Bradford Tudors/Odsal Tudors
Club information
Track addressOdsal Stadium
Rooley Lane
Odsal
Bradford
West Yorkshire
CountryEngland
Founded1950
Closed1960
replaced by
Bradford Panthers
LeagueNational League

The Odsal Tudors or Bradford Tudors were a motorcycle speedway team based at Odsal Stadium in Bradford from 1950 to 1960.[1][2]

History

At the end of July 1950 the Odsal Tudors replaced the Odsal Boomerangs. At the time it was said that the name change was due to the riders hating the Boomerang nickname, or maybe they believed that a change of name would herald a change of fortune following the events of 1 July. On 1 July 1950, 47-year-old Joe Abbott was killed instantly following a crash at Odsal Stadium in a league match against West Ham Hammers. After falling and hitting the safety fence he was hit by a rider behind. A second rider was killed on the same night in a division 2 fixture.[3]

The Tudors of 1951 repeated the feat of the Boomerangs of 1948 and finished bottom of the National League.[1][4][5]

One bright spot was Arthur Forrest, a local rider who was the product of the Monday night training school, finished third in the 1956 world final. With the decreasing attendances it was not a surprise that at the end of the 1956 season that it was announced that league racing would not be staged at Odsal in 1957.[1]

In 1957 former riders Oliver Hart, Ron Clarke and Ron Mason took over as promoters and staged a number of open meetings and when in August, the Birmingham Brummies withdrew from the National League as a result of internal speedway politics, Clarke and Mason took over their remaining fixtures riding as the Bradford (the Odsal name was dropped) Tudors.[1]

Season summary

Year and league Position Notes
1950 Speedway National League6threplaced the Odsal Boomerangs
1951 Speedway National League9th
1952 Speedway National League9th
1953 Speedway National League4th
1954 Speedway National League3rd
1955 Speedway National League4th
1956 Speedway National League7th
1957 Speedway National League7threturned mid-season replacing Birmingham Brummies

Notable riders

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Bamford, R & Jarvis J.(2001). Homes of British Speedway. ISBN 0-7524-2210-3
  2. ↑ "Bradford Speedway Odsal Stadium". Defunct Speedway. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  3. ↑ "Two Riders Killed". Weekly Dispatch (London). 2 July 1950. Retrieved 23 August 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. ↑ "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - POST-WAR ERA (1946-1964)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  5. ↑ Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 129. ISBN 0-904584-45-3.
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