Robert Lightfoot (speedway rider)
| Born | 16 July 1963 Coventry, England |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British (English) |
| Career history | |
| 1979–1982 | Stoke Potters |
| 1980–1983 | Leicester Lions |
| Individual honours | |
| 1981 | British Junior Champion |
Robert James Lightfoot (often known as Rob Lightfoot, born 16 July 1963) is a British former grasstrack and motorcycle speedway rider.[1]
Biography
[edit]Born in Coventry, Lightfoot is the son of Jim Lightfoot, who also had a career in speedway, riding for Coventry Bees and Long Eaton Archers.[2] He initially excelled as a junior grasstrack rider, winning several tournaments including the Welsh Open Championship (1979–1980), the Sportac Spectacular (1978), and the Worcester and Cotswold Club Championship (1979).[2]
He began his speedway career in 1979, making his debut for Stoke Potters later that year.[2] In 1980 he signed for Leicester Lions, riding in two inter-league cup matches,[3] and was loaned back to Stoke, for whom he rode in twenty National League matches that year, averaging 3.39.[4][2][5] He also rode in Leicester's junior team in the Anglia Junior League, and won the Anglia Junior League Riders' Championship in 1980.[5] In 1981 he won the British Junior Championship at Canterbury the 1981 'Pride of the Potteries' and averaged over 6.5 for Stoke on the National League.[5]
His career was interrupted in 1982 by a crash in which he broke his neck.[5] On his return in 1983 he rode in second-half races at Leicester, and made a handful of senior appearances for the Lions, but a string of crashes took their toll and he retired at the end of the 1983 season.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ "Ultimate rider index, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ a b c d Oakes, Peter (1981) 1981 Speedway Yearbook, Studio Publications, ISBN 0-86215-017-5, p. 287, 288
- ^ "Grahame speeds Brummies home". Sandwell Evening Mail. 28 May 1980. Retrieved 27 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Speedway". Lincolnshire Free Press. 8 July 1980. Retrieved 27 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ a b c d e Jones, Alan (2010) Speedway in Leicester: The Lions Roar, Automedia, p. 171