Robert Gary Havelock (born 4 November 1968) is a British former

speedway Speedway may refer to: Racing Race tracks *Daytona International Speedway, a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida. *Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta. *Indianapolis Motor Spe ...

rider who was World Champion in 1992.

Career

Havelock's father was speedway rider Brian Havelock. Gary Havelock first competed in

grasstrack Motorcycle Grasstrack is a form of track racing which typically, in its current form, takes place on a flat track consisting of two straights and two bends usually constructed in a field. It is one of the oldest types of motorcycle sports in t ...

racing, winning the British Junior Championship, before following his father into speedway.Daniel, Paul (1985) "Stars of Tomorrow: Gary Havelock", '' Speedway Star'', 18 May 1985, p. 18-19 Havelock showed his potential early in his speedway career, winning the Suffolk Open Championship at Mildenhall as a 16-year-old in 1984, only two weeks after qualifying for a licence.Butt, Randall (1984) "Great Gary", '' Speedway Star'', 20 October 1984, p. 28 Havelock started his league career with local club Middlesbrough Tigers (the team managed by his father) in 1985, moving from reserve to the main body of the team by May. He helped Middlesbrough win the Fours Championship during the

1985 National League season The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

. He moved to the

Bradford Dukes The Bradford Dukes were a British motorcycle speedway team which operated primarily from the Odsal Stadium in Odsal, Bradford until their closure in 1997.Bamford, R & Jarvis J.(2001). ''Homes of British Speedway''. The Bradford speedway team p ...

in 1987, the same year that he won the 1987 Individual Speedway Junior European Championship (this would be the final year that it would be called the European Championship as it became the World Under-21 Championship from 1988). He stayed with Bradford for next ten seasons. The highlight of his career was when he won the

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

in 1992 at the

Olympic Stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports ...

Wrocław Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...

, Poland. Havelock, the first British World Champion since Michael Lee in

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

, finished three points clear of

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

World Champion Per Jonsson of Sweden, and four in front of Dane

Gert Handberg Gert Handberg (born 30 May 1969 in Brædstrup) is a Danish former international motorcycle speedway rider. He earned 20 caps for the Denmark national speedway team. Career Gert joined Cradley Heathens in 1988 on a recommendation, after win ...

Havelock won the Premier League Riders Championship at

Odsal Stadium Odsal Stadium (known as Bartercard Odsal Stadium for sponsorship reasons) is a multi-purpose stadium, multipurpose stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The stadium is currently the home of Bradford Bulls rugby league football club and ...

on 14 October 1995 but missed most of the 1996 season after seriously injuring his back whilst representing

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

in a test match against

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

at Poole in July. Havelock had ridden in the first two of the

Speedway Grand Prix Speedway Grand Prix are a series of stand-alone motorcycle speedway events over the course of a season used to determine the Speedway World Champion. The series started in 1995 replacing the previous format of a single event final. The first ...

meetings that season. He has also represented

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

in the

Speedway World Team Cup The Speedway World Team Cup was an annual motorcycle speedway, speedway event held each year in different countries. The competition started in 1960 and was replaced with the Speedway World Cup in 2001. Format From 1960 until 1985, each team c ...

finals six times, finishing runner-up in

and in the

Speedway World Cup The Speedway World Cup is a motorcycle speedway event for national teams held in different countries. The first edition of the competition in the current format was held in 2001 and replaced the old Speedway World Team Cup, World Team Cup which ...

four times, finishing runner-up in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

. The 1998 season, was spent with the

Eastbourne Eagles The Eastbourne Eagles were a British motorcycle speedway team, based at Arlington Stadium, near Eastbourne, England. They were founded in 1929 and are two times champions of Britain in 1995 and 2000. The team last raced on 31 July 2021. Hist ...

and this was followed by five seasons with the

Poole Pirates Poole Pirates (also known as Poole Speedway) are a motorcycle speedway team based in Poole, England, competing in the SGB Championship. The club have been the champions of the United Kingdom on ten occasions. Poole Speedway is promoted by l ...

until 2003. During this time Havelock also spent the 1986/87 and 1988/89 seasons in Australia based at the North Arm Speedway in

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

. His 2012 season was ended early by a crash in March in which he was hit by Derek Sneddon's bike, resulting in a broken collarbone, a broken arm, and broken ribs. As a consequence of the injuries to his arm, Gary Havelock announced his retirement from speedway on 22 February 2013. A week later he was named as the new team manager of

Coventry Bees Coventry Bees are a motorcycle speedway team that existed from 1929 to 2018. They raced at Brandon Stadium, Brandon, Warwickshire, Brandon near Coventry, England. They are eight times champions of Britain. History Origins and 1920s The firs ...

