Colin Pratt
Encyclopedia
Hoddesdon
Hoddesdon is a town in the English county of Hertfordshire, situated in the Lea Valley. The town grew up as a coaching stop on the route between Cambridge and London. It is located southeast of Hertford, north of Waltham Cross and southwest of Bishop's Stortford. At its height during the 18th...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
) is a former motorcycle 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 and current promoter of the Coventry Bees who compete in the British Elite League
Speedway Elite League
The Elite League is the top division of Speedway league competition in the United Kingdom and is governed by the Speedway Control Bureau , in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association . It is sponsored by Sky Sports...
.
Early career and retirement
Pratt rode for Southampton SaintsSouthampton Saints
Southampton Saints were a speedway team which operated from 1928 until their closure in 1963. Their track was located at Banister Court Stadium in Southampton, Hampshire....
, Stoke Potters
Stoke Potters
The Stoke Potters are a British Speedway team currently competing in the National League. The team races at Loomer Road Stadium.In the late 1940s, early 1950s and the early 1960s, the club was based in Sun Street in Hanley, and were originally known as the Hanley Potters when crowds of over 12,000...
and the Swindon Robins
Swindon Robins
The Swindon Speedway team, also known as the Swindon Robins, are an English Motorcycle Speedway team established in 1949 that competes in the Elite League....
before joining the Hackney Hawks
Hackney Hawks
Hackney Hawks speedway opened in 1963 at Hackney Wick Stadium, Waterden Road, London and operated until 1983.-Early days:Originally opened by Mike Parker, the promotion was then sold to Len Silver who was the club's promoter for the next twenty seasons....
in 1964. He rode for the Hawks
Hackney Hawks
Hackney Hawks speedway opened in 1963 at Hackney Wick Stadium, Waterden Road, London and operated until 1983.-Early days:Originally opened by Mike Parker, the promotion was then sold to Len Silver who was the club's promoter for the next twenty seasons....
for six years until the 1970 season when he moved to the Cradley Heath Heathens
Cradley Heath Heathens
Cradley Heath Heathens are a defunct motorcycle speedway team from Dudley, England.-History:Cradley Heath speedway team was formed in 1947 and first raced at Dudley Wood Stadium on 21 June 1947 after a number of away appearances prior to the opening of the newly built stadium...
. However, he was forced to retire after he was involved in a road crash near Lokeren in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. Five riders and officials died. Pratt was riding as a guest for 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....
against a Danish select side in Holland (in which he gained a five ride maximum). He sustained three broken bones in his neck and was warned by doctors that if he rode again and broke it he would be paralysed. After deciding the risk was too great he retired.
Pratt was also a full England international and rode in two World Team Cup finals. He also qualified for the final of 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...
in 1967.It was as a Hackney rider that he won the London Riders' Championship
London Riders' Championship
The London Riders' Championship was an individual speedway competition for top riders of teams from London. It was a very prestigious competition, especially in its early days. However, as the number of teams from London dwindled, so did interest in the competition. The last competition wast held...
in 1967 and again in 1968.
Promoter and team manager
Pratt became co-promoter at the Rye House RocketsRye House Rockets
The Rye House Rockets are a Speedway team based at Rye House Stadium, Hoddesdon, England. They currently compete in the British Premier League.The club is promoted by Len Silver who previously ran the Hackney Hawks promotion at Hackney Wick Stadium....
with former boss Len Silver
Len Silver
Len Silver is a former speedway rider and is currently promoter of the Rye House Rockets.-Racing career:Silver stopped racing in 1957 but returned to the Ipswich Witches in 1960 after a layoff due to injury...
in 1979. In 1983, he spent a season as team manager at King's Lynn Stars
King's Lynn Stars
King's Lynn Stars are a motorcycle speedway team who compete in the British Elite League. The nickname "Stars" comes from the defunct Norwich Stars team...
before becoming promoter at Cradley Heath
Cradley Heath Heathens
Cradley Heath Heathens are a defunct motorcycle speedway team from Dudley, England.-History:Cradley Heath speedway team was formed in 1947 and first raced at Dudley Wood Stadium on 21 June 1947 after a number of away appearances prior to the opening of the newly built stadium...
in 1984. He stayed at Cradley until 1996 where he became co-promoter of the ill-fated London Lions
London Lions (speedway)
The London Lions were a motorcycle speedway team that operated for one season in 1996 from the Hackney Wick Stadium, the former home of the Hackney Hawks and the Hackney Kestrels..-Management:...
, based at the Hawks' previous stadium, Hackney Wick. By now it had been redeveloped and renamed the London Stadium.
The promotion closed after one season so Pratt moved to the Bradford Dukes
Bradford Dukes
The Bradford Dukes were a British motorcycle speedway team which operated from the Odsal Stadium in Bradford from 1986 until their closure in 1997.-History:...
as team manager. In 1998, the opportunity arose to join the Coventry Bees
Coventry Bees
The Coventry Bees are a motorcycle speedway team based at Brandon near Coventry, England. A Coventry team was first formed in 1928 and competed in the Southern League and then the National League in the pre-war era at Brandon stadium. There were also meetings at a stadium in Lythalls Lane...
as promoter and Pratt has been there ever since.
He also had an eight year spell as the Great Britain team manager (with Eric Boocock
Eric Boocock
Eric Boocock is a former Speedway rider who appeared in three Speedway World Championship finals.-Career:...
). He has won sixteen major trophies as a manager or promoter. He has served several terms on the British Speedway Promoters' Association
British Speedway Promoters' Association
The British Speedway Promoters Association organises the domestic motorcycle speedway competitions in the UK. They are also responsible for the promotion and running of the FIM meetings staged in Britain....
management committee.
World Final Appearances
- 19671967 Individual Speedway World ChampionshipThe 1967 Individual Speedway World Championship.-World final:*September 16, 1967 London, Wembley Stadium...
-
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 - 13th - 4pts
External links
http://www.cradleyspeedway.co.uk?