Chris Morton

Chris Morton
Born (1956-07-22) 22 July 1956 (age 68)
Davyhulme, England
NationalityBritish (English)
Career history
1973Ellesmere Port Gunners
1973–1990Belle Vue Aces
1993Sheffield Tigers
Individual honours
1980Intercontinental Champion
1983British Champion
1983, 1987, 1993Northern Riders Champion
1984British League Riders' Champion
1974British Under-21 Champion
1978Volkswagen/Daily Mirror Grand Prix
1988Ace of Aces Grasstrack Champion
1980Manpower Trophy
1980Daily Mirror Golden Hammer
Team honours
1973, 1975British League KO Cup winner
1980World Team Cup Winner
1982British League Champion
1984World Pairs Champion
1984British League Pairs Champion
1975, 1976, 1977, 1978Northern Trophy
1983British League Cup Winner

Christopher John Morton, MBE (born 22 July 1956[1]) is a former motorcycle speedway rider from England.[2] He earned 115 international caps for the England national speedway team and 7 caps for the Great Britain team, making him the third most capped England & British rider of all-time.[3]

Career

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Born in Davyhulme, Lancashire, he rode bikes from a young age at the farm of Peter Collins' parents. Morton made his debut for Ellesmere Port Gunners (on loan from Belle Vue Aces) on 15 May 1973. He showed rapid improvement then following an injury to Aces Captain Chris Pusey in June 1973 he was drafted into the Belle Vue team scoring 6 points on his debut in an away meeting at Cradley Heath. The following season he became British Under-21 Champion at just 17 years of age.

During the late 1970s, Morton was a guest resident international rider at the famous Rowley Park Speedway in Adelaide, South Australia where he often rode against the likes of home town hero John Boulger and Mildura's Phil Crump.

He rode for the England team at test level and represented them in the World Team Cup, winning the competition in 1980.

Morton became British Champion in 1983 and World Pairs Champion with best friend Peter Collins in 1984.

He won the 1984 British League Riders' Championship, held at Hyde Road on 20 October.[4]

He rode for Belle Vue for 18 seasons, starting for the 1973 British League season[5] and ending after the 1990 British League season.[6] During the 18 seasons he regularly averaged around the 10 point mark, including an impressive 10.30 and 10.31 in 1983 and 1984 respectively.

After retirement

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He retired from riding in 1990, leaving a legacy of being one of the most significant riders ever to ride for Belle Vue. In 1991, he became the manager of Berwick Bandits in 1991.[7] He also played a major role in the introduction of speedway to Buxton in 1994.[8]

In 2005, he returned to Belle Vue as commercial manager and then in December 2006, he was part of a consortium who bought the Aces and currently holds the position of Operations Director, having previously also acted as team manager.[9][10]

He was awarded his MBE for services to speedway in 1992. In 2024, he was part of a team that undertook a marathon charity cycling ride for the Speedway Riders Benevolent Fund but was taken ill and required an emergency hernia operation.[11]

Family

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Brother Dave was also a speedway rider.

World Final Appearances

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Individual World Championship

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World Pairs Championship

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World Team Cup

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World Longtrack Championship

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Finalist

  • 1980 - West Germany Scheeßel 5pts (14th)
  • 1982 - Denmark Esbjerg 4pts (14th)
  • 1985 - Denmark Esbjerg 0pts (20th) Reserve
  • 1987 - West Germany Muhldorf 2pts (17th)
  • 1988 - West Germany Scheeßel 31pts (Third)
  • 1989 - Czechoslovakia Marianske Lazne 8pts (15th)

References

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  1. ^ Oakes, P & Rising, P (1986). 1986 Speedway Yearbook. ISBN 0-948882-00-X
  2. ^ Lawson,K (2018) "Riders, Teams and Stadiums". ISBN 978-0-244-72538-9
  3. ^ "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  4. ^ "Speedway". Sunday Sun (Newcastle). 28 October 1984. Retrieved 4 June 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ^ "Rider averages 1929 to 2009" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  6. ^ "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  7. ^ Morton C. (2005). Until The Can Ran Out. NPI Media Group. ISBN 0-7524-3473-X
  8. ^ "Buxton Speedway is under Orders". Manchester Evening News. 13 July 1994. Retrieved 27 February 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. ^ Frost, Richard (2006) "Morton in Takeover", Speedway Star, 14 October 2006, p. 3
  10. ^ "Karlsson out to tame the Wolves", Middleton Guardian, 1 April 2010, retrieved 22 July 2012
  11. ^ "Dramatic conclusion for heroic speedway fundraising ride". Cumbria Crack. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  12. ^ Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). A History of the World Speedway Championship. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-2402-5
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