Glasgow Tigers (speedway): Difference between revisions
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* [http://www.kauko.co.uk Kauko Nieminen Website] |
* [http://www.kauko.co.uk Kauko Nieminen Website] |
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* [http://www.theglaswegian.co.uk/glasgow-sport/glasgow-tigers/ Glasgow Tigers News / Interviews and Rider Blogs from theGlaswegian.co.uk] |
* [http://www.theglaswegian.co.uk/glasgow-sport/glasgow-tigers/ Glasgow Tigers News / Interviews and Rider Blogs from theGlaswegian.co.uk] |
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*[http://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/glasgow |
*[http://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/glasgow.html 1946 - 1954 statistics] |
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==References== |
==References== |
Revision as of 11:45, 25 February 2012
Glasgow Tigers | |||||||||||||||||||
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Club information | |||||||||||||||||||
Track address | Saracen Park Ashfield Stadium Possilpark Glasgow | ||||||||||||||||||
Country | Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||
Founded | 1928 | ||||||||||||||||||
Team manager | Stewart Dickson | ||||||||||||||||||
Team captain | Joe Screen | ||||||||||||||||||
League | Premier League | ||||||||||||||||||
Website | Official site Unofficial site | ||||||||||||||||||
Club facts | |||||||||||||||||||
Colours | Red and White | ||||||||||||||||||
Track size | 319 metres (pre 2011 302 meters) | ||||||||||||||||||
Track record time | 58.0 seconds (pre 2011 56.2) | ||||||||||||||||||
Track record date | 21 August 2011 (pre 2011 8 August 2009) | ||||||||||||||||||
Track record holder | Richard Lawson (pre 2011 Shane Parker) | ||||||||||||||||||
Current team | |||||||||||||||||||
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The Glasgow Tigers are a motorcycle speedway team from Glasgow, Scotland. Formed in 1928, the club adopted the Tigers nickname in 1946 and compete in the British Premier League. The team race at Saracen Park, the home of Ashfield F.C., and celebrated their 60th anniversary in 2006.
Brief history
Glasgow Speedway was formed in 1928 and were initially based at the White City stadium on Paisley Road West in Ibrox, Glasgow (close to Rangers F.C.'s Ibrox Stadium). Other venues were also operating open meetings around this time at Carntyne Greyhound Stadium, Celtic Park and Nelson Athletic Grounds in the Gallowgate area of the city. White City had been built in 1928 as a greyhound track and hosted speedway in the 1930 and 1931 Northern League and the 1939 Open/ACU Trophy. White City staged meetings from 1928 until 1931 and again from 1939 (Glasgow Lions) to 1940 and finally in 1945.[1]
The Tigers raced at White City intermittently (1946 until 1954, 1956, and 1964 until 1968) before moving to Hampden Park in 1969 after the White City stadium was demolished to make way for the M8 motorway through Glasgow. Johnnie Hoskins was the promoter in 1945 and he handed the role over to his son Ian who promoted from 1946 to 1953. The track promoted two meetings staged in 1954 and ex-Tigers Tommy Miller and Junior Bainbridge were responsible for a short-lived venture in 1956. Trevor Redmond, in concert with the Hoskins family, reopened the track at White City in 1964 and rode for the Tigers that season before finally retiring as a rider. He continued as promoter until 1967.
In 1973 the club moved to Coatbridge and became the Coatbridge Tigers, riding at Cliftonhill, home of Albion Rovers F. C.. The Tigers remained there until they moved to Blantyre in the middle of the 1977 season and re-introduced the name Glasgow Tigers. The Tigers rode in two stadiums in Blantyre, firstly at Blantyre Sports Stadium which was a greyhound stadium. The bends at this track were unusual; the first and second bends were sweeping whilst the third and fourth were pointed giving the track an egg-shape. This stadium was demolished in advance of the construction of the East Kilbride Expressway and the Tigers moved in 1982 to Craighead Park. The track at Craighead Park was shoe-horned into a football stadium but was a more traditional oval shape.
In 1987 the Tigers moved to Derwent Park in Workington and although they started the year named as Glasgow, they were renamed Workington Tigers for the rest of what was an uncompleted season. This was the only time in the team's history that they have been based in England. In 1988, the club returned to Glasgow when they moved into Shawfield Stadium, Rutherglen. The Tigers achieved a 'double double' feat in 1993 and 1994, winning both the Premier League Championship and Knockout Cup in consecutive years. The tigers remained at Shawfield with the exception of the 1996 season when the poorly supported Scottish Monarchs rode there in top flight speedway. In 1999 the club moved to its current home at the Ashfield Stadium in Possilpark when the speedway track replaced an old greyhound racing track.[2]
Prior to the 2011 season the club embarked on significant changes to the Ashfield track, extending its length by 17 meters on the inside, but more significantly widening the bends and increasing the banking, especially on bends three and four, opening up new racing lines in an effort to up the entertainment value of the meetings. Therefore the final track record for the 302 meter track was 56.2s by Shane Parker on 8 August 2009.
The Tigers won their first Premier League title in October 2011.
2012 Team
2011 Team
Also Rode:
- Josh Grajczonek (Broken Femur)
- Christian Henry (Broken Collarbone)
2010 Team
Also Rode:
2009 Team
- James Grieves
- Josh Grajczonek
- William Lawson
- Mitchell Davey
- Anders Andersen
- Sandi Conda
- Shane Parker
2008 Team
- Shane Parker
- Trent Leverington
- Robert Ksiezak
- Mitchell Davey
- Josh Grajczonek
- Lee Dicken
- Anders Andersen
Also Rode:
2007 Team
Also Rode:
2006 Team
Notable former riders
STARs Hall Of Fame
- Steve Lawson - Inducted 2011
- Jimmy McMillan - Inducted 2011
- James Grieves - Inducted 2011
- Shane Parker - Inducted 2012
Other Notable Riders
- Bobby Beaton
- Jimmy Beaton
- Joe Crowther
- Charlie Monk
- Merv Janke
- Tommy Miller
- Egon Müller
- Ken McKinlay
- Junior (Ron) Bainbridge
- Robert Nagy
- Mick Powell
- Jason Lyons
- Shane Bowes
- Nigel Crabtree
- David Walsh
- Sean Courtney
- Jesper Olsen
- Kenny McKinna
- Les Collins
- Will Beveridge
Club honours
British (Premier) League
Champions: 1993, 1994, 2011 [3]
British League Knock Out Cup
Winners: 1993, 1994 [3]
Premier League Pairs
Champions: 2005, 2006, 2011 [3]
National Series
Winners: 1990 [3]
External links
- Glasgow Speedway Official Website
- Glasgow Speedway Unofficial Website
- Shane Parker Website
- Kauko Nieminen Website
- Glasgow Tigers News / Interviews and Rider Blogs from theGlaswegian.co.uk
- 1946 - 1954 statistics
References
- ^ Bamford, R & Jarvis J.(2001). Homes of British Speedway. ISBN 0-7524-2210-3
- ^ Henry, J. & Moultray, I. (2001). Speedway in Scotland. ISBN 0-7524-2229-4
- ^ a b c d
Oakes, P (2006). Speedway Star Almanac. Pinegen Ltd. ISBN 0-9552376-1-0.
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