Wilf Plant

Wilfred Graham "Wilf" Plant (1916–2001)[1] was a British motorcycle speedway rider.

Wilf Plant
Born1916
Melton Mowbray, England
Died2001
Nationality England
Current club information
Career statusRetired
Career history
1937-1938Wimbledon Dons
1937Leicester Hounds
1938Leeds Lions
1938Nottingham
1939, 1946-1948Middlesbrough Bears
1948-1950Fleetwood Flyers
1951Coventry Bees
1951-1952Long Eaton Archers
Team honours
1947National League Div 2 Champion
1946Northern League Champion
1947National Trophy (Div Two) Winner

Born in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, Plant gained his early racing experience in grasstrack.[2] After practising from 1934 at Crayford, he started his speedway career at the Leicester Super track in 1936, winning the (unofficial) Midland Riders Championship, and joining New Cross in 1937.[2][3] He moved team several times in the late 1930s, joining Wimbledon Dons later in 1937, Leeds in 1938, and Middlesbrough and then Edinburgh in 1939.[2]

With the speedway leagues suspended during World War II, Plant worked in his garage in Asfordby repairing tractors.[2] He returned to Middlesbrough in 1946, moving on to Fleetwood during the 1948 season, transferring for a fee of GB£1,000.[2]

In 1949 he captained the unofficial British team that toured South Africa.[2]

Plant signed for Coventry Bees, and towards the end of the 1951 season, joined Long Eaton Archers on loan, signing for the team in 1952, which was his last season, Plant retiring from the sport at the end of the season, although he did come out of retirement to ride in 'pirate' meetings at Long Eaton in 1954.[4][5]

Plant's son Graham followed him into a career in speedway.

References
  1. England & Wales, Death Index: 1916-2006
  2. Morgan, Tom (1949) Who's Who in Speedway 1949, Sport-in-Print, p. 61
  3. Jones, Alan (2010) Speedway in Leicester: The Pre-War Years, Automedia, p. 186
  4. Jones, Maurice Long Eaton Speedway: A History, Speedway Surveys
  5. Dalling, Philip (2007) Nottingham and Long Eaton Speedway, Stadia, ISBN 978-0-7524-4163-4, p. 143-156
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