Frank Lawrence
| Born | 11 October 1920 |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British (English) |
| Career history | |
| 1946 | West Ham Hammers |
| 1946-1953 | New Cross Rangers |
| 1953-1954 | Harringay Racers |
| Team honours | |
| 1948 | National League Champion |
| 1947, 1953 | London Cup Winner |
| 1953 | Coronation Cup Winner |
Frank Lawrence (11 October 1920 –) was a motorcycle speedway rider from England, who rode for New Cross in the post-World War II period.[1]
Career
[edit]Lawrence began his career before the war at Dagenham, but his career was put on hold while he served during the war in the Royal Air Force as a fighter pilot, flying Hawker Typhoons.[2][3] He married in 1940 but was shot down by the German forces and held as a prisoner of war for three and a half years.[2]
When speedway racing resumed in 1946 he joined the West Ham Hammers, where he was hurt in a freak accident when Jack Cooley crashed, his bike going through the safety fence and hitting Lawrence while he sat in the pits.[2] He transferred later in the season to New Cross[4] where he became a regular member of the team.[2][5]
He scored 15 points in the qualifying rounds for the 1951 Individual Speedway World Championship. He represented England in an unofficial test match against Australia in Dublin in 1950, scoring 10 points.[6]
When New Cross speedway closed in 1953, Lawrence moved on to Harringay Racers.
References
[edit]- ^ "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ^ a b c d Morgan, Tom (1949) Who's Who in Speedway 1949, Sport-in-Print, London, p. 48
- ^ Air Reserve Gazette, Vol. 11-12, 1949, Rolls House
- ^ "Speed rider returns to be with sick wife". Daily Mirror. 22 November 1946. Retrieved 26 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Wally Green in Sweden". Hastings and St Leonards Observer. 26 June 1948. Retrieved 23 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "England v. Australia 1945 to 1953", internationalspeedway.co.uk, retrieved 2012-02-11