# Bluey Wilkinson > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Bluey_Wilkinson > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Bluey_Wilkinson.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluey_Wilkinson > Source revision: 1310878783 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Australian speedway rider (1911–1940) Bluey Wilkinson Born (1911-08-27)27 August 1911 Millthorpe, New South Wales, Australia Died 27 July 1940(1940-07-27) (aged 28) Bondi, New South Wales, Australia Career history 1929-1938 West Ham Hammers Individual honours 1938 World Champion 1935, 1938, 1938 (3 & 4 Lap) Australian Champion 1935, 1938, 1939 NSW State Champion 1932 Dirt Track Championnat du Monde 1938 Scottish Champion 1938 Tom Farndon Memorial winner Team honours 1937 National League Champion 1937 Coronation Gold Cup Best Pairs 1938 ACU Cup **Arthur George** "**Bluey**" **Wilkinson** (27 August 1911 – 27 July 1940)[1] was an Australian [speedway](/source/Motorcycle_speedway) rider. Wilkinson was [Speedway World Champion](/source/Speedway_World_Championship) in [1938](/source/1938_Individual_Speedway_World_Championship) after narrowly missing out on winning the inaugural Championship in [1936](/source/1936_Individual_Speedway_World_Championship).[2] ## Early life Born in [Millthorpe, New South Wales](/source/Millthorpe%2C_New_South_Wales), Wilkinson was nicknamed "Bluey" because of his red hair (an Australian custom). At the age of four, Bluey's family moved to [Bathurst, New South Wales](/source/Bathurst%2C_New_South_Wales), which he really considered to be his home town. He was working as a butcher boy when speedway first started at the Bathurst Sports Ground in 1928. It was love at first sight for Wilkinson and he promptly gave up a promising [rugby league](/source/Rugby_league) career and invested his savings in a battered old belt driven [Rudge](/source/Rudge-Whitworth).[3][4] ## Career On the Rudge, Bluey Wilkinson wasn't a world-beater, but when Sydney and international star rider [Lionel Van Praag](/source/Lionel_Van_Praag) came to Bathurst he loaned Wilkinson one of his spare bikes. In a battle of future World Champions, Wilkinson defeated Van Praag in a match race and his talent was recognised. He upgraded his machinery and the results came with it. In 1929, he headed for England in an effort to get noticed by rich Speedway clubs. He rode in the lower divisions for three seasons before he was offered a contract by the [West Ham Hammers](/source/West_Ham_Hammers) and stayed with the London-based club until 1939.[5] Wilkinson won the [Dirt Track Championnat du Monde](/source/Speedway_World_Championship#Unofficial_World_Championships) (an early version of the [Speedway World Championship](/source/Speedway_World_Championship) and rival of the [Star Riders' Championship](/source/Star_Riders'_Championship)) at [Stade Buffalo](/source/Stade_Buffalo) in Paris during 1932. The following year he went on to finish third in the [Star Riders' Championship](/source/Star_Riders'_Championship) in 1933. Wilkinson continued to return home to Australia to race in the Australian season, usually October through April. 1935 saw Bluey win the [Australian Championship](/source/Australian_Individual_Speedway_Championship) at the [Sydney Showground](/source/Sydney_Showground_Speedway). He would win the title again in 1938 at the 509m long Showground, winning both the three lap and four lap titles and on both occasions defeating [Wilbur Lamoreaux](/source/Wilbur_Lamoreaux) of the [United States](/source/United_States). At the inaugural Speedway World Championship Final at London's [Empire (Wembley) Stadium](/source/Wembley_Stadium_(1923)) in [1936](/source/1936_Individual_Speedway_World_Championship), Wilkinson was undefeated to score a 15-point maximum. However, as the championship also counted bonus points from the Semi-finals, Bluey finished with a total of 25 points, one behind fellow Aussie Lionel Van Praag and Englishman [Eric Langton](/source/Eric_Langton). Van Praag won a runoff from Langton with Wilkinson credited as finishing the Final in third place. In 1937 Wilkinson won the [National League](/source/National_League_(1932%E2%80%931964)) with the Hammers and in 1938 he won the ACU Cup with the Hammers. However the pinnacle of his career was becoming [World Champion](/source/Speedway_World_Championship) in 1938 at Wembley Stadium after finishing third in the inaugural Championship in 1936. He was unlucky not to win the crown in 1936 as he was unbeaten in five races in the final held at Wembley, but was relegated to third place behind winner Lionel Van Praag and England's [Eric Langton](/source/Eric_Langton) under a 'bonus points' system which operated during qualifying rounds.