Stan Hart (speedway rider)
{{Short description|British motorcycle speedway rider}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox Speedway rider
| name = Stan Hart
| image =
| caption =
| nationality = British (English)
| birth_date = {{birth date text|29 September 1914}}
| birth_place = Wigan, England
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1937|8|25|1914|9|29|df=y}}
| death_place = Birmingham, England
| career1 = Liverpool Merseysiders
| years1 = 1936–1937
| career2 = Belle Vue Merseysiders
| years2 = 1937
}}
James Stanley Hart (29 September 1914 – 25 August 1937) was a motorcycle speedway rider from England.{{cite web |url=https://britishspeedway.co.uk/docs/Ultimate_Index_1929-2022.pdf |title=ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022 |website=British Speedway |access-date=11 January 2024}}
Biography
Hart, born in Wigan, rode for the Liverpool Seaforth speedway team at Seaforth Greyhound Stadium in a series of challenge matches during 1935.{{cite news |title=Seaforth Speedway |work=Liverpool Echo |date=14 September 1935 |access-date=11 January 2024 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000271/19350914/088/0003 | via = British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription }} He began his British leagues career riding for another Liverpool club called the Liverpool Merseysiders, during the 1936 Provincial Speedway League season.{{cite web|url=https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/1936record.pdf |title=1936 season |website=Speedway Researcher |access-date=11 January 2024}}
He achieved a strong 7.29 average during the season and was duly retained for the 1937 season.{{cite web|url=https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/specialfeaturesrideraverages.pdf |title=Rider averages 1929 to 2009 |website=Speedway Researcher |access-date=9 January 2024}} In 1937, the Liverpool promotion dropped out of the league in mid-July and was replaced by the Belle Vue Aces promotion,{{cite news |title=Belle Vue take over Liverpool |work=Weekly Dispatch (London) |date=11 July 1937 |access-date=11 January 2024 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003359/19370711/335/0021 | via = British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription }} who also had a team in the National League. At this point the Provincial League team were renamed the Belle Vue Merseysiders and Hart continued to ride well, despite the team promotion issues.{{cite web|url=https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/1937record.pdf |title=Year by Year 1937 |website=Speedway Researcher |access-date=9 January 2024}}
On 25 August 1937, he died following a crash at the Hall Green Stadium in Birmingham.{{cite web |url=http://www.speedwaymuseumonline.co.uk/birmingham,%20hall%20green%201937.html|title=Birmingham (Hall Green Stadium) 1937|website=Speedway Museum|access-date=11 January 2024}}{{cite web |url=http://motorsportmemorial.org/focus.php?db=ms&n=8111|title=Stan Hart|website=Motorsport Memorial|access-date=11 January 2024}} The death was investigated and ruled to be accidental death because they believed that his tyre burst causing him to fall into the path of another bike. His brother Oliver Hart witnessed the crash and testified at the investigation.{{cite news |title=Racing Quitted after Bother's Speedway death |work=Birmingham Daily Gazette |date=31 August 1937 |access-date=11 January 2024 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000669/19370831/152/0005 | via = British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription }}