Ipswich Witches
Encyclopedia
The Ipswich Witches are a British speedway
club based at Foxhall Stadium
near Ipswich
, Suffolk
. Meetings are staged on most Thursdays from March until October, normally commencing at 7.30pm.
The 1998 Witches team won the Elite League
, the Elite League Knockout Cup
and the Craven Shield
and they are currently promoted by former Ipswich rider John Louis, who is the father of former rider and Sky Sports
presenter Chris Louis
.
was purpose-built for speedway in 1950, and meetings were held there from 1951 to 1965 when the track was concreted over for stock car racing
. Attendances approached 20,000 people and made stars of riders such as Syd Clarke, Junior Bainbridge, Tich Read and Peter Moore.
In 1969 John Berry
built a new smaller track inside the stock car circuit and re-opened the club with a team which would soon include the current promoter John Louis. Speedway has been staged at Foxhall continuously since then up to the present day.
In 1998 Ipswich won the Elite League
, the Knockout Cup and the Craven Shield. In addition Ipswich riders won the World Championship
(Tony Rickardsson
), the British Speedway Championship
(Chris Louis
) and the British Under 21 Championship
(Scott Nicholls
). The team also included the Polish star Tomasz Gollob
who finished third in the World Championship
.
In November 2010, The Witches decided to swap memberships with the Birmingham Brummies
therefore moving to the Premier League
. (With the Brummies moving to the Elite League
)
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
club based at Foxhall Stadium
Foxhall Stadium
Foxhall Stadium is a Stock car racing stadium located in Foxhall near Ipswich. The Stadium is also used by the Ipswich Witches Speedway team, which race on most Thursday nights from March to October starting at 7.30pm. The stadium also hosts carboot sales on Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays from...
near Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
. Meetings are staged on most Thursdays from March until October, normally commencing at 7.30pm.
The 1998 Witches team won the Elite League
Speedway Elite League
The Elite League is the top division of Speedway league competition in the United Kingdom and is governed by the Speedway Control Bureau , in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association . It is sponsored by Sky Sports...
, the Elite League Knockout Cup
Elite League Knockout Cup
The Elite League Knockout Cup is a speedway cup competition in the United Kingdom governed by the Speedway Control Board in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association . The teams from the top division of league racing, the Elite League, take part...
and the Craven Shield
Craven Shield
The Craven Shield is a Speedway cup competition in the United Kingdom governed by the Speedway Control Board , in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association...
and they are currently promoted by former Ipswich rider John Louis, who is the father of former rider and Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
presenter Chris Louis
Chris Louis (speedway rider)
Christopher "Chris" Louis is an England international Speedway motorcycle rider who rides for the Ipswich Witches. He is the son of former Great Britain International John Louis who is the current promoter at Ipswich.-Career:...
.
History
Foxhall StadiumFoxhall Stadium
Foxhall Stadium is a Stock car racing stadium located in Foxhall near Ipswich. The Stadium is also used by the Ipswich Witches Speedway team, which race on most Thursday nights from March to October starting at 7.30pm. The stadium also hosts carboot sales on Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays from...
was purpose-built for speedway in 1950, and meetings were held there from 1951 to 1965 when the track was concreted over for stock car racing
Stock car racing
Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing found mainly in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Great Britain, Brazil and Argentina. Traditionally, races are run on oval tracks measuring approximately in length...
. Attendances approached 20,000 people and made stars of riders such as Syd Clarke, Junior Bainbridge, Tich Read and Peter Moore.
In 1969 John Berry
John Berry
Sir John Berry was an English naval officer of the Royal Navy, and was in 1675 the captain of the annual convoy to Newfoundland that took place during the years of the colony's founding....
built a new smaller track inside the stock car circuit and re-opened the club with a team which would soon include the current promoter John Louis. Speedway has been staged at Foxhall continuously since then up to the present day.
In 1998 Ipswich won the Elite League
Speedway Elite League
The Elite League is the top division of Speedway league competition in the United Kingdom and is governed by the Speedway Control Bureau , in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association . It is sponsored by Sky Sports...
, the Knockout Cup and the Craven Shield. In addition Ipswich riders won the World Championship
Speedway World Championship
The World Championship of Speedway is an international competition between the highest ranked motorcycle speedway riders of the world. Today, it is organised as a series of Speedway Grand Prix events, where points are awarded according to performance in the event and tallied up at the end of each...
(Tony Rickardsson
Tony Rickardsson
Tony Rickardsson is a retired Swedish motorcycle speedway rider. He is widely acknowledged as being the most successful speedway rider of the current era, having won six Speedway World Championship titles in 15 attempts. He has two daughters, Michelle and Natalie with his wife Anna...
), the British Speedway Championship
British Speedway Championship
The British Speedway Championship is an annual motorcycle speedway competition open to British national speedway riders. The winner of the event becomes the British Speedway Champion. It has been open in the past to riders from British dominions and was dominated in its early years by riders from...
(Chris Louis
Chris Louis (speedway rider)
Christopher "Chris" Louis is an England international Speedway motorcycle rider who rides for the Ipswich Witches. He is the son of former Great Britain International John Louis who is the current promoter at Ipswich.-Career:...
) and the British Under 21 Championship
British Speedway Under 21 Championship
The British Speedway Under-21 Championship is an annual speedway competition open to riders of British nationality aged at least fifteen on the date of the first meeting, and under twenty-one on 1 January in the year of the competition...
(Scott Nicholls
Scott Nicholls
Scott Nicholls is a British speedway rider who is participating in the 2009 Speedway Grand Prix competition and is the captain of the Great Britain speedway team.- Career biography :...
). The team also included the Polish star Tomasz Gollob
Tomasz Gollob
Tomasz Gollob is a Polish motorcycle speedway rider who has appeared in every Speedway Grand Prix series since its inaugural season in 1995. His brother Jacek is also a speedway rider.-Career summary:...
who finished third in the World Championship
Speedway World Championship
The World Championship of Speedway is an international competition between the highest ranked motorcycle speedway riders of the world. Today, it is organised as a series of Speedway Grand Prix events, where points are awarded according to performance in the event and tallied up at the end of each...
.
In November 2010, The Witches decided to swap memberships with the Birmingham Brummies
Birmingham Brummies
Birmingham Brummies are a British speedway team, who were reformed in 2006 and then accepted into the Premier League in 2007. The club race at Perry Barr Stadium ....
therefore moving to the Premier League
Speedway Premier League
The Premier League is the second division of Speedway in the United Kingdom and goverened by the Speedway Control Board , in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association . The Premier League was founded in 1995 when it replaced the British League as the first division...
. (With the Brummies moving to the Elite League
Speedway Elite League
The Elite League is the top division of Speedway league competition in the United Kingdom and is governed by the Speedway Control Bureau , in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association . It is sponsored by Sky Sports...
)