SPEEDWAY racing legend Barry Briggs says the sport “belongs” at Wembley.
Stadium Director Liam Boylan revealed to the Three Lions Podcast, to mark 100 years of the venue, that he wants the sport to return to its spiritual home.
Wembley was the original venue for World Championship finals from 1928 right through to its last hosting of the 1981 showpiece in front of a sell-out crowd.
Bruce Penhall was the last World Champ crowned at the stadium, a year later he quit for Hollywood and appeared in the TV show CHiPs. Legendary speedway names Ove Fundin, Barry Briggs, Ivan Mauger and Ole Olsen all won titles at Wembley.
The track was always a major feature of FA Cup finals at the old Twin Towers stadium. The famous walk from the tunnel for the teams took so long because they had to cross the shale surface before getting to the pitch.
Briggs, now 88, won two world titles at the stadium and lost a finger in the 1972 final. He said: “It is massive. At one stage we believed that Bernie Ecclestone was going to do it and bring it back to Wembley.
“But the figures never kind of added up. You take a big gamble when you promote at a place like Wembley. You’ve got to have big balls to go back.
“But Wembley overcomes everything. It’s still the epitome of any stadium in the world. We promoted a World Final at the Los Angeles Coliseum in 1982. That was a beautiful stadium. But there’s only one Wembley.
“I put a show of bikes on at Wembley and did pictures with Alan Shearer, David Beckham and Kevin Keegan in front of the Twin Towers in 2000.
“Speedway belongs at Wembley. The trouble is the longer things go on, the quicker they forget so it would be great to have it back.”
Words by Holeshot Media.