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The Firs Stadium, Aylsham Road, Norwich was the home of Speedway in Norwich and at the first meeting in 1930 a crowd of 5,000 people turned up.
Riders at the first meeting included:
By July 1931 seating had been provided for 500 people. The track was grass however and eventually wore away just to dirt. It was noticed that those who rode broadside round the corners were more spectacular and faster than those who didn't. After this the track was converted to a dirt track.
At the first dirt track meeting Norwich beat Staines 33 - 21.
Team members at this race were:
This was Norwich's first ever team
By the end of 1931 the crowds had grown to 7,000 and Norwich really began to take an interest in Speedway
A new Stand was erected which eventually seated 1,200 people and in March 1932 nearly 8,000 people watched the opening match of the season.
On 25 June 1933 for the first time racing was held under an ACU permit. On this occasion the match was Australia vs the Rest. The Permit brought appearances in Norwich from:
For some reason between 1933 and 1936 interest waned and there was virtually no activity at the Firs.
In 1937 Speedway in Norwich was revived by former Australian Speedway star Max Grosskreutz. The team had entered the new Provincial League and the team at that time was:
Once again numbers grew and the average attendance was 9,000.
1938 saw the Provincial league become the National League, Second Division.
During that year, although Max Grosskreutz was manager, he took part in races to bolster Norwich's chances and scored nine points. His inspiration spurred the Norwich team to win the National Trophy.
Norwich's track was known to be the fastest of the time however changes to the track with a special granite mixture ensured that it was able to continue that way. The mixture had successfully been used on Australian dirt tracks.
World War two arrived and Speedway ceased until after the end of the War.
After the War, the new manager was Dick Wise - and the team:
At this time, maybe because a need for a distraction, the gate numbers more than doubled- a veritable boom time for Speedway - 20,000 average attendance.
1947 saw 460,000 passing through the gates. Seating was expanded to accommodate 26,000 people.
There was a league re-organisation in 1947 and there were now three leagues - First, Second and Third divisions. Norwich was in the Second Division.
In 1950 management changed hands and Fred Evans took over - until 1954. Under his leadership, Norwich proved themselves top of their league and they applied for promotion to the First Division.
The first few years in the First Division proved to be rocky for Norwich however in 1954, after Bob Oakley joined, they managed to finish fourth place in the table.
It was in 1955 that Ove Fundin joined and became a valuable asset, helping the team considerably. In 1955 he scored 73 points, even though he started late in the season.
New members in 1956 were:
By 1958 Ove Fundin was recognised to be the best rider in the world.
In 1959 Norwich became the sole Speedway team in East Anglia, as Ipswich had withdrawn from the National League.
In 1960 17 years old Terry Betts joined the team.Terry Betts did not ride until the Firs closed in 1964. Near the end of the 1963 season he missed a couple of matches and was suspended for doing so. He decided he would retire at that point. He resisted any pleas to return for the 1964 season and made his return in 1965 when Kings Lynn opened.
In that year (1960), Norwich played an exciting match against rivals Belle Vue and managed to gain a win. Unfortunately, a Belle Vue team member, Derek Maynard collided with a fellow team-mate. He was rushed to hospital but died from his injuries the following morning.
After all the support and excitement Norwich Speedway has given the fans through the year, it was a shock to learn that the Firs site was to be sold for re-development in 1964.
Some team members went to join Nearby Kings Lynn Speedway.