Leopold Killmeyer (6 April 1909 – 2001) was an international motorcycle speedway rider from Austria. He was known as Poldl in speedway racing and earned three international caps for the Austria national speedway team.[1][2]
| Born | 6 April 1909 Vienna, Austria |
|---|---|
| Died | 2001 (aged 91–92) |
| Nationality | Austrian |
| Career history | |
| Great Britain | |
| 1934 | Plymouth Tigers |
| Individual honours | |
| 1930, 1933?, 1952 | Austrian Champion |
Career edit
Killmeyer born in Vienna, Austria bought his first racing bike aged 15 and was one of the early pioneers of speedway on the European continent.[3]
He finished runner-up in the Dirt Track Championnat du Monde (An early version of the Speedway World Championship and rival of the Star Riders' Championship) in 1933, 1934 and 1935.[3] Records for Austrian Individual Speedway Championship before World War II are incomplete, it is believed that Killmeyer was the first winner in 1930 and a 1934 article states he was champion of Austria at the time.[4]
He first rode in Britain in 1933, at a meeting at West Ham Stadium.[5] The following season in 1934, he signed for the Plymouth Tigers for the 1934 Speedway National League season.[6] He averaged 4.75 in a season which happened to be his only one in Britain.[7]
He won another Austrian Individual Speedway Championship in 1952.[8][9]
Family edit
His younger brother Karl Killmeyer was also an international speedway rider.[10]
References edit
- ^ "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
- ^ "Birmingham in Great Form". Birmingham Daily Gazette. 7 August 1934. Retrieved 29 February 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ a b "Austria's best motorcycle racers on sand, grass and cinder tracks until 1960". Reisemosaik. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
- ^ "Killmeyers arrival". Western Morning News. 24 July 1934. Retrieved 29 February 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Abyssinian Speed Rider". Daily Mirror. 10 October 1933. Retrieved 29 February 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "1934 season". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
- ^ "Rider averages 1929 to 2009" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
- ^ "Indvidual [sic] Austrian Championship". Historia Sportu Zuzlowego. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
- ^ "Indywidualne Mistrzostwa Austrii". Speedway Fansite. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
- ^ "Singing Speedway Riders – A Rich Tradition". Methanol Press. Retrieved 29 February 2024.