Barry Briggs

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Barry Briggs
MBE
Born (1934-12-30) 30 December 1934 (age 89)
Christchurch, New Zealand
NationalityNew Zealander
Career history
1952–1959, 1974-1975Wimbledon Dons
1960New Cross Rangers
1961–1963Southampton Saints
1964–1972Swindon Robins
1976Hull Vikings
Individual honours
1957, 1958, 1964, 1966
New Zealand Champion
1961, 1964, 1965, 1966,
1967, 1969		British Champion
1965, 1966, 1967, 1968,
1969, 1970		British League Riders Champion
1955London Riders' Champion
1958Southern Riders' Champion
1964, 1966, 1967, 1970Midland Riders' Champion
1967Scottish Open Champion
1958, 1961, 1965Pride of the Midlands winner
1960, 1963, 1964Pride of the South winner
1961, 1963, 1965The Laurels
1966Olympique
1964Internationale
Team honours
1968, 1971
British League Champion
1961National League KO Cup Winner
1953, 1956, 1961National Trophy Winner
1967, 1968Midland Cup Winner
1974London Cup Winner
1954RAC Cup Winner

Barry Briggs

MBE (born 30 December 1934) is a New Zealand former speedway rider.[1][2]

Career

He won the

New Zealand Championship
, winning in 1959 and again in 1963.

Briggs also created a domestic record by winning the British League Riders Championship for six consecutive years from 1965–1970, representing the Swindon Robins.[6][7][8]

Briggs retired from British league racing in 1972 after an accident during Heat 5 of the World Final at Wembley Stadium with Swedish rider Bernt Persson.[9] As a result of the accident, Briggs lost the index finger of his left hand,[10] but returned in 1974, then announcing in 1975 that this would be his last season[11] but actually returning for another year with Hull Vikings, retiring for a final time in 1976.

During the early to mid-1970s, Briggs was one of a number of World Champion riders (along with fellow kiwi

USA. Their trips to the USA, primarily the Costa Mesa Speedway in Los Angeles, helped spark the American motorcycle speedway scene which had been dormant on the world stage since the pre-World War II days of 1937 World Champion Jack Milne, his brother Cordy Milne and Wilbur Lamoreaux
.

After retirement

In 1973 Briggs was awarded an

MBE for his services to sport and in 1990 he was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame. From 17 March 2010 Briggs took part in a John o' Groats to Land's End bike ride to raise money for the BBC's Sport Relief.[12]

In retirement, Briggs became the mentor to many young riders who went on to race in World Finals including fellow Kiwi

US
.

World final appearances

Individual World Championship

  • 1954 – England London, Wembley Stadium – 6th – 9pts
  • 1955 – England London, Wembley Stadium – 3rd – 12+2pts
  • 1956 – England London, Wembley Stadium – 7th – 10pts
  • 1957 – England London, Wembley Stadium – Winner – 14pts + 3pts
  • 1958 – England London, Wembley Stadium – Winner – 15pts
  • 1959 – England London, Wembley Stadium – 3rd – 11+3pts
  • 1960 – England London, Wembley Stadium – 6th – 9pts
  • 1961 – Sweden Malmö, Malmö Stadion – 4th – 12pts + 1pt
  • 1962 – England London, Wembley Stadium – 2nd – 13pts
  • 1963 – England London, Wembley Stadium – 3rd – 12pts
  • 1964 – Sweden Gothenburg, Ullevi – Winner – 15pts
  • 1965 – England London, Wembley Stadium – 4th – 10pts
  • 1966 – Sweden Gothenburg, Ullevi – Winner – 15pts
  • 1967 – England London, Wembley Stadium – 5th – 11pts
  • 1968 – Sweden Gothenburg, Ullevi – 2nd – 12pts
  • 1969 – England London, Wembley Stadium – 2nd – 11pts + 3pts
  • Olympic Stadium
    – 7th – 7pts
  • 1972 – England London, Wembley Stadium – 14th – 3pts[3]

World Pairs Championship

World Team Cup

Note: Briggs rode for Great Britain in the World Team Cup from 1962

World Longtrack Final

  • 1971 - Norway Oslo (6th) 10pts
  • 1975 -
    Radgona
    (4th) 19pts
  • 1976 -
    Marianske Lazne
    (11th) 7pts

References

  1. ISBN 0-316-72645-1
    .
  2. ^ "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  3. ^
    ISBN 0-7524-2402-5
  4. ISBN 0-7524-2221-9
  5. ISBN 0-7524-2438-6
  6. ISBN 0-904584-45-3
  7. ^ "Speedway Champ". Sunday Mail (Glasgow). 17 October 1965. Retrieved 31 May 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ^ "Speedway". Birmingham Daily Post. 20 October 1969. Retrieved 1 June 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. ^ Barry Briggs Wembley and beyond
  10. ISBN 0-09-116380-3
    , pp. 24–31
  11. ISBN 978-0-244-99725-0
  12. ^ "Barry Briggs: The Ride". Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 4 March 2010.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Barry_Briggs&oldid=1220154543"