Chris Julian (speedway rider)
Born | Plymouth Bulldogs/Devils | 4 March 1937
---|---|
1962 | Neath Welsh Dragons |
1963 | St Austell Gulls |
1964-65 | Glasgow Tigers |
1965-68 | Cradley Heathens |
1969 | Newport Wasps |
1970-75 | Exeter Falcons |
1975 | Mildenhall Fen Tigers |
1977 | Weymouth Wizards |
Team honours | |
1974 | British League Champion |
Christoper Denis Julian, (4 March 1937 – 17 May 1997) was a
Racing career
Julian began by riding grasstrack meetings in the West Country as a teenager then graduated to second half rides at Exeter speedway in 1959. He also had practice sessions at the St Austell speedway track where he was spotted by well known speedway rider and promoter Trevor Redmond who helped to get him a place in the Bristol team for the start of the Provincial League in 1960. His brief period at the Knowle stadium Bristol resulted in an average of 5.60 points per match in eight matches before the track closed. He then moved on to Pennycross Stadium in Plymouth where he started to gain a reputation for the ruthless riding style for which he would later become renowned.[4]
Julian got into the sport at a time when many clubs were closing. In 1962, he rode for Plymouth, which closed at the end of that year and in 1963 at St Austell, where he had his best season to date and quickly became the Gulls' number one. At the end of 1963 St Austell closed and this left Julian once again without a team to ride for, however a call from his mentor Redmond led him to him join Glasgow for the 1964 season.[4]
After a year riding for Glasgow, the 1000 mile round trip from his home in Cornwall to fulfil home match commitments proved too much and Julian put in for a transfer. He joined the
Gyroplane design
In the late 1980s Julian designed an
References
- ^ "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- ^ a b "Julian Wombat Arrival". hmfriends.org.uk. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
- ^ AAIB Bulletin No: 1/98 Ref: EW/C97/5/5Category: 2.3 (AAIB Field Investigation, 1997) (PDF)
- ^ a b c "Rider Profile - Cradley Speedway Web Site". blueyonder.co.uk. Archived from the original on 14 April 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
- ^ "The Helicopter Museum to receive Wombat gyrocopter - Vertical Magazine - The Pulse of the Helicopter Industry". verticalmag.com. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
- ^ "Wombat for Helicopter Museum". rotor.com. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
- ISBN 0-9636409-4-1