Country England Closed 1939 | Founded 1935 League National League | |
Track address Hackney Wick Stadium
Waterden Road
Hackney
London Team captain Dicky Case
Frank Hodgson | ||
Hackney Wick Wolves speedway opened in 1935 at Hackney Wick Stadium, Waterden Road, London, and operated until the outbreak of World War II in 1939.
Contents
History
The Walthamstow Wolves closed at the end of the 1934 season and the team moved into Hackney Stadium. The first meeting was held on 26 April 1935 although the first official meeting was a week later on 3 May when Hackney lost to the New Cross Lambs in the National League.
On 15 May 1936, Hackney rider Dusty Haigh died from a broken skull in a crash at the track after falling whilst in the lead and being struck by another rider's machine.
Captain Dicky Case qualified for the first ever Speedway World Championship final at Wembley in 1936, but decided to retire at the end of the 1937 season.
Crowds were not large enough to support top level speedway so, in 1938, Hackney swapped licenses with the Bristol Bulldogs and dropped down to the second tier. This meant the big name stars at the Wick went too. However, the Wolves won the National League Division II Championship that season.
Hackney stadium did not host speedway again immediately after the Second World War until 1963 when the Hackney Hawks were founded.