Dennis Parker (speedway rider)
| Born | 5 January 1925 Birmingham, England |
|---|---|
| Died | 15 January 2008 (aged 83) |
| Nationality | British (English) |
| Career history | |
| 1947 | Sheffield Tigers |
| 1948–1949 | Edinburgh Monarchs |
| 1950–1952 | Belle Vue Aces |
| 1953, 1956 | Leicester Hunters |
| Team honours | |
| 1947 | British Speedway Cup (tier 2) |
Dennis Parker (5 January 1925 – 15 January 2008) was an international motorcycle speedway rider from England. He earned five international caps for the England national speedway team.[1]
Biography[edit]
Parker, born in Birmingham, rode on grasstrack before undertaking a speedway career.[2] He began his British leagues career riding for Sheffield Tigers during the 1947 Speedway National League Division Two season and helped the team win the division 2 British Speedway Cup.[3] The following season he signed for Edinburgh Monarchs and stayed with the Scottish club for two seasons. While at Edinburgh, he toured Australia during the 1948/49 winter and recorded some significant results, including finishing runner-up to Aub Lawson in the South Australian Individual Speedway Championship.[4]
His form at Edinburgh earned him a place in the England team against Australia for the 1949/50 winter test series[5] and on his return to England, he signed a deal with the Belle Vue Aces (captained by his uncle Jack Parker) in the top division for the 1950.[6]
After three seasons with Belle Vue, he signed to ride for the Leicester Hunters in March 1953.[7] After one season with the club where he averaged 5.71,[8] he told Leicester that he was retiring to concentrate on his haulage contracting business.[9] However, he did return for a few rides during the 1956 season for Leicester.
Family[edit]
His uncles Norman Parker and Jack Parker were international riders.[1]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
- ^ "Burton Motor-Cycle Club". Burton Observer and Chronicle. 29 January 1948. Retrieved 28 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "1947 season" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
- ^ "He follows in uncles' wheel-mark". Daily Mirror. 7 March 1949. Retrieved 28 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Speedway Test team". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 1 February 1950. Retrieved 28 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Dennis Parker in Belle Vue team". Manchester Evening Chronicle. 4 April 1950. Retrieved 28 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
- ^ "Rider averages 1929 to 2009" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
- ^ "Fan tries luck as Speedway rider". Leicester Evening Mail. 16 March 1954. Retrieved 28 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.