Leigh Adams facts for kids
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Born | Mildura, Victoria |
28 April 1971
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Nationality | Australian |
Career history | |
Great Britain | |
1990–1992, 1997–1998, 2004–2010 | Swindon Robins |
2001–2002 | Oxford Cheetahs |
1999–2000 | King's Lynn Stars |
1996 | London Lions |
1993–1995 | Arena-Essex Hammers |
1989, 2003 | Poole Pirates |
Poland | |
1991–1992, 1994–1995 | Lublin |
1993 | Wrocław |
1996–2010 | Leszno |
Sweden | |
1995–1996 | Vetlanda |
1998–1999 | Indianerna |
2000–2008 | Masarna |
2009–2010 | Lejonen |
Denmark | |
2010 | Esbjerg |
Speedway Grand Prix statistics | |
Starts | 105 |
Podiums | 15 (8-2-5) |
Finalist | 20 time |
Winner | 8 times |
Individual honours | |
1993 | Commonwealth Champion |
1992, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009 |
Australian Champion |
1992 | World Under-21 Champion |
1988, 1990, 1991, 1992 | Australian Under-21 Champion |
1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995 | Victorian State Champion |
1994, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003 | Jack Young Solo Cup winner |
1996 | Edward Jancarz Memorial winner |
1997, 1998, 2000 | Australian Masters Series 500 Champion |
1999 | Australian Long Track Champion |
1999, 2000, 2001, 2004 | Golden Helmet of Pardubice |
2000, 2008 | Alfred Smoczyk Memorial winner |
2009 | Elite League Riders' Championship |
Team honours | |
1999 | World Team Cup winner |
2001, 2002 | World Cup Winner |
2001, 2003 | Elite League Champion |
2003 | Elite League KO Cup Winner |
2004, 2005 | Elite League Pairs Winner |
2003 | British League Cup Winner |
2008 | Elite Shield Winner |
2007 | Ekstraliga Champion |
1992 | Australian Pairs Champion |
Leigh Scott Adams (born 28 April 1971) is an Australian former motorcycle speedway rider. He was born in Mildura, Victoria. Leigh is famous for winning many Speedway Grand Prix races and being a World Team Champion. He also holds a record for winning ten Australian individual championships. Plus, he won four Australian Under-21 Championships and the 1992 Individual Speedway Junior World Championship.
Contents
Leigh Adams' Speedway Career
Starting in Australia
Leigh Adams grew up in Mildura, a town known for junior speedway. He started racing in 1979. A famous local rider, Phil Crump, became his mentor. Leigh quickly became one of Australia's best young riders.
He won the Australian Under-16 championship in 1986 when he was 15. After that, he moved up to senior racing in 1987.
Leigh won his first of four Australian Under-21 Championships in 1988. He continued to win this title in 1990, 1991, and 1992.
He won the Australian Solo Championship a record ten times! His wins were in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2009. His first win was in Adelaide, and his tenth and last win was also in Adelaide. He won all 15 races in his final championship!
Leigh also won the Victorian State Championship six times. He won in 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, and 1995. In his early career, he and his mentor Phil Crump were known as "The Master and the Apprentice."
In 1992, Leigh was the Australian Under-21 and Senior Champion. He then won the Under-21 World Championship in Germany. This made him Australia's first Under-21 World Champion since 1983.
He also won the Australian Speedway Masters Series in 1997, 1998, and 2000. In 1999, Leigh won the Australian Long Track Championship. This made him the only rider to win the Australian Under-16, Under-21, Senior, and Long Track championships.
Racing Around the World
Leigh first came to England in 1988 to race for Poole Pirates. He then joined Swindon Robins in 1990 to improve his career.
In October 1995, Leigh won the GP Challenge. This meant he got a permanent spot in the 1996 Grand Prix series. He won the GP Challenge again in 1997.
He rode for several British teams, including Arena Essex and London Lions. He returned to Swindon in 1997 and later joined King's Lynn Stars. In 2000, he was the top rider in the Elite League.
In 2001, Leigh joined Oxford and helped them win the Elite League Championship. In 2002, he won his first ever Speedway Grand Prix race in Sweden.
In 2003, Leigh returned to Poole Pirates. That year, Poole won three major titles: the League Championship, the Knock-Out Cup, and the British League Cup.
Leigh went back to Swindon in 2004. He was again the top rider in the Elite League. In 2005, he achieved his highest ever ranking in the Speedway Grand Prix, finishing third overall.
In 2007, Leigh had his best Grand Prix season. He finished second overall, winning three rounds. In 2008, he became the Swindon Robins' all-time top points scorer. In 2009, he won the Elite League Riders' Championship.
Retirement and Later Life
In 2010, Leigh Adams announced he was retiring from speedway. He had raced internationally for 20 years.
