Ryan Sullivan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ryan Sullivan

Born	(1975-01-20) 20 January 1975 (age 50) Fitzroy, Victoria
Nationality	Australian
Career history
Great Britain
1994–1997, 1999–2003, 2006, 2008, 2012	Peterborough Panthers
1998, 2004–2005	Poole Pirates
Poland
1996–1998, 2000, 2007–2013	Toruń
1999	Bydgoszcz
2001–2006	Częstochowa
Sweden
1997–1998, 2003–2004	Kaparna
1999–2002, 2010	Rospiggarna
2005–2008	Piraterna
2011	Indianerna
Denmark
2007	Brovst
2010	Slangerup
Individual honours
1997	Intercontinental Champion
1995	Overseas Champion
2004	Australian Champion
1995, 1996, 1997	South Australian Champion
1993, 1996	Australian Under-21 Champion
1991	Australian Under-16 Champion
1997, 2003	Golden Helmet of Pardubice
2000	Elite League Riders' Champion
Team honours
1999	World Team Cup
2001, 2002	World Cup
1997	Elite League Fours Winner
1997	Swedish Allsvenskan
1999, 2001, 2004	Elite League Champion
1999, 2004	Elite League KO Cup Winner
1999	Craven Shield Winner
2001, 2002, 2003	Swedish Elitserien
2003	Polish Extraleague

Ryan Geoffrey Sullivan (born on January 20, 1975) is a famous former motorcycle speedway rider from Australia. He won many important championships during his career, including the Australian Solo Championship, the Australian Under-21 Championship, and the Under-16 championships. Ryan also achieved his best result in the Speedway Grand Prix series in 2002, finishing third overall and winning two races that year.

Ryan Sullivan's Speedway Career

Early Days in Australia

Ryan Sullivan's family moved from Melbourne to Adelaide when he was young. As a child, he played Australian Rules Football. However, he soon became interested in speedway racing. He realized he was not the right size for football, but he was perfect for speedway.

His parents bought him a junior speedway bike. Ryan had his first ride in 1985 at the Olympic Park Speedway in Mildura. His main practice track was the Sidewinders Speedway in Wingfield, Adelaide. This track was made just for young speedway riders. In just a few years, Ryan was one of the best junior riders in South Australia. He won the South Australian Under-16 title in 1990 and 1991. He also won the Pairs Championships in 1988, 1989, 1990, and 1991.

In 1990, Ryan finished second at the Australian Under-16 Championship in Perth. He came in just behind Jason Crump. On January 12, 1991, Ryan won his first Australian title at his home track in Adelaide. He also won three Australian Under-16 Pairs Championships. He won in 1989 with Brett Tomkins, in 1990 with Troy Norvil, and in 1991 with Brett Woodifield.

Ryan's first senior speedway win was on April 14, 1991. He won the track championship at the Westline Speedway in Whyalla, South Australia. He won all his races before taking the final. By age 19, Ryan was seen as one of Australia's top young riders. He won three South Australian Championships in a row from 1995 to 1997. He also won the Australian Under-21 Championship in 1993 and 1996. Most of these wins happened at his home track, the North Arm Speedway.

In 1997, Ryan got his first podium finish in the Australian Individual Speedway Championship. He finished third at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground. He also finished third in 2002 at the Wayville Showground. In 2004, Ryan became the first rider from South Australia to win the Australian Championship since 1973. He won all three rounds of the championship. This was Ryan's only Australian Championship win.

Racing in England

Ryan Sullivan spent most of his time racing in Britain with the Peterborough Panthers team. He started with them in 1994. In 2000, he won the Elite League Riders' Championship at the Brandon Stadium.

Even though he had not raced in Britain since 2006, he came back in August 2008. He rode for Peterborough again until the end of that season. He also rode for the Poole Pirates team. In 2006, he returned to the Panthers permanently. Ryan also raced in other countries like Sweden (Rospiggarna), Poland (Unibax Torun), and Russia (Togliatti). He came back to Peterborough in 2012 to fill in for an injured rider. However, he got a hand injury that ended his season. He announced his retirement from speedway in March 2013.

International Competitions

Ryan Sullivan raced in the Under-21 World Championships in 1995 and 1996. In 1995, he finished third in Finland. In 1996, he improved to second place in Germany.

His first big international win was in 1995. He won the 1995 Overseas Final in Coventry, England. Ryan was the first Australian to win this event. In 1997, he became the first Australian to win the Intercontinental Final in Sweden. He led an all-Australian top three finish.

Ryan also won the famous Golden Helmet of Pardubice race in the Czech Republic twice, in 1997 and 2003. His 1997 win was the first for any Australian rider.

In 1999, Ryan was part of the Australian team that won the Speedway World Team Cup. This was Australia's first win in this event since 1976. He also helped Australia win the Speedway World Cup in 2001 and 2002. He finished second in the World Cup in 2003 and third in 2007.

Ryan's last major win was in 2009 at the Alfred Smoczyk Memorial in Poland.

Speedway Grand Prix Series

Ryan Sullivan was a Speedway Grand Prix rider from 1998 to 2006. He won four Grand Prix races during this time. In the 2002 Speedway Grand Prix series, he won the British Grand Prix in Cardiff and the Slovenian Grand Prix in Krško. In the 2003 Speedway Grand Prix series, he won the Swedish Grand Prix in Avesta and the Scandinavian Grand Prix in Gothenburg, Sweden.

In September 2008, he made it to the Grand Prix Challenge. This was the final round to qualify for the 2009 Speedway Grand Prix series. Even though he won his first three races, he did not score enough points in his last two rides. This meant he did not qualify for the 2009 Grand Prix.

Major Race Appearances

World Team Cup

• 1999 - Pardubice, Svítkov Stadion (with Jason Crump / Jason Lyons / Leigh Adams / Todd Wiltshire) - Winner - 40pts (12)
• 2000 - Coventry, Brandon Stadium (with Jason Crump / Todd Wiltshire / Leigh Adams / Craig Boyce) - 4th - 29pts (2)

World Cup

• 2001 - Wrocław, Olympic Stadium (with Jason Crump / Todd Wiltshire / Craig Boyce / Leigh Adams) - Winner - 68pts (13)
• 2002 - Peterborough, East of England Showground (with Todd Wiltshire / Jason Lyons / Leigh Adams / Jason Crump) - Winner - 64pts (17)
• 2003 - Vojens, Speedway Center (with Jason Crump / Todd Wiltshire / Jason Lyons / Leigh Adams) - 2nd - 57pts (10)
• 2006 - Reading, Smallmead Stadium (with Travis McGowan / Todd Wiltshire / Leigh Adams / Jason Crump) - 4th - 35pts (4)
• 2007 - Leszno, Alfred Smoczyk Stadium (with Jason Crump / Chris Holder / Leigh Adams / Davey Watt / Rory Schlein) - 3rd - 29pts (7)
• 2008 - Vojens, Speedway Center (with Leigh Adams / Chris Holder / Jason Crump / Davey Watt) - 4th - 21pts (5)

Individual Under-21 World Championship

• 1995 - Tampere, Kaanaa Speedway Stadium - 3rd - 12+3pts
• 1996 - Olching, Olching Speedwaybahn - 2nd - 11+3pts

Speedway Grand Prix Results