The Hackney Kestrels were a Speedway

Motorcycle speedway

Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...

 team which operated from 1984 until their closure in 1990 when the Crayford Kestrels

Crayford Kestrels

The Crayford Kestrels were a Speedway team which operated from 1968 until their closure in 1983 when they transferred the promotion to Hackney....

 transferred the promotion to Hackney

Hackney Wick Stadium

Hackney Wick Stadium, Waterden Road, in the London Borough of Hackney, was opened in 1932 and was mainly used for greyhound racing and speedway.In 1994, a £12M stand and restaurant was built and the stadium was renamed the London Stadium, Hackney...

.

In 1988 the Kestrels won the League Championship, winning twenty-six of their thirty league matches. The Kestrels also won the Knockout Cup, beating the Wimbledon Dons

Wimbledon Dons

The Wimbledon Dons were a professional motorcycle speedway team who operated from the Wimbledon Stadium, Plough Lane in London.The track opened in 1928 and the Dons operated there from 1929 until 1991. They were closed during the Second World War but upon their re-opening in 1946 there were 42,000...

 on aggregate in the final.

Notable riders

• Mark Loram
  Mark Loram
  Mark Roysten Gregory Loram is a former British motorcycle speedway rider who started his career with the Hackney Kestrels in 1987. He is a former World Speedway Champion. In March 2007 Loram broke his thigh and dislocated his arm whilst riding in the opening fixture of the British Elite League...
  
  
• Chris Louis
  Chris Louis (speedway rider)
  Christopher "Chris" Louis is an England international Speedway motorcycle rider who rides for the Ipswich Witches. He is the son of former Great Britain International John Louis who is the current promoter at Ipswich.-Career:...
  
  
• Barry Thomas
  Barry Thomas
  Barry John Thomas is a former motorcycle speedway rider. 'Thommo' is considered to be the most popular Hackney rider ever, staying at the Hackney Wick Stadium for over twenty years.-Career:...
  
  
• Andy Galvin
  Andy Galvin
  Andy Galvin was a speedway rider, most notable for his performances in the late 1980s and 1990 when he consistently appeared near the top of the UK National League averages.-Career Summary:...
  
  
• Steve Schofield
• Paul Whittaker
• Simon Wigg
  Simon Wigg
  Simon Wigg was a speedway, grasstrack and Longtrack rider who finished runner-up in the Speedway World Championship in 1989....
  
  
• Malcolm Simmons
  Malcolm Simmons
  Malcolm Simmons is a former speedway rider.-Career:He made his debut at Hackney Hawks in 1963 aged seventeen but was unable to break into the Hackney team regularly so moved to the newly re-opened West Ham Hammers for the 1964 season. In 1965 Simmons won a British League and British League...