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Bill Kitchen (speedway rider)
Encyclopedia
William Kitchen (born 7 December 1908 in Galgate
, Lancashire
, England
- died May 1994) is a former international speedway
rider who started his career with the Belle Vue Aces
in 1933.
.
In 1946 he became captain of the Wembley Lions
and finished second in the British Speedway Championship
. He finished fifth in the Speedway World Championship
in 1939.
Kitchen was a member of a National League
winning team eleven times in twenty years, a feat made even more exceptional given to the fact that the outbreak of World War II
cost his Belle Vue team the chance of earning Kitchen a twelfth title (the Aces were top of the league when it was abandoned), and the fact that the competition was suspended a further six seasons during the war.
Kitchen was also a regular England
international with over forty appearances after the war as well as over thirty pre-war caps.
Galgate
Galgate is a village in the City of Lancaster, just south of Lancaster University, and about south of Lancaster itself in the English county of Lancashire.-Etymology:...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
- died May 1994) is a former international speedway
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
rider who started his career with the Belle Vue Aces
Belle Vue Aces
The Belle Vue Aces are a British speedway team from Manchester in the north west of England.-Brief history:Racing first took place in 1928 at the Belle Vue greyhound stadium in Kirkmanshulme Lane before moving the following year to a specially built stadium nearby on Hyde Road. The club raced there...
in 1933.
Career summary
Before he started speedway Kitchen was a prominent road trials rider and had taken part in the Isle of Man TTIsle of Man TT
The International Isle of Man TT Race is a motorcycle racing event held on the Isle of Man and was for many years the most prestigious motorcycle race in the world...
.
In 1946 he became captain of the Wembley Lions
Wembley Lions
The Wembley Lions were an English ice hockey team.The team were founded in 1934 but showed a continuity with the London Lions team which had played at various venues since 1924. The Wembley team were based at the newly built Empire Pool which they shared with the Wembley Monarchs until 1950.The...
and finished second in the British Speedway Championship
British Speedway Championship
The British Speedway Championship is an annual motorcycle speedway competition open to British national speedway riders. The winner of the event becomes the British Speedway Champion. It has been open in the past to riders from British dominions and was dominated in its early years by riders from...
. He finished fifth in the Speedway World Championship
Speedway World Championship
The World Championship of Speedway is an international competition between the highest ranked motorcycle speedway riders of the world. Today, it is organised as a series of Speedway Grand Prix events, where points are awarded according to performance in the event and tallied up at the end of each...
in 1939.
Kitchen was a member of a National League
Speedway National League
The National League was the top division of Speedway in the United Kingdom from 1932 until 1965 when it became known as the British League. Prior to 1932 there were only small regional leagues competing within the sport in the UK. The National League was re-incarnated in 1975 as the second division...
winning team eleven times in twenty years, a feat made even more exceptional given to the fact that the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
cost his Belle Vue team the chance of earning Kitchen a twelfth title (the Aces were top of the league when it was abandoned), and the fact that the competition was suspended a further six seasons during the war.
Kitchen was also a regular England
Great Britain national speedway team
The Great Britain national speedway team are one of the major teams in international speedway. The team is managed by Poole Pirates manager Neil Middleditch and the captain is Chris Harris of the Belle Vue Aces....
international with over forty appearances after the war as well as over thirty pre-war caps.
World Final Appearances
- 19371937 Individual Speedway World ChampionshipThe 1937 Individual Speedway World Championship.-World final:*September 2, 1937 London, Wembley Stadium...
-
United Kingdom LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Wembley Stadium - 8th - 9pts + 7 semi-final points - 19381938 Individual Speedway World ChampionshipThe 1938 Individual Speedway World Championship.-World final:*September 1, 1938 London, Wembley Stadium...
- United Kingdom LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Wembley Stadium - 5th - 9pts + 6 semi-final points - 19491949 Individual Speedway World ChampionshipThe 1949 Individual Speedway World Championship.-Qualification:# August 8, 1949 - London, Wimbledon Stadium# August 10, 1949 - London, New Cross Stadium# August 22, 1949 - Birmingham, Perry Barr Stadium# August 25, 1949 - London, Wembley Stadium...
- United Kingdom LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Wembley Stadium - 6th - 9pts