| Anyone go to the old speedway stadium 09:02 - Oct 29 with 1251 views | HytheFerrytales |
You're gonna have to be old because it shut in 1963.
If memory serves it was in a complex with the Ice Rink and a dog stadium.
Speedway was really popular back then and the Southampton Saints won the National League in the very early 60's with legendary riders like Barry Briggs and Bjorn Knutsen on the team.
A bit niche but someone on here might have gone. |  | | |  |
| Anyone go to the old speedway stadium on 10:27 - Oct 29 with 1131 views | PatfromPoole |
Think I may need to adjust my thinking on the median age of regulars on here....... |  |
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| Anyone go to the old speedway stadium on 11:26 - Oct 29 with 1067 views | HytheFerrytales |
| Anyone go to the old speedway stadium on 10:27 - Oct 29 by PatfromPoole |
Think I may need to adjust my thinking on the median age of regulars on here....... |
Suitably admonished for being too old, I'll give Dignitas a call and see if they have an early November slot. | | | |
| Anyone go to the old speedway stadium on 13:20 - Oct 29 with 956 views | GRIM |
I'm not ashamed to say that Yes I was a regular at the Southampton Speedway.
My older brother used to take me, I think that I was only about 8 yrs old.
Loved it, loved the smell of the bikes & it was always a great atmosphere.
I actually found it quite scary, the speed, the noise.
You didn't want to stand on the bends because you'd get covered in muck from the track.
I remember local lad Kevin Holden riding for Southampton & Exeter, he unfortunately had a serious crash & died on the track.
Shame it ever closed, the nearest Speedway track now is Poole & been there many times. [Post edited 29 Oct 13:22]
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| Anyone go to the old speedway stadium on 13:43 - Oct 29 with 915 views | TimSaint |
Far too young to remember Speedway at Southampton.
My old man used to have a mate who was well into it, so we tagged along occasionally in the 80's and attended a few meetings at Poole and Reading.
I think the Reading track doubled up as a Greyhound Track, but both are long gone - maybe 20 years ? |  |
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| Anyone go to the old speedway stadium on 14:23 - Oct 29 with 868 views | HytheFerrytales |
| Anyone go to the old speedway stadium on 13:20 - Oct 29 by GRIM |
I'm not ashamed to say that Yes I was a regular at the Southampton Speedway.
My older brother used to take me, I think that I was only about 8 yrs old.
Loved it, loved the smell of the bikes & it was always a great atmosphere.
I actually found it quite scary, the speed, the noise.
You didn't want to stand on the bends because you'd get covered in muck from the track.
I remember local lad Kevin Holden riding for Southampton & Exeter, he unfortunately had a serious crash & died on the track.
Shame it ever closed, the nearest Speedway track now is Poole & been there many times. [Post edited 29 Oct 13:22]
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That is so evocative...thanks.
I was a budding bike nerd and was interested to know data like the bikes were 500cc single cylinder 4 strokes with no brakes.
Being young was good. | | | |
| Anyone go to the old speedway stadium on 16:45 - Oct 29 with 753 views | SouthSeaSaint |
I am pretty certain that the Speedway Stadium also hosted greyhound racing as I remember hearing the dogs whining in their kennels when watching Hampshire cricket next door.
I think the Speedway Stadium had a similar capacity to The Dell so could have potentially been the home of the Saints bearing in mind it probably was sat on a larger footprint. | | | |
| Anyone go to the old speedway stadium on 19:59 - Oct 29 with 616 views | dirk_doone |
| Anyone go to the old speedway stadium on 16:45 - Oct 29 by SouthSeaSaint |
I am pretty certain that the Speedway Stadium also hosted greyhound racing as I remember hearing the dogs whining in their kennels when watching Hampshire cricket next door.
I think the Speedway Stadium had a similar capacity to The Dell so could have potentially been the home of the Saints bearing in mind it probably was sat on a larger footprint. |
That reminds me of when I worked next to a dog restaurant in Korea. |  |
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| Anyone go to the old speedway stadium on 11:30 - Oct 30 with 357 views | templarinexile |
Yes, just about remember -my uncle and (female) cousin used to take me - and Barry Briggs was the big star name I recall. The noise, the smell of Castrol burning and the races under the lights were indeed evocative; I can still imagine the smell to this day - it spelt out danger, thrills, excitement and was in its owm way, a good way, quite scary.
I left Southampton a long long time ago but have an impression that the Top Rank and its massive car park were buit on the grounds where the old stadium stood.
And the Top Rank (and that car park) has its own place in Southamton folklore too, if you know what I mea.
Not forgetting the Mecca at the end of the pier of course...... |  | | |
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| Anyone go to the old speedway stadium on 11:44 - Oct 30 with 334 views | Tonyfromdk |
Didn’t go there but my dad was a speedway fan.
He took me sometimes to see Coventry Bees,
I think they were called.
It always coincided with visiting his family there.
Funny thing, living in Denmark now. One of their riders was Ole Olsen, a speedway legend apparently.
It was never my thing really but good memories though. | | | |
| Anyone go to the old speedway stadium on 12:33 - Oct 30 with 291 views | HytheFerrytales |
| Anyone go to the old speedway stadium on 11:30 - Oct 30 by templarinexile |
Yes, just about remember -my uncle and (female) cousin used to take me - and Barry Briggs was the big star name I recall. The noise, the smell of Castrol burning and the races under the lights were indeed evocative; I can still imagine the smell to this day - it spelt out danger, thrills, excitement and was in its owm way, a good way, quite scary.
I left Southampton a long long time ago but have an impression that the Top Rank and its massive car park were buit on the grounds where the old stadium stood.
And the Top Rank (and that car park) has its own place in Southamton folklore too, if you know what I mea.
Not forgetting the Mecca at the end of the pier of course...... |
Briggo is 91 years young.
Came 2nd in the 1966 SPOTY to....Bobby Moore.
Speedway was big back then. | | | |
| Anyone go to the old speedway stadium on 14:02 - Oct 30 with 253 views | dirk_doone |
| Anyone go to the old speedway stadium on 12:33 - Oct 30 by HytheFerrytales |
Briggo is 91 years young.
Came 2nd in the 1966 SPOTY to....Bobby Moore.
Speedway was big back then. |
Yes, the World Championships used to be held at Wembley Stadium until 1981. There were 90,000 crowds.
The grand prix system has replaced the individual world championships. I was at the first British Grand Prix, which was held in front of just a few thousand at Hackney Wick Stadium in 1995. For a few years they were at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, but they struggled to fill it, so the next one is going to be at Foxhall Stadium, Ipswich, which is just a small venue.
Southampton speedway was just a bit before my time, but I've been to most of the speedway stadiums, many of which have closed down. The sport is still big in Poland and Sweden though.
What's good about speedway is that it's cheap and friendly and one of the last bastions of old school working class entertainment. You can eat and drink at the tracks while watching it and even get to know the stars personally, as there's no big divide between the riders and the fans. But, sadly, most of the old tracks I knew, like Cradley Heath and Long Eaton, have closed. One of the last to close was the big Brandon Stadium at Coventry, in 2023. As has been mentioned, nearly all of the speedway stadiums were also used for greyhound racing.
This year was special because Robert Lambert became the first British world champion for 8 years. The Poles and Scandinavians have been dominant in recent years. You can watch every grand prix on TNT Sports. Some diehard British fans travel all over Europe. [Post edited 30 Oct 15:02]
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| Anyone go to the old speedway stadium on 18:57 - Oct 30 with 121 views | yateleysaint |
I used to ride the old penny farthing round there. |  |
| You cannot reason a person out of something they were not reasoned into. |
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