Craig Watson (speedway rider)

Craig Watson (born 6 August 1976 in Sydney, New South Wales)[1] is an Australian former motorcycle speedway rider. Watson was the winner of the 1996 NSW State Championship. He is also a triple Australian Longtrack champion, having won the championship in 1997, 1998 and 2002.[2]

Craig Watson
Born (1976-08-06) 6 August 1976 (age 48)
Sydney, Australia
NationalityAustralian
Career history
Great Britain
1997-1999, 2002-2006,Newport Wasps
2000-2001, 2007Poole Pirates
2003Belle Vue Aces
2007Glasgow Tigers
2008Birmingham Brummies
Sweden
2000, 2005Getingarna
Poland
2001RKM Rybnik
Individual honours
1997, 1998, 2002Australian Long Track Champion
2003NZ Long Track Grand Prix
2004NSW State Champion
Team honours
1999Premier Trophy Winner

Career

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Watson spent most of his career with the Newport Wasps.[3] He failed to agree terms with the Newport promotion for 2007 and was eventually signed up by former club Poole Pirates in the Elite League. However his scores were low and when he suffered an injury early in the season his replacement, Piotr Świst, did well enough to keep his place. Watson signed for Premier League team the Glasgow Tigers for the rest of the 2007 season and had a successful spell with the club.[4]

At the start of 2008, Watson was again signed by his parent club the Poole Pirates to ride for them at reserve. However, the BSPA found that his greensheet average was incorrect and therefore his average would be too high for him to fit into the Poole squad. Watson was left without a club, but soon after once again signed for Premier League team Newport. Newport closed in May following the death of their owner, and Watson joined the Birmingham Brummies.[5]

References

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  1. ^ Oakes, P.(2004). British Speedway Who's Who. ISBN 0-948882-81-6
  2. ^ "Ultimate rider index, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  3. ^ "2008 Rider index" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  4. ^ Bamford, Robert (2008). Methanol Press Speedway Yearbook 2008. Methanol Press. ISBN 978-0-9553103-5-5.
  5. ^ "Watson Joins Brummies". BSPA. Retrieved 9 August 2008.