Colin Cook
Encyclopedia
Colin Cook is an English former motorcycle speedway
rider who rode for Ipswich Witches
and Leicester Lions in the British League
, before spending eight successive seasons with the Exeter Falcons
.
in 1954. He took up speedway while working as a plant fitter, initially at Mildenhall
, before joining Ipswich Witches
in the mid-1970s. He was loaned out to National League
team Scunthorpe Stags in 1975, averaging 5.91 in his first season. After a further season at Scunthorpe he moved on to the Boston Barracudas
in 1977. A much improved season saw his average rise and he also won the National League Best Pairs Championship with Robert Hollingworth. In 1978 he was recalled by Ipswich and was part of the cup-winning team that year. Cook transferred to Leicester Lions early in the 1979 season for 2,500. In 1982 he rose to the position of third heat-leader for the Lions, but his time at Leicester was hampered by injuries. After the Lions closed down in 1983, Cook moved back to Boston in 1984, before spending the last eight years of his career with the Exeter Falcons
, retiring at the end of the 1992 season.
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 rode for Ipswich Witches
Ipswich Witches
The Ipswich Witches are a British speedway club based at Foxhall Stadium near Ipswich, Suffolk. Meetings are staged on most Thursdays from March until October, normally commencing at 7.30pm....
and Leicester Lions in the British League
Speedway British League
The British League was the top division of Speedway in the United Kingdom from 1965 until 1995 when it became known as the Premier League. Prior to 1965 the division had been known as the National League....
, before spending eight successive seasons with the Exeter Falcons
Exeter Falcons
The Exeter Falcons were a speedway team which operated from 1947 until their closure in 2005 at the County Ground Stadium in Exeter. The track first operated in 1929.-Track:...
.
Biography
Cook was born in SouthwoldSouthwold
Southwold is a town on the North Sea coast, in the Waveney district of the English county of Suffolk. It is located on the North Sea coast at the mouth of the River Blyth within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The town is around south of Lowestoft and north-east...
in 1954. He took up speedway while working as a plant fitter, initially at Mildenhall
Mildenhall Fen Tigers
The Mildenhall Fen Tigers are a British speedway team, currently riding in the National League.The club moved up to the Premier League in 2006 after twelve seasons in the Conference League when new promoter Mick Horton took over. In 2007 Stadium owner Carl Harris formed 'Fen Tigers Limited' with...
, before joining Ipswich Witches
Ipswich Witches
The Ipswich Witches are a British speedway club based at Foxhall Stadium near Ipswich, Suffolk. Meetings are staged on most Thursdays from March until October, normally commencing at 7.30pm....
in the mid-1970s. He was loaned out to 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...
team Scunthorpe Stags in 1975, averaging 5.91 in his first season. After a further season at Scunthorpe he moved on to the Boston Barracudas
Boston Barracudas
The Boston Barracudas are a speedway team in the British Conference League. Originally founded mid-season in 1970 when the Kings Lynn Starlets changed name, they competed in the National League until 1987. In 2000 the club was reformed, entering the Conference League....
in 1977. A much improved season saw his average rise and he also won the National League Best Pairs Championship with Robert Hollingworth. In 1978 he was recalled by Ipswich and was part of the cup-winning team that year. Cook transferred to Leicester Lions early in the 1979 season for 2,500. In 1982 he rose to the position of third heat-leader for the Lions, but his time at Leicester was hampered by injuries. After the Lions closed down in 1983, Cook moved back to Boston in 1984, before spending the last eight years of his career with the Exeter Falcons
Exeter Falcons
The Exeter Falcons were a speedway team which operated from 1947 until their closure in 2005 at the County Ground Stadium in Exeter. The track first operated in 1929.-Track:...
, retiring at the end of the 1992 season.