Rusty Harrison
Encyclopedia
Russell Wade "Rusty" Harrison (born 11 October 1981 in Elizabeth
, South Australia
) is a speedway
rider who rides for the Workington Comets
in the British Premier League
.
in 1995 and 1997 before going on to be the 2001 Australian Under-21 Champion.
In 2002 he was runner-up behind winner Travis McGowan
in the Australian Under-21 Championship. Harrison also won the South Australian Championship
in 2003 at his home track, Gillman Speedway
in Adelaide
Harrison made his debut in British speedway in 2001 riding for Glasgow Tigers
. In 2001 he joined Workington Comets
where he stayed for three seasons, before moving to Edinburgh Monarchs
in 2005. In 2005 he also rode as a Reserve for Belle Vue Aces
in the Elite League
at number seven. He moved back to Workington in 2006 after apparently refusing to take his last two rides for Edinburgh during rain soaked meeting against Rye House Rockets
on 7 July 2006, in fairness to Rusty, the track was very heavily waterlogged and was becoming quite dangerous to ride. before riding for Stoke Potters in 2007.
In September 2007, Harrison decided to retire from speedway after being affected by the serious injuries suffered by team-mate Garry Stead
. This followed a poor run of form when he had already decided to stop riding that season, saying, "I just haven't got going at all and I feel I have been letting too many people down" said the Australian. You are a danger to yourself and others when your head is not right and it's best that I stand down now before anything else happens."
However in early 2008 the King's Lynn Stars
signed Harrison for the 2008 season. He rode for Glasgow Tigers and Birmingham Brummies
in 2009, and has been with Workington Comets since 2010.
Elizabeth, South Australia
Elizabeth is a northern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the City of Playford.-History:Elizabeth was established in 1955 as part of a planned satellite town by the South Australian Housing Trust on rural land between the older towns of Salisbury and...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
) is a 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 who rides for the Workington Comets
Workington Comets
Workington Comets is a speedway club based in Workington, Cumbria. Their track is at Derwent Park Stadium, which they share with Workington Town Rugby League Football Club.They compete in the Premier League...
in the British Premier League
Speedway Premier League
The Premier League is the second division of Speedway in the United Kingdom and goverened by the Speedway Control Board , in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association . The Premier League was founded in 1995 when it replaced the British League as the first division...
.
Career summary
Harrison won the Australian Under-16 ChampionshipAustralian Under-16 Individual Speedway Championship
The Australian Under-16 Speedway Championship is a motorcycle speedway junior championship held each year in Australia since 1982 to determine the Australian Under-16 national champion. The event is organised by Motorcycling Australia .-Winners since 1982:...
in 1995 and 1997 before going on to be the 2001 Australian Under-21 Champion.
In 2002 he was runner-up behind winner Travis McGowan
Travis McGowan
Travis McGowan is an Australian speedway rider.-Career:McGowan started racing motorbikes the age of ten and by 1993 he had already won the Australian Under-16 Speedway Championship...
in the Australian Under-21 Championship. Harrison also won the South Australian Championship
South Australian Individual Speedway Championship
The South Australian Individual Speedway Championship is a Motorcycle speedway championship held annually in South Australia to determine the South Australian champion. The event is organised by the Speedway Riders' Association of South Australia Inc...
in 2003 at his home track, Gillman Speedway
Gillman Speedway
Gillman Speedway is a purpose built motorcycle speedway located in the Adelaide suburb of Gillman in South Australia.The closure of the nearby North Arm Speedway at the end of the 1996-97 season left Adelaide without a venue for motorcycle speedway for the first time in almost 80 years. David...
in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
Harrison made his debut in British speedway in 2001 riding for Glasgow Tigers
Glasgow Tigers (speedway)
The Glasgow Tigers are a motorcycle speedway team from Glasgow, Scotland. Formed in 1928, the club adopted the Tigers nickname in 1946 and compete in the British Premier League...
. In 2001 he joined Workington Comets
Workington Comets
Workington Comets is a speedway club based in Workington, Cumbria. Their track is at Derwent Park Stadium, which they share with Workington Town Rugby League Football Club.They compete in the Premier League...
where he stayed for three seasons, before moving to Edinburgh Monarchs
Edinburgh Monarchs
The Edinburgh Monarchs are a Scottish Speedway team, currently based in Armadale. They compete in the Speedway Premier League, racing on Friday nights during the Speedway season. The club is run by a Board of Directors, chaired by Alex Harkess. The team manager is Alan "Doc" Bridgett...
in 2005. In 2005 he also rode as a Reserve for Belle Vue Aces
Belle Vue Aces
The Belle Vue Aces are a British speedway team from Manchester in the north west of England.-Brief history:Racing first took place in 1928 at the Belle Vue greyhound stadium in Kirkmanshulme Lane before moving the following year to a specially built stadium nearby on Hyde Road. The club raced there...
in the 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...
at number seven. He moved back to Workington in 2006 after apparently refusing to take his last two rides for Edinburgh during rain soaked meeting against Rye House Rockets
Rye 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....
on 7 July 2006, in fairness to Rusty, the track was very heavily waterlogged and was becoming quite dangerous to ride. before riding for Stoke Potters in 2007.
In September 2007, Harrison decided to retire from speedway after being affected by the serious injuries suffered by team-mate Garry Stead
Garry Stead
Garry Stead is a former international speedway rider.As a child Garry showed a real interest in speedway, being a regular supporter at the Shay watching the Halifax Dukes,and spent many years as a child learning to ride.-Cradley Heath and Stoke:Garry became a Schoolboy Grass Track rider, winning...
. This followed a poor run of form when he had already decided to stop riding that season, saying, "I just haven't got going at all and I feel I have been letting too many people down" said the Australian. You are a danger to yourself and others when your head is not right and it's best that I stand down now before anything else happens."
However in early 2008 the 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...
signed Harrison for the 2008 season. He rode for Glasgow Tigers and Birmingham Brummies
Birmingham Brummies
Birmingham Brummies are a British speedway team, who were reformed in 2006 and then accepted into the Premier League in 2007. The club race at Perry Barr Stadium ....
in 2009, and has been with Workington Comets since 2010.