Brian Thomas Crutcher (born 23 August 1934 in Poole, England)[1] is a former international speedway rider who finished second at the 1954 Speedway World Championship finals.[2][3]
| Born | 23 August 1934 Parkstone, England |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Nipper |
| Nationality | British (English) |
| Career history | |
| 1951-1953 | Poole Pirates |
| 1953-1956 | Wembley Lions |
| 1957-1960 | Southampton Saints |
| Individual honours | |
| 1956 | London Riders' Champion |
| 1957, 1959 | Pride of the South winner |
| Team honours | |
| 1951 | National League Div 3 |
| 1952 | National League Div 2 |
| 1952 | National Trophy (Div 2) |
| 1953 | National League |
| 1954 | National Trophy |
| 1954 | London Cup |
Career
editCrutcher made his debut for third division team the Poole Pirates in 1951 at age 16. He made his first World Final appearance in only his second year of racing in 1952, finishing in twelfth place.
At the start of 1953, Crutcher moved to first division team the Wembley Lions and appeared in the next four World Championship finals, finishing second in 1954 behind Ronnie Moore.[4][5]
Cruther continued to impress at Wembley until 1956,[6] when Wembley closed down. Crutcher then moved to the Southampton Saints until he retired from the sport in 1960.[2]
He made 23 appearances for the Great Britain national speedway team.[3]
World Final appearances
edit- 1952 -
London, Wembley Stadium - 11th - 6pts - 1953 - London, Wembley Stadium - 10th - 6pts
- 1954 - London, Wembley Stadium - Second - 13pts
- 1955 - London, Wembley Stadium - 5th - 10pts
- 1956 - London, Wembley Stadium - 8th - 9pts
- 1958 - London, Wembley Stadium - Reserve - did not ride
- 1959 - London, Wembley Stadium - 6th - 10pts
References
edit- ^ Wareham, T. (2008) Brian Crutcher: The Authorised Biography, The History Press Ltd. ISBN 0-7524-4583-9
- ^ a b Bamford, Robert; Glynn Shailes (2004). 50 Poole Pirates Greats. Tempus Publishing. pp. 34–36. ISBN 0-7524-3257-5.
- ^ a b "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
- ^ "Brian Crutcher (right)". Harrow Observer. 23 September 1954. Retrieved 19 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). A History of the World Speedway Championship. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-2402-5
- ^ "Crutcher sets a fast pace". Streatham News. 29 June 1956. Retrieved 19 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.