Michael John McKeon (born 4 March 1954) is a former motorcycle speedway rider from Australia.

Career

McKeon made his British leagues debut during the

1975 New National League season The 1975 National League was contested as the second division/tier of Speedway in the United Kingdom when British League Division Two was renamed. It was subsequently named the National League. Summary The league increased by one team for the fou ...

, where he rode for Coatbridge Tigers and

Ellesmere Port Gunners Ellesmere Port Gunners were an English Motorcycle speedway, speedway team in Ellesmere Port, Wirral Peninsula, Wirral, which operated at the Ellesmere Port Stadium from 1972 until their closure in 1985. History The inaugural league season for th ...

. He continued to ride for Coatbridge during the 1976 and 1977 seasons, improving his average to 7.95. It was also in 1977 that McKeon won the first of his six Western Australian titles and he was signed by

Halifax Dukes The Halifax Dukes were a Motorcycle speedway, Speedway team which operated from 1949–1951 and again from 1965 until their closure in 1985 at The Shay Stadium in Halifax, West Yorkshire, Halifax. The team were nicknamed the "Dukes" after the l ...

for the

1977 British League season The 1977 Gulf British League season was the 43rd season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom and the 13th season known as the British League. Summary Newport had dropped down to the National League but their riders transferred to t ...

. In 1978, he represented the

Australia national speedway team Australia is one of the major teams in international motorcycle speedway with the country regarded as the birthplace of the sport in the 1920s. The current team is managed by former rider Mark Lemon, and captained by 2012 World Champion Chris ...

during the

1978 Speedway World Team Cup The 1978 Speedway World Team Cup was the 19th edition of the FIM Speedway World Team Cup to determine the team world champions. The final took place at the Ellermühle Speedway Stadium in Landshut, West Germany. Denmark won their first title def ...

and won the silver medal at the

1978 Australasian Individual Speedway Championship The 1978 Australasian Individual Speedway Championship was the third annual Australasian Final for Motorcycle speedway riders from Australia and New Zealand as part of the qualification for the 1978 Speedway World Championship. The Final took pl ...

. He rode again for Australia in the

1980 Speedway World Team Cup The 1980 Speedway World Team Cup was the 21st edition of the FIM Speedway World Team Cup to determine the team world champions. The final took place at the Vojens Speedway Center in Denmark. England won their eighth title to extend their record a ...

and would ride for Australia eleven times in total. He suffered a serious crash at

Belle Vue Stadium Belle Vue Stadium was a greyhound racing track in Belle Vue, Manchester, England, where the first race around an oval track in Britain was held on 24 July 1926. It has also been used for motorcycle speedway, as the home ground of Elite League t ...

, which left him with a fractured skull, leg and ribs. Although he did ride again the injury ultimately led to him quitting British speedway. He retired in 1987.

References

Living people 1954 births Australian speedway riders Ellesmere Port Gunners riders Halifax Dukes riders Glasgow Tigers riders {{Speedway-stub