Swindon Robins

Swindon Robins
Club information
Track address Abbey Stadium
Blunsdon
Swindon
Country England
Founded 1949
Team manager Alun Rossiter
Team captain Jason Doyle
League Elite League
Website www.swindonrobins.co
Club facts
Colours Red, White and Black.
Track size 363 metres (397 yd)
Track record time 63.86 seconds
Track record date 31 August 2009
Track record holder Leigh Adams
Current team
Rider CMA
Australia Jason Doyle 9.91
Australia Nick Morris 7.04
AustraliaJosh Grajczonek 6.00
Australia Justin Sedgmen 4.94
Australia Rohan Tungate 4.64
England Charles Wright 4.13
England Stefan Nielsen 3.00
Total 39.66
Major team honours
British League Champions1967
National League Champions1957
National League Div 2 Champions1956
Premier League KO Cup Winners2000
Elite League Pairs Champions2004, 2005
Elite Shield Winners2008, 2013
Elite League2012
Midland Cup1967

The Swindon Speedway team, also known as the Swindon Robins, are an English motorcycle speedway team established in 1949 that currently competes in the Elite League.

The club have raced on their home track at the Abbey Stadium, Lady Lane, Blunsdon since their inception. The formation of the club followed the sport's prehistory in the town at the now demolished Gorse Hill Aerodrome, where dirt track racing had taken place since 1928.[1]

Following difficult campaigns in 2010 and 2011, Swindon have signed Denmark's Peter Kildemand, former world #5 Hans Andersen and Australian international Troy Batchelor, who rode for the Robins in 2008 and part of the 2009 season. Alun Rossiter also returned as team manager after a 2-year spell with Coventry, with whom he won the Elite League in 2010. In 2012, the Robins won the Elite League title after beating the Poole Pirates 95–89 on aggregate following a 45-year wait for glory. In 2013, 2014 and 2015, the Robins made the semi-finals of the playoffs, but failed to advance further. At the start of the 2015 season, Swindon Robins No 1 Adrian Miedziński was injured in the first meeting at the Abbey vs Poole Pirates, with Peter Kildemand filling in on a temporary basis before the club signed Australian international Darcy Ward. However, Ward suffered a career-ending accident while riding in Poland, and Kildemand once again stepped in to complete the season. The 2016 Swindon Robins team is nicknamed Roscos Roo's, because it contains 5 Australians in addition to the required 2 British reserves.

History

The Abbey Stadium, the home of Swindon Robins

The birth of the Robins was a product of the partnership of Bristol speedway manager Reg Witcomb and businessman Bert Hearse. Under their direction, a 410-yard (370 m) cinder track was built.[2]

The first meeting, a non-league home challenge match, took place on 23 July 1949 against future rivals Oxford, and an official attendance figure of 8,000 was given, although employees of the club believe that 10,000 would be closer to the truth. The Robins lost their debut meeting 39–45 in a meeting that saw Ginger Nicholls top score for the home side with 11 points on his wedding day. In the process he won the first-ever race, was beaten by an opponent only once, and set the first-ever track record at 82.8 seconds. A new stadium is to be built for the 2017 season [3]

2016 Team

2010 Team

2009 Team

Also Rode:

(DU) Riders doubling-up between Premier and Elite League

2008 Team

Also Rode:

2007 Team

Also Rode:

2006 Team

Club honours

British League

Champions: 1967

National League

Champions: 1957

National League Division Two

Champions: 1956

Elite League Pairs Championship

Premier League KO Cup

Winners : 2000

Premier League Four-Team Championship

Winners : 2003

British League Division Two Best Pairs

Winners : 1994 (Tony Olsson and Tony Langdon)

Young Shield

Winners : 2000

Midland Cup

Winners : 1967, 1968, 1994

Elite Shield

Winners : 2008

Elite League

Champions: 2012

Individual Honours

World Champion

World Under-21 Champion

World Ice Speedway Champion

British Speedway Championship

British League Riders' Championship

British League Division Two Riders Championship

Swindon Robins All Time Points Scorers

Rider Total Points Average
Leigh Adams 6442.5 9.72
Martin Ashby 5476.5 8.61
Phil Crump 4254 9.52
Mike Broadbank 4239 7.84
Bob Kilby 4192 7.95
Jimmy Nilsen 3815 8.41
Barry Briggs 3681 10.71
Ian Williams 3452.5 7.54
Brian Karger 2754 7.60
Neil Street 1802.5 7.45

Notable Swindon riders

References

  1. ↑ Bamford, Robert; Shailes, Glynn (1999). 50 Years of Swindon Speedway. Bamford and Shailes.
  2. ↑ Bamford, Robert; Shailes, Glynn (2002). Speedway In The Thames Valley. Stroud: Tempus. ISBN 0752424084.
  3. ↑ Bamford, Robert (2005). Swindon Speedway: The Definitive History of the Robins. Stroud: Tempus. ISBN 0752427482.
  4. ↑ Bamford, Robert; Shailes, Glynn (2003). 50 Greats: Swindon Speedway. Stroud: Tempus. ISBN 0752427482.
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