James Sydney Airey is an Australian former international motorcycle speedway rider, who rode in the 1971 World Final in Göteborg, Sweden and was a member of the Great Britain team that won the 1971 Speedway World Team Cup.
The 1971 British League Division Two season was the second tier/division motorcycle speedway in Great Britain.
The 1974 British League Division Two season was the second tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain. It was the final season of British League Division Two before it was renamed as the New National League.
The 1964 Provincial Speedway League was the fifth and final season of the Provincial League in the United Kingdom. Twelve speedway teams took part. A second division of British speedway would not return until 1968.
The 1964 National League was the 30th season and the nineteenth post-war season of the highest tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain, but the final season of the National League being the highest tier.
Gordon Peter Guasco was a motorcycle speedway rider from Australia, who was a favourite at both the Sydney Showground Speedway and Liverpool Speedway. Guasco also rode in the United Kingdom between 1964 and 1969 for Sunderland, Wolverhampton and Poole.
  | This article about an English sports club is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This motorcycle speedway team-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
