Speedway Racing in England 1928–1965: Communities, Gender and Modernity

In 1928 a new sport was introduced into England from Australia which, in the following decades, became so popular that it was regarded by many as second only to football in its following. In 1949 it recorded over 12.5 million attendances whilst 93,000 attended the World Championship at Wembley in 1938. Despite this, virtually no academic attention has been paid to dirt track or speedway racing as it became known. Through an analysis of broadcasting, newspaper, trade press and archival sources, this thesis examines how a professional sport with a largely working-class following established itself in England and goes on to consider the effect that it had on British society between 1928 and 1965. It will consider its influence on communities, ideas of gender, its relationship with the media, and its contribution to technology and ideas of modernity. This thesis will demonstrate how speedway played an important role in the lives of many individuals and communities. It will show how speedway differed from other sports of the time by welcoming women into what might ordinarily be regarded as an archetypal masculine world and how many riders displayed more nuanced styles of masculinity. It will suggest that the amount of broadcast time afforded to speedway did not necessarily reflect the huge following it enjoyed although it was featured in the press at both national and local levels. It will also demonstrate the important contribution made by speedway to motorcycle technology and how it took on the mantle of modernity in an age when speed and technology became important aspects of it. In essence, this thesis demonstrates the enormous impact speedway had on British society and opens up an area which, although hitherto largely ignored, has a lot to teach about British sports and social history.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

PhD

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

Doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

De Montfort University

Year dc:date.issued

2024

Author dc:creator

• Horley, Barbara

Licence

• https://dora.dmu.ac.uk/bitstreams/b71e6225-73f8-4b7a-88bf-7d90c888941d/download