Hastings Saxons
| Hastings Saxons | |
|---|---|
| Club information | |
| Track address | The Pilot Field Elphinstone Road Hastings East Sussex |
| Country | England |
| Founded | 1948 |
| Closed | 1949 |
| Team manager | Charles Dugard |
| Club facts | |
| Colours | Red and White |
| Track size | 388 yards (355 m) |
| Track record time | 71.0 seconds |
| Track record date | 1948 |
| Track record holder | Wally Green |
Hastings Saxons were a British motorcycle speedway team which operated for two years between 1948 and 1949 at the Pilot Field in Hastings.[1][2]
History
[edit]
At the end of 1947, the Eastbourne Eagles were forced to close down due to a petrol ban enforced at their Arlington Stadium. They decided to transfer their team to Hastings and at the beginning of 1948 the Speedway Control Board granted a licence to Hastings to stage speedway. They entered the National League Division Three under the management of ex-Wimbledon rider Charles Dugard. In their first meeting at their track at Pilot Field, approximately 5,000 people saw Hastings beat Stoke 44–39.[3]
Hastings finished the 1948 league season in a mid table position in sixth place.[4] They completed the 1949 season in a similar mid table position (8th).[5][6] At the end of 1949, Hastings were forced to close after a group residents living near to the track took legal action to prevent further racing. The residents claimed that the noise from the speedway motorcycles was a public nuisance.[7] An appeal by Hastings Speedways Ltd in January 1950 was unsuccessful.[8]
The Pilot Field is still in use by football team Hastings United.
Notable riders
[edit]Season summary
[edit]| Year and league | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 Speedway National League Division Three | 6th | |
| 1949 Speedway National League Division Three | 8th |
References
[edit]- ^ Jacobs, Norman (2006). 75 Years of Eastbourne Speedway. NPI Media Group. ISBN 0-7524-3751-8.
- ^ "Hastings Speedway". Defunct Speedway. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ^ "The early days". Hastings Saxons Speedway. 2007. Retrieved 21 April 2008.
- ^ "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ^ "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - POST-WAR ERA (1946-1964)". Official British Speedway website. Archived from the original on 11 August 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ^ Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 129. ISBN 0-904584-45-3.
- ^ "Closure". Hastings Saxons Speedway. 2007. Retrieved 21 April 2008.
- ^ "Speedway Appeal to be heard". Liverpool Daily Post. 4 January 1950. Retrieved 4 January 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.