Hull Vikings Explained

Clubname:Hull Vikings
Track:The Boulevard Stadium
and Craven Park
Hull
Country:England
Founded:1971
Closed:2005
Manager:Eric Boocock
Captain:Paul Thorp
League:Premier
Colours:Blue and White
Tracksize:346m (1,135feet)
Track Record Time:64.4 seconds[1]
Track Record Date:30 June 2004
Track Record Holder:Magnus Karlsson
Year1:2004
Honour2:Premier League KO Cup
Year2:2001, 2004
Year3:2004
Honour4:Inter League Fours Winners
Year4:1979

The Hull Vikings were a speedway team from Hull, England, who operated from 1971 to 2005, primarily from The Boulevard (stadium) and Craven Park.[2] [3]

History

1948 to 1949

The team originated as the Hull Angels and were based at Hedon Stadium in Hedon on the outskirts of Hull between 1948 and mid-1949.[4] Their inaugural league season was in the 1948 Speedway National League Division Three where they finished 9th.[5] [6] On 27 August 1949, the Angels raced their last match at home to Liverpool Chads and then after one more away match they withdrew from the league to be replaced by Swindon Robins.[7] [8] The speedway promotion applied, without success, to Hull City FC to see if they could use their old Anlaby Road ground.[9]

1971 to 2005

In 1971, promoter Ian Thomas brought speedway back to Hull, when the Vikings began to race at the Boulevard Stadium, a 380m (1,250feet) circumference track. The initial plan to call the team the Hull Kestrels was scrapped.[10]

The Vikings raced during the 1971 British League Division Two season. The Boulevard was famous as the long time home of Rugby Football League team Hull FC. During the years of racing at The Boulevard, the Vikings had the dubious distinction of being the last league speedway team ever to appear at the famous West Ham Stadium, on 23 May 1972, when they beat the closing West Ham Hammers 40–38. The team raced at the Boulevard for 11 seasons[11] and in 1978 they signed the legendary New Zealander Ivan Mauger, a five times world champion at the time. The team finished third in the league during 1978 and then finished second the following season, during the 1979 British League season.[12] The 1979 season also saw Mauger become the world champion for a record sixth time.[13] Promotional changes, falling crowds and financial problems eventually saw the Vikings demise after the 1981 season.

On 5 April 1995, speedway came back to Hull, this time at Craven Park, the home of the city's other rugby league team, Hull Kingston Rovers.[14] The 346m (1,135feet) long speedway track ran inside the greyhound racing track.

Although the Vikings have raced in speedway's top flight, the Elite League in 1999, it was in the Premier League where they enjoyed the most success, racing to the treble in 2004. By becoming Premier League Champions, holders of the Knockout Cup and the Craven Shield, the team became the most successful sporting team in Hull's history, in terms of awards. However, just one year later, in 2005, the club was forced to close its doors due to a spate of financial problems.[15] Although potential new owners have been mooted, the team remains homeless.

The prospect of speedway returning to Hull would require a new venue to be built as The Boulevard was closed in 2009 and demolished in 2010 while Craven Park was redeveloped after the Vikings departure with the speedway track removed and the ground becoming a rectangular sports venue suited to rugby league.

Season summary

width=350Year and leaguewidth=50Positionwidth=350Notes
9th as Hull Angels
N/A replaced by Swindon Robins
6th
8th
12th
16th
14th
12th
14th
3rd
2nd
12th
12th
16th
7th
9th
4th
7th
3rd
2nd Knockout Cup div 2 winners
5th
18th
1st champions & Knockout Cup div 2 winners
13th

Notable riders

World Champions who rode for the Vikings in the 1970s included New Zealanders Ivan Mauger and Barry Briggs, along with Egon Müller from West Germany who rode a single season in Hull in 1976. While Mauger and Briggs had already won World Championships before joining Hull, Müller would not win the title until 1983, though like Mauger he was a World Long Track Champion having won the title in 1974 and 1975.

Notes and References

  1. Book: Oakes, P . Speedway Star Almanac . Pinegen Ltd . 2006 . 0-9552376-1-0.
  2. Web site: Hull Speedway (Craven Park) . Defunct Speedway Tracks. 25 August 2021 .
  3. Web site: Hull Speedway (Boulevard) . Defunct Speedway Tracks. 25 August 2021 .
  4. Web site: Hull Speedway (Hedon) . Defunct Speedway Tracks. 25 August 2021 .
  5. Web site: BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES – POST-WAR ERA (1946–1964). Official British Speedway website. 25 August 2021.
  6. Web site: Year by Year. Speedway Researcher. 25 August 2021.
  7. Web site: 1949 season . Speedway Researcher . 4 January 2024.
  8. News: Hull Speedway . Hull Daily Mail . 3 September 1949 . 4 January 2024 . British Newspaper Archive. subscription .
  9. News: Grimsby will miss Hull Speedway . Grimsby Daily Telegraph . 5 September 1949 . 4 January 2024 . British Newspaper Archive. subscription .
  10. News: Speedway team will be Hull Kestrels . Hull Daily Mail . 23 January 1971 . 4 May 2024. British Newspaper Archive. subscription .
  11. Book: Rogers, Martin. The Illustrated History of Speedway. 1978. 129. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. 0-904584-45-3.
  12. Web site: British League Tables – British League Era (1965–1990). Official British Speedway website. 25 August 2021.
  13. Book: Bott, Richard. The Peter Collins Speedway Book No.4. 1980. 22. Stanley Paul & Co Ltd. 0-09-141751-1.
  14. Book: Bamford, R. . Jarvis . J. . 2001 . Homes of British Speedway . 0-7524-2210-3.
  15. Web site: Hull Speedway (New Craven Park) . Defunct Speedway . 25 June 2024.