Craig Boyce facts for kids
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| Born | 2 August 1967 Sydney, Australia |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Australian |
| Career history | |
| Great Britain | |
| 1988–1990, 1992–1994 1996–1998, 2006–2007 |
Poole Pirates |
| 1991, 1999, 2003 | Oxford Cheetahs |
| 1995 | Swindon Robins |
| 2000 | King's Lynn Stars |
| 2001–2003 | Ipswich Witches |
| 2004–2005 | Isle of Wight Islanders |
| Poland | |
| 1996 | Rzeszów |
| 1997 | Leszno |
| 2000 | Gorzów |
| 2001 | Piła |
| 2002 | Warszawa |
| Sweden | |
| 1991–1992 | Skepparna |
| 1994, 1996–2004 | Västervik |
| Individual honours | |
| 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995 | NSW State Champion |
| 1991, 1996, 1997 | Australian Champion |
| 1996 | Australian Masters Series 500 Champion |
| Team honours | |
| 1989, 1990 | National League Champion |
| 1990 | National League KO Cup Winner |
| 1991 | Australian Pairs Champion |
| 1994 | British League Champion |
| 2001 | World Cup Winner |
| 2003 | British League Cup Winner |
| 2006 | Craven Shield Winner |
Craig Vincent Boyce was born on August 2, 1967, in Sydney, Australia. He is a famous former motorcycle speedway rider. Speedway is a type of motorcycle racing on an oval track. Craig mostly rode for the Poole Pirates team in the British Elite League.
After he stopped racing, Craig Boyce became the manager for the Australian national team until 2012. He is a three-time winner of the Australian Solo Championship. He won all his championships in 1991, 1996, and 1997 by scoring a perfect 15 points!
Contents
Craig Boyce's Racing Journey
Starting in Australia
Craig Boyce began his speedway career in the mid-1980s at Liverpool Speedway in Sydney. He quickly became known as one of the most promising young riders in Australia. In 1988, he finished third in the Australian Under-21 Championship.
On December 26, 1990, Craig won his first NSW State Championship. He scored a perfect 15 points, beating the champion Todd Wiltshire. Then, in 1991, he won the Australian Championship in Alice Springs. He also scored a perfect 15 points there, defeating Glenn Doyle. Craig beat Glenn in a thrilling race where both riders were unbeaten before their final match-up.
In 1992, Craig didn't do as well in the Australian Championship, finishing 8th. However, he went on to win the NSW title three more times (1993, 1994, and 1995). He also won the Australian Championship twice more, in 1996 and 1997.
In 1996, Craig Boyce won the Australian Speedway Masters Series, a big competition over 10 rounds. He easily won against famous riders like Sam Ermolenko and Tony Rickardsson. The next year, in 1997, he finished second in the Masters Series to Leigh Adams.
Racing in the UK, Poland, and Sweden
Craig Boyce started his career in the United Kingdom with the Poole Pirates in 1988. He rode for them until 1990, then moved to the Oxford Cheetahs in 1991. He returned to Poole in 1992 and stayed until 1994. After a short time with the Swindon Robins in 1995, he went back to Poole from 1996 to 1998.
He later rode for the Oxford Cheetahs again in 1999, King's Lynn in 2000, and the Ipswich Witches from 2001 to 2003. From 2004 to 2005, he joined the Isle of Wight Islanders. Finally, he returned to Poole for his last two seasons in 2006 and 2007.
During his time in the UK, Craig won several team championships:
- The National League with Poole in 1989 and 1990.
- The National League Knockout Cup in 1990.
- The British League Championship with Poole in 1994.
- The British League Cup with Poole in 2003.
Besides racing in the UK, Craig Boyce also competed in other countries. He rode for Västervik Speedway in the Swedish Elite League from 1991 to 2004. He also raced in Poland for teams like Stal Rzeszów (1996), Unia Leszno (1997), Stal Gorzów Wielkopolski (2000), Polonia Piła (2001), and WKM Warszawa (2002).
International Competitions
Craig Boyce proudly represented Australia in many international races. He competed against teams from Great Britain, England, and Sweden. He also represented his home state of New South Wales against the first-ever USSR team to visit Australia in 1990.
A highlight of his international career was captaining the Australian team that won the 2001 Speedway World Cup Final in Poland. Craig scored 9 points, helping Australia defeat host nation Poland and win the World Cup.
He also competed in the World Pairs Championship and the World Team Cup multiple times, helping Australia achieve good results.
In 1994, Craig Boyce reached the World Championship Final in Denmark. He surprised everyone by finishing in an amazing third place! He tied on points with the top two riders, Tony Rickardsson and Hans Nielsen, and finished third after a special run-off race.
Craig also took part in the Speedway Grand Prix series, which is a series of races to find the world champion. He finished 11th in 1995, 14th in 1996, and 20th in 1998.
Life After Racing
In November 2007, Craig Boyce announced he was retiring from racing. Since then, he has focused on running his own company that tunes speedway engines. He ended his racing career as the Poole Pirates' highest-ever points scorer, with a total of 4,490 points!
Other Achievements
- Poole Blue Riband Trophy 1997
World Final Appearances
Individual World Championship
- 1994 - Denmark - 3rd place
World Pairs Championship
- 1992 - Italy (with Leigh Adams / Shane Parker) - 7th place
- 1993 - Denmark (with Leigh Adams / Jason Lyons) - 6th place
World Team Cup
- 1994 - Germany (with Leigh Adams / Jason Crump) - 4th place
- 1995 - Poland (with Jason Crump / Leigh Adams) - 5th place
- 2000 - England (with Jason Crump / Todd Wiltshire / Leigh Adams / Ryan Sullivan) - 4th place
World Cup
- 2001 - Poland (with Jason Crump / Todd Wiltshire / Ryan Sullivan / Leigh Adams) - Winner
