Don Hardy (speedway rider)
British speedway rider
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Donald Sidney Hardy (9 April 1921 – 7 March 2018) was an English motorcycle speedway rider.[1]
Boveridge, Dorset, England
| Born | 9 April 1921 Boveridge, Dorset, England |
|---|---|
| Died | 7 March 2018 (aged 96) |
| Nationality | British (English) |
| Career history | |
| 1947–1955 | Exeter Falcons |
| 1947, 1949 | New Cross Rangers |
| Team honours | |
| 1948 | League champion (div 3) |
| 1951 | National Trophy (div 3) |
Biography
Hardy, born in Boveridge, Dorset. Began his speedway career after being signed by New Cross Rangers for the 1947 Speedway National League season.[2] However, he was loaned out to Exeter Falcons in division three[3] and made an immediate impact with the Devon club, averaging 7.86 from 40 matches.[4]
The following season during the 1948 Speedway National League Division Three campaign, he helped Exeter win the league title.[5][6] Hardy became one of the leading riders in the division and became a crowd favourite of the Falcons. He continued to perform well,[7] averaging 8.70 in 1949 and then impressed with a 9.69 average for the 1950 Speedway National League Division Three season.[4] He had previously made an official transfer to Exeter from New Cross in May 1949.[8]
In 1951 he was part of the Falcons team that won the National Trophy (div 3) and finished runner-up behind Poole Pirates in the league.[9]
Hardy spent four more seasons with the Falcons from 1952 through to the end of the 1955 Speedway National League Division Two season.[10]
Hardy died in 2018 aged 96.[11]