Frank Dean Smart (born 27 October 1969) is an Australian former motorcycle speedway rider.[1][2][3][4]
| Born | 27 October 1969 (age 55) Perth, Australia |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Australian |
| Career history | |
| 1990–1993, 1997–1998 | Exeter Falcons |
| 1999, 2002–2003 | Newport Wasps |
| 1998, 2000 | Swindon Robins |
| Individual honours | |
| 1998, 2009, 2012 | Western Australian Champion |
| Team honours | |
| 2000 | Premier League |
Career
editSmart started racing in the British leagues during the 1990 National League season, when riding for the Exeter Falcons. He struggled to establish himself in the team and it was not until the 1992 season that he was a regular in the Exeter team. Following a poor 1993 season he did not return to Britain and Exeter until the 1997 season, where he had improved significantly and recorded a season average of 7.28.[5][1]
In 1998, he won the first of his three Western Australian Individual Speedway Championships and he topped Exeter's team averages in addition to reaching the Premier League pairs final.[1] The following season he joined Newport Wasps, took second place in the fours championship and finished just outside the medals in the 1999 Australian Individual Speedway Championship.[6] At the Welsh club he became the captain of the Wasps but suffered a significant injury in March 1999, breaking ribs and cracking a vertebra.[7]
In 2000, he was riding well for the Swindon Robins, with the team challenging for league honours but he failed a drugs test (amphetamines) and was banned by the Speedway Control Board for the 2001 season.[8]
He returned for the 2002 Premier League speedway season with Newport and finished runner up in the pairs championship again before riding one final season in Britain with Newport in 2003. In 2003, he finished runner-up in the Pairs Championship for the third time and reached the fours final.[9]
He returned to Australia and continued to ride there, winning the Western Australian Championship twice more in 2009 and 2012.
References
edit- ^ a b c "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022, Frank Smart" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ^ Oakes, Peter (1990). Speedway Yearbook 1990, rider profile Frank Smart. Front Page Books. ISBN 0-948882-15-8.
- ^ Oakes, Peter (2004). British Speedway Who's Who, Profile Frank Smart. Peter Oakes, Peterborough. ISBN 0-948882-81-6.
- ^ "Wasps out to keep Smart". Crash.net. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ^ "Frank Smart". WWOS Backup. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ^ "Individual Australian Championship". Historia Sportu Zuzlowego. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ^ "Pegler will lead Wasps challenge at Swindon". South Wales Echo. 25 March 1999. Retrieved 4 October 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Disgraced rider talks about life after a ban". Gazette & Herald. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ^ "2003 season fixtures and results" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 7 July 2023.