Simon Antony Wigg (15 October 1960 – 15 November 2000) was an English

speedway Speedway may refer to: Racing Race tracks *Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta *Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a motor raceway in Speedway, Indiana Types of races and race cours ...

grasstrack Motorcycle Grasstrack is a form of track racing which typically, in its current form, takes place on a flat track consisting of two straights and two bends usually constructed in a field. It is one of the oldest types of motorcycle sports in the ...

and longtrack rider who won five World Long Track Championships and finished runner-up in the

Speedway World Championship The World Championship of Speedway is an international competition between the highest-ranked motorcycle speedway riders of the world, run under the auspices of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). The first official championsh ...

in 1989.Rogers, G.(2005). ''Wiggy!: Simon Wigg in His Own Words ''.

Education

Wigg went to school at the John Hampden School in High Wycombe. Leaving in 1977 after taking his O'levels. After relocating with his family several times as a child, he gained a scholarship to

Woodbridge School Woodbridge School is an independent school in Woodbridge, Suffolk, England, founded in 1577, for the poor of Woodbridge. It was later supported by the Seckford Foundation. Woodbridge School has been co-educational since September 1974. Histor ...

in Suffolk, where he and his brother began their interest in motorcycle racing, attending

Ipswich Witches The Ipswich Witches are a British speedway club based at Foxhall Stadium near Ipswich, Suffolk. They compete in the British SGB Premiership. Meetings are staged on most Thursdays from March until October, normally commencing at 7.30pm (first ra ...

meetings at Foxhall and riding in grasstrack competitions.

Career

Wigg was born in

Aylesbury Aylesbury ( ) is the county town of Buckinghamshire, South East England. It is home to the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery, David Tugwell`s house on Watermead and the Waterside Theatre. It is in central Buckinghamshire, midway between High Wy ...

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

.Oakes, P & Rising, P (1986). ''1986 Speedway Yearbook''. Spotsdata. Simon Wigg
(obit.), ''

Daily Telegraph Daily or The Daily may refer to: Journalism * Daily newspaper, newspaper issued on five to seven day of most weeks * ''The Daily'' (podcast), a podcast by ''The New York Times'' * ''The Daily'' (News Corporation), a defunct US-based iPad new ...

'', 22 November 2000. Retrieved 22 August 2019 In 1980 later he joined his first speedway club,

Weymouth Wildcats The Weymouth Wildcats were a British motorcycle speedway team based in Weymouth, England, who raced in the National League (speedway), National League. The Wildcats won the first Conference League (speedway), Conference League Championship in t ...

. In 1982, Wigg won the

British League Division Two Pairs Championship The British League Division Two Pairs Championship, named the National League Pairs Championship in the years that the second division was known as the National League was a motorcycle speedway contest between the top two riders from each club co ...

with

Martin Yeates Martin Yeates (born 24 November 1953 in Salisbury, England) is a former motorcycle speedway rider who most prominently rode for the Poole Pirates, Weymouth Wildcats and Oxford Cheetahs.Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). ''A History of the World ...

, and in 1984 qualified for his first World Final. In 1984 he was signed by

Oxford Cheetahs The Oxford Cheetahs are a British speedway teamLawson,K (2018) “Riders, Teams and Stadiums”. based at Oxford Stadium, in Oxford, England. They were founded in 1939 and are five times champions of Britain, in 1964, 1985, 1986, 1989 and ...

who bought him from

Cradley Heath Heathens Cradley Heathens was a motorcycle speedway team from Dudley, England. The team was founded in 1947 and competed at the top level of British speedway until its closure in 1995. It was revived as Dudley Heathens in 2010, competing in the National L ...

for £25,000. The Oxford team had returned to the

British League The British League was the main motorcycle speedway league in Britain from its formation in 1965 until 1995 when British speedway was restructured. It initially had a single division, with a second division starting in 1968 (which was renamed the ...

and the other signings to start as the top five riders for the season were Hans Nielsen for a record £30,000,

Marvyn Cox Marvyn Cox (born 11 July 1964 in Whitstable, Kent) is a former Speedway rider . Cox was twice a winner of the German Individual Championship in 1993 and 1995, when he raced under a German licence. Domestic career In 1984 he was signed by Oxfor ...

for £15,000,

Melvyn Taylor Melvyn Roy Taylor (born 26 April 1961) is a former speedway rider from England. Speedway career Taylor started his career at Mildenhall Fen Tigers The Mildenhall Fen Tigers are a British speedway team, founded in 1975 and currently riding ...

for £12,000 and Jens Rasmussen, with Ian Clark and Nigel Sparshott at 6 & 7. After a mid table finish in 1984 he was part of the Oxford team that won the league and cup double during a 1985 British League season. Also in 1985 he became the second British World Longtrack Champion (Michael Lee was the first in 1981) and went on to win the title a further four times. He was the most successful British grasstrack and longtrack rider ever. Wigg while riding in

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 ...

met his wife to be, Charlie, and after a few years together they had two children. In 1986 Wigg was part of the Oxford team that won a second consecutive league and cup double during the

1986 British League season The 1986 British League season was the 52nd season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom and the 22nd known as the British League. Summary Oxford Cheetahs won the league for the second consecutive year and the treble by sharing both t ...

