Tony Lewis (speedway rider)
| Born | 6 June 1923 Bournemouth, England |
|---|---|
| Died | 6 October 1997 (aged 74) |
| Nationality | British (English) |
| Career history | |
| 1950–1955, 1960–1964, 1967–1968 | Poole Pirates |
| 1965 | Exeter Falcons |
| 1965 | West Ham Hammers |
| Team honours | |
| 1952, 1955, 1961, 1962 | League champion (tier 2) |
| 1951 | League champion (tier 3) |
| 1952, 1955 | National Trophy (tier 2) |
| 1962, 1963, 1964 | Provincial Southern League Champion |
Alfred Edward Lewis (6 June 1923 – 6 October 1997) was a motorcycle speedway rider from England.[1][2]
Biography
[edit]Lewis, born in Bournemouth, raced on local grasstracks before being offered a contract by Poole Pirates manager Sid Hazzard in 1949. He began his British leagues career riding for Poole during the 1950 Speedway National League Division Three season.[3] The following season in 1951, he was part of the team that secured the league title.[4]
Lewis would ride for Poole for 13 seasons, spanning the years 1950 to 1968[5] and would become a club legend.[6] During his time at Poole, he helped them win the League title four times, 1952, 1955, 1961 and 1962, in addition to the National Trophy in 1952 and 1955.[7] His most serious injury was in 1955, when he fractured his skull during a tour of Sweden.[8] The crash nearly cost him his life and he missed four years of speedway.[6]
Lewis averaged 10.43 and 10.32 during the 1960 and 1961 seasons respectively,[9] and scored 2,435 points over 339 appearances for Poole.
References
[edit]- ^ "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ "Disgusted Poole star to bopycott W'ton event". Wolverhampton Express and Star. 14 June 1962. Retrieved 27 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "1950 season" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ Oakes, Peter (1978). 1978 Speedway Yearbook. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. ISBN 978-0904584509.
- ^ "Tony Lewis". WWOS backup. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ a b "The History of Poole Speedway". Poole Speedway. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ "Speedway man hurt". Hull Daily Mail. 15 October 1955. Retrieved 7 January 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Rider averages 1929 to 2009" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 7 January 2024.