Welcome To The Veteran Cycle Speedway Riders Association Home Page
Keeping you up to date with what "Old Skid Kids" are getting up to
The VCSRA
Cycle Speedway - it is generally accepted that it
first blossomed on the bomb sites of a relieved
London at the end of WW2 and quickly spread to all
major UK cities. Hundreds of lads tearing
around dirt ovals on stripped down road bikes with
wide gas pipe handlebars emulating their motor
bike dirt track heroes.
It is from these lads that the nucleus of the
Veteran Cycle Speedway Riders Association
membership is drawn.
The Association was formed in 1996 with the
objectives at all times to be purely social and
benevolent, helping former colleagues keep in
touch to re-live old times.
Regular events are organised, mainly social but
twice annually a golf day is held, a quarterly
newsletter is published (see news section) and the
Association also issues a directory of members to
enable anyone to get in touch if they feel so
inclined.
Currently having a membership of around 200 the
association is open to to all former riders who
took part in the sport and rode for a team,
it is always looking
for and welcomes new members.
Scottish Veterans
In parallel with the formation of the VCSRA in
London it transpires that an association of
scottish veterans was being formed in Glasgow.
Called The Scottish Cycle Speedway History
Association all details can be viewed on their web
site, http://glasgowcshistory.tripod.com
Welsh Veterans
There is an Association Of Veterans in Wales centered in Cardiff which issues a Monthly Magazine
edited by Gerry Escott.
In addition Gerry has edited and had printed a book called "The History of Welsh Cycle Speedway",
he also contributes to the "spokesman-online", see link below.
Gerry can be contacted via email at digerluc@talktalk.net
Cycle Speedway History
Opened in April 2007 the National Speedway Museum located in The Paradise Wildlife Park
at Broxbourne, Herts. has a corner devoted to the history and development of CYCLE SPEEDWAY.
The Cycle Speedway display, sponsored and maintained by the VCSRA is a brief visual history
illustrated with pictures and memorabilia of the sport from its birth in the ‘Skid Kid’ days of 1946
to the current, highly sophisticated short track cycle racing of today.
For details of how to get to The Paradise Wildlife Park go to
http://www.pwpark.com
Cycle Speedway Today
Cycle speedway is still flourishing in the UK
although not as widespread as in the heady days of
the 40's and 50's. Racing is held under the
auspices of British Cycling and all details,
fixtures, results etc. can be viewed on the
British Cycling-Cycle Speedway web site http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/web/site/bc/cys/cs_latest_news.asp
OR
http://www.spokesman-online.co.uk
The VCSRA Archive
It is the ultimate goal of the VCSRA to develop
this web site archive until it is a
complete pictorial record of the early days of
Cycle Speedway. To accomplish this the help of
many of those associated with the sport will be
needed. It is anticipated that developed sections
of the archive will be copied to cd's and made
available to members.
