Peter Craven
 |
|
| Born |
21 June 1934 Liverpool, England |
|---|---|
| Died | 24 September 1963 (aged 29) Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Nationality |
 England
|
| Current club information | |
| British league | - |
| Career history | |
| 1951 | Liverpool Chads |
| 1951 | Fleetwood Flyers |
| 1952–63 | Belle Vue Aces |
| Individual honours | |
| 1955, 1962 | World Champion |
| 1959 | Tom Farndon Memorial winner |
| 1962, 1963 | British Champion |
Peter Theodore Craven (21 June 1934 – 24 September 1963) was an English motorcycle racer. He was a finalist in each Speedway World Championship from 1954 to 1963 and he won the title twice (in 1955 and 1962). He was British Champion in 1962 and 1963.
Craven was born in Liverpool and had four sisters and an older brother, Brian, who also became a speedway rider. He also had a twin brother who died at an early age. He got his first racing experience when he started participating in cycle speedway.
Peter Craven got his first taste of motorcycle speedway racing in 1949 at the Stanley Stadium, Prescot Road, Liverpool. He visited the stadium a day after his sixteenth birthday and drove a few laps on his brother's bike, before hitting the safety fence and sustaining a concussion. He was later given another chance to show his abilities to the Liverpool Chads, but after just one lap he hit the fence again. Despite this, he was included as a reserve in the team's away match against the Leicester Hunters.
He made eight league appearances for the Liverpool Chads in Division II during 1951, scoring eight points. and he was with the Chads when they finished thirteenth in Division Two. He also rode for the Fleetwood Flyers. The next year, he made 10 league appearances equally divided between Manchester’s Belle Vue and the Liverpool Chads.
Craven made his Belle Vue debut on 17 May 1952 when he scored two points in a race against the visiting Norwich Stars. That season, he made four more league appearances for Belle Vue, but he only managed to score one point in those races combined.
In 1953, Peter became a regular Aces rider and scored 70 points in 12 matches, but the British Army required his services, and he missed several matches.
He continued racing for Belle Vue during his national service. During 1954 he made 24 league appearances and top-scored for his club. He qualified for his first Wembley World final and scored one point more than the brilliant Swedish rider Ove Fundin. About this time as a young man he owned his Jowett Jupiter road car which still exists. In 1955, on his second try, Peter sensationally won the first of his two World Championships at Wembley.
...
Wikipedia