Leningrad Speedway Stadium

{{Short description|Former stadium in Saint Petersburg, Russia}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}} {{Use British English|date=January 2024}} {{Infobox motorsport venue | name = Leningrad Speedway Stadium | image = | caption = | location = Prospekt Toreza, 71 А, Мототрек, [[Saint Petersburg]], Russia, 194223 | coordinates = {{coord|60|01|32|N|30|19|53|E|}} | opened = 1963 | renovated = | operator = | capacity = | record_time = | record_driver = | record_car = | record_year = | length_km = }}

'''Leningrad Speedway Stadium''' was a former [[motorcycle speedway]] in [[Saint Petersburg]]. It was located north of the centre of the city, adjacent west of the Sosnovka Park, off the Ulitsa Vitkovskogo road. Today it is a site for motorcycle training and motorcycle trials riding.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ssmx.ru/ |title=Homepage |website=SSMX - Motorcycle School |access-date=25 January 2024}}</ref>

==History== The stadium opened in 1963 and hosted a series of major [[motorcycle speedway]] events. It was the venue for the Continental final of the [[1969 Speedway World Team Cup]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.internationalspeedway.co.uk/wtc1.htm |title=Speedway World Team Cup | website=International Speedway |access-date=25 January 2024}}</ref> Further [[Speedway World Cup]] rounds were held in 1971, 1978 and 1981.

The stadium also hosted significant stages of the [[Speedway World Championship]] in 1970, 1973, 1975 and 1976<ref>{{cite web |url=https://dlprezes.pl.tl/SPEEDWAY--_--Indywidualne-mistrzostwa-%26%23346%3Bwiata-----------k1-World-Speedway-Championship-k2-.htm |title=World Championship |website=Metal Speedway |access-date=25 January 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.speedway.org/history/ |title=History, World Championship | website=Speedway.org |access-date=25 January 2024}}</ref> and the final of the [[Speedway Under-21 World Championship]] in 1979.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bott|first=Richard|title=The Peter Collins Speedway Book No.4|year=1980 |publisher=Stanley Paul & Co Ltd|isbn=0-09-141751-1}}</ref>

The stadium remained active throughout the 1980s and 1990s but became in need of renovation before ceasing activities sometime during the 2000s. [[Igor Marko]] set the track record of 68.05 seconds on 16 July 2000 and the Neva Speedway team competed in the Finnish team championship during 2000 because the Russian championship did not take place.

The speedway club known as '''Neva Speedway''' remain active and have plans to return speedway to the stadium, which in principle is still able to host speedway if renovation takes place.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://vk.com/nevaspeedwayclub |title=Sports motorcycle club "NEVA-SPEEDWAY | website=Neva Speedway Club |access-date=25 January 2024}}</ref> Neva Leningrad (also known as Barricade Leningrad from 1978 to 1990) regularly participated in the [[Russian Team Speedway Championship|Soviet Union Championship]] from its inaugural year of 1962 through to 1990. The team disbanded shortly before the city's change of name from Leningrad to Saint Petersburg and the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.historyspeedway.nstrefa.pl/dmzsrr.php |title=Soviet Union Team Championship |website=Speedway History |access-date=13 April 2024}}</ref> The team were twice champions of the Soviet Union, winning the title in 1966 and 1971.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://speedwayfansite.com/ligi/rosyjskaliga.html |title=Soviet Union & Russian Team Championship |website=Speedway Fansite |access-date=12 April 2024}}</ref>

== References == {{Reflist}}

[[Category:Sports venues completed in 1963]] [[Category:1963 establishments in the Soviet Union]] [[Category:Sports venues in Saint Petersburg]] [[Category:Speedway venues in Russia]]