Newcastle Diamonds are a motorcycle speedway team who race in the SGB Championship, every Sunday night during the season (March–October) from their home at the Newcastle Stadium on the Fossway, Byker. The Stadium, previously known as Brough Park, is primarily used for greyhound racing with the speedway track built in the centre.
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The stadium has a large grandstand located on the home straight and a fully licensed bar which is located on the first floor of the grandstand providing unrestricted views of the stadium.
The club were inaugural members of the 1929 Speedway English Dirt Track League finishing in fourth place and then raced a single season of Northern League in 1930. The club did not race league speedway again until 1938 when they joined the National League.[1] In 1946 the team raced as Newcastle Brough and in 1949 as Newcastle Magpies. from 1952 to 1960 the team did not race in the league.[2]
Newcastle returned in 1961 competing in the Provincial League and later won their first major trophy, winning the 1964 Provincial Speedway League, led by Ivan Mauger who would go on to become six times World Champion. In 1967, Ole Olsen made his British debut for Newcastle and would later be a three times World Champion.[3] After competing in the British League from 1965 to 1970 the team missed four seasons (1971–1974) before returning in 1975. The following season they won the double of National League title and Knockout Cup.[4] Another double of league and cup came their way during the 1982 National League season and one year later they won their third National League title. After missing 1985 they were renamed the Newcastle Federation Specials for the 1986 season.
In 1992, rider Wayne Garratt died in hospital after crashing at the track, the fourth person to do so since 1946, including Chris Prime in 1978. Newcastle won their fifthe league title during the 2001 Premier League speedway season.
The 2010 season was a very successful campaign for the Diamonds. Although the Edinburgh Monarchs dominated the League, it was the Diamonds that took most silverware of the season by winning the Premier League Play-Offs (Against Sheffield Tigers), the Premier Trophy (against Birmingham Brummies) and the Premier League KOC (against Edinburgh Monarchs). The Diamonds also found success in the Super7even events, when the Dane Kenni Larsen won the Premier League Riders Championship to add a fourth honour to the club’s successful season. Fellow Dane Rene Bach encountered further success away from the club by helping Denmark to win the under 21 world cup with a 15-point maximum, and by winning the Danish Under 21s Championship. In recognition of their achievements the team was awarded the prestigious ‘Team of the Year’ award by Sports North-East, shortly before the 2011 campaign commenced, ahead of the Championship League winning football side Newcastle United.[5]Robert Lambert, who rode for the Diamonds during the 2016 and 2017 seasons, was crowned both British Under 21 and European Under 19 Champion in 2017. He, alongside Steve Worrall (who rode for the Diamonds in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017) represented Great Britain in the World Team Cup during the 2017 season. GB won event one at King’s Lynn where both Lambert and Worrall scored 13 points each, helping the team to qualify for the World Team Cup Final in Leszno, Poland.
On 16 September 2018, Newcastle Diamonds legend Stuart Robson announced his retirement from the sport. He first rode for the Diamonds at the age of 16 in 1993. Newcastle Diamonds’ celebrated their 90th anniversary season in 2019.
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