Alan William Grahame (5 February 1954 – 3 October 2021) was a British motorcycle speedway rider, who rode for the England national speedway team.[1]
| Born | 5 February 1954 Kingstanding, England |
|---|---|
| Died | 3 October 2021 (aged 67) Worcester, England |
| Nationality | English |
| Career history | |
| 1973–1977 | Birmingham Brummies |
| 1975, 1986 | Swindon Robins |
| 1975 | Poole Pirates |
| 1975 | Wolverhampton Wolves |
| 1975, 1995–1998 | Hull Vikings |
| 1978–1985, 1987–1991, 1993 | Cradley Heathens |
| 1992 | Stoke Potters |
| 1994 | Oxford Cheetahs |
| 1994 | Peterborough Panthers |
| Individual honours | |
| 1984 | Golden Hammer winner |
| Team honours | |
| 1974 | British League Division Two Champion |
| 1974 | British League Division Two KO Cup Winner |
| 1975 | New National League Champion |
| 1981, 1983 | British League Champion |
| 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983 1987, 1988, 1989 | British League KO Cup Winner |
| 1982, 1984 | British League Cup |
| 1980, 1983, 1984 | Midland Cup |
| 1994 | Fours Championship winner |
Career
editGrahame was born at Kingstanding, Birmingham, in February 1954[2] and made his British leagues debut riding for Birmingham Brummies during the 1973 British League Division Two season. He contributed towards the team when they won the league and cup double in 1974.[3]
He finished runner-up to his brother Andy Grahame in the 1982 British Speedway Championship, and qualified for the Speedway World Championship Final in 1984 as reserve and scored five points from two rides.
His most successful period was riding for Cradley Heath, where he won two league championships and seven Knockout Cups from 1978 to 1993.[4][5]
In 1993, he was signed by Oxford Cheetahs[6] and during the final season of his career in 1994, he helped the Cheetahs win the Fours Championship during the 1994 British League Division Two season.[7][8]
At retirement he had earned 42 international caps for the England national speedway team.[1]
He died at the age of 67 on 3 October 2021, from injuries sustained in a motocross racing crash at Bromyard Moto Parc the previous month.[9][10][11]
World Final Appearances
edit- 1984 –
Gothenburg, Ullevi – Reserve – 5pts
References
edit- ^ a b "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ Cradley Speedway: Alan Grahame profile
- ^ "Rider averages 1929 to 2009" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ "Alan Grahame". WWOS backup. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ "Grahame can go". Daily Mirror. 2 February 1982. Retrieved 1 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Bamford/Shailes, Robert/Glynn (2007). The Story of Oxford Speedway. Tempus Publishing Ltd. pp. 150–151. ISBN 978-0-7524-4161-0.
- ^ "Speedway". Huddersfield Daily Examiner. 8 August 1994. Retrieved 11 May 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "1994 complete season records" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
- ^ Cradley Speedway Home Page
- ^ Wigham, Catherine (4 October 2021). "Hull Vikings speedway fans and team-mate pay special tribute to Alan Grahame after sad passing". Hull Daily Mail.
- ^ "Remembering Big Al". Speedway Star. 3 September 2022. p. 31.