Oliver Hart
Born(1912-09-13)13 September 1912
Wigan, England
Died16 July 1983(1983-07-16) (aged 70)
Chorley, Lancashire
NationalityBritish (English)
Career history
1936-1937Liverpool
1937-1939Belle Vue
1939Stoke
1946Wimbledon
1947-1952Odsal Boomerangs/Tudors
Individual honours
1941Northern Riders' Champion

Oliver Hart (13 September 1912[1] – 16 July 1983) was an international motorcycle speedway rider.[2][3]

Career

Hart first rode with the Liverpool Merseysiders during the 1936 Provincial Speedway League season. He was part of the syndicate that brought speedway back to Liverpool in 1936.[4]

In 1937, the Liverpool promotion dropped out of the league in mid-July and was replaced by the Belle Vue Aces promotion.[5] Because Belle Vue already had a team in the National League they renamed the Provincial League team to Belle Vue Merseysiders and moved the entire team.[6] On 25 August 1937, he witnessed his brother's death; Stan Hart died following a crash at the Hall Green Stadium in Birmingham.[7][8] The death was investigated and ruled to be accidental death because they believed that his tyre burst causing him to fall into the path of another bike. Oliver testified at the investigation and decided that he would not race again.[9]

However, in 1938, he resumed racing with the Belle Vue Aces and in 1939 he top scored for the Stoke Potters/Belle Vue reserves promotion.[10] His best league from was while he was a Bradford rider and he averaged 8.57 in 1948.[11]

He finished scored a point in the Speedway World Championship final in 1949 riding at reserve.[12] Hart was notable in speedway as being one of the last riders to only use the leg trailing method of riding. Hart made 16 international appearances for England between 1948 and 1951.[13][14]

Family

His twin brother Ron Hart and another brother Stan Hart were also speedway riders.[15]

World final appearances

References

  1. ↑ Addison J. (1948). The People Speedway Guide. Odhams Press Limited
  2. ↑ Bamford, R. & Stallworthy, D. (2003) Speedway - The Pre War Years, Stroud: Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-2749-0
  3. ↑ "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  4. ↑ "Liverpool Speedways Ltd". Liverpool Daily Post. 21 April 1936. Retrieved 7 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ↑ "Belle Vue take over Liverpool". Weekly Dispatch (London). 11 July 1937. Retrieved 11 January 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. ↑ "Year by Year 1937" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  7. ↑ "Birmingham (Hall Green Stadium) 1937". Speedway Museum. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  8. ↑ "Stan Hart". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  9. ↑ "Racing Quitted after Bother's Speedway death". Birmingham Daily Gazette. 31 August 1937. Retrieved 11 January 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. ↑ "1936 season results" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  11. ↑ "Rider averages 1929 to 2009" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  12. ↑ Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). A History of the World Speedway Championship. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-2402-5
  13. ↑ Foster, P. (2005) History of the Speedway Ashes, The History Press Ltd. ISBN 0-7524-3468-3
  14. ↑ "Speedway Test team". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 1 February 1950. Retrieved 28 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  15. ↑ "Speedway from around the globe - Hungary". Speedway Star page 40. 24 September 2022.
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