TODAY we're going to take a look back to the glory days of Weymouth Speedway.

It was 62 years ago when Wessex Stadium in Radipole Lane, Weymouth, opened on August 4 1954.

The directors were J W Coates, R Barzilay and W J Dutton.

It was built to stage speedway racing, greyhound racing and other sporting activities were planned such as football, athletics and show jumping on the centre green.

The track length was 379 yards with a shale surface. The greyhound track ran outside of the speedway track with a chain link between tracks.

The people of Weymouth were instantly hooked on the thrills and spills of the speedway, and we've managed to find an article from this very paper documenting the 10,000 people who turned up to see the World Speedway Champion Freddie Williams and the international ice skating star Pat Devries 'push off' the first rider at the opening.

The Mayor of Weymouth assisted in the pushing-off ceremony, accompanied by Mr F. Guppy of Dorchester Rural District Council, because the stadium also lay across the boundary into the West Dorset area.

It was the start of what co-director Jack Coates told the crowd was the best thing that had happened to Weymouth in 50 years.

He said at the time: "Speedway will put Weymouth on the map with other seaside resorts," he said.

As well as speedway, greyhound racing was a regular feature at the stadium; all the equipment needed for it was there at Wessex Stadium - including photo finish. A 'totalisator', planned in the early days, was never erected.

The track lengths were 380 yards, 465 yards and 525 yards: the electric hare was on an inside running rail.

The first meeting of greyhound racing was a day later on Thursday August 5 1954. It was billed as a grand 'inter-track race' of Weymouth vs Exeter, featuring some of the fastest greyhounds in the south west.

Wessex Stadium was also used for stock car racing in 1954, 1964, 1965, 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1976.

The opening meeting at the Wessex Stadium featured the 'speedway stars of today and tomorrow'.

It saw the Young England team take on the Young Overseas team, which was made up of drivers from Australia and New Zealand.

The England team won by 48 points to 35. The race wasn't without incident though.

Australia's Junior Bainbridge came off in the 12th heat, his machine somersaulting over him as he was taking the bend.

The article reports: "Bainbridge - out for the count- was taken on a stretcher to the pits.

"He was later taken to hospital with head injuries but the spectators were assured he was not seriously hurt."

The heat was re-run and an Australian, Jack Geran, took the winning points.

We're featuring here a selection of photos here from the 1970s and 1980s era. They were taken at the Wessex Stadium and featured the speedway riders and team of the time.

We also have this image of a speedway programme from July 12 1980, when the Weymouth Wildcats took on Glasgow. The result was a win for Glasgow 40-38.

Some of the known speedway riders at the time with the Weymouth Wildcats were Simon Wigg, Steve Schofield, Martin Yeates, Malcolm Corradine and Phil Crump.

Readers have written to the Echo recently appealing for the speedway to return to Weymouth.

Whether the Wildcats will return is unknown, but perhaps one day we will see the high energy action of the speedway track returning to Weymouth once again.

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