Ringwood Raceway

Ringwood Raceway

Banger racing at the Raceway
Location	St Leonards, Ringwood, Hampshire, BH24 2BT
Coordinates	50°48′27″N 1°49′12″W
Opened	1946
Closed	still open

The Ringwood Raceway (formerly known as Matchams Park Stadium) was a motorsport venue in Ringwood, Hampshire, England. The site was located in St Leonards, Dorset off the Hurn Road and Matchams Lane.

History

After World War II, a motorcycle speedway circuit was constructed on the site.[1] During the 1946 and 1947 seasons the site known as Matchams Park Stadium and operated on an open speedway licence.[2] The track was referred to as a training school in 1950[3] and the stadium was also used for cars in 1950.[4][5]

Open speedway licence meetings were once again held at the venue from 1951 to 1953 but on a different circuit within the site.[2][1] A team called the Ringwood Turfs entered league competition for the first time in 1954.[6][7] The following season in 1955, the team withdrew in late June and had their results expunged.[8]

Further open meetings and training took place sporadically with a last recorded training and long track meetings in 1993.[1] The site continued banger racing, until its closure in 2022.[9]

Future

Matcham's Park at the northern edge of the raceway.

Future development of the site is pending council approval.[10] A retirement community is planned to be built.[11] Consultation for redevelopment began in October 2021.[12]

References

1. "Ringwood Speedway". Defunct Speedway. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
2. "Ringwood". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
3. "Motor Cycling". Daily Mirror. 27 July 1950. Retrieved 2 March 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
4. "Matchams Park Stadium". Western Gazette. 25 August 1950. Retrieved 2 March 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
5. ""Truly saddened": raceway to host final events this summer amid plans for site". Bournemouth Echo. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
6. "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - POST-WAR ERA (1946-1964)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
7. "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
8. Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 129. ISBN 0-904584-45-3.
9. "Cars shown chequered flag for the last time as Ringwood Raceway closes its doors". Bournemouth Echo. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
10. "'They'll have nowhere to go': Raceway director saddened by expected closure". Salisbury Journal. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
11. "Future of Ringwood raceway hangs in the balance as officers review plans". Bournemouth Echo. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
12. "Public consultation draws polarising response on major retirement village plans". Bournemouth Echo. Retrieved 26 April 2023.