. 1988 saw him become British Speedway Champion and he retained the title the following year. 1989 also saw him captain the

Great Britain speedway team The Great Britain Speedway Team (also known as GB Speedway Team) is one of the major teams in international speedway. The team is managed by former Great Britain riders Oliver Allen and Simon Stead, and captained by the 2018 Speedway World Cham ...

when they won the

World Team Cup The World Team Cup was the international men's team championship of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). The inaugural edition of the tournament was contested in 1975 in Kingston, Jamaica and was called the Nations Cup. No tourname ...

. In 1989, he finished runner-up to his Cheetahs teammate Hans Nielsen in the World Final at the

Olympiastadion Olympiastadion is the German, Finnish and Swedish word for Olympic Stadium and may refer to: * Stockholm Olympic Stadium, the host of the 1912 Summer Olympics (though mostly referred as simply ''Stockholms Stadion'') * Olympiastadion (Berlin), the ...

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

. His team Oxford also won the league title in the

1989 British League season The 1989 British League season (also known as the Sunbrite British League for sponsorship reasons) was the 55th season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom and the 25th known as the British League. Summary The Coventry Bees were the ...

. He rode in the Polish League for Unia Tarnów in 1992 (10 matches, CMA 9.89),

Unia Leszno Unia Leszno are a motorcycle speedway team established in 1938 and based in Leszno, Poland. They compete in the Polish Ekstraliga and are the league champions from the 2018 Speedway Ekstraliga season. The team's home track is at the Stadion Alfre ...

(1994, 2 matches, 6.80), Stal Rzeszów (1997, 1 match, 11.00) and

Falubaz Zielona Góra Falubaz Zielona Góra is a Polish speedway team based in Zielona Góra who currently races in 1. Liga. The club has won Polish Speedway League seven times (latest in 2013). It is commonly known as ''Falubaz'' due to one of its former names. Sta ...

(1998, 1 match, 6.40). During his career, Wigg was a frequent visitor to Australia and always enjoyed success on the larger Showground tracks down under such as the

Brisbane Exhibition Ground Brisbane Showgrounds (formerly known as the Brisbane Exhibition Ground) is located at 600 Gregory Terrace, Bowen Hills, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and was established in 1875. It hosts more than 250 events each year, with the largest bein ...

, the Wayville Showground in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, the

Claremont Speedway The Claremont Speedway was a racing circuit in the grounds of the Claremont Showground in the suburb of Claremont in Western Australia's capital city of Perth. The speedway held its first meeting on 14 May 1927, and its final meeting on 31 Ma ...

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, and the

Melbourne Showgrounds Melbourne Showgrounds is located in the inner north-western suburb of Ascot Vale, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, next door to Flemington Racecourse. The largest and most flexible indoor/outdoor venue space in Melbourne the Showgrounds ...

. During his time riding in both Australia and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, Wigg won the Australian Long track Grand Prix in 1990, 1994 and 1995, as well as the New Zealand Long track Grand Prix in 1994. Wigg was also famous for his bright green leathers and bikes, being nicknamed "The Lean Green Racing Machine". Wigg rode in 65 meetings for England.

Death

After suffering

epileptic seizure An epileptic seizure, informally known as a seizure, is a period of symptoms due to abnormally excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. Outward effects vary from uncontrolled shaking movements involving much of the body with los ...

s in November 1998 and January 1999, which were originally attributed to head trauma from racing crashes,Longmore, Andrew (1999)
Speedway: The Interview Simon Wigg: Tracks of a speed star's tears
, ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'', 28 March 1999. Retrieved 22 August 2019 he was diagnosed with a

brain tumour A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and secondary ...

, and had surgery to remove it in May 1999.Speedway: Tumour shock for Wigg
, ''

Oxford Mail ''Oxford Mail'' is a daily tabloid newspaper in Oxford, England, owned by Newsquest. It is published six days a week. It is a sister paper to the weekly tabloid ''The Oxford Times''. History The ''Oxford Mail'' was founded in 1928 as a success ...

