John Charles Titman is an Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n former motorcycle speedway

Motorcycle speedway

Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...

 rider who was Australian Champion in 1977.

Biography

Titman initially worked as a mechanic, making his speedway debut at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground in April 1968. He made his British League

Speedway British League

The British League was the top division of Speedway in the United Kingdom from 1965 until 1995 when it became known as the Premier League. Prior to 1965 the division had been known as the National League....

 debut with Halifax Dukes

Halifax Dukes

The Halifax Dukes were a Speedway team which operated from 1949-1951 and again from 1965 until their closure in 1985 at The Shay Stadium in Halifax...

 in 1972, and also made his international debut for Australia that year against the British Lions. In 1973 he averaged 6.92 from 38 matches, and became a regular member of the Australian team. In 1973 he finished in 7th place (with John Boulger

John Boulger

John Boulger is a former international motorcycle speedway rider. After he retired from riding Solo's, Boulger raced in Speedcars from the mid-1980s until the mid-1990s...

) in the Australian qualifying round of the World Pairs championship. He also raced in Poland and New Zealand. He moved on to the Exeter Falcons

Exeter Falcons

The Exeter Falcons were a speedway team which operated from 1947 until their closure in 2005 at the County Ground Stadium in Exeter. The track first operated in 1929.-Track:...

 in 1975.

Titman won the Australian Individual Speedway Championship in 1977, also finishing as runner-up on two occasions.

He signed for the Leicester Lions in 1978, becoming club captain in 1979. After falling to third in the Lions averages in 1981 and being stripped of the captaincy, he was transfer listed at the end of the season, and moved on to the Hackney Hawks

Hackney Hawks

Hackney Hawks speedway opened in 1963 at Hackney Wick Stadium, Waterden Road, London and operated until 1983.-Early days:Originally opened by Mike Parker, the promotion was then sold to Len Silver who was the club's promoter for the next twenty seasons....

 in 1982. He moved on again in 1984 to the Wimbledon Dons

Wimbledon Dons

The Wimbledon Dons were a professional motorcycle speedway team who operated from the Wimbledon Stadium, Plough Lane in London.The track opened in 1928 and the Dons operated there from 1929 until 1991. They were closed during the Second World War but upon their re-opening in 1946 there were 42,000...

, and this was his final season in British speedway.

During his career, Titman made the World Final on two occasions, finishing 8th in 1978 and 9th in 1979. Titman also rode in longtrack speedway, reaching the world final in 1983 and 1984.

After returning home at the end of 1984, Titman continued to ride, captaining the Australian national team for a further three years.

Career record

All figures relate to the British League.

Year	Team	Matches	Rides	Points	Bonus	Total	Average	Full Maximum	Paid Maximum
1972	Halifax Dukes Halifax Dukes The Halifax Dukes were a Speedway team which operated from 1949-1951 and again from 1965 until their closure in 1985 at The Shay Stadium in Halifax...	34	119	101	19	120	4.03
1973	Halifax Dukes	38	167	274	15	289	6.92
1975	Exeter Falcons Exeter Falcons The Exeter Falcons were a speedway team which operated from 1947 until their closure in 2005 at the County Ground Stadium in Exeter. The track first operated in 1929.-Track:...	32	127	165	22	187	5.89		1
1976	Exeter Falcons	37	155	251	20	271	6.99
1977	Exeter Falcons	40	177	327	38	365	8.25	1	4
1978	Leicester Lions	40	175	375	16	391	8.94	6	2
1979	Leicester Lions	35	163	326	19	345	8.47	1	1
1980	Leicester Lions	31	129	227	21	248	7.69		1
1981	Leicester Lions	47	227	376	46	422	7.44	1	1
1982	Hackney Hawks Hackney Hawks Hackney Hawks speedway opened in 1963 at Hackney Wick Stadium, Waterden Road, London and operated until 1983.-Early days:Originally opened by Mike Parker, the promotion was then sold to Len Silver who was the club's promoter for the next twenty seasons....	36	145	215	24	239	6.59
1983	Hackney Hawks	41	167	233	28	251	6.25	1	1
1984	Wimbledon Dons Wimbledon Dons The Wimbledon Dons were a professional motorcycle speedway team who operated from the Wimbledon Stadium, Plough Lane in London.The track opened in 1928 and the Dons operated there from 1929 until 1991. They were closed during the Second World War but upon their re-opening in 1946 there were 42,000...	47	187	238	34	272	5.82