Recap: Lightning, Giants and Devils

NEWS Tuesday 14th January 2020, 8:49pm

by PR Team

Although the junior scene has generally been restricted to second halves and occasional individual matches in recent years, junior racing has a proud history in Scotland.

Much of Scotland's most recent history of developing riders in Scotland was thanks to Alan Robertson's efforts at his training track situated at Myrehead Farm just outside of Linlithgow.

Such was his success in bringing new riders to the sport, it was a natural progression that a team would be entered into the British League Division 3 in 1994 after two earlier open licence seasons.

After an initial struggle up against stronger opposition, the Linlithgow Lightning squad improved and became a match for anyone by 1999, when the devastating news came that the track would close after the landlord revealed plan to build an abattoir on the site.

It took a few years for this to come to fruition, but the site is now home to Campbell's Prime Meats.

Thanks to the generous support of ex-Glasgow promoter Brian Sands, junior speedway continued into 2000 further west in Scotland under the name of the Ashfield Giants.

However for the first time since 1992, Junior level racing fell silent at the end of the 2000 season.

Things began to stir again in early 2003 when an agreement was reached to stage a second speedway meeting per week at Armadale Stadium.

When planning permission was granted in April that year, the Dale Devils entered the Conference League Cup followed by participation in the full Conference League competitions in 2004 and 2005.

The 2005 season ended with the Devils winning the Conference League Trophy with home and away wins against Stoke.

During the 2005 season, the Monarchs promotion had been seeking permanent planning permission to operate at Armadale Stadium. In the decision making, the local council suggested that this could only be ensured should the number of matches per week be restricted to one.

At the end of a wonderfully successful 2005 season, junior racing once again drew to a close.

And so a shortage of Scottish riders became a drought with William Lawson being the only rider in that 2005 Conference Trophy Final still racing today.

Finally, 15 years later, junior speedway will roar once again in Scotland when the Armadale Devils join the National Development League for the 2020 season.

This will be the start of a return of Scottish riders in numbers to our sport.

The 2020 Armadale Devils line up will be announced shortly along with more exciting details on how and when you can support Scotland's newest speedway team!