Having been in touch with British Pathe to see if we can use some of their Speedway footage
on our Web site, they have kindly agreed to let us post a link to their archives.
Please be patient as this is quality video and takes a while to load
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So far, one of the earliest clips I have is the England v Australia Test of 1932 at Wembley, riders include Dicky Smythe, Vick Huxley, Dicky Case, Ron Johnson, Jack Parker, Eric Langton, Ginger Lees, and Tiger Stevenson In those days rolling start were used, riders had to get into a line across the track as they approached the start line, if it was OK the race was on, if not, well, I have no idea because I was not there but if anyone was perhaps you can tell us.
Click to view - ENGLAND v AUSTRALIA TEST of 1937
Next in chronological order is the Test of 1933, Wembley again, England Captain Harold ‘Tiger’ Stevenson, Australian Captain Vic Huxley. This has the first use of the Starting Gate as we know it today, unless you know different. Click to view - ENGLAND v AUSTRALIA TEST of 1933 Think this may interest you, Rye House training track 1946, just after the war, Ex Army Dispatch Riders trying to impress to see if they were good enough to have a Speedway career. Alec Jackson, Wembley Team Manager in attendance looking for future riders to kick start the Speedway scene after the War, were you there?
Dirt Track Racing in Warsaw, Poland, in 1950 - how much excitement the flying cinders engender. We think they are Rotrax JAP, what do you think? Unfortunately there is no sound on this clip.
Click to view -
Dirt Track at Warsaw 1950 Wembley, 1967, World Speedway Championship, Ove’s night
Riders include Ray Wilson, Barry Briggs,
Igor Plechanov, Ivan Mauger, and of course And a nice close up of the Winged Wheel
Click to view - WORLD SPEEDWAY CHAMPIONSHIP 1967 Again Wembley, this time the World Team Cup 1968 Riders include Ivan Mauger, Ove Fundin, Edward Jancarz, Martin Ashby, Barry Briggs.
Click to view -
WORLD TEAM CUP
1968 Thanks to British Pathe, here is another dip into their archives. We have here a Pathe News clip from Belle Vue during the War years, 1942 to be exact all Speedway tracks were closed during the War, bar one, and that was Belle Vue. A few meetings were held there during the time of the war under very difficult conditions for the promotion, riders who were in the services had to get special leave for the meetings another problem was the fact that petrol was on ration. Riders would take their bike by train in the guards van, and then often had to push the bike from the station to the track, or if petrol could be found, a lorry could pick several bikes up from the station, but get there they did. This clip includes riders Oliver Hart, Bill Kitchen, Eric Chitty, George Pepper, Alec Statham, Bill Pitcher, Tommy Price, Etc. Click to view - Belle Vue 1942 This clip, Pathe cameras were at Hackney Stadium for a day in 1968 recording riders preparing for the coming season, Captain Colin Pratt is featured, who else, can anyone say? Please let us know. I love the wide handlebars of those days, with riders setting them off centre and at all angles to suit the way they ride. Click to View - Practice day at hackney 1968 Another look at the training school at Rye House run by Alec Jackson and Dicky Case, this time it is 1949, interesting to see who was there that day, anybody know? The camera’s of Pathe pick up some good footage on this clip, they seem to like going to Rye House, but then our sport was absolutely huge then and the media were falling over themselves to report speedway – ah! Those were the days. Click to View - Speedway school at rye house 1949
Hope you enjoy them - Alan Hodkinson
Any comments or requests
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