Bristol Bulldogs

The Bristol Bulldogs were a British motorcycle speedway team based at the Knowle Stadium, Bristol, England from 1928 to 1978.[1]

Bristol Bulldogs
Bulldog rider, possibly Phil Crump
Club information
Track addressKnowle Stadium
Wells Road
Knowle
Bristol
CountryEngland
Founded1928
Closed1978
LeagueProvincial League
National League
British League
Major team honours
Provincial League champions1937
National League Division Two1948, 1949, 1954
National Trophy (div 2) winners1949
Provincial Cup winners1960

History

The club was formed in 1928.[2] Their first trophy was the Provincial League title in 1937.[3] The track operated a season of challenge matches in 1946 with the team known as Ex-Bristol. They competed in the National League Division Two from 1947. The team was promoted to National League Division One in 1950 after back to back Championship titles. The Division One Bulldogs team featured most of the Division Two men and as a result they reverted to Division Two for the 1954 season.[1][4]

Bristol's team of 1949 has a rare record in that it whitewashed the visiting Glasgow Tigers 70 -14 in a fourteen heat National League fixture.[5]

The Bulldogs were founder members of the Provincial League, winning the Provincial League Knockout Cup, but the track closed for the site to be re-developed and the team operated out of Plymouth for 1961 as Plymouth Bulldogs.[5][6]

Speedway returned to Bristol at Eastville Stadium in 1977, in what was effectively the Newport Wasps team becoming the Bristol Bulldogs for one season. The track also operated in 1978 and crowds of 7,000+ were averaged in both 1977 and 1978, far larger than most clubs. The track size was 390 metres and visiting teams disliked the sandy surface that also cut into the Bristol Rovers football pitch. After the 1978 British League season the track was closed due to planning matters.[7]

A year or two after closing a Bristol Select team rode at Birmingham (for legal reasons they could not use the Bulldogs name). Over 1,000 Bristol speedway fans travelled up to Birmingham, such was their love for the sport. Stars of the former team included Australian Phil Crump, father of world champion Jason Crump.[1]

In February 2010, Bristol Speedway Ltd lodged a pre-application for planning permission to build a Speedway track on the former Shell Tankers site, Avonmouth, Bristol and on 15 October 2012, they re-submitted a pre-application for a new Speedway track and Moto Cross track at Avonmouth, Bristol. In 2017, plans were being worked on bringing the Bulldogs team back on the track in 2018 in a series of away challenge meetings.

Season summary
Year and league Position Notes
1936 Provincial Speedway League2nd
1937 Provincial Speedway League1stchampions
1938 Speedway National League7th
1939 Speedway National League5th++ when league was suspended
1947 Speedway National League Division Two6th
1948 Speedway National League Division Two1stchampions
1949 Speedway National League Division Two1stchampions & National Trophy (div 2) winners
1950 Speedway National League7th
1951 Speedway National League6th
1952 Speedway National League8th
1953 Speedway National League9th
1954 Speedway National League Division Two1stchampions
1960 Provincial Speedway League3rdProvincial Cup winners
1977 British League season12that Eastville Stadium
1978 British League season9that Eastville Stadium

Notable riders

See also

List of defunct motorcycle speedway teams in the United Kingdom

References
  1. Bamford, R & Jarvis J.(2001). Homes of British Speedway. ISBN 0-7524-2210-3
  2. "Bristol Speedway". Defunct Speedway. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  3. "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  4. Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 129. ISBN 0-904584-45-3.
  5. Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2003) Bristol Bulldogs Speedway, NPI Media Group. ISBN 0-7524-2865-9
  6. "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - POST-WAR ERA (1946-1964)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  7. "Timelines take a moment". Speedway Star page 47. 26 November 2022.
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