Wolves speedway fans on track for 90th anniversary celebrations at Monmore Green
It will be an historic night in Wolverhampton as the world’s oldest speedway track marks a special anniversary.
Crowds are expected to flock to Monmore Green in Wolverhampton to celebrate 90 years since the first fixture was held there.
Monmore Green, which also hosts greyhound racing, was the first speedway track to be built and has staged races since back in 1928.
Tonight’s fixture has been designated as a special celebration to mark the 90th anniversary of the first race.
The Wolverhampton Wolves speedway team are hoping for a bumper bank holiday crowd to cheer them on and celebrate the occasion.
Children can enter for £1 while there will be a bouncy castle and a free gift for the first 100 children through the gate.
The gates open at 7pm and the action will get under way an hour later.
Wolves take on Poole Pirates for the anniversary fixture.
While it is Wolverhampton’s football club which is most renowned for its history, speedway expert and broadcaster Nigel Pearson said the speedway team also has much to be proud of.
He said: “Wolves are one of the most successful clubs in the sport over the last 30 years.
“They have been consistently run by the same people which is something that doesn’t very often happen in speedway, an unpredictable and unstable sport at times.
“They have had some of the very best riders in the world down the years and have had world champions.
“It is a terrific achievement and I congratulate them on their 90th anniversary.”
The club began racing at Monmore Green in 1928 but the presence of speedway in the city was initially brief, lasting through until 1930.
It was more than 20 years before the sport returned at the start of the 1950s during its glory years when thousands of fans would regularly attend meets to cheer on the riders.
Wolves have enjoyed their most successful period over recent years, becoming Elite League champions in 2002, 2009 and 2016.
Mr Pearson said: “It is the oldest speedway track in the world.
“It missed two years in the 1980s and was revived in 1984.”
The track has also been used in recent years by Cradley Heathens who have been searching for their own track since its Dudley Wood base was lost.
