Lionel Maurice Van Praag, GM (17 December 1908 – 15 May 1987) was an Australian motorcycle speedway champion, who won the inaugural Speedway World Championship in London on 10 September 1936.
Contents |
In his first full season in British speedway, Lionel was a member of the Wembley Lions team that won the last ever Southern League and the National Trophy in 1931.
Lionel won the inaugural National League title in 1932 with the Wembley Lions
Lionel won the run-off for the Speedway World Championship against Eric Langton in 1936 in somewhat controversial circumstances. The Championship was decided by bonus points accumulated in previous rounds. Despite being unbeaten in the final, Bluey Wilkinson was not crowned Champion. Bonus points accumulated by Van Praag and Langton took them to the top of the standings and into a run-off (Match Race).
As they lined up at the tapes, Langton broke them which would ordinarily lead to disqualification. However, Van Praag stated he did not want to win the title by default and insisted that a race should take place. At the restart Langton made it to the first bend in front and lead until the final bend on the last lap when Van Praag darted through the smallest of gaps to win by less than wheel length.
Afterwards, controversial allegations were abound that the two riders had 'fixed' the match race, deciding between them that the first person to the first bend would win the race and the Championship and split the prize money. Van Praag's overtake quashed the rumours.[1]
Van Praag was awarded the George Medal for bravery during World War II, when a Royal Australian Air Force Douglas DC-2 he was piloting was shot down by a Japanese aircraft over the Sumba Strait in Indonesia. After the war, Van Praag participated in one more speedyway championship, but retired in 1950 to concentrate on his career as a pilot.[2]
In 2000, the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly named a street, Van Praag Circuit (later renamed Van Praag Place) after him.[3]
Van Praag also appeared in the 1933 British film Money for Speed which starred John Loder, Ida Lupino, Cyril McLaglen and Moore Marriott. Ginger Lees, Frank Varey and speedway promoter Johnnie Hoskins also featured.[4]
Van Praag was Jewish.[5] In July 2000, the Government of the Australian Capital Territory honored him by naming a streets in the Division of Gordon, A.C.T. "Van Praag Place".[6]
|
||||||||||||||