Robert Henry (speedway rider)

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Robert Henry
Born (1954-06-28) 28 June 1954 (age 70)
Exeter, England
NationalityBritish (English)
Career history
1976-1986 Mildenhall Fen Tigers
1976 Newport
1978 Swindon Robins
1979 Leicester Lions
Team honours
1979 National League Champions
1984 National League Fours winner

Robert Frank Henry (born 28 June 1954) is a former motorcycle speedway rider from England, who rode for Mildenhall Fen Tigers for eleven seasons, later going on to manage the team.

Biography

Born in Exeter, Henry's first speedway races were in second-half events at Exeter Falcons in 1974. [1]

In 1975, he moved on to Mildenhall Fen Tigers, and won the Suffolk Junior Open Championship. [1] In 1976 he broke into the Mildenhall team and scored solidly, averaging close to five points per match, with one full maximum score. By 1979 he was established as one of Mildenhall's top riders, averaging close to nine points per match, and maintained consistently high scores for the team until his retirement in 1986. He was part of Mildenhall's National League winning team of 1979. [2]

During his career he also had a spell in the top flight British League, with Leicester Lions for whom he rode in nineteen matches in 1979. [2] He was offered a place in the Leicester team in 1980 but decided to stay with Mildenhall. [2]

In 1984, he helped the Mildenhall Fen Tigers win the Fours Championship during the 1984 National League season [3] In 1985 he earned a testimonial meeeting with Mildenhall and was the club captain at the time. [4]

In 2011, Henry was appointed as team manager to the Fen Tigers, and went on to win the National League Knock Out Cup in his first season in charge. [5]

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References

  1. 1 2 Oakes, Peter & Mauger, Ivan (1976) Who's Who of World Speedway, Studio Publications, ISBN   0-904584-04-6, p. 59
  2. 1 2 3 Jones, Alan (2010) Speedway in Leicester: The Lions Roar, Automedia, p. 167
  3. ↑ "Red hot Tigers takes fours crown at last" . Cambridge Daily News. 23 July 1984. Retrieved 8 May 2023– via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. ↑ "Star-studded line-up to salute Robert Henry" . Bury Free Press. 16 August 1985. Retrieved 24 September 2024– via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ↑ "Ex-rider Robert Henry to manage Mildenhall Fen Tigers", BBC, 18 March 2011, retrieved 2012-03-18
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