Aub Lawson

Aubrey "Aub" Lawson (born 5 April 1914 in Kelly's Gully, Warialda, New South Wales - died 20 January 1977) was an Australian international speedway rider who featured in ten World Championship finals including the 1939 final which was never run due to the outbreak of World War II.^[1][2][3]

Aub Lawson

Born	(1914-04-05)5 April 1914 Warialda, New South Wales
Died	20 January 1977(1977-01-20) (aged 62)
Nationality	Australian
Career history
1939	Wembley Lions
1939	Middlesbrough Bears
1947-1951	West Ham Hammers
1953-1960	Norwich Stars
Individual honours
1951	London Riders' Championship
1948, 1950, 1953, 1954, 1963	NSW State Champion
1949	SA State Champion
1952, 1956	Qld State Champion
1961	WA State Champion
1951	The Laurels
Team honours
1955	National Trophy

Career

Lawson first came to the UK in 1939 and rode in two leagues for the Wembley Lions^[4] and Middlesbrough Bears^[5] but at his mother's insistence, his sister accompanied him as chaperone.^[6]

It was not until after the war in 1947 that he returned to the UK when league racing started again. He joined the West Ham Hammers where he stayed for five seasons, top scoring in three of them. In 1951 he won the London Riders' Championship whilst riding for the Hammers.^[7] After a year back in Australia he returned to the UK where he joined the Norwich Stars, where he remained until he retired from racing in 1960. Lawson then returned to Australia where he continued racing in Sydney, winning his then record 5th NSW Championship in 1963, adding to those he had won in 1948, 1950, 1953 and 1954.^[8]

World final appearances

• 1939 - London, Wembley Stadium - Event cancelled due to World War II
• 1949 - London, Wembley Stadium - 8th - 8pts
• 1950 - London, Wembley Stadium - 4th - 10pts
• 1951 - London, Wembley Stadium - 10th - 7pts
• 1953 - London, Wembley Stadium - 9th - 7pts
• 1954 - London, Wembley Stadium - 14th - 4pts
• 1957 - London, Wembley Stadium - 4th - 11pts
• 1958 - London, Wembley Stadium - 3rd - 11pts
• 1959 - London, Wembley Stadium - 5th - 11pts
• 1960 - London, Wembley Stadium - 14th - 4pts^[9]

References

1. Addison J. (1948). The People Speedway Guide. Odhams Press Limited
2. Montague, Trevor (2004). The A-Z of Sport. Little, Brown. p. 523. ISBN 0-316-72645-1.
3. "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
4. "Ice Star's 50 stitches in one knee!". Daily Mirror. 15 March 1939. Retrieved 23 August 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
5. "Rider averages 1929 to 2009" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
6. White, Peter (2000). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 15. Melbourne University Press. pp. 64–65. Retrieved 30 September 2008.
7. Belton, Brian (2003). Hammerin' Round. ISBN 0-7524-2438-6
8. NSW Championships section Archived 6 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
9. Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). A History of the World Speedway Championship. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-2402-5

External links

• Lawson, Aubrey (1914 - 1977)