London Lions (speedway)

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London Lions
Club information
Track addressHackney Wick Stadium
Waterden Road
Hackney
London
CountryEngland
Founded1996
Closed1996
Team managerColin Pratt
Team captainLeigh Adams
LeagueBritish League
Club facts
ColoursBlue and Yellow
Track size345 yards (315 m)[1]

The London Lions were a motorcycle speedway team that operated for one season during the 1996 Premier League speedway season from the Hackney Wick Stadium, the former home of the Hackney Hawks and the Hackney Kestrels.[2][3]

Management[edit]

The promoter and team manager for that season was former Hackney rider Colin Pratt. Fellow promoters were Ivan Henry and Terry Russell who moved their Arena Essex Hammers promotion into Hackney.[4]

1996 Squad[edit]

League Record[edit]

They finished the season in ninth place (out of nineteen),[5][6] but because the stadium had been newly modernised and the track was not as good as when it was held there previously, crowds were not as high as was hoped for. Speedway had barely returned in 1995 (for the British Grand Prix) when it was announced that the stadium had passed into the ownership of the receivers. At the end of the 1996 season, there was still no new owner. Racing was never seen at the stadium again. The greyhound racing also vacated the stadium at the end of 1996.[7]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). A History of the World Speedway Championship. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-2402-5
  2. ^ Fenn, C.(2003). Hackney Speedway, Friday at Eight. ISBN 0-7524-2737-7
  3. ^ "Hackney Speedway". Defunct Speedway. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  4. ^ Jacobs, N. Speedway in London. ISBN 0-7524-2221-9
  5. ^ "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - MODERN ERA (1991-PRESENT)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  6. ^ "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  7. ^ "Bankrupt on the first night - the desperate story of the 'new' Hackney Wick". Betfair.