Kevin John Little (born 24 September 1972) is a former motorcycle speedway rider from Scotland.[1][2][3][4]
| Born | 24 September 1972 (age 52) Edinburgh, Scotland |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British (Scottish) |
| Career history | |
| 1989–1991, 1994–1995, 1997 | Berwick Bandits |
| 1992 | Bradford Dukes |
| 1993–1995, 1998–2000 | Edinburgh Monarchs |
| 1995 | Belle Vue Aces |
| 1996 | Coventry Bees |
| 2001–2004 | Newcastle Diamonds |
| 2005 | Workington Comets |
| 2006 | Redcar Bears |
| Individual honours | |
| 1995 | Academy League Riders' Championship |
| Team honours | |
| 1994 | British League Div 3 |
| 1999 | Knockout Cup |
| 2001 | Premier League (Div 2) |
Career
editLittle started racing in the British leagues during the 1989 National League season, when riding for the Berwick Bandits.[5][1] He remained with the club the following two seasons in 1990 and 1991 before joining Bradford Dukes in the top tier of British speedway. He helped Bradford win the Knockout Cup but did not ride in the final.
In 1993, he joined Edinburgh Monarchs and enjoyed a good season improving his average to 6.29. He rode again for Edinburgh in 1994, in addition to Belle Vue Aces in the top league and Berwick in division 3. During the 1994 British League Division Three season, he won the league title with Berwick and finished runner-up to Andy Howe in the British League Division Three Riders' Championship.[6]
The following season in 1995, he achieved his greatest individual success (with Berwick) winning the Academy League Riders' Championship.[7] In 1996, he joined Coventry Bees in the Premier League before returning to Berwick in 1997. He achieved excellent averages of 7.95 and 7.84 for Edinburgh in 1998 and 1999 respectively. He won the Knockout Cup with Edinburgh in 1999, scoring 15 points in the two leg final. After a final season with Edinburgh in 2000, he signed for the Newcastle Diamonds and rode for them for four years. During his time at Newcastle he won the Premier League (div 2) in 2001.[1][5]
His last two seasons in speedway as a rider were for Workington Comets in 2005 and Redcar Bears in 2006.[1][5]
In 2023, he was the manager of the Berwick development team.[8]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022, Kevin Little" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
- ^ Oakes, Peter (1990). Speedway Yearbook 1990, Kevin Little rider profile. Front Page Books. ISBN 0-948882-15-8.
- ^ "Kevin Little - Northern Soul". Speedway Plus. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
- ^ "KEVIN LITTLE: 'AFTER I RETIRED I WOULD THINK - HOW ON EARTH DID I MANAGE TO DO THIS?!'". Edinburgh Monarchs. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
- ^ a b c "Kevin Little". WWOS Backup. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
- ^ "Howe races home". Nottingham Evening Post. 3 October 1994. Retrieved 22 June 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Horspool comes fourth". Cambridge Daily News. 4 September 1995. Retrieved 23 June 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "CHARGERS DOWN TO THE WIRE". British Speedway. Retrieved 23 June 2023.