Swindon Robins
| Swindon Robins | ||
 |
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| Club information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Track address | Abbey Stadium Blunsdon Swindon |
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| Country | England | |
| Founded | 1949 | |
| Team manager | Alun Rossiter | |
| Team captain | Hans Andersen | |
| League | Elite League | |
| Website | Official site | |
| Club facts | ||
| Colours | Red, White and Black. | |
| Track size | 363 metres | |
| Track record time | 63.86 seconds | |
| Track record date | 31st August 2009 | |
| Track record holder | Leigh Adams | |
| Current Team | ||
| Rider | CMA | |
 Hans Andersen |
8.18 | |
 Troy Batchelor |
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| Peter Kildemand |
6.98 | |
 Edward Kennett |
6.25 | |
| Nick Morris |
5.79 | |
 Kacper Gomolski |
3.90 | |
| Ashley Birks |
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| Total | TBC | |
| Major team honours | ||
| British League Champions National League Champions National League Div 2 Champions Premier League KO Cup Winners Elite League Pairs Champions Elite Shield Winners Elite League |
1967 1957 1956 2000 2004, 2005 2008, 2013 2012 |
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The Swindon Speedway team, also known as the Swindon Robins, are an English motorcycle speedway team established in 1949 that currently competes in the Elite League.
The club have raced on their home track at the Abbey Stadium, Lady Lane, Blunsdon since their inception. The formation of the club followed the sport's prehistory in the town at the now demolished Gorse Hill Aerodrome, where dirt track racing had taken place since 1928.[1]
Following difficult campaigns in 2010 and 2011, Swindon have signed Denmark's Peter Kildemand, former world #5 Hans Andersen and Australian international Troy Batchelor, who rode for the Robins in 2008 and part of the 2009 season. Alun Rossiter also returned as team manager after a 2 year spell with Coventry, with whom he won the Elite League in 2010. In 2012, the Robins won the Elite League title after beating the Poole Pirates 95-89 on aggregate following a 45 year wait for glory.
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History[edit]
The birth of the Robins was a product of the partnership of Bristol speedway manager Reg Witcomb and businessman Bert Hearse. Under their direction, a 410-yard (370 m) cinder track was built.[2]
The first meeting, a non-league home challenge match, took place on the 23 July 1949 against future rivals Oxford, and an official attendance figure of 8,000 was given, although employees of the club believe that 10,000 would be closer to the truth. The Robins lost their debut meeting 39-45 in a meeting that saw Ginger Nicholls top score for the home side with 11 points on his wedding day. In the process he won the first ever race, was beaten by an opponent only once, and set the first ever track record at 82.8 seconds.[3]
2010 Team[edit]
Thomas H. Jonasson
Leigh Adams
Grzegorz Zengota
Mads Korneliussen
Simon Stead- Morten Risager
- Cory Gathercole (Doubling Up)
- Jordan Frampton (Doubling Up)
- Steve Boxall (No 8)
- Maciej Janowski
2009 Team[edit]
- Leigh Adams
Matej Zagar- Simon Stead
- Travis McGowan
- Morten Risager
- Paul Hurry
- Mark Lemon (DU)
Ryan Fisher (DU)- Cory Gathercole (DU / No. 8)
Also Rode:
(DU) Riders doubling-up between Premier and Elite League
2008 Team[edit]
- Leigh Adams
- Travis McGowan
- James Wright
- Troy Batchelor
Jurica Pavlic- Mads Korneliussen
Manuel Hauzinger- Cory Gathercole (No.8)
Also Rode:
Theo Pijper- Sebastian Aldén
- Joel Parsons (as No.8)
2007 Team[edit]
- Leigh Adams
- Sebastian Ułamek
- Charlie Gjedde
- Lee Richardson
- Tomasz Chrzanowski
- Damian Baliński
- Andrew Moore
- Cory Gathercole (No.8)
Also Rode:
2006 Team[edit]
- Leigh Adams
- Sebastian Aldén
- Mads Korneliussen
- Lee Richardson
- Tomasz Chrzanowski
- Sebastian Ułamek
- Adrian Miedziński
- Ritchie Hawkins
Renat Gafurov
Club honours[edit]
British League[edit]
Champions: 1967
National League[edit]
Champions: 1957
National League Division Two[edit]
Champions: 1956
Elite League Pairs Championship[edit]
- 2004 (Leigh Adams and Charlie Gjedde)
- 2005 (Leigh Adams and Lee Richardson)
Premier League KO Cup[edit]
Winners : 2000
Premier League Four-Team Championship[edit]
Winners : 2003
British League Division Two Best Pairs[edit]
Winners : 1994 (Tony Olsson and Tony Langdon)
Young Shield[edit]
Winners : 2000
Midland Cup[edit]
Winners : 1967, 1968, 1994
Elite Shield[edit]
Winners : 2008
Elite League[edit]
Champions: 2012
Individual Honours[edit]
World Champion[edit]
- Barry Briggs (1964 and 1966)
World Under-21 Champion[edit]
- Peter Nahlin (1988)
- Leigh Adams (1992)
World Ice Speedway Champion[edit]
- Erik Stenlund (1988)
British Speedway Championship[edit]
- Barry Briggs (1964, 1965, 1966, 1967 & 1969)
- Steve Bastable (1981)
British League Riders' Championship[edit]
- Barry Briggs (1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970)[4]
British League Division Two Riders Championship[edit]
- Gary Allan (1993)
Swindon Robins All Time Points Scorers[edit]
| Rider | Total Points | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Leigh Adams | 6442.5 | 9.72 |
| Martin Ashby | 5476.5 | 8.61 |
| Phil Crump | 4254 | 9.52 |
| Mike Broadbank | 4239 | 7.84 |
| Bob Kilby | 4192 | 7.95 |
| Jimmy Nilsen | 3815 | 8.41 |
| Barry Briggs | 3681 | 10.71 |
| Ian Williams | 3452.5 | 7.54 |
| Brian Karger | 2754 | 7.60 |
| Neil Street | 1802.5 | 7.45 |
Notable Swindon riders[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Bamford, Robert; Shailes, Glynn (1999). 50 Years of Swindon Speedway. Bamford and Shailes.
- ^ Bamford, Robert; Shailes, Glynn (2002). Speedway In The Thames Valley. Stroud: Tempus. ISBN 0752424084.
- ^ Bamford, Robert (2005). Swindon Speedway: The Definitive History of the Robins. Stroud: Tempus. ISBN 0752427482.
- ^ Bamford, Robert; Shailes, Glynn (2003). 50 Greats: Swindon Speedway. Stroud: Tempus. ISBN 0752427482.
External links[edit]
- Official Swindon Speedway Website
- Save Swindon Speedway BBC Action Network
- James Wright official website
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