| Hackney Hawks | |||
|---|---|---|---|
) | |||
| Club information | |||
| Track address | Hackney Wick Stadium Waterden Road Hackney London | ||
| Country | England | ||
| Founded | 1963 | ||
| Closed | 1983 | ||
| League | Provincial League/British League | ||
| Website | www | ||
| Club facts | |||
| Colours | Red & blue quarters with gold sash/ Yellow Hawk on Blue and White Check | ||
| Track size | 345 yards (315 m) | ||
| Major team honours | |||
| |||
Hackney Hawks speedway opened in 1963 at Hackney Wick Stadium, Waterden Road, London and operated until 1983.
Early days
Originally opened by Mike Parker, the team joined the Provincial League in 1963.[1] The promotion was then sold to Len Silver who was the club's promoter for the next twenty seasons.[2] The riders and track staff marched onto the track to the sound of the theme tune of the film The Magnificent Seven and that tune inspires more memories for Hackney Hawks fans than anything else. The Hawks were closely linked with sister track the Rayleigh Rockets and latterly the Rye House Rockets.[3]
In 1971 Hackney won their only major honour when they beat Cradley Heath Heathens to win the British League Knockout Cup.
The Hackney Hawks name was revived in 2011 in the National League as a joint promotion between the promotions at Lakeside and Rye House with the Hawks home matches being divided between the two parent tracks
Vic Harding
In June 1979, popular Hawk Vic Harding was killed whilst racing for the team. A Vic Harding Memorial Trophy meeting was held in his memory every season after his death, and was in fact the final meeting that Len Silver ran at Waterden Road in 1983.
Closure
In 1984 the promotion was sold and the promotion from Crayford moved their Kestrels team into the stadium and became known as the Hackney Kestrels.[4]
Notable Hackney Riders
See also
- Hackney Wick Wolves
- Hackney Kestrels
- London Lions
References
- ^ Rogers, Martin (1963) "Hackney Hawks Here to Stay?", Speedway Star, 1 June 1963, p. 16
- ^ Fenn, C.(2003). Hackney Speedway, Friday at Eight. ISBN 0-7524-2737-7
- ^ Jacobs, Norman (2001). Speedway in London. ISBN 0-7524-2221-9
- ^ Bamford, R & Jarvis J.(2001). Homes of British Speedway. ISBN 0-7524-2210-3