Robert Francis Duckworth (25 August 1929 – 1 November 2023) was a New Zealand international motorcycle speedway rider.[1] He earned 8 caps for the New Zealand national speedway team.[2]
| Born | 25 August 1929 Mossburn, New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Died | 1 November 2023 (aged 94) Auckland, New Zealand |
| 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 |
Speedway career
editDuckworth began riding speedway at Tahuna Park in Dunedin in 1949. He moved to England in 1951 and joined the Belle Vue Aces, but only made four appearances in his first two seasons with the team.[3] In 1953, he rode for the St Austell Gulls in the Southern League. The following year he rejoined Belle Vue in the top tier of British Speedway.[4] The Belle Vue promoter Johnnie Hoskins paid £2.10s for his transfer from St Austell, and gave him the nickname of ‘Fifty Bob’ Duckworth.[5]
During his second spell with Belle Vue he progressed to become one of the team's heat leaders. In 1961, he finished in the top ten averages of UK speedway in the Speedway National League despite being injured in early August and unable to ride for the rest of the season. He resumed riding for Belle Vue in June 1962 but was unable to regain his previous form. In 1963 he left Belle Vue to join the Newcastle Diamonds in the Provincial League.[6][7] The following year, he returned to New Zealand where he continued to ride until the early 1970s at Western Springs Stadium. In 1964 he finished third equal on points in the New Zealand Speedway Championship but lost the runoff for third place to Bob Andrews.
Duckworth represented his country New Zealand in the 1960 Speedway World Team Cup and 1961 Speedway World Team Cup.[8]
Duckworth competed in the Championship Round of the Speedway World Championship in 1955 and 1956 and the British/Commonwealth Round in 1958.[9] In 1961 he qualified for the British semi-final of the World Championship but was injured during the meeting at Southampton in August and had to withdraw.
Death
editDuckworth died in Auckland on 1 November 2023, at the age of 94.[10]
References
edit- ^ "Bob Duckworth". Newcastle Speedway History. The 1960s Part 2. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
- ^ "Ultimate rider index, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Eldon, Rick (3 March 1962). "The man they called Fifty-Bob". Speedway Star & News. Vol. 10, no. 50.
- ^ "Team changes". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 26 March 1963. Retrieved 27 August 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Bob Duckworth". Newcastle Speedway History. The 1960s - Part 1. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
- ^ "WORLD TEAM CUP". International Speedway. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
- ^ "HISTORY SPEEDWAY and LONGTRACK". Speedway.org. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- ^ "Robert Francis Duckworth". Legacy. Retrieved 17 November 2023.