Stoxnet

Leicester

Setting the co-ordinates of our stock car racing time machine.

Location - Parker Drive, Blackbird Road, Leicester.

Year - Any between 1954-1956, 1962, 1963 and between 1974 & 1984.

Specifics - Third Saturday of the month April to October 7.15pm.

This was the regular race night during its prolonged final 10 year running, following on a Midlands duo of sister track Coventry (first Saturday of the month) and Long Eaton, the second Saturday.

The stadium itself opened in 1928 for Greyhound Racing and Speedway, which were the staple diet for race fans until it opened its doors for stock car racing in 1954.

Midland Sports Stadiums boss, Alan Sanderson had bought Leicester Stadium in 1950 to add to his portfolio of stadia at Lythalls Lane, Coventry, Brandon Stadium and West Ham Stadium.

Stock car racing ran for the first two seasons, then didn't appear again until season 1962. Friday night meetings were the order of the day and again in 1963, but with limited success, it was decided to concentrate their efforts on Coventry and West Ham.

1974 saw BriSCA F1 return and under Charles Ochiltree's guidance ran uninterrupted until 1984. Midland Sports Stadiums having accepted an offer from Barratt Homes for the site in 1983, saw the 1984 season run all of it's fixtures except one, with the final meeting being a Daily Mirror Grand Prix round on the 22nd September.

Despite being perceived as the 'ugly sister' in the Ochiltree's pair of tracks, Leicester often produced more action packed racing. Perhaps the most famous incident being when Richard Ahern (18) cleared the fence after a tangle with Steve Bateman (427) in 1980. By the mid 1980s, the stadium was showing it's age, and you could be forgiven for thinking that you had stepped back into the 1950s.

It's natural bowl giving a gladiatorial amphitheatre feel to proceedings, and it's 'rough around the edges' appearance to the main grandstand and terracing just added to the perception of watching the racing in a time warp.

Despite seemingly always clashing with a northern staged meeting, Leicester, like Coventry, could always boast the famous Ochiltree tag line of "60 cars, 6 great races". Leicester, like Coventry, and all the other tracks sadly no longer with us, very much missed by everyone who went there.

