Michael Handley (born 29 December 1946 Dudley) known as Mick Handley 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.

Speedway career

Mick was about 16 when he bought a speedway bike, which he used to push across fields to a cycle speedway track where he started to learn to ride. When he first rode at Cradley in second half rides, he had no transport and he would push the bike the two miles from home to the track, which he did several times before a lift was organised for him. A neighbour would give him lifts to

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunian ...

until he had an ultimatum to decide on which club he would ride for. As Wolves were about to tour in Italy and offered him a place on the team, he signed without hesitation. Handley rode in the top two tiers of British Speedway from 1966 to 1982, riding for various clubs. In 1968, he topped the league averages during the

1968 British League Division Two season The 1968 British League Division Two season was the inaugural season of a second tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain. Summary The formation of a new division 2 was a success and attracted five new clubs to league speedway, the Nelson Ad ...

. When Oxford Speedway was rescued from closure in 1976, Mick was one of the first riders to represent the reformed Oxford Cheetahs under promoters

Harry Bastable Harry Bastable is a former international motorcycle speedway rider and promoter. Career summary Harry Bastable's was a novice at the Alan Hunt 1949 winter training school when he was signed up by Cradley Heath Heathens. For experience he ...

and Tony Allsopp. Lawson,K (2018) “The Cheetahs – The Resurrection”. His last professional race was in 1983 at

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

After speedway

He had still remained a builder by trade throughout his career and returned to housebuilding full time after hanging up his leathers. Lives in Dudley with wife, Arlene, and is a father and grandfather. To keep fit, he uses a gym and does boxing training. No longer with any involvement with speedway, he is a

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...

supporter

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Handley, Mick Living people 1946 births British speedway riders Cradley Heathens riders Crayford Kestrels riders Long Eaton Archers riders Oxford Cheetahs riders Scunthorpe Scorpions riders Swindon Robins riders Stoke Potters riders West Ham Hammers riders Wolverhampton Wolves riders Sportspeople from Dudley