Melvyn Taylor

Last updated

Melvyn Taylor
Melvyn Taylor, speedway rider.jpg
Born (1961-04-26) 26 April 1961 (age 62)
West Row, Suffolk, England
NationalityBritish (English)
Career history
1977-1979, 1985-1988, 1992 Mildenhall Fen Tigers
1980-1983, 1988 King's Lynn Stars
1978-1979 Reading Racers
1984-1985 Oxford Cheetahs
1988 Ipswich Witches
1989-1991 Rye House Rockets
Individual honours
1980, 1981 British Speedway Championship finalist
1982Golden Sovereign winner
Team honours
1979 National League Champions
1987 Pairs champion
1987 Fours Championship winner
1980Gauntlet Gold Cup Winner
1980Inter League Knockout Cup Winner

Melvyn Roy Taylor (born 26 April 1961) is a former speedway rider from England. [1] [2]

Speedway career

Taylor started his career at Mildenhall Fen Tigers in 1977 before riding in the top tier of British Speedway for King's Lynn Stars and Reading Racers in 1978. In 1980, he reached the Commonwealth final, which formed part of the 1980 Individual Speedway World Championship. [3] He reached the final of the 1980 British Speedway Championship and the 1981 British Speedway Championship, finishing 9th and 12th respectively. [4]

In 1984, he was signed by Oxford Cheetahs who bought him from King's Lynn for £12,000. The Oxford team had returned to the British League and the other signings to start as the top five riders for the season were Hans Nielsen for a record £30,000, Simon Wigg for £25,000, Marvyn Cox for £15,000 and Jens Rasmussen, with Ian Clark and Nigel Sparshott at 6 & 7. [5] After a mid table finish in 1984 he was part of the Oxford team that won the league and cup double during a 1985 British League season. [3] Taylor did not compete in the cup final because he left the team in late August to rejoin Mildenhall. [5]

In 1987, he won the National League Pairs, partnering Dave Jessup for the Mildenhall, during the 1987 National League season. [6] He also won the Fours Championship with Mildenhall, during the 1987 season. [7]

After spells at Ipswich Witches and Rye House Rockets he returned to Mildenhall for one final season in 1992.

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References

  1. ↑ "Mel Taylor". wwosbackup. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  2. ↑ "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  3. 1 2 "History Archive". British Speedway. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  4. ↑ Oakes, Peter (1981). 1981 Speedway Yearbook. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 100. ISBN   0-86215-017-5.
  5. 1 2 Bamford/Shailes, Robert/Glynn (2007). The Story of Oxford Speedway. Tempus Publishing Ltd. pp. 128–135. ISBN   978-0-7524-4161-0.
  6. ↑ "Tigers triumph" . Cambridge Daily News. 27 July 1987. Retrieved 25 May 2023– via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ↑ "Fantastic Fours!" . Cambridge Daily News. 31 October 1987. Retrieved 8 May 2023– via British Newspaper Archive.
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