Don Hardy (speedway rider)
| Born | 9 April 1921 Boveridge, Dorset, England |
|---|---|
| Died | 7 March 2018 (aged 96) |
| Nationality | British (English) |
| Career history | |
| 1947–1955 | Exeter Falcons |
| 1947, 1949 | New Cross Rangers |
| Team honours | |
| 1948 | League champion (div 3) |
| 1951 | National Trophy (div 3) |
Sidney Donald Hardy (9 April 1921 – 7 March 2018) was an English motorcycle speedway rider.[1]
Biography
[edit]Hardy, born in Boveridge, Dorset, began his speedway career after being signed by New Cross Rangers for the 1947 Speedway National League season.[2] However, he was loaned out to Exeter Falcons in division three[3] and made an immediate impact with the Devon club, averaging 7.86 from 40 matches.[4]
The following season during the 1948 Speedway National League Division Three campaign, he helped Exeter win the league title.[5][6] Hardy became one of the leading riders in the division and became a crowd favourite of the Falcons. He continued to perform well,[7] averaging 8.70 in 1949 and then impressed with a 9.69 average for the 1950 Speedway National League Division Three season.[4] He had previously made an official transfer to Exeter from New Cross in May 1949.[8]
In 1951 he was part of the Falcons team that won the National Trophy (div 3) and finished runner-up behind Poole Pirates in the league.[9]
Hardy spent four more seasons with the Falcons from 1952 through to the end of the 1955 Speedway National League Division Two season.[10]
Hardy died in 2018 aged 96.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ "Ultimate Rider Index, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ^ "1947 season" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ^ "Speedway must limit crowds". Daily Mirror. 27 March 1947. Retrieved 2 November 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ a b "Rider averages 1929 to 2009" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ^ "Speedway Teams UK 1946-1951". Cyber Motorcycle. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ^ Oakes, Peter (1978). 1978 Speedway Yearbook. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. ISBN 978-0904584509.
- ^ "Don Hardy scores second consecutive maximum". Western Morning News. 15 April 1950. Retrieved 2 November 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "15,000 see Hunter win by big margin". Leicester Daily Mercury. 7 May 1949. Retrieved 2 November 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "1951 fixtures and results" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ^ "Exeter Falcons took flight in speedway's heyday". Devon Live. October 2023. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ^ "Don Hardy". Basingtoke Gazette. Retrieved 2 November 2024.