'', 19 April 2000. Retrieved 22 August 2019 After recovering, he moved with his family to

Gold Coast, Queensland The Gold Coast is a coastal city in the state of Queensland, Australia, approximately south-southeast of the centre of the state capital Brisbane. With a population over 600,000, the Gold Coast is the sixth-largest city in Australia, the nati ...

, but after falling ill again in February 2000, returned to the UK for further surgery after discovering that the tumour had regrown. Wigg died on 15 November 2000 at the age of 40.

World Longtrack Championship record

Five Times Champion Final * 1982

Esbjerg Esbjerg (, ) is a seaport town and seat of Esbjerg Municipality on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. By road, it is west of Kolding and southwest of Aarhus. With an urban population of 71,698 (1 January 2022)

5pts (13th) * 1983 Marianske Lazne 11pts (7th) * 1985

22pts (Champion) * 1987

Mühldorf Mühldorf am Inn (Central Bavarian: ''Muihdorf am Inn'') is a town in Bavaria, Germany, and the capital of the district Mühldorf on the river Inn. It is located at , and had a population of about 17,808 in 2005. History During the Middle Ages, ...

21pts (Second) * 1988

Scheeßel Scheeßel (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Scheeßl'') is a municipality in the district of Rotenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Wümme, approx. 10 km northeast of Rotenburg, 45 km east of Bremen, and 70 km south ...

21pts (8th) * 1989 Marianske Lazne 38pts (Champion) * 1990 Herxheim 37pts (Champion) * 1991 Marianske Lazne 10pts (9th) * 1992

Pfarrkirchen Pfarrkirchen is a municipality in southern Lower Bavaria Germany, the capital of the district Rottal-Inn. It has about 12,500 inhabitants and is an important school centre with about 10,000 pupils from all over Lower Bavaria. The town spreads o ...

0pts (19th) * 1993

22pts (Champion) * 1994 Marianske Lazne 25pts (Champion) * 1995

20pts (Second) * ''After run-off with

Kelvin Tatum Kelvin Martin Tatum MBE (born 8 February 1964, in Epsom, Surrey) is a former British international motorcycle speedway and grasstrack rider. Career Tatum attended Brighton College from 1977 to 1980. He started riding speedway bikes at Hackney' ...

'' * 1996 Herxheim 11pts (7th) Grand Years 1998 Four G.P. 40pts (10th)

World Speedway final appearances

World Championship

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

Göteborg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has a p ...

Ullevi Ullevi, sometimes known as Nya Ullevi (, ''New Ullevi''), is a multi-purpose stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. It was built for the 1958 FIFA World Cup, but since then has also hosted the World Allround Speed Skating Championships six times; the ...

- 6th - 9pts *

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

Vojens Vojens (german: Woyens) is a railway town in Denmark with a population of 7,475 (1 January 2022).Speedway Center - 6th - 9pts *

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

Olympic Stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words ''Olympic Stadium'' as ...

- 2nd - 12pts + 3pts

World Pairs Championship

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

Pocking Pocking (; bar, label=Central Bavarian, Bocking) is a town in the district of Passau, in Lower Bavaria, Germany. It is situated about 30 km south-west of Passau, close to the Austrian border. History A Roman settlement was founded in the a ...

, Rottalstadion (with

Jeremy Doncaster Jeremy Doncaster (born 16 June 1961 in Grimsby, England) is a former international motorcycle speedway rider who won the World Team Cup in 1989, top scoring for Great Britain with 13 points. He also finished in third place in the 1989 World F ...

) - 7th - 23pts (11) *

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

Pardubice Pardubice (; german: Pardubitz) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 89,000 inhabitants. It is the capital city of the Pardubice Region and lies on the Elbe River. The historic centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monu ...

, Svítkov Stadion (with

) - 2nd - 44pts (20)

World Team Cup

Leszno Leszno (german: Lissa, 1800–1918 ''Lissa in Posen'') is a historic city in western Poland, within the Greater Poland Voivodeship. It is the seventh-largest city in the province with an estimated population of 62,200, as of 2021. Previously, it ...

, Alfred Smoczyk Stadium (with

Chris Morton Christopher John Morton, MBE (born 22 July 1956) is a former motorcycle speedway rider. He rode bikes from a young age at the farm of Peter Collins' parents. Brief career summary Born in Davyhulme, Lancashire, Morton made his debut for Ellesme ...

/ Peter Collins /

Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and lead singer of the rock band Genesis and also has a career as a solo performer. Between 1982 and ...

/ Neil Collins) - 2nd - 24pts (9) *

Vojens Vojens (german: Woyens) is a railway town in Denmark with a population of 7,475 (1 January 2022).Speedway Center and

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

Odsal Stadium Odsal Stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, is the home of Bradford Bulls Rugby League team. It has also been used by the Bradford Dukes speedway team, BRISCA F1 and F2 stock cars, the football team Bradford City, following the Valley ...

