Gary Havelock
| Gary Havelock | ||
 | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Nationality |  England | |
| Date of birth | 4 November 1968 | |
| Place of birth | Eaglescliffe, England | |
| Nickname | Havvy | |
| Website | www | |
| Current club information | ||
| Career status | Retired | |
| Career history | ||
| Middlesbrough Tigers Bradford Dukes Gorzów Wielkopolski (POL) Indianerna (SWE) Eastbourne Eagles Częstochowa (POL) Poole Pirates Filbyterna (SWE) Rzeszów (POL) Masarna (SWE) Piła (POL) Peterborough Panthers Arena Essex Hammers Redcar Bears |
1985-1986 1986-1988, 1990-1997 1992, 1996 1994-1995 1998 1998 1998-2002 1999-2000 2000 2000-2003 2001-2003, 2005 2003-2004 2005 2006-2012 | |
| Individual honours | ||
| World Champion British Under 21 Champion European Under-21 Champion British Champion Premier League Riders Champion Overseas Champion |
1992 1986 1987 1991, 1992 1995 1992 | |
| Team honours | ||
| Elite League Champion Swedish Elitserien Champion British League KO Cup Winner Premier League KO Cup Winner Young Shield Winner National League Fours Winner |
1997 2000 1991, 1992, 1993 1995 2007 1986 | |
Robert Gary Havelock (born 4 November 1968, in Eaglescliffe, County Durham, England) is a former speedway rider who was World Champion in 1992, and for several years captained the Redcar Bears in the Premier League.[1] He is the son of former speedway rider Brian Havelock.[2]
Career
Havelock first competed in grasstrack racing, winning the British Junior Championship, before following his father into speedway.[3] Havelock showed his potential early in his speedway career, winning the Suffolk Open Championship at Mildenhall as a 16-year old in 1984, only two weeks after qualifying for a licence.[4]
Havelock started his league career with local club Middlesbrough Tigers (the team managed by his father) in 1985, moving from reserve to the main body of the team by May, before moving to the Bradford Dukes in 1987, where he spent the next ten seasons. A season with the Eastbourne Eagles was followed by five seasons with the Poole Pirates until 2003.[1] During this time Havelock also spent the 1986/87 and 1988/89 seasons in Australia based at the North Arm Speedway in Adelaide.
In 1987, Havelock won the European Under-21 Championship. This would be the final year that it would be called the European Championship as it became the World Under-21 Championship from 1988.
The highlight of his career was when he won the World Championship in 1992 at the Olympic Stadium in Wrocław, Poland. Havelock, the first British World Champion since Michael Lee in 1980, finished three points clear of 1990 World Champion Per Jonsson of Sweden, and four in front of Dane Gert Handberg[5] He has also represented Great Britain in the Speedway World Team Cup finals six times, finishing runner-up in 1990 and in the Speedway World Cup four times, finishing runner-up in 2004.[6]
Havelock missed most of the 1996 season after seriously injuring his back whilst representing England in a test match against Australia at Poole in the July.[6] Havelock had ridden in the first two of the Speedway Grand Prix meetings that season.
His 2012 season was ended early by a crash in March in which he was hit by Derek Sneddon's bike, resulting in a broken collarbone, a broken arm, and broken ribs.[7][8]
As a consequence of the injuries to his arm, Gary Havelock announced his retirement from speedway on 22 February 2013.[9] A week later he was named as the new team manager of Coventry Bees.[10]
Off track
Havelock was banned for the entire 1989 season after he tested positive for cannabis at the British League Riders' Championship meeting in 1988.[6]
At the 2007 BSPA Annual General Meeting, Great Britain team manager Neil Middleditch announced that he would be "happy to continue" in the position but recommended that Havelock should be his successor once he has retired from racing, stating "he would take to it like a duck to water". Middleditch also mentioned he would be happy for Havelock to act as his assistant.[11]
Havelock appeared in the Sky TV football show Premier League All Stars in 2007, representing eventual winners Middlesbrough F.C..[12]
Havelock is a patron of the charity National Association for Bikers with a Disability.[13]
World final appearances
- 1992 -
Wrocław, Olympic Stadium - Winner - 14pts
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Bamford, Robert (2007-03-01). Tempus Speedway Yearbook 2007. NPI Media Group. ISBN 0-7524-4250-3.
- ↑ Oakes, P.(2004). British Speedway Who's Who. ISBN 0-948882-81-6
- ↑ Daniel, Paul (1985) "Stars of Tomorrow: Gary Havelock", Speedway Star, 18 May 1985, p. 18-19
- ↑ Butt, Randall (1984) "Great Gary", Speedway Star, 20 October 1984, p. 28
- ↑ Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). A History of the World Speedway Championship. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-2402-5
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Oakes, P (2006). Speedway Star Almanac. Pinegen Ltd. p. 85. ISBN 0-9552376-1-0.
- ↑ "Havelock Injured", speedway365.com, 23 March 2012, retrieved 9 August 2012
- ↑ "Havelock Hurt at Redcar", speedwaygb.co, 23 March 2012, retrieved 9 August 2012
- ↑ http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/uk-and-world-news/2013/02/23/speedway-legend-gary-havelock-announces-retirement-84229-32865751/
- ↑ "Havvy is New Bees Boss", speedwaygb.co, 1 March 2013. Retrieved 1 March 2013
- ↑ "Havvy could be 'next GB boss'". Daily Echo. 22 November 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-03.
- ↑ "‘Boro quarter final clash ejects Birmingham City". Sky. 29 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-03.
- ↑ NABD Patrons, accessed 27 May 2009
External links
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