David Blackburn (speedway rider)

David Martin Blackburn (born 7 January 1962) is a former motorcycle speedway rider from England, whose career began in the late 1970s and continued until 1997.[1]

For the British naval officer, see Anthony Blackburn. For the landscape artist, see David Blackburn (artist).

David Blackburn
Born (1962-01-07) 7 January 1962
Coventry, England
NationalityBritish (English)
Career history
1981Workington Comets
1982, 1993Long Eaton Invaders
1982–1983Boston Barracudas
1983Leicester Lions
1984–1985Milton Keynes Knights
1985Reading Racers
1986–1987Newcastle 'Federation Specials'/Diamonds
1987Belle Vue Aces
1988Glasgow Tigers
1989–1992, 1997Berwick Bandits
1993Sheffield Tigers
1994Swindon Robins

Career

Blackburn was born in Coventry and is the son of former Coventry Bees team manager Mick Blackburn.[2] After second half rides in 1979 and 1980 he was signed by Leicester Lions for whom he rode in junior events and he was loaned out to National League teams Workington Comets in 1981, Long Eaton Invaders in 1982, and Boston Barracudas in 1981, 1982 and 1983.[3] He made a handful of appearances in Leicester's senior team before the club folded at the end of the 1983 season.[3]

He then moved on to Milton Keynes Knights and Newcastle for two seasons each, also riding in the British League for Belle Vue Aces, Ipswich Witches, Sheffield Tigers and Wolverhampton Wolves in 1987. After riding for Glasgow Tigers in 1988,[4] he spent four years with Berwick Bandits. After a season each with Sheffield and Swindon Robins he retired in 1994, but returned to Berwick in 1997 for his final season in British speedway.

He returned to the track in 2007 in a farewell meeting at Redcar for Kevin Little.[5]

References
  1. "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  2. Oakes, Peter (1986) 1986 Speedway Yearbook, Sportsdata, ISBN 0-948882-05-0, p. 210
  3. Jones, Alan (2010) Speedway in Leicester: The Lions Roar, Automedia, p. 159
  4. "Speedway", Glasgow Herald, 29 April 1988, retrieved 2012-03-15
  5. Neal, Martin (2007) "Speedway: Big bash for Little", Evening Gazette, 5 April 2007, retrieved 2012-03-15
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