John Dews
John Dews (26 March 1945 – 7 August 1995) was a British motorcycle speedway rider.[1]
Born | Wakefield, England | 26 March 1945
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Died | 7 August 1995 |
Nationality | |
Career history | |
1962-1963 | Belle Vue Aces |
1962-1970 | Sheffield Tigers |
1971-1972 | Wimbledon Dons |
1973-1975 | Oxford Rebels |
1976 | White City Rebels |
Team honours | |
1962, 1963, 1964 | Provincial Northern League Champion |
1975 | Midland Cup winner |
Born in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, Dews started his speedway career as a trainee at Belle Vue Aces, had his longest team history with Sheffield Tigers, scoring over 1,300 points for the club. Speedway rules required a change of team due to his averages and he moved to Wimbledon Dons for 2 years, before Oxford in 1973, as a replacement for Dave Hemus,[2] He won the Radio Oxford Best Pairs match at Oxford in May 1974,[2] partnering Richard Greer. He was a member of the Midland Cup winning team in 1975, after incredible drawn matches with Swindon Robins in the first round requiring reruns.[3] Moved with the Rebels under promoters Danny Dunton and Robert Dugard to White City Stadium in 1976, where he ended his racing career as a popular rider.
He rode 270 matches in his career, having 1033 rides, with a match average of 6.29. He went back to Sheffield to be the team manager in 1977 until 1980.
John Dews died in August 1995, aged only 50, after a short illness.
- Dews in action at Oxford
- Oxford Best Pairs Champions