Arthur Atkinson

Arthur Atkinson (12 November 1911 – July 1993) was a former international motorcycle speedway rider and promoter who appeared in the first Speedway World Championship final in 1936. Career Atkinson began riding motorcycles at the age of thirteen. He rode in trials and grasstrack before taking up speedway in 1928 with Blackpool. In 1929 he joined Leeds, captaining the team, and in 1930 won the Western Australia Championship. In 1930 he joined the Johnnie Hoskins-managed Wembley Lions. The team won the Southern League but in the last league meeting of the season Atkinson was left unconscious after a crash. He missed the most of the 1931 season after a dispute with Wembley but in September 1931 he joined the West Ham Hammers. Atkinson toured Australia in 1929/30, winning both the first of two Australian 2 mile Championship's held at the Exhibition Speedway in Melbourne, and the Western Australian Championship at the Claremont Speedway in Perth. 1936 saw Atkinson selected for England against Australia in the test series and was a regular up to the war. He would go on to earn 30 international caps.