BRITISH Speedway is pleased to announce this season’s top-flight will comprise six clubs as newcomers Northampton join the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership.
Situated within easy access of junction 15 of the M1 near the village of Brafield-on-the-Green, speedway’s newest venue is already an established motorsports site.
Northampton International Shaleway has hosted top level stock car racing for over 50 years, previously as a tarmac circuit.
It was converted into a shale track in 2018, offering the potential for further modifications to enable stock car racing to run side by side with speedway – with the sports having operated successfully together at several other venues in the past.
Stadium facilities are excellent, with a seated grandstand installed as recently as 2024 on the back straight, along with bar and catering outlets, and ample parking.
The inclusion of Northampton enables British Speedway to establish a new venue in the central corridor of the country, which has been particularly hit over the past decade with closures due to the actions of landowners and developers.
Northampton itself has a limited speedway history, with racing being staged at Brafield briefly in the mid-1950s in the Southern Area League, and low-level meetings also took place for a short time around ten years later.
But now the top stars of the Premiership will be heading to the venue on a regular basis, with home meetings taking place mainly on Thursdays, and with April 30 pencilled in as the start date.
The full structure of Northampton Speedway, including promoters, team manager, riders and team identity, will be revealed over the coming weeks in the build-up to the new season.
Premiership CEO Phil Morris said: “I would firstly like to thank all supporters, and the other clubs, for their patience whilst we worked on bringing Northampton into the league.
“We were determined that the Premiership would feature six teams if at all possible, and with the opportunity to include what is effectively a completely new club, I do feel it was correct to push the time window to give it every chance.
“We now have a six-team league and I’m sure there will be a lot of interest in the new venue, along with the new ownership at Ipswich who I know have some exciting plans.
“Our thanks also go to Deane Wood of Spedeworth, the landowners of Northampton, for their willingness to accommodate speedway racing at their stadium.
“There is still a substantial amount of work to complete, and this is why Northampton’s home fixtures will commence slightly later than the other clubs, but we are confident this will all progress on schedule.
“The people in charge of Northampton will make their own announcements in the near future but I know they have been talking to riders, and they now have the certainty to be able to complete their team plans.
“We now look forward to the fixtures being released on Friday and this is certainly now a time for positivity as we look ahead to the new season.”
Confirmation of Northampton’s inclusion, and the fact that six clubs are competing in the Premiership, means the play-offs will revert to their normal format featuring the top four teams in the league table. Each club will meet twice at home and twice away during the regular campaign.
The Knockout Cup will operate on a mini-league group format at the start of the season, with the Northern group featuring holders Leicester, Belle Vue and Sheffield, whilst Ipswich, King’s Lynn and Northampton will compete in the Southern group. The group winners will meet in the Final.
The full Premiership fixture list will be announced on Friday (March 6) at 8am
Words and Images by British Speedway
