Plymouth Gladiators
Club information
Track addressPlymouth Coliseum
Coypool Road
Plymouth
PL7 4NW
CountryEngland
Founded1932
PromoterMark Phillips
Team managerGarry May
Team captainKyle Howarth
LeagueSGB Championship
Websitehttps://plymouth-speedway.com
Club facts
ColoursBlue, Yellow and Black
Track size216 metres
Track record time49.19 sec
Track record date12 May 2023
Track record holderBen Barker
Current team
Rider CMA
Italy Nico Covatti 7.82
England Ben Barker 7.41
England Kyle Newman 5.50
England Dan Thompson 4.86
England Alfie Bowtell 4.48
Australia Jacob Hook 4.00
England Joe Thompson 3.51
Total 37.58
Major team honours
tier 2 Fours Winners2016
tier 3 Knockout Cup Winners1952, 2008
tier 3 Pairs winners2010
Division 3 Trophy Winners2009

The Plymouth Gladiators are a speedway team in the British SGB Championship. Under several names Plymouth has competed during various seasons from 1932. The club was reformed after a gap of thirty-six years in 2006 by former St Austell Gulls rider Mike Bowden[1] In 2021 ,the club successfully applied to join the British second division, the SGB Championship. The team names included Tigers, Panthers, Devils and Bulldogs[2]

History

1932–1937

Plymouth's original home was Pennycross Stadium. As the Plymouth Tigers they competed in the first National League season in the 1932 Speedway National League.[3] The Tigers became the Panthers for the 1936 season and the stadium was used in 1937.

1947–1954

The stadium re-opened in 1947 when the Devils raced in the 1947 Speedway National League Division Three. Apart from short spells in the Second Division the team operated at this level until 1954. In 1952, the team achieved their first major success, winning the Division Three section of the National Trophy. They defeated Rayleigh Rockets in the final. [4] After another season in the Southern League (1953) they withdrew from the 1954 Speedway National League Division Two.[5][6]

1961–1969

The track re-opened for a couple of years in the 1961 Provincial Speedway League (as the Plymouth Bulldogs) and 1962. It re-opened in 1968 and had spells in the British League Division Two.

2006–present

Plymouth versus Oxford in 2007

Temporary planning permission was awarded for a new speedway track in 2006,[7] but in August 2007 the club was granted full planning permission.[8] During the 2006 Speedway Conference League the club finished first in the regular season table but lost in the play off final. Two years later in 2008 they repeated the feat of topping the table but once again lost in the playoffs. They did however gain consolation when winning the Conference League Knockout Cup. One year later they reached the play off final during the 2009 National League speedway season.

In 2011, the club moved up to division 2 and in 2014 they ran a junior side called the Devon Demons, previously the Demons had been the junior side for the Exeter Falcons.[9] They stayed in division 2 until 2017 when they dropped back down to division 3.

In 2019, they changed their name from the Devils to the Gladiators and in 2021 competed in the second division again, called the SGB Championship. In 2022, the club also ran a NDL side called the Centurions.[10]

Season summary

Extended content
Year and league Position Notes
1932 Speedway National League9thTigers
1933 Speedway National League9thTigers
1934 Speedway National League8thTigers
1936 Provincial Speedway League5thPanthers
1947 Speedway National League Division Three8thDevils
1948 Speedway National League Division Three7thDevils
1949 Speedway National League Division Three5thDevils
1950 Speedway National League Division Two9thDevils
1951 Speedway National League Division Three6thDevils
1952 Speedway Southern League3rdDevils, National Trophy (div 3) winners
1953 Speedway Southern League8thDevils
1954 Speedway National League Division TwoN/ADevils, withdrew
1961 Provincial Speedway League2ndBulldogs
1962 Provincial Speedway League6thDevils
1968 British League Division Two season4thDevils
1969 British League Division Two season15thDevils
2006 Speedway Conference League1stDevils, Play off final
2007 Speedway Conference League3rdDevils
2008 Speedway Conference League1stDevils, Play off semi final & Knockout Cup winners
2009 National League speedway season3rdDevils, Play off final
2010 National League speedway season6thDevils
2011 Premier League speedway season13thDevils
2012 Premier League speedway season13thDevils
2013 Premier League speedway season11thDevils
2014 Premier League speedway season9thDevils
2014 National League speedway season7thDemons (juniors)
2015 Premier League speedway season6thDevils
2016 Premier League speedway season12thDevils
2017 National League speedway season8thDevils
2018 National League speedway season7thDevils
2019 National Development League speedway season8thGladiators
SGB Championship 202110thGladiators
SGB Championship 20224thPlay off QF, Gladiators
2022 National Development League speedway season7thCenturions (juniors)
SGB Championship 20239thGladiators

Notable riders

Riders previous seasons

Extended content

2007 team

  • England Seemond Stephens
  • England Robert Smith
  • Wales Tom Brown
  • Wales Jamie Westacott
  • Denmark Nicki Glanz
  • England Tim Webster
  • England Ben Hopwood
  • England Billy Legg
  • England Adam Roynon
  • England Jaimie Pickard
  • England Russell Barnet

2008 team

  • England Seemond Stephens
  • England Mark Simmonds
  • England Ben Hopwood
  • Wales Tom Brown
  • England Kyle Hughes
  • Denmark Nicki Glanz
  • England Paul Starke
  • England Jaimie Pickard
  • England Danny Stoneman
  • England Jamie White-Williams

2009 team

2010 team

2013 team

2014 team

2015 team

2016 team

2018 team

  • England Ellis Perks
  • England Henry Atkins
  • England Tim Webster
  • England Richard Andrews
  • New Zealand Ryan Terry-Daley
  • England Kelsey Dugard
  • England Macauley Leek
  • Also rode
  • England Adam Sheppard
  • England Adam Roynon
  • England James Cockle
  • New Zealand Bradley Andrews

2019 team

2021 team

2022 team

Also Rode

References

  1. Bamford, Robert (1 March 2007). Tempus Speedway Yearbook 2007. NPI Media Group. ISBN 978-0-7524-4250-1.
  2. "Plymouth Speedway". Defunct Speedway. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  3. "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - PRE-WAR ERA (1929-1939)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  4. "1952 National Trophy". Speedway archive.
  5. Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 129. ISBN 0-904584-45-3.
  6. "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - POST-WAR ERA (1946-1964)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  7. "Speedway back on track". BBC. 6 January 2006. Retrieved 28 October 2007.
  8. "Bowden Delighted with Green Light". Plymouth Herald. 3 August 2007. Retrieved 28 October 2007.
  9. "Devon". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  10. "CENTURIONS ARE LAUNCHED". Official British Speedway website. 3 March 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
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