It’s memories time for Speedway fans in the south-east on Sunday when Kent Kings play host at the Old Gun Site track in Iwade track to their biggest meeting of the 2024 season, ‘The London Tournament’.

A Four Team event (teams of four riders, 16 heats of action) pitching the hosts against quartets representing three famous club names from London’s past: Wimbledon Dons, White City Rebels and Hackney Hawks.

There’s particular poignancy for supporters of the Hawks as the Vic Harding Memorial Trophy is to be awarded to the winner of the individual top scorers race – remembering the hugely popular and much-missed Hackney rider killed in a track crash at the Wick in 1979.
 
All of the Kings’ squad will be in action, including the two popular & flamboyant Australians Dayle Wood (now recovered from injury) and his compatriot Patrick Hamilton who scored a paid maximum on his Old Gun Site debut the weekend before last. 

White City are able to track a rider who appeared for the West Londoners back in their debut season of 1976, with the evergreen Robert Hollingworth skippering the Rebels side. 

Hackney are led by Jack Kingston who made his racing debut as a Hawk in the National League back in 2011.  A mixture of current riders including hugely promising local teen Jamie Etherington and former GB Youth champion Luke Harris will be in action plus riders representing the ‘Heritage’ of the sport including an ex-Plough Lane based Dons rider, Graham Knowler.

A souvenir programme, limited edition merchandise and additional catering facilities including pizzas and ice cream are all available for what’s expected to be a bumper summer holiday crowd bolstered by a special chartered vintage Routemaster Bus setting off from the site of the old Wimbledon Sradium on Plough Lane, SW17 to bring fans from ‘the big smoke’ for what promises to be a capital occasion.

The action gets underway at 2pm (after a grand parade at 1.45pm) – admission is £14, concessions £12 and children aged 15 and under go free.