Knockout Cup (sometimes referred to as the KO Cup) is a type of British motorcycle speedway competition, examples of which have run annually since 1929.
Each tier of British Speedway has its own respective Knockout Cup. The current Knockout Cup competitions are the SGB Premiership Knockout Cup (tier one), the SGB Championship Knockout Cup (tier two) and the National League Knockout Cup (tier three).
The cups were run in the past under the associated name of the League at the time. For example Elite League Knockout Cup when tier one was the Elite League, a Premier League Knockout Cup when tier two was the Premier League and so on.
Knockout Cups (chronological order) Tier One National Trophy 1931–1964 British League Knockout Cup 1965–1967 British League Division One Knockout Cup 1968–1974 British League Knockout Cup 1975–1994 Premier League Knockout Cup 1995–1996 Elite League Knockout Cup 1997–2012 not held, 2012–2016 SGB Premiership Knockout Cup 2017–2019 not held, 2020–2022 SGB Premiership Knockout Cup 2023–present
Tier Two National Trophy (provincial final) 1936–1937 National Trophy (qualifying final) 1938–1956 Provincial League KO Cup 1960–1964 British League Division Two Knockout Cup 1968–1974 New National League Knockout Cup 1975–1976 National League Knockout Cup 1977–1990 British League Division Two Knockout Cup 1991–1994 Academy League Knockout Cup 1995 Conference League Knockout Cup 1996 Premier League Knockout Cup 1997–2016 SGB Championship Knockout Cup 2017–present
Tier Three National Trophy (qualifying final) 1948–1952 Conference League Knockout Cup 1998–2008 National League Knockout Cup 2009–2023 not held 2024–2025
List of winners Year Tier one Year Tier two Year Tier three1931 Wembley Lions N/A N/A1932 Wembley Lions N/A N/A1933 Belle Vue Aces N/A N/A1934 Belle Vue Aces N/A N/A1935 Belle Vue Aces N/A N/A1936 Belle Vue Aces 1936 Southampton Saints N/A1937 Belle Vue Aces 1937 Southampton Saints N/A1938 Wimbledon Dons 1938 Norwich Stars N/A1939 Belle Vue Aces &Wembley Lions* 1939 Sheffield Tigers N/A1946 Belle Vue Aces N/A N/A1947 Belle Vue Aces1947Middlesbrough Bears N/A1948 Wembley Lions 1948 Birmingham Brummies 1948 Southampton Saints1949 Belle Vue Aces 1949 Bristol Bulldogs 1949 Hanley Potters1950 Wimbledon Dons 1950 Halifax Dukes 1950 Oxford Cheetahs1951 Wimbledon Dons 1951 Norwich Stars1951 Exeter Falcons1952 Harringay Racers 1952 Poole Pirates 1952 Plymouth Devils1953 Wimbledon Dons N/A N/A1954 Wembley Lions N/A N/A1955 Norwich Stars 1955 Poole Pirates N/A1956 Wimbledon Dons 1956 Southampton Saints N/A1957 N/A N/A N/A1958 Belle Vue Aces N/A N/A1959 Wimbledon Dons N/A N/A1960 Wimbledon Dons 1960Bristol Bulldogs N/A1961 Southampton Saints 1961 Cradley Heathens N/A1962 Wimbledon Dons 1962 Exeter Falcons N/A1963 Norwich Stars 1963 Cradley Heathens N/A1964 Oxford Cheetahs 1964 Newport Wasps N/A1965 West Ham Hammers N/A N/A1966 Halifax Dukes N/A N/A1967 Coventry Bees N/A N/A1968 Wimbledon Dons1968 Canterbury Crusaders N/A1969 Wimbledon Dons1969 Belle Vue Colts N/A1970 Wimbledon Dons1970 Ipswich Witches N/A1971 Hackney Hawks1971 Ipswich Witches N/A1972 Belle Vue Aces 1972 Crewe Kings N/A1973 Belle Vue Aces 1973 Boston Barracudas N/A 1974 Sheffield