Alfred John Herbert Bottoms (20 June 1918 – 2 May 1951) was a

motorcycle speedway Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four clockwise, anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines that ...

rider from England.

Biography

Bottoms, born in Kensington, London, began racing speedway in 1945, after appearing in various meetings. His British leagues career began when he rode for

Wembley Lions The Wembley Lions were an English ice hockey team. History The team were founded in 1934 but showed a continuity with the London Lions team which had played at various venues since 1924. The Wembley team were based at the newly built Empire ...

during the

1946 Speedway National League The 1946 National League was the 12th season of the highest tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain and the first post-war season. The league had been abandoned seven years previously due to the outbreak of World War II. Record attendance ...

season. He won the London Cup with Wembley in 1946. During the winter, Bottoms bred chickens for a living and was due to ride for Wembley again in 1947 but had to go into hospital for two serious operations for internal problems. The operations were a success but he missed the entire season, with the exception of two matches. He took consolation in the fact that Wembley won both the league title and the British Speedway Cup. In 1948, he joined

Southampton Saints Southampton Saints were a motorcycle speedway team which operated from 1928 until its closure in 1963. Its track was located at Banister Court Stadium in Southampton, Hampshire, England. History Origins and 1920s Speedway arrived in Sou ...

and had an impressive season, topping the division three league averages, with a remarkable 11.25 average and helped his club win the

National Trophy National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

. In 1949, he returned to Wembley in exchange for

Roy Craighead Roy Allan Craighead (11 September 1916 – 17 March 2007) was a motorcycle speedway rider from England. Biography Craighead, born in Ilford, London, began his British leagues career riding for Wembley Lions during the 1946 Speedway National L ...

. He won the league title and London Cup again with them during both the 1949 and 1950 seasons. Bottoms died on 2 May 1951, at the age of 32, in a

Formula Three Formula Three (F3) is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers. History Formula Three (adop ...

car racing accident in Luxembourg.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bottoms, Alf 1918 births 1951 deaths British speedway riders Southampton Saints riders Wembley Lions riders Sportspeople from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea People from Kensington