John Casement Hunt (6 April 1921 – 10 October 1991) was a New Zealand

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.

Life and career

John Casement Hunt was born in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

on 6 April 1921, the son of Percy and Nellie Hunt. In 1945, he became champion of New Zealand after winning the New Zealand Solo Championship. He was one of the early overseas riders who travelled to the United Kingdom from New Zealand after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and started racing in the British leagues during the

1947 Speedway National League Division Two The 1947 National League Division Two was the second post-war season of the second tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain. In the previous season, the league was known as the Northern League but the addition of Bristol Bulldogs and a third ...

, when riding for the

Newcastle Diamonds Newcastle Diamonds were a motorcycle speedway team that raced in the SGB Championship, every Sunday night during the season (March–October) from their home at the Newcastle Stadium on the Fossway, Byker. The Stadium, previously known as Broug ...

. Hunt then went on to win a second New Zealand Championship in 1948 before returning to ride for Newcastle the same season. During the

1948 Speedway National League Division Two The 1948 National League Division Two was the third post-war season of the second tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain. Edinburgh Monarchs were new participants as the league was extended to 9 teams. Bristol Bulldogs were crowned champion ...

season he topped the Newcastle team's averages, despite his season ending early after a serious accident in which he suffered a fractured shoulder and jaw. Hunt died in Auckland on 10 October 1991, at the age of 70.

References

1921 births 1991 deaths Sportspeople from Auckland New Zealand speedway riders New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in England Newcastle Diamonds riders {{NewZealand-speedway-bio-stub