In 2011, Leigh decided to enter the Finke Desert Race in Australia. This is a tough off-road motorbike race. On June 6, while training for the race, he had an accident. He crashed his motorbike and suffered serious injuries, including damage to his spine. He was flown to a hospital for surgery.
After his accident, Leigh provided television commentary for Australia's World Series Sprintcars series in 2012–13.
Family
Leigh Adams' son, Declan, also races speedway. In 2014, Declan finished third in the Australian Under-16 Championship.
Major Career Wins
Leigh Adams achieved many great wins throughout his career:
- 1986: Australian Under-16 Champion
- 1988: Australian Under-21 Champion
- 1989: Victorian State Champion
- 1990: Australian Under-21 Champion & Victorian State Champion
- 1991: Australian Under-21 Champion & Victorian State Champion
- 1992: World Under-21 Champion, Australian Champion, Australian Under-21 Champion (a record 4th time) & Victorian State Champion
- 1993: Australian Champion & Commonwealth Champion
- 1994: Australian Champion & Victorian State Champion
- 1995: GP Challenge winner & Victorian State Champion
- 1999: World Team Cup Champion, Australian Long Track Champion & Golden Helmet of Pardubice winner. He received the Australian Sports Medal for this.
- 2000: Australian Champion, Australian Masters Series 500 Champion & Golden Helmet of Pardubice winner
- 2001: World Cup Champion, British Elite League (with Oxford) & Golden Helmet of Pardubice winner
- 2002: World Cup Champion, Australian Champion & Scandinavian Grand Prix winner
- 2003: Australian Champion, British Elite League, KO Cup, British League Cup (with Poole) & Slovenian Grand Prix winner
- 2004: Golden Helmet of Pardubice & Swedish Grand Prix winner
- 2005: Australian Champion
- 2006: Australian Champion
- 2007: Swedish, Scandinavian & Latvian Grand Prix winner
- 2008: European & Scandinavian Grand Prix winner
- 2009: Australian Champion (his 10th record win) & Elite League Riders' Champion
World Final Appearances
Leigh Adams competed in many world finals:
Individual World Championship
- 1993: Finished 15th in Germany.
World Pairs Championship
- 1990: Won 2nd place with Todd Wiltshire in Germany.
- 1992: Finished 7th in Italy.
- 1993: Finished 6th in Denmark.
World Team Cup
- 1994: Finished 4th in Germany.
- 1995: Finished 5th in Poland.
- 1999: Won with the Australian team in the Czech Republic.
- 2000: Finished 4th in England.
World Cup
- 2001: Won with the Australian team in Poland.
- 2002: Won with the Australian team in England.
- 2003: Finished 2nd with the Australian team in Denmark.
- 2006: Finished 4th in England.
- 2007: Finished 3rd in Poland.
- 2008: Finished 4th in Denmark.
- 2009: Finished 2nd in Poland.
Individual Under-21 World Championship
- 1989: Finished 7th in Italy.
- 1992: Won in Germany.
Speedway Grand Prix Results
Leigh Adams competed in the Speedway Grand Prix series for many years. This table shows his overall position each year and his best race finish.
Year | Position | Points | Best finish | Notes |
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1996 | 15th | 28 | 8th | |
1997 | 10th | 42 | 9th | |
1998 | 11th | 51 | 5th | |
1999 | 7th | 67 | 4th | |
2000 | 6th | 65 | 4th | |
2001 | 5th | 69 | 3rd | Finished third in the Danish Grand Prix |
2002 | 4th | 127 | Winner | Won the Swedish Grand Prix |
2003 | 4th | 126 | Winner | Won the Slovenian Grand Prix |
2004 | 4th | 131 | Winner | Won the Swedish Grand Prix |
2005 | 3rd | 107 | 2nd | Finished second in the European Grand Prix |
2006 | 5th | 106 | 3rd | |
2007 | 2nd | 153 | Winner | Won the Swedish, Scandinavian, and Latvian Grand Prix races |
2008 | 6th | 125 | Winner | Won the European and Scandinavian Grand Prix races |
2009 | 11th | 81 | 2nd |
Grand Prix Wins
Leigh Adams won 8 Grand Prix races:
- 1: 2002 Speedway Grand Prix of Scandinavia
- 2: 2003 Speedway Grand Prix of Slovenia
- 3: 2004 Speedway Grand Prix of Sweden
- 4: 2007 Speedway Grand Prix of Sweden
- 5: 2007 Speedway Grand Prix of Scandinavia
- 6: 2007 Speedway Grand Prix of Latvia
- 7: 2008 Speedway Grand Prix of Europe
- 8: 2008 Speedway Grand Prix of Scandinavia
See also
- Australia national speedway team