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Peter Craven bike on display ahead of award
One of the bikes ridden by Speedway World Champion Peter Craven will be on display at MOSI this week ahead of the annual Peter Craven Memorial Trophy event at Bellevue Speedway on 2 August.
In 1962 Craven repeated his 1955 success and became the only British winner of two Speedway World Finals. Craven competed for the Golden Helmet British Match Race Championship every year from 1956, ending the season as the holder in 1956, 1957 and 1959, and was British Champion in 1962 and 1963.
Craven made fifty appearances for England and eleven for Great Britain, finishing as a top scorer against both Sweden and Australasia in 1958.
Peter Craven died in a race against The Monarchs at Edinburgh’s Meadowbank Stadium on 20 September 1963. As he closed with the race leader, Monarch George Hunter, Hunter’s engine failed. Craven ran into the fence rather than hit the fallen Hunter. Rushed to hospital Peter Craven did not regain consciousness and died later that night. He was just 29 years old.
Although Peter Craven’s death was a great loss to Manchester and international speedway fans, his memory continues to inspire. Since 1967 an annual race has been held at Bellevue to compete for the Peter Craven Memorial Trophy.
MOSI transport curator Nick Forder said: “Like the moon landing, everyone who saw Peter Craven race still has vivid memories of it and so many British Champions took up speedway riding because of him. Nearly fifty years after his tragic accident Craven remains the most famous of the Belle Vue Aces.“
The Rotrax-JAP Speedway bike will be on display in MOSI’s Air and Space Hall until the Peter Craven Memorial Trophy event at 7.30pm on 2 August, when the bike will return to Bellevue Speedway. It will return to MOSI after the race to be on display in time for the Heroes of Transport festival during 7-8 August. For more information on MOSI look up www.mosi.org.uk
For more information on Bellevue Speedway look up http://www.bellevuespeedway.org
For media enquiries please contact: Sarah Roe, MOSI press and publicity officer on Tel: 0161 606 0176, m: 07847 372647