Tigers 1974 Birmingham Brummies N/A1975 Belle Vue Aces1975 Eastbourne Eagles N/A1976 Ipswich Witches 1976 Newcastle Diamonds N/A 1977 King's Lynn Stars 1977 Eastbourne Eagles N/A1978 Ipswich Witches 1978 Eastbourne Eagles N/A1979 Cradley Heath Heathens 1979 Rye House Rockets N/A 1980 Cradley Heath Heathens 1980 Berwick Bandits N/A 1981 Ipswich Witches 1981 Edinburgh Monarchs N/A 1982 Cradley Heath Heathens 1982 Newcastle Diamonds N/A 1983 Cradley Heath Heathens 1983 Exeter Falcons N/A1984 Ipswich Witches 1984 Hackney Kestrels N/A 1985 Oxford Cheetahs 1985 Eastbourne Eagles N/A 1986 Oxford Cheetahs &Cradley Heath Heathens* 1986Eastbourne Eagles N/A 1987 Cradley Heath Heathens 1987Eastbourne Eagles N/A 1988 Cradley Heath Heathens 1988Hackney Kestrels N/A 1989 Cradley Heath Heathens 1989Berwick Bandits N/A 1990 Reading Racers 1990Poole Pirates N/A 1991 Bradford Dukes1991 Arena Essex Hammers N/A 1992 Bradford Dukes1992 Peterborough Panthers N/A 1993 Bradford Dukes 1993Glasgow Tigers N/A 1994 Eastbourne Eagles 1994Glasgow Tigers N/A 1995 Bradford Dukes 1995Berwick Bandits N/A 1996 Wolverhampton Wolves 1996 Linlithgow Lightning N/A 1997 Eastbourne Eagles 1997 Edinburgh Monarchs N/A 1998 Ipswich Witches 1998 Reading Racers 1998 St Austell Gulls 1999 Peterborough Panthers 1999 Edinburgh Monarchs 1999 St Austell Gulls 2000 King's Lynn Stars 2000Swindon Robins 2000 Boston Barracudas 2001 Peterborough Panthers 2001 Hull Vikings 2001 Somerset Rebels 2002 Eastbourne Eagles 2002 Sheffield Tigers 2002 Buxton Hitmen 2003 Poole Pirates 2003 Isle of Wight Islanders 2003 Mildenhall Fen Tigers2004 Poole Pirates 2004Hull Vikings 2004 Mildenhall Fen Tigers2005 Belle Vue Aces 2005 King's Lynn Stars 2005 Weymouth Wildcats 2006 Coventry Bees 2006King's Lynn Stars 2006 Scunthorpe Scorpions2007 Coventry Bees 2007King's Lynn Stars 2007 Scunthorpe Scorpions 2008 Eastbourne Eagles 2008Somerset Rebels 2008 Plymouth Devils2009 Lakeside Hammers 2009 King's Lynn Stars 2009 Bournemouth Buccaneers2010 Poole Pirates 2010Newcastle Diamonds 2010 Buxton Hitmen2011 Poole Pirates 2011Newport Wasps 2011 Mildenhall Fen Tigers2012 Poole Pirates 2012Newcastle Diamonds 2012 Mildenhall Fen Tigers2013 not held 2013 Somerset Rebels 2013 Dudley Heathens2014 not held 2014 Edinburgh Monarchs 2014 Dudley Heathens2015 not held 2015 Somerset Rebels 2015 Eastbourne Eagles2016 not held 2016 Glasgow Tigers 2016 Eastbourne Eagles2017 Belle Vue Aces 2017 Peterborough Panthers 2017 Eastbourne Eagles2018 Somerset Rebels 2018 Workington Comets 2018 Eastbourne Eagles2019 Swindon Robins 2019 Redcar Bears 2019 Leicester Lion Cubs2020 cancelled due to COVID-19 2020 cancelled due to COVID-19 2020 cancelled due to COVID-192021 not held 2021 Poole Pirates 2021 not held2022 not held 2022 Poole Pirates 2022 Leicester Lion Cubs2023 Ipswich Witches 2023 Scunthorpe Scorpions 2023 Mildenhall Fen Tigers2024 Sheffield Tigers 2024 Poole Pirates 2024 not held2025 Leicester Lions 2025 Poole Pirates 2025 not held2026 Leicester Lions 2026 TBC 2026 not held Shared title*
Most Tier One Knockout Cups NameTitles Belle Vue Aces14 Wimbledon Dons11 Cradley Heath Heathens8 Ipswich Witches6 Poole Pirates5 Bradford Dukes5 Wembley Lions5
References