Malcolm Brown (speedway rider)
| Born | 4 April 1935 Walthamstow, London, England |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British (English) |
| Career history | |
| 1964–1968 | Hackney Hawks |
| 1969–1974 | Leicester Lions |
| Team honours | |
| 1972, 1974 | Midland Cup |
Malcolm Brown (born 4 April 1935) is a former motorcycle speedway rider from England, who rode for Hackney Hawks and Leicester Lions in the 1960s and 1970s.[1]
Biography
[edit]Born in Walthamstow, Brown began speedway racing at Rye House, signing for the Hackney Hawks in 1964, and was an ever-present for Hackney in the 1966, 1967, and 1968 seasons.[2] In that era he also sang regularly in Working Men's Clubs in East London.[3] He moved to the Leicester Lions in 1969,[4] and was a mainstay of the team between 1969 and 1974. He won the Midland Cup on two occasions in 1972[5] and 1974.[6] He retired from racing after the 1974 season, although he did return to Leicester for a second half event in 1977.[2]
Brown moved to Rhodesia in the mid-1970s, where he promoted speedway at Bulawayo.[3] He also ran his own Z International nightclub, where he performed as a singer and comedian.[3] The end of colonial rule, as Rhodesia became Zimbabwe, saw Brown return to the UK, where he opened the Raffles club in St Austell.[3] In 1988 he relocated again, this time to Florida, where he set up a cleaning company.[3] Through his neighbour, Burt Reynolds, Brown got a small part in the TV series B.L. Stryker, and went on to appear in films such as Illtown and Do You Wanna Know a Secret?.[3] In 2005, he recorded an album, On Track, with proceeds going to help fund the National Speedway Museum.[3]
Career record
[edit]All figures relate to the British League.
| Year | Team | Matches | Rides | Points | Bonus | Total | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Hackney | 19 | 59 | 60 | 16 | 76 | 5.15 |
| 1965 | Sheffield | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2.00 |
| 1966 | Hackney | 38 | 145 | 147 | 19 | 166 | 4.58 |
| 1967 | Hackney | 39 | 141 | 158 | 20 | 178 | 5.05 |
| 1968 | Hackney | 37 | 134 | 158 | 20 | 178 | 5.31 |
| 1969 | Leicester | 38 | 117 | 127 | 24 | 151 | 5.16 |
| 1970 | Leicester | 38 | 127 | 129 | 22 | 151 | 4.76 |
| 1971 | Leicester | 36 | 118 | 122 | 22 | 144 | 4.88 |
| 1972 | Leicester | 35 | 116 | 96 | 18 | 114 | 3.93 |
| 1973 | Leicester | 36 | 125 | 125 | 21 | 146 | 4.67 |
| 1974 | Leicester | 29 | 87 | 49 | 8 | 57 | 2.62 |
References
[edit]- ^ "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ^ a b Jones, Alan (2010) Speedway in Leicester: The Lions Roar, Automedia, p. 160
- ^ a b c d e f g "Brown Back in Town", Backtrack, Issue 10, Sep-Oct 2005, p. 26-7
- ^ "Hackney rider allocated to Leicester Speedway". Leicester Daily Mercury. 27 March 1969. Retrieved 1 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Speedway". Daily Mirror. 25 October 1972. Retrieved 21 October 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Wolves beaten in cup final". Birmingham Daily Post. 12 October 1974. Retrieved 21 October 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.