(with

Neil Evitts Neil C. Evitts (born 25 September 1964 in Birmingham, England) is a former motorcycle speedway rider from England. Career Evitts finished eighth in the World Championship in 1986 .Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). ''A History of the World Spee ...

) - 3rd - 81pts (24) *

Fredericia Fredericia () is a town located in Fredericia Municipality in the southeastern part of the Jutland peninsula in Denmark. The city is part of the Triangle Region, which includes the neighbouring cities of Kolding and Vejle. It was founded in 16 ...

Fredericia Speedway Fredericia () is a town located in Fredericia Municipality in the southeastern part of the Jutland peninsula in Denmark. The city is part of the Triangle Region Denmark, Triangle Region, which includes the neighbouring cities of Kolding and Vejl ...

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

Brandon Stadium Brandon Stadium, also known as Coventry Stadium, is located 6 miles east of Coventry in Brandon, Warwickshire, England. It was the home of the Coventry Bees motorcycle speedway team. It also hosted BriSCA F1 Stock Car Racing on the 1st Satur ...

and

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

, Marketa Stadium (with

Simon Cross Simon James Cross (born 31 May 1965 in Hereford, England) is a former motorcycle speedway rider who spent most of his career with the Cradley Heathens. Career Simon Cross and Kelvin Tatum finished runner-up in Speedway World Pairs Championship ...

) - 2nd - 101pts (29) *

Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

, Veterans Memorial Stadium (with

Gary Havelock Robert Gary Havelock (born 4 November 1968, in Eaglescliffe, County Durham, England) is a former speedway rider who was World Champion in 1992. For several years he captained the Redcar Bears in the Premier League. He is the son of former spee ...

) - 4th - 22pts (0) *

(with

Paul Thorp Paul Thorp (born 9 September 1964 in Macclesfield, Cheshire,) is a former motorcycle speedway rider from England. Career Thorp began his racing career with the Birmingham Brummies in 1980 and spent four seasons with the club. He was a six time ...

) - Winner - 48pts (11) *

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

, Svítkov Stadion (with

) - 2nd - 34pts (8)

Speedway Grand Prix results

British Grasstrack Championship Record

*1981 - British 500cc Grasstrack @

Coxwold Coxwold is a village and civil parish in the Hambleton District of North Yorkshire, England, in the North York Moors National Park. It is 18 miles north of York and is where the Rev. Laurence Sterne wrote '' A Sentimental Journey''. History ...

Clyst St. Mary Clyst St Mary is a small village and civil parish east of Exeter on the main roads to Exmouth and Sidmouth in East Devon. The name comes from the Celtic languages, Celtic word clyst meaning 'clear stream'. The village is a major part of the el ...

& Uckington *1982 - British Masters Grasstrack @

Condover Condover is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Shropshire, England. It is about south of the county town of Shrewsbury, and just east of the A49 road, A49. The Cound Brook flows through the village on its way from the Stret ...

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

*1983 - British Masters Grasstrack @

Clyst St George Clyst St George (anciently Clyst Champernowne) is a village and civil parish in East Devon, England, adjoining the River Clyst some southeast of Exeter and north of Exmouth. Overview and history The village is the most southerly of six parish ...

& Long Marston *1985 - British Masters Grasstrack @ Eaton *1989 - British Masters Grasstrack @

Chetton Chetton is a small village and civil parish in Shropshire, England. According to the 2011 census the parish had a population of 349. It is about to the West of Wolverhampton in West Midlands and South of Telford. The parish church has a fine se ...

Winterbourne Gunner Winterbourne Gunner is a village in Wiltshire, England, about northeast of Salisbury. The village is near the River Bourne, Wiltshire, River Bourne and the A338 road and is close to Winterbourne Dauntsey. It is part of the Civil parishes in Eng ...

*1990 - British Masters Grasstrack @

Sturminster Marshall Sturminster Marshall is a village and civil parish in east Dorset in England, situated on the River Stour between Blandford Forum and Poole. The parish had a population of 1,895 at the 2001 census, increasing to 1,969 at the 2011 Census and in ...

References

External links

A tribute to Simon WiggSimon Wigg
at grasstrackgb.co.uk {{DEFAULTSORT:Wigg, Simon 1960 births 2000 deaths British speedway riders English motorcycle racers British Speedway Championship winners Oxford Cheetahs riders King's Lynn Stars riders Birmingham Brummies riders Cradley Heathens riders Bradford Dukes riders Sportspeople from Aylesbury Exeter Falcons riders Wimbledon Dons riders People educated at Woodbridge School Deaths from brain cancer in the United Kingdom Individual Speedway Long Track World Championship riders People educated at John Hampden Grammar School