Gerald Smitherman

Gerald Smitherman
Born (1952-06-24) 24 June 1952 (age 72)
Telford, England
Career history
1972Cradley Heathens
1973-1976Ellesmere Port Gunners
1977Oxford Cheetahs

Gerald Smitherman (born in Telford, England) is a former motorcycle speedway rider from England.[1]

Career

Gerald Smitherman racing for Oxford in 1977

The year 1972 saw Smitherman undertake the Cradley rider training school and compete in second half rides for the experience.[2] During the 1972 British League season Smitherman was thrown in the deep end due to injuries suffered by hs team and he represented Cradley Heathens.[3]

His career took off properly when he was signed for Ellesmere Port Gunners for the 1973 British League Division Two season.[4] where he stayed for four years,[5] returning decent averages in the middle ranks.[6]

In his final year, he was signed over to Oxford Cheetahs to promoter Harry Bastable[7] and competed for the Cheetahs during the 1977 National League season.

After speedway

During his time as a rider, he had also made seats and continued with supplying accessories after retiring as GTS Products.[8] For the 1991 World Speedway Final, he made the suits for Sam Ermolenko, Ronnie Corrie, Billy Hamill, Jan O. Pedersen and Per Jonson as well as pit crews. Married to Sherry, they have four daughters. Gerald took up squash, winning an Over-45 championship. He still follows speedway and provides accessories for today's riders as well as retro items.

References

  1. ^ "Ultimate rider index, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  2. ^ "gerald id Cradley School's star find". Sports Argus. 20 May 1972. Retrieved 8 October 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  3. ^ "Reserve Hart is Cradley hero". Birmingham Weekly Mercury. 4 June 1972. Retrieved 8 October 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. ^ Lawson,K (2018) “Riders, Teams and Stadiums”. ISBN 978-0-244-72538-9
  5. ^ "Gerald Smittherman". WWOS backup. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  6. ^ "Rider averages 1929 to 2009" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  7. ^ Bamford,R & Shailes,G (2007). "The Story of Oxford Speedway". ISBN 978-0-7524-4161-0
  8. ^ "Ex=speedway star takes the hot seat". Birmingham Daily Post. 28 June 1979. Retrieved 8 October 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.