Simon Cross
| Simon Cross | ||
 | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Nationality |  England | |
| Date of birth | 31 May 1965 | |
| Place of birth | Hereford, England | |
| Current club information | ||
| Career status | Retired | |
| Polish league | 1992 Gniezno | |
| Swedish league | 1995/96 Smederna | |
| Career history | ||
| Oxford Cheetahs Weymouth Wildcats Cradley Heath Heathens Middlesbrough Bears Coventry Bees |
1982 1983 1982-1995 1991 1996 | |
| Individual honours | ||
| Overseas Champion British Masters grasstrack Champion British 350 grasstrack Champion European Grasstrack Champion WA State Champion (Aust) |
1988 1986 1994 1987 1986 1987 | |
| Team honours | ||
| World Team Cup National League Pairs Champion British League KO Cup winner British League Fours Champion Midland Cup Champions League Cup Champions Premiership Champions |
1989 1983 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 1995 1983, 1984, 1987 1984, 1986 1984 1985 1988 1989 1990 | |
Simon James Cross (born 31 May 1965 in Hereford, England) is a former motorcycle speedway rider who spent most of his career with the Cradley Heath Heathens.
Career
Simon Cross and Kelvin Tatum finished runner-up in Speedway World Pairs Championship[1] in 1988 and he finished runner-up in the British Championship in 1990.[2] He won the National League Pairs Championship in 1983 with Martin Yeates.
In early 1987, Cross was part of a touring troupe to Australia which included (among others) World Champion Hans Nielsen, Tommy Knudsen, Shawn Moran and Rick Miller. While in Australia he won the 1986/87 Western Australian State Championship at the Claremont Speedway in Perth.
1987 also saw Cross qualify for his first and only World Final, run over two days at the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam. He finished in 10th place with 10 points scored (7 on day one, 3 on day two).
1989 World Team Cup Final
Simon also represented Great Britain when they won the 1989 Speedway World Team Cup Final at the Odsal Stadium in Bradford. Cross was involved in the famous crash on turn 1 of the first heat of the meeting which not only took all four riders out of the meeting, but ended the career of his Cradley team mate and three time World Champion Erik Gundersen. The Dane led out of the gates, only for his engine to seize and lock up in the first turn causing all four riders (Gundersen, Cross, Jimmy Nilsen (Sweden) and Lance King (USA)) to crash. Gundersen suffered head and spinal injuries after his head was hit by another bikes rear wheel as he lay on the track. None of the riders took any further part in the meeting.
World Final Appearances
Individual World Championship
- 1987 -
Amsterdam, Olympic Stadium - 10th - 10pts - 1988 -
Vojens, Speedway Center - Reserve - Did Not Ride
World Pairs Championship
- 1988 -
Bradford, Odsal Stadium (with Kelvin Tatum) - 2nd - 41pts (20) - 1990 -
Landshut, Ellermühle Stadium (with Kelvin Tatum) - 8th - 20pts (0)
World Team Cup
- 1987 - Fredericia, Fredericia Speedway, Coventry, Brandon Stadium and
Prague, Marketa Stadium - 2nd - 101pts (21) - 1988 -
Long Beach, Veterans Memorial Stadium - 4th - 22pts (3) - 1989 - Bradford, Odsal Stadium - Winner - 48pts (0)