Sprouts Elder
Encyclopedia
Lloyd 'Sprouts' Elder was an international motorcycle speedway
rider.
, the forerunner to the Speedway World Championship
in 1929.He was beaten in the semi final of the 'overseas' section by Vic Huxley
. He also rode for the West Ham Hammers
. In 1931 he rode for the Southampton Saints
.
Elder was also a pioneer of speedway racing in the USA. He was a champion rider at home and abroad during the 1920s and early 1930s. Elder helped organize speedway racing on the east and west coasts of America and later became an AMA referee and a member of the competition committee.
Elder learned to race racing on some of the last surviving board track racing
circuits during the 1920s. In the late 1920s Elder really began to make a name for himself by racing overseas.
In 1927 he won Australian Championship, against top Australian as well as several top British and American riders who also spent the winter months racing in the Australian summer. Elder also won titles in South America.
1928 saw Elder turn his attention to racing in the United Kingdom
, becoming one of the most popular riders in the country. He could command fees of £100 per meeting, plus prize money. Crowds of 30,000 to 40,000 were not uncommon at larger meetings during the heyday of speedway racing in England. Elder's popularity was revealed when the British paper "Speedway News" honoured Elder by calling him the greatest showman of all time.
During the mid-1930s, Elder returned to the United States to help organize American speedway. Speedway racing was among the popular forms of motorcycle racing in the country. Elder, along with Wilbur Lamoreaux
, Jack
and Cordy Milne
, he helped found and promote speedway in America.
and was responsible for securing sponsorship from the Highway Patrol for a number of meetings. Elder retired from the patrol after suffering life-threatening injuries in a traffic accident. Even after retirement, Elder stayed involved with racing through his duties on the AMA Competition Committee.
following the death of his wife. He was inducted into the AMA
Motorcycle Hall of Fame
in 1998.
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.
Career
Elder was one of speedway's pioneers and featured in the first Star Riders' ChampionshipStar Riders' Championship
The Star Riders' Championship was the forerunner of the Speedway World Championship and was inaugurated in 1929. The competition was sponsored by The Star, which was a London evening newspaper at that time....
, the forerunner to 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 1929.He was beaten in the semi final of the 'overseas' section by Vic Huxley
Vic Huxley
Victor Nelson "Vic" Huxley was a Speedway who won the Star Riders' Championship, the forerunner of the Speedway World Championship, in 1930 and finished runner-up in 1931 and 1932. He also won the London Riders' Championship in 1936 whilst with the Wimbledon Dons...
. He also rode for the West Ham Hammers
West Ham Hammers
The West Ham Hammers were a speedway team, first promoted by Jimmy Baxter in 1929.. They operated from the West Ham Stadium until the outbreak of World War II under several different promotions, most successfully under the control of Johnnie Hoskins....
. In 1931 he rode for the Southampton Saints
Southampton Saints
Southampton Saints were a speedway team which operated from 1928 until their closure in 1963. Their track was located at Banister Court Stadium in Southampton, Hampshire....
.
Elder was also a pioneer of speedway racing in the USA. He was a champion rider at home and abroad during the 1920s and early 1930s. Elder helped organize speedway racing on the east and west coasts of America and later became an AMA referee and a member of the competition committee.
Elder learned to race racing on some of the last surviving board track racing
Board track racing
Board track, or motordrome, racing was a type of motorsport popular in the United States between the second and third decades of the 20th century. Competition was conducted on oval race courses with surfaces composed of wooden planks...
circuits during the 1920s. In the late 1920s Elder really began to make a name for himself by racing overseas.
In 1927 he won Australian Championship, against top Australian as well as several top British and American riders who also spent the winter months racing in the Australian summer. Elder also won titles in South America.
1928 saw Elder turn his attention to racing in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, becoming one of the most popular riders in the country. He could command fees of £100 per meeting, plus prize money. Crowds of 30,000 to 40,000 were not uncommon at larger meetings during the heyday of speedway racing in England. Elder's popularity was revealed when the British paper "Speedway News" honoured Elder by calling him the greatest showman of all time.
During the mid-1930s, Elder returned to the United States to help organize American speedway. Speedway racing was among the popular forms of motorcycle racing in the country. Elder, along with Wilbur Lamoreaux
Wilbur Lamoreaux
Wilbur Lamoreaux was a former international motorcycle speedway rider who qualified for three Speedway World Championship finals and never finished lower than fifth place.-Early life:...
, Jack
Jack Milne
Jack Milne was an international Speedway rider. He became the first American to win a motorcycling world championship when he won the Speedway World Championship in 1937...
and Cordy Milne
Cordy Milne
Cordy Milne was an American international motorcycle speedway rider who finished third in the 1937 Speedway World Championship final, behind his brother Jack and second placed Wilbur Lamoreaux...
, he helped found and promote speedway in America.
Retirement
Elder retired from racing after joining the California Highway PatrolCalifornia Highway Patrol
The California Highway Patrol is a law enforcement agency of the U.S. state of California. The CHP has patrol jurisdiction over all California highways and also acts as the state police....
and was responsible for securing sponsorship from the Highway Patrol for a number of meetings. Elder retired from the patrol after suffering life-threatening injuries in a traffic accident. Even after retirement, Elder stayed involved with racing through his duties on the AMA Competition Committee.
Death
Elder died in 1957 after committing suicideSuicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
following the death of his wife. He was inducted into the AMA
American Motorcyclist Association
The American Motorcyclist Association is an American not-for-profit organization of more than 300,000 motorcyclists that organizes numerous motorcycling activities and campaigns for motorcyclists' legal rights...
Motorcycle Hall of Fame
Motorcycle Hall of Fame
The Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum is an offshoot of the American Motorcyclist Association that recognizes individuals who have contributed to motorcycle sport, motorcycle construction and motorcycling in general. It displays motorcycles and riding gear and memoribilia. The museum is located in...
in 1998.