 | |
| Born | 2 February 1932 London, England |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British (English) |
| Career history | |
| 1953-1957, 1960-1962 | Ipswich Witches |
| 1961-1964 | Exeter Falcons |
| 1964 | Hackney Hawks |
| Individual honours | |
| 1962 | Provincial League Riders' Champion |
| Team honours | |
| 1962 | Provincial League KO Cup Winner |
Len Silver (born 2 February 1932, east London, England) is a former motorcycle speedway rider and is former promoter of the Rye House Rockets.
Silver stopped racing in 1957 but returned to the Ipswich Witches in 1960 after a layoff due to injury. In 1961, he was transferred to Exeter where he skippered the Exeter Falcons. In 1962, he won the Provincial League Riders' Championship, held at Hyde Road on 22 September, in front of 20,000 spectators. [1]
Silver made 10 successful defences of the Silver Sash Match Race Championship. In 1964, he transferred to the Hackney Hawks as a rider/promoter but his riding career was cut short by serious injuries after a first bend crash at Hackney shortly after joining.
Silver continued as Hackney's Promoter and Manager until the demise of the Hawks in 1983, and also promoted at Hackney's sister track Rye House. As part of Allied Presentations, he also promoted at the Rayleigh Rockets, Weymouth Wildcats, Crewe Kings, Sunderland Stars and the Reading Racers. [2] He also spent a season as promoter of the Eastbourne Eagles from the 1980s until 1994. [3]
He became owner of Rye House Stadium in 2000 and returned to Rye House Speedway as team owner, promoting the Rye House Rockets in the Premier League and the Rye House Cobras in the Conference League. [4] He now co promotes the Kent Kings at Sittingbourne.
He is considered to be one of speedway's most colourful and controversial characters. He was once banned by the Speedway Control Board from "taking any part in a speedway meeting" during the 1976 season after an altercation with a referee.
He has also served as the Team Manager for the England and Great Britain National teams and was the track curator at Wembley stadium for the 1981 World Final. [5]
Has served several terms on the British Speedway Promoters' Association management committee.
In 2021, he announced his retirement from speedway management. [6]
The Canterbury Crusaders were a motorcycle speedway team who operated from the Kingsmead Stadium, Kingsmead Road, Canterbury from 1968 to 1987. For all of their 20-year existence, the Crusaders operated at the second level of British league speedway, in British League Division Two and the National League.
Hackney Hawks speedway opened in 1963 at Hackney Wick Stadium, Waterden Road, London, England, and operated until 1983. The team replaced the Hackney Wick Wolves who had raced at the stadium from 1935 to 1939. The Hawks were then themselves replaced by the Hackney Kestrels.
The Rye House Rockets were a speedway team based at Rye House Stadium, Hoddesdon, England. They competed in various British speedway leagues from 1954 to 2018.
The Rayleigh Rockets were a Speedway team which operated from 1949 until their closure in 1973 from the Rayleigh Weir Stadium in Rayleigh, Essex.
The Romford Bombers formerly the Rochester Bombers were a speedway team which operated from 1969 until their closure in 1971.
Malcolm Simmons was a motorcycle speedway rider from England. He earned 73 international caps for the England national speedway team and five caps for the Great Britain team.
Victor John Harding was a motorcycle speedway rider.
Colin George Pratt was a British motorcycle speedway rider and later promoter of the Coventry Bees who compete in the British Elite League. He earned 14 international caps for the England national speedway team and 7 caps for the Great Britain team. He was later the manager of the Great Britain national team from 1979 to 1980 and from 1986 to 1993.
Edward David Kennett is a motorcycle speedway rider. He was the British Under-21 Champion in 2005 and has appeared in two Speedway Grand Prix as a wild card. He has recently retired from the sport due to injury.
Barry John Thomas is a former motorcycle speedway rider. He spent 20 consecutive seasons at the Hackney Wick Stadium and earned 26 international caps for the England national speedway team.
The London Lions were a motorcycle speedway team that operated for one season during the 1996 Premier League speedway season from the Hackney Wick Stadium, the former home of the Hackney Hawks and the Hackney Kestrels.
Finn Thomsen is a former motorcycle speedway rider from Denmark. He earned 30 caps for the Denmark national speedway team.
Bo Petersen is a former motorcycle speedway rider from Denmark. He was the 1980 Danish champion and earned 59 caps for the Denmark national speedway team.
Marvyn Cox is a former motorcycle speedway rider. Cox was twice a winner of the German Individual Championship in 1993 and 1995, when he raced under a German licence. At retirement he had earned 25 international caps for the England national speedway team.
Jens Rasmussen is a former speedway rider from Denmark. He earned 17 caps for the Denmark national speedway team.
Dag Lövaas is a former international motorcycle speedway rider, who reached the finals of the Speedway World Championship in 1974. He earned 9 caps for the Norway national speedway team.
Roy George Arthur Case was an Australian international speedway rider who finished sixth in the 1936 Speedway World Championship, the first ever final.
Karl Fiala, is a former motorcycle speedway rider from England.
Hugh Saunders is a former speedway rider from Guernsey, who competed in the National League.
Edward Raymond Hubbard nicknamed "Hurricane Hubbard" was a motorcycle speedway rider in National League (speedway) and British League.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
