'We Are The Champions' was often heard at the Showground to celebrate the achievements of Peterborough Panthers

Peterborough Panthers celebrate their Fours success in 2018.

It took pop band Queen six years of releasing albums before the public could listen for the first time to Freddie Mercury’s iconic ‘We Are the Champions’.

The chart-topping song that has become an anthem for every successful sporting team came out just a couple of months after Peterborough Panthers won their first major trophy, the 1977 National League Pairs Championship.

So, it wasn’t blasting out over the tannoy at the East of England Showground when the victorious quintet (four riders and a reserve) did the lap of honour.

But, at one time or another, those familiar lyrics have reverberated around the main grandstand on some 22 further celebratory parades.

Ulrich Ostergaard was the last Peterborough Panthers rider to win the British Riders Championship in 2015.

Occasions when Panthers have been title winners during their 53-year history.

Success was hard to come by in the early years, but since Panthers made the big breakthrough by winning both the league and Knockout Cup in 1992, there has been a lengthening collection of silverware making its way to Alwalton.

A total of six league titles, three of them in the second tier and three in the top-flight, have been won in the last three decades and that is a record that made Panthers one of the most successful clubs in the country.

Between the first season in 1970 and 1971, Panthers only claims to fame were being crowned Second Division Four Team Champions four times, each of them on their own home track which was the competition venue, chosen because of its spectator capacity and spectacular race track.

From 1992 until the last league match at the Arena a few weeks ago, Panthers were always among the challengers for honours and collected 19 trophies, including those six league mementoes.

But the Showground was far more than being a home to Peterborough’s most successful professional sports team (neither Peterborough United FC nor ice hockey’s Peterborough Phantoms have ever won a top flight league).

It was also the venue for World Championship events, the 2001 Under 21 World Final and the 2002 World Cup Final, when the place was rammed to witness an Australian team including current Panther Ryan Sullivan and former teammate Jason Crump retain the title, the only time they have ever done that.

ROLL OF HONOUR

TEAM

League champions (Amateur League, British League Division Two, Premier League, Elite League or Premiership) (7)

1992, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2006, 2021

Knockout Cup winner (4)

1992, 1999, 2001, 2017

Craven Shield Winners (1)

1999

Elite Shield Winners (1)

2007

Premiership Winners (1)

1993

Four Team champions (9)

1977, 1978, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1997, 1998, 2017, 2018.

Pairs champions (1)

1998.

INDIVIDUAL

British champion (1)

Mark Loram 2001.

British Under 21 champion (1)

David Howe 2000.

League Riders’ champions (5)

Ian Barney 1984

Glenn Cunningham 1998

Jason Crump 1999

Ryan Sullivan 2000

Ulrich Ostergaard 2015.