Mike Erskine
Born22 August 1914 (1914-08-22)
Westbury, Wiltshire, England
Died19 November 1985(1985-11-19) (aged 71)
East Tytherley, Hampshire, England
NationalityBritish (English)
Career history
1934–1936New Cross
1936Bristol
1938Southampton
1946–1951Wimbledon
Team honours
1950, 1951National Trophy

Michael Gratney Erskine (22 August 1914 – 19 November 1985) was a motorcycle speedway rider from England.[1]

Biography

Erskine, born in Westbury, Wiltshire, first rode for the Coventry junior team in 1933 and was involved in a crash that saw him hit the safety fence so hard that it pulled a supporting post out of the ground. It was reported that he was leading the race by a distance, indicating that his riding style was one of full commitment.[2] The following season in 1934, he signed for New Cross Rangers but continued to ride for Coventry on loan.[3]

He made British leagues debut riding for New Cross during the 1935 Speedway National League season[4] and was loaned out to Bristol Bulldogs in the Provincial League for the 1936 season.

In 1937, he concentrated on grasstrack racing and even designed a course at Farleigh Hungerford,[5] before returning to conventional speedway in 1938 after signing for Southampton Saints.[6]

After World War II, Erskine blossomed as a rider and spent six years with Wimbledon Dons in the top division from 1946 to 1951,[7] winning the 1950 and 1951 National Trophy.[8] However, the highlight of his career was reaching the Championship round of the 1950 Individual Speedway World Championship and standing as a reserve for the World final at Wembley Stadium, where he participated in a heat.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  2. ↑ "Erskine's remarkable crash". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 4 August 1933. Retrieved 4 January 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  3. ↑ "Nurseries of the Speedways". Daily Mirror. 24 May 1934. Retrieved 4 January 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. ↑ "1935 season" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  5. ↑ "Motoring News". Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette - Saturday. 30 April 1938. Retrieved 4 January 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. ↑ "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  7. ↑ "Rider averages 1929 to 2009" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  8. ↑ Oakes, Peter (1978). 1978 Speedway Yearbook. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. ISBN 978-0904584509.
  9. ↑ "HISTORY SPEEDWAY and LONGTRACK". Speedway.org. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
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