# 1997 Elite League speedway season

The 1997 Elite League speedway season was the 63rd season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom. It was the first season of a new league known as the Elite League and was governed by the Speedway Control Board (SCB), in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association (BSPA).

## Season summary

In 1997, the single speedway league in Great Britain separated after two seasons, forming a new top division. The inaugural league consisted of ten teams. The league operated on a standard format without play-offs. The Craven Shield was introduced as an end of season cup competition for the top eight teams in the league standings.
Bradford Dukes finally won the league, their first success since 1966 when they raced as Halifax Dukes. Bradford retained top English riders Gary Havelock and Joe Screen but crucially brought in Mark Loram from Exeter Falcons. Loram had a superb season that included becoming the new British Champion.

## Final table

| Pos | | M | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | Bon | Tot |
| 1 | Bradford Dukes | 36 | 23 | 1 | 12 | 1733 | 1506 | 47 | 15 | 62 |
| 2 | Eastbourne Eagles | 36 | 20 | 0 | 16 | 1665 | 1570 | 40 | 11 | 51 |
| 3 | Swindon Robins | 36 | 20 | 1 | 15 | 1662 | 1578 | 41 | 9 | 50 |
| 4 | Ipswich Witches | 36 | 16 | 2 | 17 | 1671 | 1616 | 34 | 13 | 47 |
| 5 | King's Lynn Knights | 36 | 18 | 3 | 15 | 1592 | 1645 | 39 | 8 | 47 |
| 6 | Belle Vue Aces | 36 | 18 | 0 | 18 | 1646 | 1587 | 36 | 9 | 45 |
| 7 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 36 | 18 | 0 | 18 | 1572 | 1658 | 36 | 6 | 42 |
| 8 | Coventry Bees | 36 | 15 | 1 | 20 | 1582 | 1653 | 31 | 7 | 38 |
| 9 | Poole Pirates | 36 | 13 | 2 | 21 | 1551 | 1684 | 28 | 6 | 34 |
| 10 | Peterborough Panthers | 36 | 14 | 0 | 22 | 1556 | 1679 | 28 | 5 | 33 |

### 'A' Fixtures

| Home \ Away | BV | BD | COV | EAS | IPS | KL | PET | PP | SWI | WOL |
| Belle Vue Aces | | 48–42 | 42–47 | 54–36 | 51–38 | 63–27 | 51–39 | 61–29 | 53–37 | 52–38 |
| Bradford Dukes | 51–39 | | 50–40 | 55–35 | 58–32 | 52–38 | 42–48 | 44–45 | 46–44 | 55–35 |
| Coventry Bees | 48–42 | 44–46 | | 48–42 | 50–40 | 42–48 | 39–51 | 50–40 | 41–49 | 51–39 |
| Eastbourne Eagles | 48–42 | 58–32 | 56–34 | | 63–27 | 53–37 | 56–33 | 59–31 | 48–42 | 42–46 |
| Ipswich Witches | 44–45 | 51–39 | 56–34 | 60–30 | | 50–40 | 49–41 | 51–39 | 55–37 | 57–33 |
| King's Lynn Knights | 47–43 | 41–49 | 48–42 | 56–34 | 50–40 | | 50–40 | 50–40 | 51–39 | 50–40 |
| Peterborough Panthers | 53–37 | 40–50 | 50–40 | 46–44 | 41–49 | 44–46 | | 43–47 | 41–49 | 42–47 |
| Poole Pirates | 39–51 | 37–53 | 48–42 | 44–46 | 50–40 | 52–38 | 44–46 | | 45–45 | 47–43 |
| Swindon Robins | 51–39 | 47–43 | 50–40 | 54–36 | 52–38 | 46–44 | 47–43 | 55–35 | | 56–34 |
| Wolverhampton Wolves | 51–39 | 49–41 | 46–43 | 59–31 | 53–37 | 53–36 | 51–39 | 56–33 | 48–42 | |

