Peter Craven

Peter Craven
Peter Theodore Craven (21 June 1934 – 24 September 1963) was an English motorcycle racer. He was a finalist in each FIM 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.
Personal life
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.
Career
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 FIM World Championships at Wembley.
In 1958, Peter captained the English team against Sweden in Sweden, finishing top scorer; he also top-scored in the five-test series against Australasia.
In 1959 he took on Ove Fundin and won the Golden Helmet Match Race Championship, the Champions of Champions Cup at Poole; the Northern Cup at Belle Vue; the Internationale Derby at Ipswich; the Pride of the East at Norwich; the Tom Farndon Memorial Trophy at New Cross; the Champagne Derby again at Belle Vue, the CTS Trophy at Norwich and the Pride of the Midlands at Leicester.
At the end of 1959, Craven travelled to Australia where he spent the 1959/60 Australian season riding at the Rowley Park Speedway in Adelaide where he regularly rode against Adelaide's own 1951 and 1952 World Champion Jack Young. Craven proved to be a popular rider in Adelaide.
In 1960 Peter came third in the World Championship final staged at Wembley when Ove Fundin beat Ronnie Moore into second place after a thrilling run off, all three riders having scored an equal number of points after their five rides. During 1961 he captained the Lions on a tour to Austria. He came third in the first FIM Internationale Individual Trophy meeting at the Harringay Stadium and was second in the British Final at Wembley.
1962 was another good year for Peter. He followed his three British Championship victories by carrying off his second World Individual Championship at Wembley in front of 62,000 fans.
Craven's son Robert was also a speedway rider.
World final appearances
Individual World Championship
1954 - London, Wembley Stadium - 15th - 3pts
1955 - London, Wembley Stadium - Winner - 13pts
1956 - London, Wembley Stadium - 4th - 11pts + 2pts
1957 - London, Wembley Stadium - 3rd - 11pts + 3pts
1958 - London, Wembley Stadium - 4th - 11pts + 2pts
1959 - London, Wembley Stadium - 9th - 7pts
1960 - London, Wembley Stadium - 3rd - 14pts + 1pt
1961 - Malmö, Malmö Stadion - 10th - 6pts
1962 - London, Wembley Stadium - Winner - 14pts
1963 - London, Wembley Stadium - 10th - 6pts
World Team Cup
1960* - Gothenburg, Ullevi (with Ron How / Ken McKinlay / Nigel Boocock / George White) - 2nd - 30pts (8)
1961* - Wrocław, Olympic Stadium (with Ron How / Bob Andrews / Ken McKinlay) - 3rd - 21pts (8)
1962 - Slaný (with Barry Briggs / Ronnie Moore / Ron How / Cyril Maidment) - 2nd - 24pts (6)
1963 - Vienna, Stadion Wien (with Barry Briggs / Dick Fisher / Peter Moore) - 3rd - 25pts (8)
* 1960 and 1961 for England. All others for Great Britain.
Death
Craven died as a result of a racing accident in a challenge match at Edinburgh's Old Meadowbank stadium on 20 September 1963. While taking evasive action to avoid hitting fallen race leader George Hunter who suffered engine failure, Peter hit a fence. The unconscious Craven was rushed to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, where his family remained at his bedside until he died at 9.10pm on Tuesday 24 September 1963.
There are allegations made that Peter Craven had started ten yards behind the other riders by way of a handicap. In 1963, in National League and National Trophy matches Craven, as a 'star grade rider' would start with a twenty yard handicap. However in this challenge match, Peter was actually at the tapes with the other riders but allowed the others to pull away ahead of him to make the racing more exciting.
Since 1967, there has been a Peter Craven Memorial meeting held intermittently at the Belle Vue Stadium in honour of his memory. Winners of the Memorial have included World Champions Ivan Mauger (the inaugural winner), Ole Olsen, Peter Collins, Greg Hancock, Jason Crump and Chris Morton
His gravestone stands in West Derby Cemetery in Liverpool.
See also
Rider deaths in motorcycle racing
References
1934 births
1963 deaths
British speedway riders
English motorcycle racers
Individual Speedway World Champions
British Speedway Championship winners
Motorcycle racers who died while racing
Belle Vue Aces riders
Fleetwood Flyers riders
Liverpool Chads riders
Sport deaths in Scotland
Sportspeople from Liverpool