Philippe Bergé (born 20 June 1971 in Brive-la-Gaillarde) is a French former motorcycle speedway rider, who competed in Grasstrack, Longtrack and Speedway.[1] He is a former champion of France[2] and earned 3 caps for the France national speedway team.[3]
| Born | 20 June 1971 Brive-la-Gaillarde, France |
|---|---|
| Nationality | French |
| Career history | |
| 1996–1997 | Oxford Cheetahs |
| 1998–2000 | Isle of Wight Islanders |
| 1998 | Peterborough Panthers |
| 1998 | Swindon Robins |
| Individual honours | |
| 1996 | French Champion |
| Team honours | |
| 1998 | tier 2 league champions |
| 1998 | Premier League Four-Team Championship |
Speedway career
editBergé came to prominence when he reached the final of the 1993 Individual Long Track World Championship, he then reached a second longtrack final the following year.[1] He began his British league career riding for Oxford Cheetahs during the 1996 Premier League speedway season, he was signed midway through the season but still rode 14 times for the club.[4][5]
In 1996, he became the champion of France and competed in his third world longtrack final at the 1996 Individual Long Track World Championship and had showed enough good form during 1996 to be retained by the Cheetahs for the 1997 Premier League speedway season,[6] where he rode 35 times and averaged above 8 and recorded a maximum score in the second leg of the Premier League Knockout Cup final.[5] He also finished in 7th place during the 1997 Individual Long Track World Championship.[7]
He left Oxford for the Isle of Wight Islanders following Oxford's move to the Elite League and also rode a few matches for Swindon Robins before switching to Peterborough Panthers, who he helped win the league and reach the Knockout Cup final.[8] He was also part of the Peterborough four that won the Premier League Four-Team Championship, which was held on 30 August 1998, at the East of England Arena.[9]
He competed in the 1998 Individual Long Track World Championship and reached his third European Grasstrack final in 1999.[1]
Major results
editWorld Individual Longtrack Championship
edit- 1993 Individual Long Track World Championship 18th, 2pts
- 1995 Individual Long Track World Championship 12th, 5pts
- 1996 Individual Long Track World Championship 11th, 6pts
- 1997 Individual Long Track World Championship 7th, 64pts
- 1998 Individual Long Track World Championship 21st, 11pts
Family
editHis son Dimitri Bergé is also an international speedway rider.[10]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Philippe Berge". Grasstrack GB. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
- ^ "Individual Championship of France". Speedway Fansite. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
- ^ "Ultimate rider index, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
- ^ "Jan's on track for long stay at Racers". Reading Evening Post. 15 April 1996. Retrieved 3 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ a b Bamford/Shailes, Robert/Glynn (2007). The Story of Oxford Speedway. Tempus Publishing Ltd. pp. 128–135. ISBN 978-0-7524-4161-0.
- ^ "Elkins to guest for the Falcons". Western Evening Herald. 21 April 1997. Retrieved 3 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "SPEEDWAY and LONGTRACK". Speedway.org. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
- ^ "Philippe Berge". WWOS backup. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
- ^ "Last heat fury". Hull Daily Mail. 31 August 1998. Retrieved 24 June 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Dimitri Bergé profile". Sheffield Speedway. Retrieved 15 December 2022.