Len Silver
{{Short description|British speedway rider and promoter (1932–2024)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2015}}
{{Infobox speedway rider
| image = Len Silver 1976.jpg
| name= Len Silver
| nationality = British (English)
| birth_date = {{birth date|1932|2|2|df=y}}
| birth_place = London, England
| death_date = {{death date and age|2024|10|13|1932|2|2|df=y}}
| death_place =
| years1 = 1953-1957, 1960-1962
| career1 = Ipswich Witches
| years2 = 1961-1964
| career2 = Exeter Falcons
| years3 = 1964
| career3 = Hackney Hawks
| indivyear1 = 1962
| indivhonour1 = Provincial League Riders' Champion
| teamyear1 = 1962
| teamhonour1 = Provincial League KO Cup Winner
|caption=Silver in 1976}}
Leonard George Silver (2 February 1932 – 13 October 2024) was an English motorcycle speedway rider and promoter. He has also served as the Team Manager for the England and Great Britain national speedway team during two separate spells in 1976 and 1981.
Racing career
Silver began racing for Ipswich Witches during the 1953 Speedway Southern League season.{{cite web|url=https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/1953fixtures.pdf |title=1953 season |website=Speedway Researcher |access-date=16 October 2024}} During his maiden season he was described as a star discovery.{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000762/19530807/168/0005 |title=Transfer Tactics |website=Bury Free Press |date=7 August 1953 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=11 October 2024 }}
Silver continued to ride for the Witches until he stopped racing in 1957 but returned to the club in 1960 after a layoff due to injury. In 1961, he was transferred to Exeter, where he skippered the Exeter Falcons.{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000844/19610507/214/0033 |title=Silver Out of Luck |website=Sunday Mirror |date=7 May 1961 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=16 October 2024 }} In 1962, he won the Provincial League Riders' Championship, held at Hyde Road on 22 September, in front of 20,000 spectators.{{cite news |title=Hunter out of Luck |work=Edinburgh Evening News |date=24 September 1962 |access-date=12 June 2023 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000452/19620924/282/0009 | via = British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription }}
Silver made ten successful defences of the Silver Sash Match Race Championship. In 1964, he transferred to the Hackney Hawks{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001916/19640516/284/0007 |title=Third Success |website=Star Green 'un |date=16 May 1964 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=16 October 2024 }} as a rider/promoter (the latter with Mike Parker) but his riding career was cut short by serious injuries after a first bend crash at Hackney shortly after joining.{{cite web |url=https://britishspeedway.co.uk/miscellaneous/len-silver-1932-2024/ |title=Len Silver 1932 – 2024 |website=British Speedway |access-date=16 October 2024 }}
Promoting career
File:Len Silver 2007 former speedway rider.png
Silver continued as Hackney's promoter and manager until the demise of the Hawks in 1983, and also promoted at Hackney's sister track Rye House. As part of Allied Presentations, he also promoted at the Rayleigh Rockets, Weymouth Wildcats, Crewe Kings, Sunderland Stars and the Reading Racers.Bamford, R & Jarvis J.(2001). Homes of British Speedway. {{ISBN|0-7524-2210-3}}. He also spent a season as promoter of the Eastbourne Eagles from the 1980s until 1994.{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005232/19940401/417/0027 |title=Silvers leave |website=Halifax Evening Courier |date=1 April 1994 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=6 September 2024}}
He became owner of Rye House Stadium in 2000 and returned to Rye House Speedway as team owner, promoting the Rye House Rockets in the Premier League and the Rye House Cobras in the Conference League.Jacobs, Norman (2007). 70 Years of Rye House Speedway. {{ISBN|978-0-7524-4162-7}}. He co promoted the Kent Kings at Sittingbourne.
Silver is considered to be one of speedway's most colourful and controversial characters and was once banned by the Speedway Control Board from "taking any part in a speedway meeting" during the 1976 season after an altercation with a referee.
Silver was the track curator at Wembley stadium for the 1981 World Final.Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). A History of the World Speedway Championship. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. {{ISBN|0-7524-2402-5}}.
Silver served several terms on the British Speedway Promoters' Association management committee.
Retirement and death
In 2021, he announced his retirement from speedway management.{{cite web |url=https://www.kentonline.co.uk/sittingbourne/sport/kent-speedway-future-uncertain-as-silver-retires-256688/ |title=Kent Speedway promoter Len Silver announces his retirement with club's future at Central Park up in the air |website=Kent Online |access-date=15 February 2023}} He died on 13 October 2024, at the age of 92.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
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Category:British speedway riders
Category:English motorcycle racers
Category:Motorcycle racers from London
Category:Exeter Falcons riders