Kid Curtis

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Kid Curtis
Born(1920-10-12)12 October 1920
Kensal Green, London, England
NationalityBritish (English)
Career history
1938–1939 Newcastle Diamonds
1946–1947 Middlesbrough Bears
1948–1953 West Ham Hammers
1954–1955 Oxford Cheetahs
Team honours
1946, 1947 League champion (tier 2)
1947 National Trophy (tier 2)

Frederick George Curtis (born 12 October 1920) is an English former motorcycle speedway rider. [1]

Biography

Curtis, Kensal Green, London, began his speedway career in 1937, with the West Ham Hawks (the junior side of the West Ham Hammers). [2]

The following season in 1938, he started his British leagues career riding for Newcastle Diamonds during the 1938 Speedway National League Division Two season [3] and was hailed as a 'coming star'. [4] It was at Newcastle that he improved significantly as a rider, averaging 7.60 during the 1939 Speedway National League Division Two, [5] which was halted due to World War II. Sadly for Curtis, Newcastle were leading the league at the time. It was also during 1938 that Curtis represented Canada on several occasions as a guest rider and was a regular at Edinburgh speedway. [6]

Curtis moved to London and rode various meetings during 1940 but lost five years of his career due to the war. He joined Middlesbrough Bears to ride in the 1946 Speedway Northern League and was an instant hit, averaging an impressive 9.68 and helping the Bears win the league title. [7] The Middlesbrough team then won the league and cup double during the 1947 Speedway National League Division Two [8] and Curtis' average of 9.86 was the fifth highest in the league. [5] [9]

His exploits came to the attention of his first club West Ham, who signed him to ride in the 1948 Speedway National League in a £1,500 deal that also saw Benny King go to Middlesbrough. [10] Although Curtis raced six years for West Ham he did not produce the form that was expected of him. In 1954, Oxford Cheetahs signed him for the 1954 Speedway National League Division Two season. He rode two seasons for the club before retiring. [11]

It is known that Curtis owned a sweet shop but little is known about his post racing life.

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References

  1. ↑ "Ultimate Rider Index, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  2. ↑ "Max Grosskreutz planning a speedway test return" . Reynolds's Newspaper. 6 June 1937. Retrieved 26 October 2024– via British Newspaper Archive.
  3. ↑ "1938 season" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  4. ↑ "A 'coming star'" . Newcastle Evening Chronicle. 8 June 1938. Retrieved 26 October 2024– via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. 1 2 "Rider averages 1929 to 2009" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  6. ↑ "Kid Curtis (Canada)" . Fife Free Press. 18 June 1938. Retrieved 26 October 2024– via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ↑ Oakes, Peter (1978). 1978 Speedway Yearbook. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. ISBN   978-0904584509.
  8. ↑ "Speedway Teams UK 1946-1951". Cyber Motorcycle. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  9. ↑ "He began on a 14s. Bike" . Daily Mirror. 11 June 1947. Retrieved 26 October 2024– via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. ↑ "Middlesbrough speedway fans" . Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail. 23 March 1948. Retrieved 26 October 2024– via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. ↑ "Speedway Spotlight" . Leicester Chronicle. 14 June 1968. Retrieved 26 October 2024– via British Newspaper Archive.
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