Rochdale Hornets (speedway)
Encyclopedia
The Rochdale Hornets were a British speedway
team from Rochdale
in the north west of England
. They were founded in 1928 and competed in the inuaugural season of British Speedway in 1929 but closed in 1930. 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
.
The team arrived in 1970 but moved on to Ellesmere Port at then end of the 1972 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
.
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 from Rochdale
Rochdale
Rochdale is a large market town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the foothills of the Pennines on the River Roch, north-northwest of Oldham, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester. Rochdale is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan...
in the north west of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. They were founded in 1928 and competed in the inuaugural season of British Speedway in 1929 but closed in 1930. In 1970, they were reformed by the promotion from the Belle Vue Aces
Belle Vue Aces
The Belle Vue Aces are a British speedway team from Manchester in the north west of England.-Brief history:Racing first took place in 1928 at the Belle Vue greyhound stadium in Kirkmanshulme Lane before moving the following year to a specially built stadium nearby on Hyde Road. The club raced there...
to give their junior riders a chance to progress when they moved their Belle Vue Colts
Belle Vue Colts
The Belle Vue Colts are the junior youth development team of the Belle Vue Aces, the World's most famous motorcycle speedway team, based in Manchester in the northwest of England....
team to the stadium under the control of Dent Oliver
Dent Oliver
John Walter Denton Oliver was a former international speedway who qualified for the Speedway World Championship finals three times.-Career summary:...
.
The team arrived in 1970 but moved on to Ellesmere Port at then end of the 1972 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
Speedway World Championship
The World Championship of Speedway is an international competition between the highest ranked motorcycle speedway riders of the world. Today, it is organised as a series of Speedway Grand Prix events, where points are awarded according to performance in the event and tallied up at the end of each...
Peter Collins
Peter Collins (speedway rider)
Peter Spencer Collins MBE is a former Speedway rider who spent his whole career with the Belle Vue Aces, the team he supported as a child...
.