1960 Southern Area Riders' Championship

The 1960 Southern Area Riders' Championship was the final edition of the Southern Area League Riders' Championship, which was a motorcycle speedway competition.[1]

1960 Southern Area Riders' Championship
Start date25 September 1960
← 1959
None →

History

edit

From 1954 until 1959 the Southern Area League held a competition for its leading riders called the Southern Area League Riders' Championship. It was the second tier of speedway racing in the United Kingdom for Southern British teams.[2]

However, in 1960, British speedway underwent a major revamp with the introduction of the 1960 Provincial Speedway League, which would act as the new second tier of speedway in Britain.[3][4][5]

The five teams that previously formed the Southern League were forced to decide what direction they would take. Ipswich Witches joined the National League (the top division) and Yarmouth Bloaters joined the Provincial League. The remaining three teams Eastbourne Eagles, Aldershot Shots and Rye House Rockets were without a league, so they ran a series of challenge matches throughout 1960. The riders of the three teams competed in the Riders' Championship, which continued into 1960.

Result

edit

Ross Gilbertson won the Southern Area Riders' Championship. The final was held at Arlington Stadium on 25 September.[6][7]

Pos. Rider Club Pts
1 Ross Gilbertson Eastbourne 15
2 Stan Stevens Rye House 14
3 Ken Adams Stoke 13
4 Eric Hockaday Aldershot 12
5 John Dugard Eastbourne 10
6 Tommy Sweetman Rye House 9
7 Geoff Mudge Poole 8
8 Jim Heard Eastbourne 7
9 Bob Dugard Eastbourne 6
10 Bill Osborne Aldershot 5
11 Pete Sampson Rye House 4
12 Clive Hitch Rye House 4
13 Jimmy Gleed Rye House 4
14 Colin Gooddy Eastbourne 3
15 Dave Still Eastbourne 3
16 John Edwards Aldershot 3
17 Bob Warner (res) Eastbourne 0
18 Geoff Pennikett (res) Eastbourne 0

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - POST-WAR ERA (1946-1964)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  2. ^ "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  3. ^ "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  4. ^ Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 129. ISBN 0-904584-45-3.
  5. ^ "Speedway thrills return". Birmingham Weekly Mercury. 7 February 1960. Retrieved 10 June 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. ^ "Gilbertson wins Southern Area speedway crown". Sussex Agricultural Express. 30 September 1960. Retrieved 10 June 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ^ "Southern Area League Riders Championship". Edinburgh Speedway. Retrieved 10 June 2023.