### 'B' Fixtures

| Home \ Away | BV | BD | COV | EAS | IPS | KL | PET | PP | SWI | WOL |
| Belle Vue Aces | | 44–46 | 52–38 | 57–33 | 55–33 | 56–34 | 47–43 | 50–40 | 54–36 | 48–42 |
| Bradford Dukes | 53–37 | | 45–45 | 59–31 | 60–30 | 57–33 | 54–36 | 36–54 | 52–38 | 58–32 |
| Coventry Bees | 53–36 | 52–28 | | 53–37 | 52–38 | 40–49 | 47–43 | 58–32 | 54–36 | 60–30 |
| Eastbourne Eagles | 51–39 | 56–34 | 54–36 | | 49–41 | 61–29 | 66–24 | 55–35 | 55–35 | 52–37 |
| Ipswich Witches | 58–32 | 39–51 | 57–32 | 59–31 | | 45–45 | 44–45 | 52–38 | 47–43 | 57–32 |
| King's Lynn Knights | 49–41 | 48–42 | 46–44 | 48–42 | 45–45 | | 53–37 | 52–38 | 42–48 | 58–32 |
| Peterborough Panthers | 57–33 | 41–49 | 50–40 | 53–36 | 41–49 | 50–40 | | 48–41 | 49–41 | 51–39 |
| Poole Pirates | 53–36 | 35–55 | 65–25 | 44–46 | 48–42 | 45–45 | 58–32 | | 48–42 | 61–28 |
| Swindon Robins | 54–36 | 49–41 | 43–47 | 47–43 | 59–31 | 53–37 | 49–41 | 57–33 | | 54–36 |
| Wolverhampton Wolves | 49–41 | 35–55 | 59–31 | 40–50 | 52–38 | 47–42 | 55–35 | 52–38 | 54–36 | |

## Elite League Knockout Cup

The 1997 Elite League Knockout Cup, sponsored by the Speedway Star, was the 59th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams but the first under its new name. Eastbourne Eagles were the winners of the competition.
First round
Group A
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 15/03 | Coventry | 51-40 | Swindon |
| 16/03 | Swindon | 41-49 | Coventry |
| 21/03 | Belle Vue | 48-42 | Coventry |
| 22/03 | Coventry | 45-45 | Wolverhampton |
| 22/03 | Bradford | 56-34 | Swindon |
| 23/03 | Swindon | 47-42 | Bradford |
| 24/03 | Wolverhampton | 52-38 | Swindon |
| 28/03 | Belle Vue | 56-33 | Wolverhampton |
| 29/03 | Swindon | 56-34 | Belle Vue |
| 29/03 | Bradford | 58-32 | Wolverhampton |
| 31/03 | Coventry | 49-41 | Bradford |
| 31/03 | Wolverhampton | 52-38 | Belle Vue |
| 04/04 | Belle Vue | 46-44 | Bradford |
| 05/04 | Bradford | 52-38 | Coventry |
| 05/04 | Swindon | 65-25 | Wolverhampton |
| 11/04 | Belle Vue | 52-40 | Swindon |
| 12/04 | Coventry | 51-41 | Belle Vue |
| 14/04 | Wolverhampton | 50-40 | Coventry |
| 19/04 | Bradford | 57-33 | Belle Vue |
| 28/04 | Wolverhampton | 44-46 | Bradford |
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L |
| 1 | Bradford | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| 2 | Coventry | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 | Belle Vue | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | Wolverhampton | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 5 | Swindon | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
Group B
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 20/03 | Ipswich | 47-43 | Peterborough |
| 21/03 | Peterborough | 41-49 | Kings Lynn |
| 23/03 | Eastbourne | 53-37 | Ipswich |
| 28/03 | Ipswich | 50-40 | Kings Lynn |
| 28/03 | Peterborough | 62-27 | Eastbourne |
| 30/03 | Eastbourne | 54-36 | Poole |
| 02/04 | Poole | 53-37 | Kings Lynn |
| 03/04 | Ipswich | 44-46 | Eastbourne |
| 06/04 | Eastbourne | 55-35 | Kings Lynn |
| 09/04 | Kings Lynn | 46-44 | Eastbourne |
| 09/04 | Poole | 52-38 | Peterborough |
| 10/04 | Ipswich | 41-49 | Poole |
| 11/04 | Peterborough | 38-52 | Poole |
| 12/04 | Kings Lynn | 37-52 | Poole |
| 16/04 | Kings Lynn | 47-43 | Peterborough |
| 16/04 | Poole | 57-33 | Ipswich |
| 18/04 | Peterborough | 48-42 | Ipswich |
| 19/04 | Eastbourne | 52-37 | Peterborough |
| 23/04 | Poole | 73-17 | Eastbourne |
| 30/04 | Kings Lynn | 41-49 | Ipswich |
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L |
| 1 | Poole | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | Eastbourne | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | King's Lynn | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| 4 | Peterborough | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| 5 | Ipswich | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
Semi-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 02/07 | Poole | 53-37 | Coventry |
| 15/06 | Coventry | 48-42 | Poole |
| 15/07 | Bradford | 56-34 | Eastbourne |
| 13/04 | Eastbourne | 58-32 | Bradford |

### Final

First leg
Second leg
Eastbourne Eagles were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 116-66.