  Date Final Winner
Cars
 
1.
Wednesday 1st September 1954
Wed 1 Sep 1954
303A Bill Pyecroft
2.
Wednesday 8th September 1954
Wed 8 Sep 1954
393A John Sansome
3.
Wednesday 22nd September 1954
Wed 22 Sep 1954
303A Bill Pyecroft
4.
Wednesday 13th October 1954
Wed 13 Oct 1954
73A Wrecker Meadway
5.
Monday 18th April 1955
Mon 18 Apr 1955
35 Wrecker Meadway
6.
Monday 9th May 1955
Mon 9 May 1955
31 Jerzy Wójtowicz  
7.
Friday 3rd June 1955
Fri 3 Jun 1955
156 Bill Ward
8.
Monday 20th June 1955
Mon 20 Jun 1955
34 Reg Spooner  
9.
Monday 11th July 1955
Mon 11 Jul 1955
12 Steve Storm  
10.
Monday 9th July 1956
Mon 9 Jul 1956
47 Jerzy Wójtowicz  
11.
Tuesday 28th August 1956
Tue 28 Aug 1956
2 Harold Bosworth
12.
Friday 18th May 1962
Fri 18 May 1962
245 Alan Wardropper
13.
Friday 15th June 1962
Fri 15 Jun 1962
104 Ted Pankhurst
14.
Friday 20th July 1962
Fri 20 Jul 1962
245 Alan Wardropper  
15.
Friday 17th August 1962
Fri 17 Aug 1962
245 Alan Wardropper  
16.
Friday 14th September 1962
Fri 14 Sep 1962
25 Pat Willis  
17.
Friday 12th October 1962
Fri 12 Oct 1962
127 Geoff Harrison  
18.
Friday 19th April 1963
Fri 19 Apr 1963
42 Aubrey Leighton  
19.
Friday 17th May 1963
Fri 17 May 1963
2 Willie Harrison  
20.
Friday 21st June 1963
Fri 21 Jun 1963
38 Fred Mitchell 48  
21.
Friday 20th September 1963
Fri 20 Sep 1963
245 Alan Wardropper  
22.
Saturday 20th April 1974
Sat 20 Apr 1974
8 Pete Webb 52
23.
Saturday 18th May 1974
Sat 18 May 1974
252 Dave Chisholm 58
24.
Saturday 15th June 1974
Sat 15 Jun 1974
150 Dick Sworder 59
25.
Saturday 20th July 1974
Sat 20 Jul 1974
37 Don Evans 59  
26.
Saturday 17th August 1974
Sat 17 Aug 1974
34 Tony Leicester 60  
27.
Saturday 26th October 1974
Sat 26 Oct 1974
229 John Hillam 58  
28.
Saturday 19th April 1975
Sat 19 Apr 1975
327 Howard Davis  
29.
Saturday 17th May 1975
Sat 17 May 1975
327 Howard Davis  
30.
Saturday 28th June 1975
Sat 28 Jun 1975
229 John Hillam 55  
31.
Saturday 19th July 1975
Sat 19 Jul 1975
154 Brian Powles 56  
32.
Saturday 16th August 1975
Sat 16 Aug 1975
252 Dave Chisholm 57
33.
Saturday 20th September 1975
Sat 20 Sep 1975
306 Mick Noden 59  
34.
Saturday 18th October 1975
Sat 18 Oct 1975
391 Stu Smith  
35.
Saturday 24th April 1976
Sat 24 Apr 1976
229 John Hillam 56  
36.
Saturday 15th May 1976
Sat 15 May 1976
306 Mick Noden 60  
37.
Saturday 19th June 1976
Sat 19 Jun 1976
261 Johnny Goodhall 60
38.
Saturday 17th July 1976
Sat 17 Jul 1976
3 Stu Bamforth  
39.
Saturday 21st August 1976
Sat 21 Aug 1976
391 Stu Smith 52
40.
Saturday 18th September 1976
Sat 18 Sep 1976
391 Stu Smith 61  
41.
Saturday 16th October 1976
Sat 16 Oct 1976
391 Stu Smith 60  
42.
Saturday 23rd April 1977
Sat 23 Apr 1977
179 Allan Barker  
43.
Saturday 21st May 1977
Sat 21 May 1977
435 Bernard Poyser  
44.
Saturday 18th June 1977
Sat 18 Jun 1977
37 Don Evans  
45.
Saturday 16th July 1977
Sat 16 Jul 1977
327 Howard Davis
46.
Saturday 17th September 1977
Sat 17 Sep 1977
55 Bert Finnikin  
47.
Saturday 22nd October 1977
Sat 22 Oct 1977
306 Mick Noden  
48.
Saturday 15th April 1978
Sat 15 Apr 1978
371 Richard Squire 53
49.
