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Malcolm Brown (speedway rider)

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Malcolm Brown
Born (1935-04-04) 4 April 1935 (age 89)
Walthamstow, London, England
NationalityBritish (English)
Career history
1964–1968Hackney Hawks
1969–1974Leicester Lions
Team honours
1972, 1974Midland Cup

Malcolm Brown (born 4 April 1935) is a former motorcycle speedway rider from England, who rode for Hackney Hawks and Leicester Lions in the 1960s and 1970s.[1]

Biography

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Born in Walthamstow, Brown began speedway racing at Rye House, signing for the Hackney Hawks in 1964, and was an ever-present for Hackney in the 1966, 1967, and 1968 seasons.[2] In that era he also sang regularly in Working Men's Clubs in East London.[3] He moved to the Leicester Lions in 1969,[4] and was a mainstay of the team between 1969 and 1974. He won the Midland Cup on two occasions in 1972[5] and 1974.[6] He retired from racing after the 1974 season, although he did return to Leicester for a second half event in 1977.[2]

Brown moved to Rhodesia in the mid-1970s, where he promoted speedway at Bulawayo.[3] He also ran his own Z International nightclub, where he performed as a singer and comedian.[3] The end of colonial rule, as Rhodesia became Zimbabwe, saw Brown return to the UK, where he opened the Raffles club in St Austell.[3] In 1988 he relocated again, this time to Florida, where he set up a cleaning company.[3] Through his neighbour, Burt Reynolds, Brown got a small part in the TV series B.L. Stryker, and went on to appear in films such as Illtown and Do You Wanna Know a Secret?.[3] In 2005, he recorded an album, On Track, with proceeds going to help fund the National Speedway Museum.[3]

Career record

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All figures relate to the British League.

Year Team Matches Rides Points Bonus Total Average
1965 Hackney 19 59 60 16 76 5.15
1965 Sheffield 1 4 2 0 2 2.00
1966 Hackney 38 145 147 19 166 4.58
1967 Hackney 39 141 158 20 178 5.05
1968 Hackney 37 134 158 20 178 5.31
1969 Leicester 38 117 127 24 151 5.16
1970 Leicester 38 127 129 22 151 4.76
1971 Leicester 36 118 122 22 144 4.88
1972 Leicester 35 116 96 18 114 3.93
1973 Leicester 36 125 125 21 146 4.67
1974 Leicester 29 87 49 8 57 2.62

References

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  1. ^ "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  2. ^ a b Jones, Alan (2010) Speedway in Leicester: The Lions Roar, Automedia, p. 160
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Brown Back in Town", Backtrack, Issue 10, Sep-Oct 2005, p. 26-7
  4. ^ "Hackney rider allocated to Leicester Speedway". Leicester Daily Mercury. 27 March 1969. Retrieved 1 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ^ "Speedway". Daily Mirror. 25 October 1972. Retrieved 21 October 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. ^ "Wolves beaten in cup final". Birmingham Daily Post. 12 October 1974. Retrieved 21 October 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
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