Ivor Brown (speedway rider)
Encyclopedia
Ivor John Brown was a motorcycle speedway
rider and captain of Cradley Heath Heathens
speedway team during the 1960s. After retiring from riding he became promoter of Long Eaton
and Scunthorpe speedway. His off-track occupation was Postmaster
and grocer
of the village General Stores in Wymeswold
.
riding, and moved to second-half rides at Birmingham
and then Leicester
. He made a few team appearances for Leicester Hunters but it was at Yarmouth
that he first made regular team appearances, when he was skipper of the Yarmouth Bloaters team in the Southern Area League and the 1960 inaugural Provincial League
competition.
With the closure of Yarmouth he transferred to Cradley Heath Heathens
for 1961. He topped the Provincial League averages
and led the team to three Knockout Cup finals (including two wins) in four years. In 1965 and the formation of an amalgamated British League
he sustained serious injuries to his lower spine at the Wimbledon Internationale in a clash with Ove Fundin
. Although he returned to racing the same season, his subsequent form suffered at this level and, with further injuries, he retired at the end of the 1968 season. He was a regular holder of the Silver Sash, the Provincial League match race championship.
Brown died in 2005. A trophy named in his honour was contested in a challenge match between the successors to two of his former clubs, the Leicester Lions and the Dudley Heathens, in 2011.
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 and captain of Cradley Heath Heathens
Cradley Heath Heathens
Cradley Heath Heathens are a defunct motorcycle speedway team from Dudley, England.-History:Cradley Heath speedway team was formed in 1947 and first raced at Dudley Wood Stadium on 21 June 1947 after a number of away appearances prior to the opening of the newly built stadium...
speedway team during the 1960s. After retiring from riding he became promoter of Long Eaton
Long Eaton Invaders
Several motorcycle speedway teams operated from 1950 until 1997 in Long Eaton, England. Teams have raced at the Station Road Stadium as the Long Eaton Archers, Long Eaton Rangers, Nottingham Outlaws and the Long Eaton Invaders...
and Scunthorpe speedway. His off-track occupation was Postmaster
Postmaster
A postmaster is the head of an individual post office. Postmistress is not used anymore in the United States, as the "master" component of the word refers to a person of authority and has no gender quality...
and grocer
Grocer
A grocer is a bulk seller of food. Beginning as early as the 14th century, a grocer was a dealer in comestible dry goods such as spices, pepper, sugar, and cocoa, tea and coffee...
of the village General Stores in Wymeswold
Wymeswold
Wymeswold is a village and civil parish in the Charnwood district of Leicestershire, England. It is in the north of Leicestershire, and north-east of Loughborough. It has a population of about 1,000...
.
Career
Ivor Brown started speedway racing at Long Eaton in 1952, following earlier grasstrackGrasstrack
Motorcycle Grasstrack is a form of motorcycle racing which typically, in its current form, takes place on a flat track consisting of two straights and two bends usually constructed in a field. Mountain and hillside tracks are also common in the UK, creating more technically demanding circuits...
riding, and moved to second-half rides at Birmingham
Birmingham Brummies
Birmingham Brummies are a British speedway team, who were reformed in 2006 and then accepted into the Premier League in 2007. The club race at Perry Barr Stadium ....
and then Leicester
Leicester Hunters
The Leicester Hunters were a motorcycle speedway team which operated from 1948 until 1962.-History:Speedway had operated before the war at both Leicester Stadium and the Leicester Super track. Speedway was proposed to return to Leicester in 1948 at Leicester Stadium, led by A. D...
. He made a few team appearances for Leicester Hunters but it was at Yarmouth
Yarmouth Bloaters
The Yarmouth Bloaters are a defunct motorcycle speedway team who operated from the Yarmouth Stadium, Great Yarmouth from 1948 to 1962.-History:...
that he first made regular team appearances, when he was skipper of the Yarmouth Bloaters team in the Southern Area League and the 1960 inaugural Provincial League
Speedway Provincial League
The Provincial League was a league competition for speedway teams in the United Kingdom which operated alongside the National League for five years between 1960 and 1964.-History:The Provincial League was formed in the winter of 1959/60...
competition.
With the closure of Yarmouth he transferred to Cradley Heath Heathens
Cradley Heath Heathens
Cradley Heath Heathens are a defunct motorcycle speedway team from Dudley, England.-History:Cradley Heath speedway team was formed in 1947 and first raced at Dudley Wood Stadium on 21 June 1947 after a number of away appearances prior to the opening of the newly built stadium...
for 1961. He topped the Provincial League averages
Calculated Match Average
Calculated Match Averages are calculated for every motorcycle speedway rider.The CMA is calculated from the following:\left \times4...
and led the team to three Knockout Cup finals (including two wins) in four years. In 1965 and the formation of an amalgamated 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....
he sustained serious injuries to his lower spine at the Wimbledon Internationale in a clash with Ove Fundin
Ove Fundin
Ove Fundin is a former speedway rider who won the Speedway World Championship five times...
. Although he returned to racing the same season, his subsequent form suffered at this level and, with further injuries, he retired at the end of the 1968 season. He was a regular holder of the Silver Sash, the Provincial League match race championship.
Brown died in 2005. A trophy named in his honour was contested in a challenge match between the successors to two of his former clubs, the Leicester Lions and the Dudley Heathens, in 2011.