Bluey Wilkinson
Encyclopedia
Arther George "Bluey" Wilkinson (born 27 August 1911 in Millthorpe, New South Wales
- died 27 July 1940 in Sydney
) was an international speedway
rider. Wilkinson was Speedway World Champion
in 1938
after narrowly missing out on winning the inaugural Championship in 1936
.
which he really considered to be his home town. He was working as a butcher boy when speedway first started at the Bathurst Sports Ground in 1928. It was love at first sight for Wilkinson and he promptly gave up a promising rugby league
career and invested his savings in a battered old belt driven Rudge.
and international star rider Lionel Van Praag
came to Bathurst he loaned Wilkinson one of his spare bikes. In a battle of future World Champions, Wilkinson defeated Van Praag in a match race and his talent was recognised. He upgraded his machinery and the results came with it.
In 1929 he headed for England
in an effort to get noticed by rich Speedway clubs. He rode in the lower divisions for three seasons before he was offered a contract by the West Ham Hammers
and stayed with the London
based club until 1939. He went on to finish third in the Star Riders' Championship
in 1933. The Riders' Championship was the forerunner to the Speedway World Championship
which was first held in 1936.
Wilkinson continued to return home to Australia to race in the Australian season, usually October through April. 1935 saw Bluey win the Australian Championship at the Sydney Showground
. He would win the title again in 1938 at the 509m long Showground, winning both the three lap and four lap titles and on both occasions defeating Wilbur Lamoreaux
of the United States
.
In 1937 Wilkinson won the Speedway National League
with the Hammers and in 1938 he won the ACU Cup with the Hammers. However the pinnacle of his career was becoming World Champion
in 1938 at London's Empire (Wembley) Stadium after finishing third in the inaugural Championship in 1936. He was unlucky not to win the crown in 1936 as he was unbeaten in five races in the final held at Wembley, but was relegated to third place behind winner Lionel Van Praag and England's Eric Langton
under a 'bonus points' system which operated during qualifying rounds.
Wilkinson's 1938 championship win was considered a gutsy effort after he had actually broken his left collarbone in a meeting for West Ham the night before the World Final. Determined not to miss the final, Bluey had the Tottenham Hotspur
club doctor put his arm and shoulder in plaster. He ignored the pain he was in to win his first four rides before finishing a safe second in his fifth and last to clinch the World Championship before a crowd of 95,000.
Bluey Wilkinson retired from riding in 1939 to become the promoter at the Sheffield Speedway
.
During his career, Wilkinson also rode for Australia
in test matches against England. He scored a maximum 18 points in each of the five Tests staged in Australia in the 1937/38 season, a feat he failed to duplicate the following season by only a single point.
on 27 July 1940. Riding a motorcycle with his wife Muriel as pillion
he was struck by a lorry which had swerved to avoid a car. He was killed almost instantly with a fractured skull. Muriel survived the accident physically with only little more than a few cuts and bruises.
Millthorpe, New South Wales
Millthorpe is a town located between Orange and Blayney in New South Wales, Australia in the Blayney Shire. At the 2006 census, Millthorpe had a population of 725 people....
- died 27 July 1940 in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
) was an international speedway
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
rider. Wilkinson was Speedway World Champion
Speedway World Championship
The World Championship of Speedway is an international competition between the highest ranked motorcycle speedway riders of the world. Today, it is organised as a series of Speedway Grand Prix events, where points are awarded according to performance in the event and tallied up at the end of each...
in 1938
1938 Individual Speedway World Championship
The 1938 Individual Speedway World Championship.-World final:*September 1, 1938 London, Wembley Stadium...
after narrowly missing out on winning the inaugural Championship in 1936
1936 Individual Speedway World Championship
The 1936 Individual Speedway World Championship was the first ever Speedway World Championship and was won by Lionel Van Praag of Australia. It was the first of a record 26 times that London's Wembley Stadium would host the World Final with the last being in 1981.*1936 Podium# Lionel Van Praag # ...
.
Early life
Wilkinson was nicknamed "Bluey" because of his red hair (an Australian custom). At the age of four, Bluey's family moved to Bathurst, New South WalesBathurst, New South Wales
-CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments...
which he really considered to be his home town. He was working as a butcher boy when speedway first started at the Bathurst Sports Ground in 1928. It was love at first sight for Wilkinson and he promptly gave up a promising rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
career and invested his savings in a battered old belt driven Rudge.
Career
On the Rudge, Bluey Wilkinson wasn't a world-beater, but when SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and international star rider Lionel Van Praag
Lionel Van Praag
Lionel Maurice Van Praag, GM was an Australian motorcycle speedway champion, who won the inaugural Speedway World Championship in London on 10 September 1936.-1932 UK National League Champion:...
came to Bathurst he loaned Wilkinson one of his spare bikes. In a battle of future World Champions, Wilkinson defeated Van Praag in a match race and his talent was recognised. He upgraded his machinery and the results came with it.