[6] Wilkinson's 1938 championship win was considered a gutsy effort after he had actually broken his left collarbone in a meeting for West Ham the night before the World Final. Determined not to miss the final, Bluey had the [Tottenham Hotspur](/source/Tottenham_Hotspur_F.C.) club doctor put his arm and shoulder in plaster. He ignored the pain he was in to win his first four rides before finishing a safe second in his fifth and last to clinch the World Championship before a crowd of 95,000. Bluey Wilkinson retired from riding in 1939 to become the promoter at the [Sheffield Speedway](/source/Owlerton_Stadium). During his career, Wilkinson also rode for [Australia](/source/Australia_national_speedway_team) in test matches against [England](/source/England_national_speedway_team) and the [United States](/source/United_States_national_speedway_team). He scored a maximum 18 points in each of the five Tests against England staged in Australia in the 1937/38 season, a feat he failed to duplicate the following season by only a single point. Wilkinson was inducted into the [Australian Speedway Hall of Fame](/source/Australian_Speedway_Hall_of_Fame) in 2008. ## World Final Appearances 1937 cigarette card - [1936](/source/1936_Individual_Speedway_World_Championship) - London, [Wembley Stadium](/source/Wembley_Stadium_(1923)) - **3rd** - 25pts - [1938](/source/1938_Individual_Speedway_World_Championship) - London, Wembley Stadium - **Winner** - 22pts ## Death After being involved in dozens of spectacular crashes during his speedway career and walking away from them all, Bluey was killed in a road accident in the Sydney suburb of [Bondi](/source/Bondi%2C_New_South_Wales) on 27 July 1940. Riding a motorcycle with his wife Muriel as [pillion](/source/Pillion) he was struck by a lorry which had swerved to avoid a car. He was killed almost instantly with a fractured skull.[7] Muriel survived the accident physically with only little more than a few cuts and bruises. ## Players cigarette cards Wilkinson is listed as number 48 of 50 in the 1930s Player's [cigarette card](/source/Cigarette_card) collection.[8] ## External links - [Bluey Wilkinson](http://vintagespeedway.homestead.com/Bluey.html) - [Wilkinson, Arthur George (1911–1940)](https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/wilkinson-arthur-george-9100) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Belton, Brian (2004). *Bluey Wilkinson*. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-7524-2872-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7524-2872-1) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Montague, Trevor (2004). *The A-Z of Sport*. Little, Brown. p. 532. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-316-72645-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-316-72645-1). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Speedway Net Australia's Number 1 Speedway Web Site - Powered by Eagle Chassis"](http://www.speedway.net.au/release.asp?NewsId=28243). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022"](https://britishspeedway.co.uk/docs/Ultimate_Index_1929-2022.pdf) (PDF). *British Speedway*. Retrieved 28 July 2023. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Belton, Brian (2003). *Hammerin' Round*. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-7524-2438-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7524-2438-6) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). *A History of the World Speedway Championship*. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-7524-2402-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7524-2402-5) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2008-09-30_7-0)** Prior, James (1990). "Wilkinson, Arthur George (1911–1940)". [*Australian Dictionary of Biography*](https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/wilkinson-arthur-george-9100). Vol. 12. Melbourne University Press. p. 490. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Speedway Riders"](http://www.speedwaymuseumonline.co.uk/playerscigerettecards10.html). *Speedway Museum Online*. Retrieved 14 October 2021. v t e Speedway World Champions 1936 - L. Van Praag 1937 - J Milne 1938 - B. Wilkinson 1949 - T. Price 1950 - F. Williams 1951 - J. Young 1952 - J. Young 1953 - F. Williams 1954 - R. Moore 1955 - P. Craven 1956 - O. Fundin 1957 - B. Briggs 1958 - B. Briggs 1959 - R. Moore 1960 - O. Fundin 1961 - O. Fundin 1962 - P. Craven 1963 - O. Fundin 1964 - B. Briggs 1965 - B. Knutson 1966 - B. Briggs 1967 - O. Fundin 1968 - I. Mauger 1969 - I. Mauger 1970 - I. Mauger 1971 - O. Olsen 1972 - I. Mauger 1973 - J. Szczakiel 1974 - A. Michanek 1975 - O. Olsen 1976 - P. Collins 1977 - I. Mauger 1978 - O. Olsen 1979 - I. Mauger 1980 - M. Lee 1981 - B. Penhall 1982 - B. Penhall 1983 - E. Müller 1984 - E. Gundersen 1985 - E. Gundersen 1986 - H. Nielsen 1987 - H. Nielsen 1988 - E. Gundersen 1989 - H. Nielsen 1990 - P. Jonsson 1991 - J. Pedersen 1992 - G. Havelock 1993 - S. Ermolenko 1994 - T. Rickardsson 1995 - H. Nielsen 1996 - B. Hamill 1997 - G. Hancock 1998 - T. Rickardsson 1999 - T. Rickardsson 2000 - M. Loram 2001 - T. Rickardsson 2002 - T. Rickardsson 2003 - N. Pedersen 2004 - J. Crump 2005 - T. Rickardsson 2006 - J. Crump 2007 - N. Pedersen 2008 - N. Pedersen 2009 - J. Crump 2010 - T. Gollob 2011 - G. Hancock 2012 - C. Holder 2013 - T. Woffinden 2014 - G. Hancock 2015 - T. Woffinden 2016 - G. Hancock 2017 - J. Doyle 2018 - T. Woffinden 2019 - B. Zmarzlik 2020 - B. Zmarzlik 2021 - A. Laguta 2022 - B. Zmarzlik 2023 - B. Zmarzlik 2024 - B. Zmarzlik 2025 - B. Zmarzlik Authority control databases: People Trove Australia --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Bluey Wilkinson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluey_Wilkinson) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluey_Wilkinson?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.