50 years of Scunthorpe Speedway!
SCUNTHORPE SPEEDWAY reached its 50th birthday today, since the first-ever meeting at the first venue for the club, Quibell Park, took place on May 3rd, 1971.
Long Eaton boss Vic White and his business partner Pete Wrathall investigated the possibility of introducing speedway to the town, and found a suitable venue at Quibell Park, a stadium for both athletics and cycling.
Over two hundred tonnes of shale were laid on top of the running track – with speedway and athletics uniquely sharing the same circuit.
Over 4,000 fans flocked to the first meeting. Scunthorpe Saints mostly used riders from Division Two club Long Eaton, who were run by the same promotion, which also included Ivor Brown, with Wrathall – a current rider – as a silent partner.
Saints took a 39-38 victory over Hull in the Humberside Trophy, and commenced a series of challenge matches that would see out the summer.
Saints’ scorers for that historic first meeting: Geoff Bouchard 12 (4), Wrathall 7 (4), Stuart Jay 6 (3), Peter Gay 5+2 (4), Roger Mills 4+1 (4), Phil Whittaker 4+1 (4), Garth Coleman 1 (3).
Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey says: “It’s quite a landmark to reach our 50th anniversary.
“Of course, the club didn’t run for every one of those 50 years. After the closure in 1985 of our second home at Ashby Ville, we didn’t open up at the Eddie Wright Raceway until 2005.
“But it’s now 50 years since the speedway bug hit Scunthorpe and it’s formed such a major part of so many lives.
“Without the likes of those who ran the club in those opening years, including Brian Osborn, who switched from one side of the fence to the other in 1972 and had a ten-year association with the club, it wouldn’t be here for us to enjoy today.”
* SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS take to the track for the first time in 2021 with a mouthwatering home fixture on Friday, May 21st (7.30pm) at the Eddie Wright Raceway against a Plymouth Gladiators side containing both treble World Champion Jason Crump and former Grand Prix star Bjarne Pedersen.
PHOTO: A rare colour photo from that first season in 1971.
