Ernie Lessiter

Ernie Lessiter
Born12 August 1929 (1929-08-12)
Paddington, London, England
Died17 December 2001(2001-12-17) (aged 72)
Oxford, England
NationalityBritish (English)
Career history
1952Oxford Cheetahs
1954Ringwood Turfs
1955–1958, 1960Swindon Robins
1955Weymouth Scorchers
1961Wolverhampton Wolves
Team honours
1957League champion (tier 1)
1956League champion (tier 2)

Ernest Archibald Herbert Lessiter (12 August 1929 – 17 December 2001) was a motorcycle speedway rider from England.[1]

Biography

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Lessiter, born in Paddington, London, began his British leagues career riding for Oxford Cheetahs during the 1952 Speedway National League Division Two season.[2] His novice season was a disappointment because he could only record a one-point average and this resulted in him not riding the following season.[3]

In 1954, he made a comeback and improved dramatically by not only topping the team averages for his new club Ringwood Turfs but recording the highest average of the entire division, with an impressive 10.86.[4] The following season, he moved up to division 2 to join the Weymouth Scorchers but the Weymouth team withdrew after just seven league fixtures. This forced Lessiter to find another club and he joined the Swindon Robins.[5]

He enjoyed four consistent seasons at Swindon from 1955 to 1958[6] and helped the team win the National League division 2 title in 1956 and then the division 1 title in 1957.[7] Towards the latter part of the 1958 season, Lessiter announced his intention to retire.[8] He participated in some grasstrack meetings during 1959[9] before returning for a few rides for Swindon in 1960. His final season was in 1961, when he rode six matches for the Wolverhampton Wolves.

References

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  1. ^ "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  2. ^ "narrow Win for Cradley Heath Men". Evening Despatch. 31 May 1952. Retrieved 14 January 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  3. ^ "1952 season". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  4. ^ "Rider averages 1929 to 2009" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Club History 1950s". Swindon Robins. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  7. ^ Oakes, Peter (1978). 1978 Speedway Yearbook. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. ISBN 978-0904584509.
  8. ^ "Speedway by Don Clarke". Sunday Mirror. 3 August 1958. Retrieved 14 January 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. ^ "Uunusual Switch". Bristol Evening Post. 23 May 1959. Retrieved 14 January 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.