Newport Wasps

Former Welsh motorcycle speedway team

Newport Wasps

Club information
Track address| Somerton Park / Hayley Stadium
Newport
Country| Wales
Founded| 1964
Closed| 2012
Club facts
Colours| Black and amber
Track size| 285 metres (312 yd)
Track record time| 57.37 seconds
Track record date| 19 September 2010
Track record holder| Kim Nilsson
Major team honours
| Provincial League KO Cup| 1964

|

Premier League KO Cup| 2011
Premier Trophy| 1999
Conference League| 1999
Spring Gold Cup| 1974, 1975

Newport Wasps were a British motorcycle speedway team based at Somerton Park and then the Hayley Stadium in Newport, South Wales, from 1964 to 2012.[1] The Wasps logo incorporates the traditional black and amber colours of the City of Newport.

## History

[edit]

### 1960s

[edit]

Speedway in Newport arrived at Somerton Park (also the home of football) for the 1964 Provincial Speedway League season (division 2). The greyhound racing owners of Somerton Park had recently put the stadium up for sale and ended the greyhound racing in October 1963.[2] The tight speedway track meant that turf had to be brought on to make the corner flag area for football matches and removed once the match had finished.[3]

The speedway team would be known as the Wasps and the promoters signed the likes of Alby Golden, Peter Vandenberg and Dick Bradley, who helped them to a creditable fourth place finish, in addition to winning the division 2 version of the Knockout Cup, when winning the Provincial League Knockout Cup during their debut season.[4][5]

The following season in 1965, they joined the inaugural British League season (the top division) and continued to ride in the top division for the remainder of the 1960s, although with little success. Top Swedish riders Gote Nordin[6] and Torbjörn Harrysson led the team in 1966 and 1967/68 respectively.[7]

Promoters Wally Mawdsley and Pete Lansdale took over the Wasps in 1969, following Mike Parker relinquishing his interest.[8]

### 1970s

[edit]

Phil Herne in action for Newport in 1975

The Wasps finished bottom of the league during the 1970 British League season but improved to eighth the following season under their Hungarian star Sándor Lévai.[9] The 'Wasps' nickname was dropped after the poor 1972 season, with the team simply called Newport.

For the 1974 season, the Wasps signed Australian star Phil Crump[10][11] and with the support of Reidar Eide and Phil Herne, the team finished third during the 1975 British League season. The entire promotion and riders moved to Bristol in 1977 and became the Bristol Bulldogs,[12] leaving Newport with no team but speedway would continue at Somerton Park with a team called the Newport Dragons being formed and they would compete in the division below the British League known as the National League.[13]

The Dragons only lasted the one season because before the start of the 1978 campaign, the speedway team withdrew from the league following a dispute over rent. Speedway was not seen at Somerton Park again.[14]

### 1997–2011

[edit]

Hayley Stadium

The modern incarnation of the team was founded in 1997, when the Wasps entered the Premier League and the junior side called the Western Warriors (a combined team from Newport and Exeter competed in the Conference League. The teams were based at the purpose built Hayley Stadium. The following season (1998) a junior side known as the Newport Mavericks joined the Conference League and then won the 1999 Speedway Conference League.[15]

The Wasps continued to compete in the Premier League until the early part of the 2008 season when they withdrew because their promoter Tim Stone died only to be saved by the Mallett family and rebranded for the 2009 season (including a junior side called the Newport Hornets) with Steve Mallett at the helm and his son Nick Mallett joining him as the youngest promoter in British speedway history.[16] The 2009 season saw the Hornets win the national league pairs with the pairing of veteran Tony Atkin and New Zealander Grant Tregoning. The following season Newport beat Somerset for the Severn Bridge trophy[citation needed] and the Hornets finished third in the National league, losing out on the title by points difference.

The Wasps last season ended with a trophy, they won the 2011 Premier League Knock-Out Cup defeating Glasgow in the final.

After a disagreement with the BSPA and ring wood raceway deciding not to follow up plans to run stock cars and destroying the previous fence the club was put up for sale but after talks with the only interested party, Phil Morris, an agreement could not be reached and on 17 February 2012 promoter Steve Mallett confirmed the club would fold with immediate effect.[17] The club shortly after was vandalised and the victim of an arson attack which devastated the stadium leading to it being demolished and redeveloped by owners MCL and speedway was lost to the city once again.

