Malcolm Simmons is a former
speedwayMotorcycle 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.
Career
He made his debut at
Hackney HawksHackney 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 1963 aged seventeen but was unable to break into the Hackney team regularly so moved to the newly re-opened
West Ham HammersThe West Ham Hammers were a speedway team, first promoted by Jimmy Baxter in 1929.. They operated from the West Ham Stadium until the outbreak of World War II under several different promotions, most successfully under the control of Johnnie Hoskins....
for the 1964 season. In 1965 Simmons won a
British LeagueThe 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....
and
British League Knockout CupThe Elite League Knockout Cup is a speedway cup competition in the United Kingdom governed by the Speedway Control Board in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association . The teams from the top division of league racing, the Elite League, take part...
double with West Ham. In 1968 he moved to the
King's Lynn StarsKing's Lynn Stars are a motorcycle speedway team who compete in the British Elite League. The nickname "Stars" comes from the defunct Norwich Stars team...
and stayed there for the next seven seasons. He was consistently at the top of the Stars
averageCalculated Match Averages are calculated for every motorcycle speedway rider.The CMA is calculated from the following:\left \times4...
s and scored over 2112 points for the club.
Simmons signed for the
Poole PiratesPoole Pirates are a motorcycle speedway team based in Poole, England, competing in the British Elite League...
in 1975 from
Kings LynnKing's Lynn Stars are a motorcycle speedway team who compete in the British Elite League. The nickname "Stars" comes from the defunct Norwich Stars team...
. In his first season for Poole in 31 league matches he achieved 16 maximum scores (15 full and 1 paid) and he became the first Poole rider to secure a 10-point
averageCalculated Match Averages are calculated for every motorcycle speedway rider.The CMA is calculated from the following:\left \times4...
in the
British LeagueThe 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....
. Simmons topped the Pirates
averageCalculated Match Averages are calculated for every motorcycle speedway rider.The CMA is calculated from the following:\left \times4...
s for the next six years and he came to be affectionately known by the Poole fans as 'Super Simmo'. In 1979 the Pirates were taken over by new owners and Simmons became unsettled, asking for a transfer in 1980. At a pairs event at Poole that year, Simmons was accused by the Poole management of not trying and he was subsequently sacked by the club.
He moved to
WimbledonThe 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...
in 1981, where he spent four seasons and moved to the
Swindon RobinsThe Swindon Speedway team, also known as the Swindon Robins, are an English Motorcycle Speedway team established in 1949 that competes in the Elite League....
for one season in 1985. Simmons signed for former club
HackeyThe Hackney Kestrels were a Speedway team which operated from 1984 until their closure in 1990 when the Crayford Kestrels transferred the promotion to Hackney.In 1988 the Kestrels won the League Championship, winning twenty-six of their thirty league matches...
, now renamed Hackney Kestrels, in 1986 for two years before he suffered a bad shoulder injury. He then made a couple of short come-backs at Arena Essex and
King's LynnKing's Lynn Stars are a motorcycle speedway team who compete in the British Elite League. The nickname "Stars" comes from the defunct Norwich Stars team...
.
Malcolm captained England and Great Britain at full international level. He finished runner-up to
Peter CollinsPeter Spencer Collins MBE is a former Speedway rider who spent his whole career with the Belle Vue Aces, the team he supported as a child...
in the 1976
Speedway World ChampionshipThe World Championship of Speedway is an international competition between the highest ranked motorcycle speedway riders of the world. Today, it is organised as a series of Speedway Grand Prix events, where points are awarded according to performance in the event and tallied up at the end of each...
, but became
World Pairs ChampionThe Speedway World Pairs Championship was an annual speedway event held each year in different countries. The first competition was held in 1968 and the final competition was held in 1993. From 1994 it was merged with the World Team Cup.- Rules :...
with John Louis the same year. He again became World Pairs Champion in 1977 with
Peter CollinsPeter Spencer Collins MBE is a former Speedway rider who spent his whole career with the Belle Vue Aces, the team he supported as a child...
, and again in 1978 with
Gordon KennettGordon William Kennett is a former motorcycle speedway rider. In 1978 he won the World Pairs Championship with Malcolm Simmons. He also finished runner-up to Ole Olsen in the 1978 Speedway World Championship at Wembley...
. Simmons became
British ChampionThe British Speedway Championship is an annual motorcycle speedway competition open to British national speedway riders. The winner of the event becomes the British Speedway Champion. It has been open in the past to riders from British dominions and was dominated in its early years by riders from...
in 1976 and retained his title 1977.
He signed as a rider for
MildenhallThe Mildenhall Fen Tigers are a British speedway team, currently riding in the National League.The club moved up to the Premier League in 2006 after twelve seasons in the Conference League when new promoter Mick Horton took over. In 2007 Stadium owner Carl Harris formed 'Fen Tigers Limited' with...
in 2001 to ride occasionally in the
Conference LeagueThe Conference League was the third and lowest division of motorcycle speedway racing in the United Kingdom governed by the Speedway Control Board , in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association . The other leagues being the Elite League and Premier League. The League consisted of...
, aged 55.
World Final Appearances
- 1975
The 1975 Individual Speedway World Championship.-World final:*September 6, 1975 London, Wembley Stadium*Referee: Torrie Kittelsen-Classification:...
- 
United Kingdom LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Wembley Stadium - 7th - 10pts
- 1976
The 1976 Individual Speedway World Championship.-World final:*September 5, 1976 Chorzów, Silesian Stadium...
- 
Poland ChorzówChorzów is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Chorzów is one of the central districts of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metropolis with a population of 2 million...
, Silesian Stadium - 2nd - 13pts
- 1978
The 1978 Individual Speedway World Championship.-World final:*September 2, 1978 London, Wembley Stadium...
- United Kingdom LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Wembley Stadium - 6th - 10pts
External links