DATE OF BIRTH: 30 December 1934, Christchurch, New Zealand.
BRITISH CAREER: (1952-59) Wimbledon; (1960) New Cross; (1961-63) Southampton; (1964-72) Swindon; (1974-75) Wimbledon; (1976) Hull.
CAREER RECORD WITH SWINDON: Meetings: 321 (246 League; 4 National Trophy; 13 Knock-Out Cup; 12 Britannia Shield; 20 Midland Cup; 4 Easter Cup; 20 Challenge; 2 Four-Team Tournament) Rides: 1,389 Points: 3,681 Bonus: 37 Total: 3,718 Average: 10.71 Maximums: 147 (142 full and 5 paid)
CLUB DEBUT: 27 March 1964 versus Oxford (Away) Easter Cup; 7 points (5 rides).
BARRY BRIGGS remains the only man to have lifted the World Speedway Championship as a Swindon rider. Overall, he won four titles, in 1957, 1958, 1964 and 1966, and his record in the prestigious event was nothing short of sensational; in sixteen consecutive World Finals, he never once ran a last place finish!
His long career in British racing kicked-off with Wimbledon in 1952, when he showed plenty of promise to knock up 68 points in the National League. The following year, Barry increased that tally to 81 points, prior to reaching heat-leader status when totalling 254 points in 1954. Having quickly established himself as one of the top men in the country, ‘Briggo' was to rack up a further 1,042 league points for the Dons from 1955-58 inclusive, his most productive season occurring in the first of those years, when he finished with a tally of 274 points.
In 1959, however, he wanted a transfer and while he tried to persuade the Wimbledon management to agree, he sat out most of the season, only actually appearing in one league match when he returned to this country to defend the World Championship he had won in the previous two years.
Briggs finally got his move in 1960, linking with New Cross in May and, having started the campaign late, he did well to net 196 league points for the Rangers. In 1961, another change of club saw Barry join Southampton and the familiar tall scoring continued unabated. Indeed, he was to accumulate a total of 649 league points in three seasons with the Saints.
When Southampton's track at Banister Court was sold for redevelopment, Swindon promoter Bert Hearse helped set Briggs up with an import agency for Jawa speedway bikes and the Kiwi duly joined the Robins' nest for the start of the 1964 campaign. His club debut took place on 27 March in an Easter Cup encounter at Oxford when, thanks to the handicap rule, he only notched 7 points as Swindon suffered a hefty 60-24 reverse.
Barry had to wait until 8 August, before claiming the first of many full maximums for the Robins in a National Trophy tie versus Wimbledon at the Abbey, having finally been instrumental in the abolition of handicap racing. He was to accumulate a total of 133 points for an average of 10.51, while also plundering full-house totals in exactly half of the side's twelve-match league programme.
The 1965 season saw the advent of the British League and Swindon struggled with a top-heavy team, although Briggo was almost always magnificent, netting an astonishing 21 maximums (20 full and 1 paid) on his way to 378 points and a league average of 10.91. He made speedway look exciting, talked it up and, in many ways, was better known than the sport he represented.
In 1966, Barry lifted the last of his four World Championship titles and, for a second time, was voted into the runner-up position in BBC Television's Sportsview Personality of the Year contest. At the season's end, he had scorched to another 18 full maximums and further upped his league average to 11.08.
The 1967 season will always be remembered as one of the finest in Swindon's long history, as the four pronged attack of Briggs, Martin Ashby, Mike Broadbank and Bob Kilby helped take the side to League Championship glory. Barry was in his usual ‘scoring machine' mode throughout, recording 347 points for an average of 11.05, whilst also stacking up another pile of maximums.
Swindon might have waned as a force in the ensuing years, but there was no let up from the legendary New Zealander and, in the nine seasons he represented the club, he always topped the team's averages. The 1972 campaign was to be his final term with the Robins, and even then he ended the season with 268 points and a league average of 10.38 to his name.
Sometime after the season had ended, Briggs announced his retirement from regular British racing, which was a severe blow to everyone connected with Swindon. His statistical record for the club was nothing short of phenomenal, since his combined tallies in all competitions revealed in excess of 3,500 points and a staggering 147 maximums (142 full and 5 paid).
He subsequently made a return to the British scene, spending two years with Wimbledon (1974-75) and, despite being at the veteran stage, he still posted league averages of 9.47 and 9.23, respectively. The 1976 season represented Barry's last year of domestic activity and he spent it with Hull, netting 282 league points for a solid 8.88 figure.
He was awarded an MBE in 1973 for services to sport and is arguably the greatest sportsman ever to represent the town of Swindon. Briggo became the thirteenth former rider to be inducted into the club's Legends' Lounge, when he was a very welcome visitor on 31 August 2006.
And, on the occasion of the Robins' Play-Off final second leg versus Wolverhampton on 12 October 2009, he did everything he could in the pits to encourage the Swindon side to overcome a first leg deficit of 16 points in their attempt to annexe a first League Championship success since 1967. Regrettably, despite a valiant effort and Briggs' support, the Robins lost by 5 points on aggregate. Â Â Â
CALL FOR SITES
Swindon Motorsports Ltd launches "Call for Sites" to help identify new motorsports arena in Swindon.
DATE OF BIRTH: 30 December 1934, Christchurch, New Zealand.
The 1965 season saw the advent of the British League and Swindon struggled with a top-heavy team, although Briggo was almost always magnificent, netting an astonishing 21 maximums (20 full and 1 paid) on his way to 378 points and a league average of 10.91. He made speedway look exciting, talked it up and, in many ways, was better known than the sport he represented.
