I visited the Hull Cycle Speedway Club‘s weekly training session on 11th May at the Hessle Racetrack. Derek Hilton, the Chair, very kindly showed me round and provided material about Cycle Speedway in Hull and the UK.

Cycle Speedway was born in the postwar period as young people built their own bikes and used bomb craters to race each other in an approximation of motorcycle speedway racing. (Veterans of this era still keep in touch via their Association). Known as the “Skid Kids” their sport initially thrived, especially in badly hit areas such as Hull; but the re-imposition of National Service reduced the cohort and many bombsites were then used to rebuild housing and industry.

In Hull and other places, Cycle Speedway became popular again in the 1970s. It is a highly competitive, sociable sport, with 36 teams currently existing nationally. Members travel around the country to compete (and even abroad – Cycle Speedway is very popular in Poland). In the Hull clubs of the 1970s, this was by group minibus; but now people travel individually by car and meet at the track. There were up to nine clubs in the 1970s Hull area, none actually called “Hull Cycle Speedway”, names included the “Anlaby Aces”. The current Hull club and its officers have won a number of awards for services to sport and the community.

Cycle Speedway bikes are highly distinctive. In Hull they are mostly owned by the club, as without brakes the bikes cannot legally be ridden on the road. The club’s bikes are customised bikes bought from the specialist provider Archie Wilkinson.