## Riders' Championship

Greg Hancock won the Elite League Riders' Championship, held at Odsal Stadium on 11 October.
| Pos. | Rider | Total | Total | SF | Final |
| 1 | Greg Hancock | 2 1 3 3 3 | 12 | x | 3 |
| 2 | Tony Rickardsson | 2 3 2 3 3 | 13 | x | 2 |
| 3 | Chris Louis | 3 3 1 2 2 | 11 | 2 | 1 |
| 4 | Simon Wigg | 1 0 3 2 3 | 9 | 3 | 0 |
| 5 | Mark Loram | 1 2 3 1 2 | 9 | 1 | |
| 6 | Billy Hamill | 3 TX 0 3 3 | 9 | 0 | |
| 7 | Sam Ermolenko | 3 1 2 0 2 | 8 | | |
| 8 | Craig Boyce | 1 1 3 2 1 | 8 | | |
| 9 | Joe Screen | 2 3 1 1 1 | 8 | | |
| 10 | Jason Crump | 0 2 2 3 0 | 7 | | |
| 11 | Martin Dugard | 2 3 0 0 1 | 6 | | |
| 12 | Brian Andersen | 0 2 1 2 1 | 6 | | |
| 13 | Peter Karlsson | 0 1 2 1 2 | 6 | | |
| 14 | Mikael Karlsson | 3 0 1 TX 0 | 4 | | |
| 15 | Garry Stead (res) | 2 0 | 2 | | |
| 16 | Leigh Adams | 1 0 0 0 0 | 1 | | |
| 17 | Steve Johnston | 0 0 0 1 0 | 1 | | |
* tx-touched tapes, excluded

## Fours

Peterborough Panthers won the Elite League Four Team Tournament, which was held on 3 August 1997, at the East of England Arena.
Final :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Peterborough | 27 | Crump 9, Sullivan 6 |
| 2 | Bradford | 21 | Screen 10 |
| 3 | Swindon | 15 | Adams 10 |
| 4 | Belle Vue | 15 | Hamill 6 |

## Final leading averages

| Rider | Team | Average |
| Tony Rickardsson | Ipswich | 10.09 |
| Billy Hamill | Belle Vue | 10.07 |
| Greg Hancock | Coventry | 9.85 |
| Joe Screen | Bradford | 9.77 |
| Leigh Adams | Swindon | 9.76 |
| Jason Crump | Peterborough | 9.71 |
| Mark Loram | Bradford | 9.59 |
| Craig Boyce | Poole | 9.43 |
| Chris Louis | Ipswich | 9.42 |
| Brian Andersen | Coventry | 9.02 |

## Riders & final averages

Belle Vue
* Billy Hamill 10.07
* Sam Ermolenko 8.48
* Jason Lyons 7.74
* Charlie Venegas 5.58
* Chris Manchester 5.56
* Paul Thorp 4.17
* Paul Smith 1.62
* Nathan Murray 0.97
Bradford
* Joe Screen 9.77
* Mark Loram 9.59
* Gary Havelock 7.59
* Garry Stead 5.78
* Josh Larsen 5.70
* David Walsh 4.45
Coventry
* Greg Hancock 9.85
* Brian Andersen 9.02
* John Jørgensen 6.90
* Andy Smith 5.84
* Sean Wilson 5.67
* Simon Cross 5.13
* Shane Bowes 4.15
* Paul Smith 1.44
Eastbourne
* Martin Dugard 8.44
* Stefan Andersson 8.24
* Dean Barker 7.32
* Stefan Dannö 6.97
* David Norris 6.57
* Alan Mogridge 4.56
Ipswich
* Tony Rickardsson 10.09
* Chris Louis 9.42
* Steve Johnston 7.74
* Scott Nicholls 6.25
* Ben Howe 6.17
* Jeremy Doncaster 6.11
* Antonín Šváb Jr. 3.62
King's Lynn
* Simon Wigg 8.07
* Shane Parker 7.48
* Tomáš Topinka 7.24
* Bohumil Brhel 6.91
* Paul Hurry 6.26
* Charles Ermolenko 5.14
* Shaun Tacey 3.11
Peterborough
* Jason Crump 9.71
* Kelvin Tatum 7.80
* Ryan Sullivan 7.71
* Hans Clausen 7.22
* Ronni Pedersen 7.08
* Zdeněk Tesař 4.95
* Marián Jirout 4.90
* Rene Madsen 2.52
Poole
* Craig Boyce 9.43
* Lars Gunnestad 7.48
* Marvyn Cox 7.30
* Mark Lemon 6.43
* Steve Schofield 6.18
* Armando Castagna 4.80
* Savalas Clouting 4.77
* Ben Howe 4.45
Swindon
* Leigh Adams 9.76
* Jimmy Nilsen 8.96
* Brian Karger 8.12
* Tony Olsson 6.68
* Alun Rossiter 4.68
* Steve Masters 2.53
Wolverhampton
* Mikael Karlsson 8.62
* Peter Karlsson 8.37
* Ronnie Correy 7.08
* Jesper B. Jensen 5.45
* Charles Ermolenko 4.76
* George Štancl 4.55
* James Grieves 4.16