Robert Lightfoot (speedway rider)

Last updated

Robert Lightfoot
Born (1963-07-16) 16 July 1963 (age 60)
Coventry, England
NationalityBritish (English)
Career history
1979-1982 Stoke Potters
1980-1983 Leicester Lions
Individual honours
1981 British Junior Champion

Robert James Lightfoot (often known as Rob Lightfoot, born 16 July 1963) is a British former grasstrack and motorcycle speedway rider.

Biography

Born in Coventry, Lightfoot is the son of Jim Lightfoot, who also had a career in speedway, riding for Coventry Bees and Long Eaton Archers. [1] He initially excelled as a junior grasstrack rider, winning several tournaments including the Welsh Open Championship (1979, 1980), the Sportac Spectacular (1978), and the Worcester and Cotswold Club Championship (1979). [1] He began his speedway career in 1979, making his debut for Stoke Potters later that year. [1] In 1980 he signed for Leicester Lions, riding in two inter-league cup matches, and was loaned back to Stoke, for whom he rode in twenty National League matches that year, averaging 3.39. [1] [2] He also rode in Leicester's junior team in the Anglia Junior League, and won the Anglia Junior League Riders' Championship in 1980. [2] In 1981 he won the British Junior Championship at Canterburythe 1981 ‘Pride of the Potteries’ and averaged over 6.5 for Stoke on the National League. [2]

His career was interrupted in 1982 by a crash in which he broke his neck. [2] On his return in 1983 he rode in second-half races at Leicester, and made a handful of senior appearances for the Lions, but a string of crashes took their toll and he retired at the end of the 1983 season. [2]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Oakes, Peter (1981) 1981 Speedway Yearbook, Studio Publications, ISBN   0-86215-017-5, p. 287, 288
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Jones, Alan (2010) Speedway in Leicester: The Lions Roar, Automedia, p. 171