The track opened in 1928 and staged a few meetings during the early war years.
Meetings were staged in 1945 but the Hammers re-opened in 1946 and ran until 1955.[2] However dwindling crowds saw the promotion close. It did not re-open until 1964. The West Ham team were the inaugural winners of the British League in 1965, under a promotion fronted by former rider Tommy Price. Dave Lanning became promoter in 1966, and West Ham ran for a further six seasons until 1971 when they were informed that the stadium was being sold by the Greyhound Racing Association to make way for building development. The Romford Bombers moved into the stadium for the 1972 season, racing under the name West Ham Bombers.[3][4][5]
As the original West Ham team folded in the speedway British League Division One, at the end of the 1971 season, the prospect of racing at the famous Custom House Stadium, albeit with a "nomad" team, delighted the local populace, and attendances at Custom House for the Bombers were very healthy. However, uncertainty dogged the promotion, with always the prospect of the stadium being sold from underneath them at short notice, and after just 6 home meetings (with the Bombers maintaining a healthy league position), the plug was pulled and the last speedway meeting at West Ham Stadium was held on 23 May 1972, with West Ham .v. Hull. The West Ham Bombers lost the match 38-40, with the last league race (heat 13) won by Hull's Tony Childs. West Ham's Kevin Holden was the winner of the last race, the second-half Finale, to finally complete a long and sad disintegration of the sport at one of the world's most famous venues. The stadium was demolished later that year and the site redeveloped for housing. The roads on the new estate were all named after former West Ham riders, mostly from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s.
Riders
"Top 20"
The top twenty West Ham riders as voted in Speedway '72 magazine published in 1972.
^"BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - PRE-WAR ERA (1929-1939)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
^"BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - POST-WAR ERA (1946-1964)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
External links
West Ham Hammers website
June 18, 2023
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Not to be confused with West Ham United F C The West Ham Hammers were a speedway team first promoted by Jimmy Baxter in 1929 1 West Ham HammersWest Ham Speedway Badge circa 1938Club informationTrack addressWest Ham StadiumPrince Regent LaneLondonCountryEnglandFounded1929Closed1972WebsiteWest Ham websiteClub factsColoursClaret and Blue with white crossed hammersTrack size440 yards 400 m 1929 1964 415 yards 379 m 1964 1971 Track record time0 17 6 one lap 1 10 2 four laps Track record date1967 one lap Easter Monday 1969 four laps Track record holderKen McKinlay Sverre Harrfeldt one lap Ray Wilson four laps Major team honoursNational League Champions1937British League Champions1965Knockout Cup Winners1965ACU Cup Winners1938Coronation Gold Cup Best Pairs1937London Cup Winners1965 1966 1967 Contents 1 History 2 Riders 2 1 Top 20 3 Season summary 4 References 5 External linksHistory EditThey operated from the West Ham Stadium until the outbreak of World War II under several different promotions most successfully under the control of Johnnie Hoskins The track opened in 1928 and staged a few meetings during the early war years Meetings were staged in 1945 but the Hammers re opened in 1946 and ran until 1955 2 However dwindling crowds saw the promotion close It did not re open until 1964 The West Ham team were the inaugural winners of the British League in 1965 under a promotion fronted by former rider Tommy Price Dave Lanning became promoter in 1966 and West Ham ran for a further six seasons until 1971 when they were informed that the stadium was being sold by the Greyhound Racing Association to make way for building development The Romford Bombers moved into the stadium for the 1972 season racing under the name West Ham Bombers 3 4 5 As the original West Ham team folded in the speedway British League Division One at the end of the 1971 season the prospect of racing at the famous Custom House Stadium albeit with a nomad team delighted the local populace and attendances at Custom House for the Bombers were very healthy However uncertainty dogged the promotion with always the prospect of the stadium being sold from underneath them at short notice and after just 6 home meetings with the Bombers maintaining a healthy league position the plug was pulled and the last speedway meeting at West Ham Stadium was held on 23 May 1972 with West Ham v Hull The West Ham Bombers lost the match 38 40 with the last league race heat 13 won by Hull s Tony Childs West Ham s Kevin Holden was the winner of the last race the second half Finale to finally complete a long and sad disintegration of the sport at one of the world s most famous venues The stadium was demolished later that year and the site redeveloped for housing The roads on the new estate were all named after former West Ham riders mostly from the 1930s 1940s and 1950s Riders Edit Top 20 Edit The top twenty West Ham riders as voted in Speedway 72 magazine published in 1972 Bluey Wilkinson Jack Young Tiger Stevenson Tommy Croombs Bjorn Knutsson Arthur Atkinson Sverre Harrfeldt Eric Chitty Aub Lawson Ken McKinlay Christer Lofqvist Wally Green Malcolm Craven Gerry Hussey Norman Hunter Colin Watson Jimmy Gibb Bob Harrison Charlie Spinks Denotes Speedway World ChampionSeason summary EditExtended contentYear and league Position Notes1929 Speedway Southern League 6th1930 Speedway Southern League 9th1931 Speedway Southern League 3rd1932 Speedway National League 6th1933 Speedway National League 3rd1934 Speedway National League 4th1935 Speedway National League 3rd1936 Speedway National League 7th1937 Speedway National League 1st champions1938 Speedway National League 2nd A C U Cup winners1938 Speedway National League Division Two 4th reserve team West Ham Hawks1939 Speedway National League 4th 1946 Speedway National League 6th1947 Speedway National League 6th1948 Speedway National League 3rd1949 Speedway National League 4th1950 Speedway National League 5th1951 Speedway National League 4th1952 Speedway National League 4th1953 Speedway National League 6th1954 Speedway National League 5th1955 Speedway National League 7th1964 Speedway National League 7th1965 British League season 1st champions amp Knockout Cup winners1966 British League season 7th1967 British League season 3rd1968 British League season 6th1969 British League season 18th1970 British League season 18th1971 British League season 19th 4th when league suspendedReferences Edit Bamford R amp Jarvis J 2001 Homes of British Speedway ISBN 0 7524 2210 3 Belton Brian 2003 Hammerin Round ISBN 0 7524 2438 6 Jacobs N Speedway in London ISBN 0 7524 2221 9 BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES PRE WAR ERA 1929 1939 Official British Speedway website Retrieved 14 August 2021 BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES POST WAR ERA 1946 1964 Official British Speedway website Retrieved 14 August 2021 External links EditAerial photograph of West Ham Stadium West Ham Hammers website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title West Ham Hammers amp oldid 1159260347, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