In 1929 he headed for England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in an effort to get noticed by rich Speedway clubs. He rode in the lower divisions for three seasons before he was offered a contract by the West Ham Hammers
West Ham Hammers
The West Ham Hammers were a speedway team, first promoted by Jimmy Baxter in 1929.. They operated from the West Ham Stadium until the outbreak of World War II under several different promotions, most successfully under the control of Johnnie Hoskins....
and stayed with the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
based club until 1939. He went on to finish third in the Star Riders' Championship
Star Riders' Championship
The Star Riders' Championship was the forerunner of the Speedway World Championship and was inaugurated in 1929. The competition was sponsored by The Star, which was a London evening newspaper at that time....
in 1933. The Riders' Championship was the forerunner to the Speedway World Championship
Speedway World Championship
The World Championship of Speedway is an international competition between the highest ranked motorcycle speedway riders of the world. Today, it is organised as a series of Speedway Grand Prix events, where points are awarded according to performance in the event and tallied up at the end of each...
which was first held in 1936.
Wilkinson continued to return home to Australia to race in the Australian season, usually October through April. 1935 saw Bluey win the Australian Championship at the Sydney Showground
Sydney Showground Speedway
Sydney Showground Speedway, originally known as the Speedway Royal and later the Speedway Royale but often referred to as just The Royale or The Showground, was a dirt Dirt track racing venue at the old Sydney Showground used from 1926 until 1996....
. He would win the title again in 1938 at the 509m long Showground, winning both the three lap and four lap titles and on both occasions defeating Wilbur Lamoreaux
Wilbur Lamoreaux
Wilbur Lamoreaux was a former international motorcycle speedway rider who qualified for three Speedway World Championship finals and never finished lower than fifth place.-Early life:...
of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
In 1937 Wilkinson won the Speedway National League
Speedway National League
The National League was the top division of Speedway in the United Kingdom from 1932 until 1965 when it became known as the British League. Prior to 1932 there were only small regional leagues competing within the sport in the UK. The National League was re-incarnated in 1975 as the second division...
with the Hammers and in 1938 he won the ACU Cup with the Hammers. However the pinnacle of his career was becoming World Champion
Speedway World Championship
The World Championship of Speedway is an international competition between the highest ranked motorcycle speedway riders of the world. Today, it is organised as a series of Speedway Grand Prix events, where points are awarded according to performance in the event and tallied up at the end of each...
in 1938 at London's Empire (Wembley) Stadium after finishing third in the inaugural Championship in 1936. He was unlucky not to win the crown in 1936 as he was unbeaten in five races in the final held at Wembley, but was relegated to third place behind winner Lionel Van Praag and England's Eric Langton
Eric Langton
Eric Langton was a motorcycle speedway who won the Star Riders' Championship in 1932, the forerunner to the Speedway World Championship. He also finished runner-up in 1934...
under a 'bonus points' system which operated during qualifying rounds.
Wilkinson's 1938 championship win was considered a gutsy effort after he had actually broken his left collarbone in a meeting for West Ham the night before the World Final. Determined not to miss the final, Bluey had the Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
club doctor put his arm and shoulder in plaster. He ignored the pain he was in to win his first four rides before finishing a safe second in his fifth and last to clinch the World Championship before a crowd of 95,000.
Bluey Wilkinson retired from riding in 1939 to become the promoter at the Sheffield Speedway
Owlerton Stadium
Owlerton Stadium, sometimes referred to as Sheffield Sports Stadium, is a greyhound racing track in Owlerton near Hillsborough in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The stadium is also home to the Sheffield Tigers Speedway team and hosts BriSCA Formula One stock car racing events. It is operated...
.
During his career, Wilkinson also rode for Australia
Australia national speedway team
Australia are one of the major teams in international speedway. The team is managed by former rider, three time Australian Champion and 1994 World #3 Craig Boyce and captained by three time Speedway World Champion Jason Crump...
in test matches against England. He scored a maximum 18 points in each of the five Tests staged in Australia in the 1937/38 season, a feat he failed to duplicate the following season by only a single point.
World Final Appearances
- 19361936 Individual Speedway World ChampionshipThe 1936 Individual Speedway World Championship was the first ever Speedway World Championship and was won by Lionel Van Praag of Australia. It was the first of a record 26 times that London's Wembley Stadium would host the World Final with the last being in 1981.*1936 Podium# Lionel Van Praag # ...
-
United Kingdom LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Wembley Stadium - 3rd - 25pts - 19381938 Individual Speedway World ChampionshipThe 1938 Individual Speedway World Championship.-World final:*September 1, 1938 London, Wembley Stadium...
- United Kingdom LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Wembley Stadium - Winner - 22pts
Death
After being involved in dozens of spectacular crashes during his speedway career and walking away from them all, Bluey was killed in a road accident in the Sydney suburb of BondiBondi, New South Wales
Bondi is an eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Bondi is located seven kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Waverley Council. The postcode is 2026.-Location:...
on 27 July 1940. Riding a motorcycle with his wife Muriel as pillion
Pillion
A pillion is a mostly British English term for a secondary pad, cushion, or seat behind the main seat or saddle on a horse, motorcycle, bicycle or moped...
he was struck by a lorry which had swerved to avoid a car. He was killed almost instantly with a fractured skull. Muriel survived the accident physically with only little more than a few cuts and bruises.