Frank Lawrence

This article is about British motorcycle racer. For the American football coach, see H. Frank Lawrence. For the American basketball coach, see Lawrence Frank.

Frank Lawrence was a British motorcycle speedway rider who rode for New Cross in the post-World War II period.

Lawrence began his career before the war at Dagenham, but his career was put on hold while he served during the war in the Royal Air Force as a fighter pilot, flying Hawker Typhoons.[1][2] He was shot down by the German forces and held as a prisoner of war for three and a half years.[1] When speedway racing resumed in 1946 he joined the West Ham Hammers, where he was hurt in a freak accident when Jack Cooley crashed, his bike going through the safety fence and hitting Lawrence while he sat in the pits.[1] He transferred later in the season to New Cross.[1] After a spell on loan at Bristol in which he scored 100 points from 43 races, he returned to New Cross, where he became a regular member of the team.[1]

He scored 15 points in the qualifying rounds for the 1951 Individual Speedway World Championship. He represented England in an unofficial test match against Australia in Dublin in 1950, scoring 10 points.[3]

When New Cross speedway closed in 1953, Lawrence moved on to Harringay Racers.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Morgan, Tom (1949) Who's Who in Speedway 1949, Sport-in-Print, London, p. 48
  2. ↑ Air Reserve Gazette, Vol. 11-12, 1949, Rolls House
  3. ↑ "England v. Australia 1945 to 1953", internationalspeedway.co.uk, retrieved 2012-02-11


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