## Season summary

[edit]

Extended content

| Year and league  | Position  | Notes

|
|

1964 Provincial Speedway League | 4th | Wasps, Knockout Cup winners
1965 British League season | 6th | Wasps
1966 British League season | 17th | Wasps
1967 British League season | 12th | Wasps
1968 British League season | 13th | Wasps
1969 British League season | 17th | Wasps
1970 British League season | 19th | Wasps
1971 British League season | 8th | Wasps
1972 British League season | 18th | Wasps
1973 British League season | 10th |
1974 British League season | 6th |
1975 British League season | 3rd |
1976 British League season | 8th |
1977 National League season | 12th | Dragons
1997 Premier League speedway season | 14th | Wasps
1998 Premier League speedway season | 8th | Wasps
1999 Premier League speedway season | 2nd | Wasps
2000 Premier League speedway season | 10th | Wasps
2001 Premier League speedway season | 15th | Wasps
2002 Premier League speedway season | 12th | Wasps
2003 Premier League speedway season | 10th | Wasps
2004 Premier League speedway season | 14th | Wasps
2005 Premier League speedway season | 15th | Wasps
2006 Premier League speedway season | 14th | Wasps
2007 Premier League speedway season | 14th | Wasps
2008 Premier League speedway season | N/A | Wasps, withdrew
2009 Premier League speedway season | 14th | Wasps
2010 Premier League speedway season | 10th | Wasps
2011 Premier League speedway season | 5th | Wasps, 2011 Premier League Knock-Out Cup winners

## Season summary (juniors)

[edit]

Extended content

| Year and league  | Position  | Notes

|
|

1997 Speedway Conference League | 8th | as the Western Warriors (with Exeter)
1998 Speedway Conference League | 2nd | Mavericks
1999 Speedway Conference League | 1st | Mavericks, Champions
2000 Speedway Conference League | 5th | Mavericks
2001 Speedway Conference League | 7th | Mavericks
2002 Speedway Conference League | 10th | Mavericks
2003 Speedway Conference League | 13th | Mavericks
2004 Speedway Conference League | 13th | Mavericks
2005 Speedway Conference League | 10th | Mavericks
2006 Speedway Conference League | 8th | Mavericks
2007 Speedway Conference League | 8th | Mavericks
2009 National League speedway season | 7th | Hornets
2010 National League speedway season | 3rd | Hornets
2011 National League speedway season | 10th | Hornets

## Notable riders

[edit]

* Jack Biggs
* Dick Bradley
* Phil Crump
* Reidar Eide
* Alby Golden
* Jimmy Gooch
* Torbjörn Harrysson
* Phil Herne
* Sándor Lévai
* Gote Nordin
* / Peter Vandenberg

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Oakes, P (2006). Speedway Star Almanac. Pinegen Ltd. ISBN 0-9552376-1-0.
2. ^ "Newport seek aid". Sunday Sun (Newcastle). 8 September 1963. Retrieved 18 February 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
3. ^ "Newport Speedway (Somerton Park)". Defunct Speedway Tracks. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
4. ^ "Brave Cradley just fail". Birmingham Weekly Mercury. 25 October 1964. Retrieved 16 November 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
5. ^ "1964 Cradley results" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
6. ^ "Wasps for Coventry". Leamington Spa Courier. 29 April 1966. Retrieved 18 February 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
7. ^ "Rider averages 1929 to 2009" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
8. ^ "Speedway Change". Western Daily Press. 31 December 1969. Retrieved 12 January 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
9. ^ Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 129\. ISBN 0-904584-45-3.
10. ^ Lawson, K (2018) “Riders, Teams and Stadiums”. ISBN 978-0-244-72538-9
11. ^ Bamford, R & Jarvis J.(2001). Homes of British Speedway. ISBN 0-7524-2210-3
12. ^ "British League Tables - British League Era (1965-1990)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
13. ^ "Speedway". Sussex Express. 15 April 1977. Retrieved 18 February 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
14. ^ "Saints' breather". Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph. 3 March 1978. Retrieved 18 February 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
15. ^ "Newport Hayley Stadium Speedway 1997 - 2011". Speedway Museum Online.
16. ^ "Rebels offer deal to Wasps fans". BBC Sport. 16 May 2008. Retrieved 17 October 2008.
17. ^ Newport Wasps closure

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