Bob Duckworth (speedway rider)
| Born | 25 August 1929 Mossburn, New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Nationality | New Zealander |
| Career history | |
| 1951 | Otago |
| 1951–1952, 1954–1962 | Belle Vue Aces |
| 1953 | St Austell Gulls |
| 1963 | Newcastle Diamonds |
| Team honours | |
| 1958 | National Trophy |
| 1957, 1958, 1960 | Britannia Shield |
Robert Francis Duckworth (born 25 August 1929) is a former international speedway rider from New Zealand.[1]
Speedway career[]
Duckworth began riding speedway at the Tahuna Park Speedway in Dunedin in 1949. He moved to England in 1951 and joined the Belle Vue Aces, but only had four races in his first two seasons with the team [2]. In 1953 he rode for the St Austell Gulls in the Southern League. The following year he rejoined Belle Vue in in the top tier of British Speedway[3] and from 1956 to 1961 was one of the team's heat leaders. He finished in the top ten averages of UK speedway during the 1961 Speedway National League. In 1963 he joined Newcastle Diamonds in the Provincial League.[1] .
Duckworth represented his country New Zealand in the 1960 Speedway World Team Cup and 1961 Speedway World Team Cup.[4]
He competed in the Championship Round of the Speedway World Championship in 1955 and 1956 and the British/Commonwealth Round in 1958.[5]. In 1961 he qualified for the British semi-final of the World Championship but was injured during the meeting at Southampton and had to withdraw.
Duckworth returned to New Zealand in 1964 and continued to ride until the early 1970s. In 1964 he was fourth in the New Zealand Speedway Championship.
References[]
- ^ a b "Bob Duckworth". Newcastle Speedway History. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
- ^ Jackson, M. & Vass, H. (2009). The Complete A-Z of Post-War British League Riders. Part 2 - the 1950s.
- ^ "History Archive". British Speedway. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
- ^ "WORLD TEAM CUP". International Speedway. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
- ^ "HISTORY SPEEDWAY and LONGTRACK". Speedway.org. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
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- Living people
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- New Zealand speedway riders
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- Newcastle Diamonds riders
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