Saturday 20th May 1978
Sat 20 May 1978
208 Martin Fernihough 60
50.
Saturday 17th June 1978
Sat 17 Jun 1978
55 Bert Finnikin
51.
Saturday 15th July 1978
Sat 15 Jul 1978
154 Brian Powles 61
52.
Saturday 19th August 1978
Sat 19 Aug 1978
408 Brian Whorton 55  
53.
Saturday 16th September 1978
Sat 16 Sep 1978
229 John Hillam 51
54.
Saturday 21st October 1978
Sat 21 Oct 1978
7 Alan Finnikin 60  
55.
Saturday 19th May 1979
Sat 19 May 1979
190 Len Wolfenden
56.
Saturday 16th June 1979
Sat 16 Jun 1979
187 Jim Bashford 52  
57.
Saturday 21st July 1979
Sat 21 Jul 1979
247 Andy Webb 61  
58.
Saturday 18th August 1979
Sat 18 Aug 1979
304 Dave Mellor 60
59.
Saturday 15th September 1979
Sat 15 Sep 1979
497 Roger Warnes 59  
60.
Saturday 20th October 1979
Sat 20 Oct 1979
247 Andy Webb  
61.
Saturday 19th April 1980
Sat 19 Apr 1980
422 Nigel Whorton 62  
62.
Saturday 17th May 1980
Sat 17 May 1980
155 Brian Tuplin 60
63.
Saturday 21st June 1980
Sat 21 Jun 1980
155 Brian Tuplin 59  
64.
Saturday 19th July 1980
Sat 19 Jul 1980
2 Willie Harrison 61  
65.
Saturday 16th August 1980
Sat 16 Aug 1980
304 Dave Mellor 62
66.
Saturday 20th September 1980
Sat 20 Sep 1980
304 Dave Mellor 55  
67.
Saturday 18th October 1980
Sat 18 Oct 1980
154 Brian Powles 55
68.
Saturday 18th April 1981
Sat 18 Apr 1981
18 Richy Ahern  
69.
Saturday 16th May 1981
Sat 16 May 1981
304 Dave Mellor 61
70.
Saturday 20th June 1981
Sat 20 Jun 1981
318 Dave Fox 57
71.
Saturday 18th July 1981
Sat 18 Jul 1981
428 Pete Doran 54  
72.
Saturday 15th August 1981
Sat 15 Aug 1981
139 Stu Smith 59  
73.
Saturday 19th September 1981
Sat 19 Sep 1981
62 Robbie Craig  
74.
Saturday 17th October 1981
Sat 17 Oct 1981
2 Willie Harrison 59
75.
Saturday 17th April 1982
Sat 17 Apr 1982
203 Dan Clarke 57
76.
Saturday 15th May 1982
Sat 15 May 1982
212 Frankie Wainman 62
77.
Saturday 19th June 1982
Sat 19 Jun 1982
495 John Cayzer 54  
78.
Saturday 17th July 1982
Sat 17 Jul 1982
304 Dave Mellor 53
79.
Saturday 21st August 1982
Sat 21 Aug 1982
51 Mo Smith 58
80.
Saturday 18th September 1982
Sat 18 Sep 1982
203 Dan Clarke 57
81.
Saturday 16th October 1982
Sat 16 Oct 1982
495 John Cayzer 56
82.
Saturday 16th April 1983
Sat 16 Apr 1983
304 Dave Mellor 60
83.
Saturday 21st May 1983
Sat 21 May 1983
495 John Cayzer 56
84.
Saturday 18th June 1983
Sat 18 Jun 1983
55 Bert Finnikin 61
85.
Saturday 16th July 1983
Sat 16 Jul 1983
422 Nigel Whorton 51
86.
Saturday 20th August 1983
Sat 20 Aug 1983
422 Nigel Whorton 60  
87.
Saturday 17th September 1983
Sat 17 Sep 1983
175 Glyn Pursey 53  
88.
Saturday 15th October 1983
Sat 15 Oct 1983
2 Willie Harrison 53  
89.
Saturday 21st April 1984
Sat 21 Apr 1984
495 John Cayzer 55  
90.
Saturday 19th May 1984
Sat 19 May 1984
304 Dave Mellor 61
91.
Saturday 16th June 1984
Sat 16 Jun 1984
155 Brian Tuplin
92.
Saturday 21st July 1984
Sat 21 Jul 1984
306 Mick Noden
93.
Saturday 18th August 1984
Sat 18 Aug 1984
281 Rob Pearce
94.
Saturday 22nd September 1984
Sat 22 Sep 1984
306 Mick Noden 62
A 1960 photo in the Leicester Mercury.
A 1980 photo in the Leicester Mercury.
A 1983 photo in the Leicester Mercury.