Rochdale Hornets (speedway)

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Rochdale Hornets
Club information
Track addressAthletic Grounds
Milnrow Road
Rochdale
CountryEngland
Founded1928, 1970
Closed1930, 1971
Club facts
Coloursyellow and black
Track size441 yards (403 m)

The Rochdale Hornets were a British speedway team from Rochdale in the north west of England.

History[edit]

They were founded in 1928 and competed in the inaugural season of British Speedway in 1929 but closed in 1930.[1][2][3]

In 1970, they were reformed by the promotion from the Belle Vue Aces to give their junior riders a chance to progress when they moved their Belle Vue Colts team to the stadium under the control of Dent Oliver.[4]

The team arrived in 1970 but moved on to Ellesmere Port at the end of the 1971 season. The track was not a good shape and proved to be unpopular with supporters. The safety fence was unusual in that it was made of steel plates supported on wire ropes. The most famous rider to progress from the Hornets was 1976 World Champion Peter Collins.[5]

Season summary[edit]

Year and league Position Notes
1929 Speedway English Dirt Track League 6th
1970 British League Division Two season 3rd
1971 British League Division Two season 9th

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  2. ^ Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 129. ISBN 0-904584-45-3.
  3. ^ "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - PRE-WAR ERA (1929-1939)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  4. ^ Bamford, R & Jarvis J. (2001). Homes of British Speedway. ISBN 0-7524-2210-3
  5. ^ Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). A History of the World Speedway Championship. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-2402-5