Brett Gavin Saunders (born 9 November 1961) is a former motorcycle speedway rider from Australia.[1][2]
| Born | 9 November 1961 Sydney, Australia |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Australian |
| Career history | |
| 1980–1981 | Berwick Bandits |
| 1982–1992 | Edinburgh Monarchs |
| 1993 | Middlesbrough Bears |
| 1993 | Sheffield Tigers |
| Team honours | |
| 1980 | Knockout Cup |
Biography
editSaunders, born in Sydney, began his British leagues career riding for Berwick Bandits[3] during the 1980 National League season, although he did make an early season appearance for the Nottingham Outlaws.[4] His debut season ended well after he participated in the Knockout Cup final and contributed to the winning side.[5]
The following season he nearly won a second consecutive knockout cup with Berwick, reaching the final but losing to rivals Edinburgh Monarchs.[6] In 1982, he then joined Edinburgh[7] and improved his season average to 7.03.[8]
Saunders became a regular with Edinburgh and also emerged as a fan's favourite, improving his season average to 7.46 by the end of the 1985 season.[9] By 1988, he was starting his seventh consecutive season with the club and was rewarded with the captaincy[2][10] and in 1989 he recorded a 8.24 career best average for the season.[8]
After eleven years with the Scottish club he rode one final season in 1993, riding for Sheffield Tigers and Middlesbrough Bears on loan respectively.[11]
References
edit- ^ "Ultimate Rider Index, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ a b "Farewell to Eddie". Edinburgh Speedway. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ "1980 season" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ "Outlaws face Italians on their first visit". Long Eaton Advertiser. 3 April 1980. Retrieved 22 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Oakes, Peter (1981). 1981 Speedway Yearbook. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. ISBN 0-86215-017-5.
- ^ "1981 KO cup final" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
- ^ "Scottish cap for Graham". St. Andrews Citizen. 19 March 1982. Retrieved 22 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ a b "Rider averages 1929 to 2009" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ "Brett Saunders". WWOS backup. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ "Saunders misses World test". Edinburgh Evening News. 5 April 1988. Retrieved 22 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Speedway". Daily Record. 17 March 1993. Retrieved 22 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.