Stephen John Weatherley (born 26 November 1957 in

Dartford Dartford is the principal town in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located south-east of Central London and is situated adjacent to the London Borough of Bexley to its west. To its north, across the Thames Estuary, is Thurrock in ...

) is a former motorcycle speedway rider from England, who was twice runner-up in the

British Speedway Under 21 Championship The British Speedway Under-21 Championship (also known as the British Junior Speedway Championship) is an annual speedway competition open to riders of British nationality aged at least fifteen on the date of the first meeting, and under twenty- ...

Career

He rode primarily for 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 the

White City Rebels The White City Rebels were a motorcycle speedway team who operated from the White City Stadium, Wood Lane in London, England. History In 1928 the new sport known as dirt track arrived from Australia and the White City Stadium brought speedw ...

, who won the British League in 1977.Oakes, P.(2004). ''British Speedway Who's Who''. On 8 June 1979 he was paralysed whilst riding for

Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. It is also a non-metropolitan district, local government district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, bor ...

Hackney Wick Stadium Hackney Wick Stadium was a greyhound racing and speedway stadium located at Waterden Road in Hackney Wick, London, England. Origins The site chosen for the stadium was on land known as Hackney Marshes west of the River Lea and on the west side ...

, Waterden Road. He was involved in a terrible crash with Vic Harding. Harding was killed and Weatherley was left with a broken back. He has used a wheelchair since the crash.Fenn, C.(2003). ''Hackney Speedway, Friday at Eight''.

Family

His nephew, Lee Richardson (1979-2012) was an international speedway rider.

References

1957 births Living people British speedway riders English motorcycle racers Eastbourne Eagles riders White City Rebels riders Hull Vikings riders Poole Pirates riders Wolverhampton Wolves riders Cradley Heathens riders 20th-century English sportsmen {{England-speedway-bio-stub