Off track

Havelock was banned for the entire 1989 season after he tested positive for

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...

at the

British League Riders' Championship The British League Riders Championship was an individual motorcycle speedway contest between the top riders (or two riders) with the highest Calculated Match Average, average from each club competing in the British League in the UK, or the top ...

meeting in 1988. At the 2007 BSPA Annual General Meeting,

team manager

Neil Middleditch Neil Middleditch (born 7 January 1957 in Wimborne, Dorset) is a former motorcycle speedway rider, who rode for England and was the team manager of Great Britain. He earned seven international caps for the England national speedway team and was ...

announced that he would be "happy to continue" in the position but recommended that Havelock should be his successor once he has retired from racing, stating "he would take to it like a duck to water". Middleditch also mentioned he would be happy for Havelock to act as his assistant. Havelock appeared in the Sky TV football show '' Premier League All Stars'' in 2007, representing eventual winners

Middlesbrough F.C. Middlesbrough Football Club ( ) is a professional association football club based in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Nicknamed the Boro, they were fo ...

Havelock is a patron of the charity National Association for Bikers with a Disability.NABD Patrons
, accessed 27 May 2009

World final appearances

Individual World Championship

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

- Winner - 14pts *

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

Pocking Pocking (; ) is a town in the Passau (district), district of Passau, in Lower Bavaria, Germany. It is situated about 30 km south-west of Passau, close to the Austria, Austrian border. History A Roman settlement was founded in the area of Poc ...

, Rottalstadion - 6th - 10pts

World Pairs Championship

Lonigo Lonigo is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, northern Italy, its population counts around 16,400 inhabitants. In its ''frazione'' of Bagnolo is the Villa Pisani (Bagnolo), Villa Pisani, a Renaissance patrician villa designed ...

, Pista Speedway (with

Kelvin Tatum Kelvin Martin Tatum Order of the British Empire, MBE (born 8 February 1964) is a former British international motorcycle speedway and grasstrack rider. He earned 65 international caps for the England national speedway team. Career Tatum atte ...

/ Martin Dugard) - 2nd - 23pts (15+2) *

Vojens Vojens () is a railway town in Denmark with a population of 7,424 (1 January 2025).Vojens Speedway Center The Vojens Speedway Center is a Motorcycle speedway track located in Vojens, Denmark. The track has been part-owned since its opening by Denmark's first three time Speedway World Champion Ole Olsen. Track The Speedway Center is a long track ...

(with

Joe Screen Joseph Screen (born 27 November 1972 in Chesterfield, Derbyshire), is a former British international motorcycle speedway rider. His major speedway honours include winning the World Under-21 Championship in 1993, the British Championship in 1 ...

/ Martin Dugard) - 4th - 17pts (0)

World Team Cup

* 1988 -

Long Beach Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

, Veterans Memorial Stadium (with Simon Wigg / Simon Cross /

Chris Morton Christopher John Morton, MBE (born 22 July 1956) is a former motorcycle speedway rider from England. He earned 115 international caps for the England national speedway team and 7 caps for the Great Britain team, making him the third most capp ...

) - 4th - 22pts (8) *

Pardubice Pardubice (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 92,000 inhabitants. It is the capital city of the Pardubice Region and lies on the Elbe River. The historic centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Repub ...

, Svítkov Stadion (with

/ Simon Wigg / Jeremy Doncaster / Marvyn Cox) - 2nd - 34pts (5) *

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

(with Marvyn Cox / Martin Dugard /

Chris Louis Christopher Louis (born 9 July 1969) is a former international motorcycle speedway rider from England, who primarily rode for the Ipswich Witches. He earned 41 international caps for the England national speedway team and 3 caps for the Great ...

/ Paul Thorp) - 4th - 11pts (3) *

Kumla Kumla is a locality and the seat of Kumla Municipality, Örebro County, Sweden with a population of 21,640 as of 2018. Geography Kumla is situated roughly 15 kilometres south of neighbouring city Örebro, and is connected to its much larger nei ...

, Kumla Speedway (with Mark Loram /

/ Martin Dugard /

) - 3rd - 31pts (7) *

Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...

, Brandon Stadium (with

/ Martin Dugard /

) - 4th - 14pts (4) *

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

Brokstedt Brokstedt is a municipality in the district of Steinburg, in Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; ; ; ; ; occasionally in English ''Sleswick-Holsatia'') is the Northern Germany, northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most ...

, Holsteinring Brokstedt (with Mark Loram /

) - 7th - 16pts (3)

World Cup

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

(with Dean Barker / David Norris / Lee Richardson / Scott Nicholls) - 5th - 44pts (3) *

Poole Poole () is a coastal town and seaport on the south coast of England in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area in Dorset, England. The town is east of Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east ...

, Poole Stadium (with David Norris / Lee Richardson / Mark Loram / Scott Nicholls) - 2nd - 48pts (9)

Individual Under-21 World Championship

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

Zielona Góra Zielona Góra (; ''Green Mountain''; ) is the largest city in Lubusz Voivodeship, located in western Poland, with 140,403 inhabitants (). The region is closely associated with vineyards and holds an annual Zielona Góra Wine Fest, Wine Fest. Zie ...

, Zielona Góra Speedway Stadium - Winner - 13pts

Speedway Grand Prix results

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Havelock, Gary 1968 births Living people British speedway riders English motorcycle racers Individual Speedway World Champions British Speedway Championship winners Bradford Dukes riders Eastbourne Eagles riders Middlesbrough Bears riders Peterborough Panthers riders Poole Pirates riders Redcar Bears riders People from Eaglescliffe Sportspeople from County Durham Sportspeople from Yorkshire 20th-century English sportsmen