Ian Williams (speedway rider)

Last updated

Ian Williams
Born(1931-08-04)4 August 1931
Port Talbot, Wales
NationalityBritish (Welsh)
Career history
1952-1963 Swindon Robins
Individual honours
1957 Speedway World Championship finalist
Team honours
1957 National League Champion
1956 National League Div Two Champion

Ian Williams (born 4 August 1931) is a former motorcycle speedway rider from Wales. [1] [2] With no Welsh team to represent, he earned eight international caps for the England national speedway team. [3]

Contents

Speedway career

Williams began his career riding for the Port Talbot and District Motor Club on grass at the Swansea Greyhound Stadium on 26 June 1947. [4]

Williams was a leading speedway rider in the 1950s. He reached the final of the Speedway World Championship in the 1957 Individual Speedway World Championship. [5]

He rode in the top tier of British Speedway from 1957 to 1963, riding for Swindon Robins [6] and became the club captain. [7]

Individual World Championship

Family

His two brothers, Freddie Williams and Eric Williams were also speedway riders, Freddie was a double World champion and acted as Ian's mechanic during the 1957 final. [8] [9]

References

  1. "WORLD INDIVIDUAL FINAL - RIDER INDEX". British Speedway. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  2. "LEGENDS: IAN WILLIAMS". Swindon Speedway. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  3. "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  4. "Port Talbot's Youngest Track Rider" . Neath Guardian. 27 June 1947. Retrieved 14 April 2025 via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. "World Speedway finals" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  6. "History Archive". British Speedway. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  7. "Swindon outclass Coventry" . Birmingham Weekly Mercury. 4 August 1957. Retrieved 5 September 2024 via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. "The Williams brothers". Defunct Speedway. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  9. "Cornish Stadium speedway" . Newquay Express and Cornwall County Chronicle. 1 May 1952. Retrieved 5 September 2024 via British Newspaper Archive.