Touring Exhibition stops at the Institute for Education, UCL:

Racing in the East: Transnational Speedway in Cold War East Anglia

This temporary exhibition sheds light on one of motorcycle speedway’s interconnected “backwaters”. From rural East Anglia to Soviet Siberia, the sport fostered unconventional interactions. At the height of the Cold War, East Anglia relished its role in transnational speedway, as Scandinavian superstars graced stadiums in Norwich, Yarmouth, and Ipswich, and Eastern Bloc riders lit up the region’s tracks. King’s Lynn was the entry port for communist-built racing machines that dominated international competition. Based on research conducted by the University of East Anglia’s Centre of East Anglian Studies and the East Centre for the study of East and Central Europe and the former Soviet space, the exhibition underlines the region’s stature in international motorsport, highlights the extensive interactions between East Anglia and the wider world, and celebrates migrant riders and foreign machines that stood in the vanguard of continental interactions with the region.

Wednesday 23rd July, 16:45-18:15, Jeffery Hall. Racing in the East: Exhibition reception. www.iccees2025.org

For more on the project, including links to the underpinning Open Access research, see: https://ceasuea.org.uk/racing-in-the-east/. Attendance at the reception will be limited by the room’s capacity, but the exhibits will be on display throughout the conference.