Peter Spencer Collins MBEThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 24 March 1954 in
ManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) 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 who spent his whole career (1971–1986) with the
Belle Vue AcesThe Belle Vue Aces are a British speedway team from Manchester in the north west of England.-Brief history:Racing first took place in 1928 at the Belle Vue greyhound stadium in Kirkmanshulme Lane before moving the following year to a specially built stadium nearby on Hyde Road. The club raced there...
, the team he supported as a child. The only other club he rode for was the now defunct
Rochdale HornetsThe Rochdale Hornets were a British speedway team from Rochdale in the north west of England. They were founded in 1928 and competed in the inuaugural season of British Speedway in 1929 but closed in 1930...
(Belle Vue's nursery team), with whom he spent the first season of his career on loan.
Belle Vue Aces
Peter rode his first full season for the Aces in 1972 attaining an
averageCalculated Match Averages are calculated for every motorcycle speedway rider.The CMA is calculated from the following:\left \times4...
of 8.44 in British League matches while still only eighteen years of age. In addition the Aces won the league and cup double that year. Peter won the
British Speedway ChampionshipThe 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 1979.
World Individual Championships
In 1973 he qualified for his first
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...
in
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...
,
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. Peter again qualified for the World Final in 1974 finishing in equal fourth place with a creditable nine points. He did however win the British League Riders Championship (BLRC) at
Hyde RoadHyde Road Stadium was the home of the Belle Vue Aces speedway team. The stadium's` capacity was 40,000 and it was built in 1928 and used until demolished in 1987. It was claimed to have been the first purpose built speedway track in Britain....
. The 1975 World Final was held at Wembley but resulted in disappointment for Collins who again finished just off the podium. The 1976 final proved to be the highlight of his career however as he became World Champion with fourteen points in
KatowiceKatowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
, Poland. In 1977 however, he was injured whilst riding at his home track, badly breaking his leg. He attempted to defend his title, in extreme pain and unable to walk without crutches, he narrowly missed out, finishing second.
World Pairs Championships
Collins won four
World Pairs ChampionshipThe 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 :...
titles during his career, all with different partners, whilst riding for Great Britain. The 1977 title was won on his home Belle Vue (Manchester) track with
Malcolm SimmonsMalcolm Simmons is a former speedway rider.-Career:He made his debut at Hackney Hawks in 1963 aged seventeen but was unable to break into the Hackney team regularly so moved to the newly re-opened West Ham Hammers for the 1964 season. In 1965 Simmons won a British League and British League...
. In 1980 he partnered
Dave JessupDavid John Jessup is a former speedway rider who finished runner-up the Speedway World Championship in 1980 to fellow countryman Michael Lee. The same season he won the World Pairs Championship with Peter Collins and became British Speedway Champion after finishing runner-up in 1978 and third in...
to victory in Krsko, Yugoslavia. Yorkshireman
Kenny CarterKenneth 'Kenny' Malcolm Carter , was a world class speedway rider. He rode for Newcastle Diamonds , Halifax Dukes and Bradford Dukes ....
was his partner in
GothenburgGothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
in 1983 whilst he was paired up with fellow Mancunian Belle Vue Ace
Chris MortonChristopher John Morton MBE is a former motorcycle speedway rider. He rode bikes from a young age at the farm of Peter Collins' parents.-Brief career summary:...
for his final pairs title in 1984 at
LonigoLonigo is a town and comune in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, northern Italy, its population counts around 16.000 inhabitants.In its frazione of Bagnolo is the Villa Pisani, a Renaissance patrician villa designed by Andrea Palladio, which is part of a World Heritage Site...
in Italy.
After Speedway
On his retirement, he became part of the team responsible for saving the club following the sale of the Hyde Road stadium, and taking the team back to their current and original home on Kirkmanshulme Lane.
In November 2001 he was awarded an MBE for services to motorcycle racing.
Family
Peter has four brothers all of whom were speedway riders,
LesLeslie 'Les' Collins is a former Speedway rider. He finished runner-up in the 1982 Speedway World Championship as well as winning the Intercontinental Final in 1982, the British Under-21 Championship in 1977 and the British League Riders Championship in 1980.-Crewe, Stoke & Belle Vue:Les started...
,
PhilPhilip David 'Phil' Collins is a former Speedway rider. He once finished runner-up with England in the World Team Cup final in 1984 and third in 1985. He was British Under-21 Champion in 1978...
,
NeilFor the Scottish footballer see Neill Collins.Neil Jeffrey Collins is a former Speedway rider...
and
StephenStephen 'Steve' Collins is a former Speedway rider.-Family:Steve has four brothers all of whom were speedway riders, Peter, Les, Neil and Phil. His nephews Aidan and Chris were also riders but have both retired from the sport.- References :...
. His son Chris and nephew Aidan were also riders but have both retired from the sport.
World final appearances
- 1973
The 1973 Individual Speedway World Championship.The 1973 World Final was won by Polish rider Jerzy Szczakiel following a run-off in with defending champion Ivan Mauger after both riders had finished on 13 points. In the run-off Mauger fell in turn 3 after trying a risky passing move leaving...
- 
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 - 12th - 6pts
- 1974
The 1974 Individual Speedway World Championship.-World final:*September 6, 1974 Göteborg, Ullevi...
- 
Sweden Göteborg, UlleviUllevi is a stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. The stadium was built for the 1958 FIFA World Cup, but since then Ullevi has also hosted the 1995 World Championships in Athletics and the 2006 European Championships in Athletics, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup finals in 1983 and 1990, the UEFA Euro 1992...
- 6th - 9pts
- 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 - 5th - 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 - Winner - 14pts
- 1977
The 1977 Individual Speedway World Championship.-World final:*September 2, 1977 Göteborg, Ullevi*Referee: Torrie Kittelsen-Classification:...
- Sweden Göteborg, UlleviUllevi is a stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. The stadium was built for the 1958 FIFA World Cup, but since then Ullevi has also hosted the 1995 World Championships in Athletics and the 2006 European Championships in Athletics, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup finals in 1983 and 1990, the UEFA Euro 1992...
- 2nd - 13pts
- 1979
The 1979 Individual Speedway World Championship.-World final:*September 2, 1979 Chorzów, Silesian Stadium-Heat Results:...
- 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 - 11th - 6pts
- 1980
The 1980 Individual Speedway World Championship.-World final:*September 5, 1980 Göteborg, Ullevi...
- Sweden Göteborg, UlleviUllevi is a stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. The stadium was built for the 1958 FIFA World Cup, but since then Ullevi has also hosted the 1995 World Championships in Athletics and the 2006 European Championships in Athletics, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup finals in 1983 and 1990, the UEFA Euro 1992...
- 7th - 8pts
- 1982
The 1982 Individual Speedway World Championship.1982 was the only time the Individual World Final was held outside of the United Kingdom or Europe before the advent of the Speedway Grand Prix series in 1995.-World final:...
- 
United States Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Memorial ColiseumThe Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park, that is home to the Pacific-12 Conference's University of Southern California Trojans football team...
- 13th - 5pts
External links