Pete Smith (speedway rider, born 1942)
Peter Arthur Smith (born 11 July 1942, in Hanworth, England) is a former international motorcycle speedway rider[1] from England, who spent his entire career with the Poole Pirates.[2][3] He earned seven international caps for the England national speedway team and two caps for the Great Britain team.[4]
 Pete Smith (Poole Pirate) | |
| Born | 11 July 1942 Hanworth, England |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British (English) |
| Career history | |
| 1962-1977 | Poole Pirates |
| Team honours | |
| 1969 | British League Champion |
| 1963, 1964 | Provincial Southern League Winner |
Career
editSmith began riding speedway motorcycles at the training track at Rye House Stadium in the early 1960s. In 1962, Smith took part in a number of second-half meetings at Wimborne Road and made his first full appearance for Poole at a challenge match at Rye House.[3] He continued to improve at Poole and by 1968, Smith had become the Pirates third heat-leader. Poole won the British League championship in 1969 and Smith rose to the number one position at the club with an average of 9.52.[5] Smith also made his first international appearances for England in 1969 against Australia,[6] New Zealand and Scotland. He was made Poole's captain in 1971 and continued to ride for the club until his retirement from the sport in 1977.[3][7]
He made 620 appearances for Poole Pirates during his 15 years career establishing a club record.[8]
References
edit- ^ Lawson,K (2018) “Riders, Teams and Stadiums”. ISBN 978-0-244-72538-9
- ^ Oakes, P.(2004). British Speedway Who's Who. ISBN 0-948882-81-6
- ^ a b c Bamford, Robert; Shailes, Glynn (2004). 50 Poole Pirates Greats. Tempus Publishing. pp. 116–118. ISBN 0-7524-3257-5.
- ^ "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ "Rider averages 1929 to 2009" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ "Speed champs hit Gwent". Gwent Gazette. 2 April 1970. Retrieved 19 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Glover favourite to reach last eight". Wolverhampton Express and Star. 22 April 1976. Retrieved 8 October 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Pete Smith | The History of Poole Speedway". www.poole-speedway.co.uk. Retrieved 27 February 2023.