David Herbert Hankins (26 May 1937 – July 2011) is a former
motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines that use only ...
rider from England.
Career
Hankins started racing in the British leagues during the
1954 Southern Area League
The 1954 Southern Area League was the first season of the newly named regional third tier of speedway racing in the United Kingdom for Southern British teams. It replaced the defunct Southern League. With most of the Southern League teams moving ...
season, when riding for the
Brafield Flying Foxes.
[ He remained with the club the following season, improving his average to 5.91.
In 1956, Brafield were replaced in the Southern Area League by ]Southern Rovers
Southern Rovers were a British motorcycle speedway team between 1956 and 1959. They were the champions of the Southern Area League during 1957. The team were unique to speedway at the time because they completed a league season despite having no ...
and Hankins rode a couple of times for the club in the 1956 Southern Area League
The 1956 Southern Area League was the third season of the regional third tier/division of speedway racing in the United Kingdom British teams. Brafield Flying Foxes were no longer competitors with Southern Rovers taking their place. Southern Ro ...
. His career was revived the following season when he joined the Norwich Stars
Norwich Stars were a motorcycle speedway team based in Norwich, England which operated from 1930 until their closure in 1964.Bamford, R & Jarvis J.(2001). ''Homes of British Speedway''.
History
Speedway racing was staged in Norwich both before ...
in the top division and he rode alongside the likes of 1956 world champion Ove Fundin
Ove Fundin (born 23 May 1933) is a Swedish former professional motorcycle speedway rider. He competed in the Speedway World Championships from 1951 to 1970. Fundin is notable for winning the Speedway World Champ ...
.
For the 1958 season he joined Ipswich Witches but it is not known if he actually started for them. In 1959, he rode for Leicester Hunters
The Leicester Hunters were a motorcycle speedway team which operated from 1948 until 1962.Bamford, R & Jarvis J. (2001) ''Homes of British Speedway'', , p. 147-149
History
Speedway had operated before the war at both Leicester Stadium and the Lei ...
in the top division and doubled up in the Southern Area League, riding for Yarmouth Bloaters and later Ipswich Witches. It was during 1959 that Hankins achieved his greatest success when he won the Southern Area League Riders' Championship
The Southern Area League Riders' Championship was a contest between the top riders with the highest average points total from motorcycle speedway clubs competing in the Southern Area League in the United Kingdom. It was held in each year that t ...
. The final was held at Foxhall Stadium
Foxhall Stadium is a Stock car
Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using car ...
on 26 September. His season got better after he received a contract to ride in the 1960 Australian season.
He remained with Leicester for the 1960 season, where he had a promising season and entering 1961 with Leicester he was still only 23 years of age. However, he received a double blow in 1961, first in May he suffered pneumonia and pleurisy and then during a World Championship qualifying round he broke his femur.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hankins, Dave
Living people
1937 births
British speedway riders
Ipswich Witches riders
Leicester Hunters riders
Norwich Stars riders
Southern Rovers riders
Yarmouth Bloaters riders