Brian Collins (speedway rider)

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Brian Collins
Born(1948-05-13)13 May 1948
Edinburgh, Scotland
NationalityBritish (Scottish)
Career history
1966-1969, 1978-1980 Edinburgh/Coatbridge Monarchs
1970-1971 Wmbley Lions
1972-1973 Poole Pirates
1974-1977, 1984-1985 Coatbridge/Glasgow Tigers
1981-1983 Berwick Bandits
Individual honours
1975 National League Riders' runner-up
1975 Scottish Open Champion

Brian John Collins (born 13 May 1948 in Edinburgh, Scotland) is a former motorcycle speedway rider. [1] [2] [3]

Career

Collins spent the first four years of his British speedway career with Edinburgh Monarchs from 1966 to 1969, although they were known as Coatbridge from 1968 to 1969. [4] In 1968, he top scored for Scotland against England in a test match. [2] [5]

In 1970 and 1971, he rode for Wembley after the London team bought the Coatbridge licence. [6] In 1972 Wembley sent their entire team out on loan due to extra football fixtures stopping the speedway at Wembley and Collins moved to Poole Pirates for two years. [7] [4] He joined the Coatbridge/Glasgow Tigers in 1974 and won the Scottish Open Champion in 1975.

Also in 1975, Collins finished runner up in the 1975 The National League Riders Championship at Wimbledon. After two unbeaten rides, Collins came out against the only other unbeaten rider Paul Gachet. In their third heat, both Collins and Gachet were cut up before the first bend, Gachet's wheel being struck and, in holding his machine steady, the young Eagle found himself at the back. As he managed to pass Collins, his bike reared on the notorious second bend of Plough Lane and both he and Collins fell. Gachet was carried off and, in the re-run, Collins scored 3 points. Collins went out in the final heat needing only 1 point for a run-off and 2 for the crown. Lying second behind Les Rumsey, he fell on the third lap, remounted, but was too far behind to catch up. Then, Brian Clarke, in third place, fell off in the same spot and Collins went past him for the vital 1 point. With just two riders in the run-off Laurie Etheridge rode across Collins before the first bend and Collins picked himself up from the track and watched from the centre green as Etheridge completed four laps to become champion.[ citation needed ]

In 1978 and after spending three seasons with Glasgow, where he became the team captain, he returned to Edinburgh, which was his first club and rivals to Glasgow. [8]

Collins rode the remainder of his career for Berwick Bandits and Glasgow again. [4]

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References

  1. ↑ "Coatbridge Speedway". Defunct Speedway. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Brian Collins". Speedway A-Z. Archived from the original on 18 July 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  3. ↑ "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 "A-Z of rider averages" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  5. ↑ "Glasgow Tigers 1978". Speedway Plus. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  6. ↑ "The New Lions" . Harrow Observer. 5 June 1970. Retrieved 27 September 2024– via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ↑ "Wembley Lions split" . Hull Daily Mail. 29 February 1972. Retrieved 5 September 2024– via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ↑ "Crusaders aim for the heights" . Kentish Express. 5 May 1978. Retrieved 5 September 2024– via British Newspaper Archive.
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