Barry Briggs facts for kids
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| Born | 30 December 1934 Christchurch, New Zealand |
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| Nationality | New Zealander |
| Career history | |
| 1952–1959, 1974-1975 | Wimbledon Dons |
| 1960 | New Cross Rangers |
| 1961–1963 | Southampton Saints |
| 1964–1972 | Swindon Robins |
| 1976 | Hull Vikings |
| Individual honours | |
| 1957, 1958, 1964, 1966 | World Champion |
| 1959, 1963 | New Zealand Champion |
| 1961, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1969 |
British Champion |
| 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970 |
British League Riders Champion |
| 1955 | London Riders' Champion |
| 1958 | Southern Riders' Champion |
| 1964, 1966, 1967, 1970 | Midland Riders' Champion |
| 1967 | Scottish Open Champion |
| 1958, 1961, 1965 | Pride of the Midlands winner |
| 1960, 1963, 1964 | Pride of the South winner |
| 1961, 1963, 1965 | The Laurels |
| 1966 | Olympique |
| 1964 | Internationale |
| Team honours | |
| 1968, 1971 | World Team Cup |
| 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1962 |
National League Champion |
| 1967 | British League Champion |
| 1961 | National League KO Cup Winner |
| 1953, 1956, 1961 | National Trophy Winner |
| 1967, 1968 | Midland Cup Winner |
| 1974 | London Cup Winner |
| 1954 | RAC Cup Winner |
Barry Briggs (born 30 December 1934) is a famous former speedway rider from New Zealand. He is known for winning many championships during his career.
A Champion Speedway Rider
Barry Briggs was an amazing speedway rider. He won the top prize, the World Individual Championship, four times! He took home the title in 1957, 1958, 1964, and 1966.
World Final Appearances
Barry Briggs holds a special record. He competed in the World Individual Championship final 17 times in a row, from 1954 to 1970. In total, he appeared in 18 World Finals. This shows how consistently good he was.
Other Big Wins
Besides his world titles, Barry Briggs won many other important races.
- He won the London Riders' Championship in 1955.
- He was a six-time winner of the British Speedway Championship. He won his first British title in 1961. Then he won five more times in the 1960s: 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, and 1969.
- He also won his home country's title, the New Zealand Individual Speedway Championship, twice (1959 and 1963).
- Briggs set another record by winning the British League Riders' Championship for six years in a row. This was from 1965 to 1970, when he rode for the Swindon Robins team.
Retirement from Racing
Barry Briggs stopped racing in the British league in 1972. This was after an accident during the World Final at Wembley Stadium. He had to take a break from racing.
He returned to the sport in 1974. In 1975, he announced it would be his last season. However, he raced for one more year with the Hull Vikings team. He finally retired from speedway racing in 1976.
Spreading Speedway Around the World
In the 1970s, Barry Briggs, along with other world champions like Ivan Mauger and Ole Olsen, traveled a lot. They went on tours to Australia, New Zealand, and the USA. Their visits to places like the Costa Mesa Speedway in Los Angeles helped make speedway popular again in America. Before this, American speedway had not been as well-known on the world stage since before World War II.
Life After Racing
After retiring from racing, Barry Briggs continued to be involved in speedway.
Awards and Recognition
In 1973, Barry Briggs was given an MBE. This award is given to people for their great achievements and service. In 1990, he was honored by being added to the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame.
In 2010, Briggs took part in a special bike ride. He cycled from John o' Groats in Scotland to Land's End in England. He did this to raise money for Sport Relief, a charity event by the BBC.
Mentoring and Commentating
Barry Briggs became a mentor to many young speedway riders. He helped guide them, and some of these riders went on to compete in World Finals themselves. One of these riders was fellow New Zealander Mitch Shirra.
He also used his voice to share his knowledge of speedway. He became a commentator for speedway races on television in the United Kingdom, Europe, and the United States.
World Final Results
Individual World Championship Finals
Barry Briggs competed in many Individual World Championship finals. Here are his results:
- 1954 – London, England – 6th place
- 1955 – London, England – 3rd place
- 1956 – London, England – 7th place
- 1957 – London, England – Winner
- 1958 – London, England – Winner
- 1959 – London, England – 3rd place
- 1960 – London, England – 6th place
- 1961 – Malmö, Sweden – 4th place
- 1962 – London, England – 2nd place
- 1963 – London, England – 3rd place
- 1964 – Gothenburg, Sweden – Winner
- 1965 – London, England – 4th place
- 1966 – Gothenburg, Sweden – Winner
- 1967 – London, England – 5th place
- 1968 – Gothenburg, Sweden – 2nd place
- 1969 – London, England – 2nd place
- 1970 – Wrocław, Poland – 7th place
- 1972 – London, England – 14th place
World Pairs Championship Finals
Barry Briggs also competed in the World Pairs Championship, where two riders from a country team up.
- 1971 – Rybnik, Poland (with Ivan Mauger) – 2nd place
- 1974 – Manchester, England (with Ivan Mauger) – 3rd place
- 1976 – Eskilstuna, Sweden (with Ivan Mauger) – 5th place
World Team Cup Finals
He was also part of the Great Britain team in the World Team Cup, winning two titles.
- 1962 – Slaný, Czechoslovakia – 2nd place
- 1963 – Vienna, Austria – 3rd place
- 1964 – Abensberg, West Germany – 3rd place
- 1965 – Kempten, West Germany – 3rd place
- 1966 – Wrocław, Poland – 4th place
- 1967 – Malmö, Sweden – 3rd place
- 1968 – London, England – Winner
- 1969 – Rybnik, Poland – 2nd place
- 1970 – London, England – 2nd place
- 1971 – Wrocław, Poland – Winner
World Longtrack Final Appearances
Barry Briggs also competed in World Longtrack events, which are similar to speedway but on longer tracks.
- 1971 – Oslo, Norway – 6th place
- 1975 – Radgona, Yugoslavia – 4th place
- 1976 – Mariánské Lázně, Czechoslovakia – 11th place
