{{Short description|British speedway rider}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}} {{Use British English|date=July 2016}} {{Infobox speedway rider |image = Danny Dunton 1975 and 2014.jpg |name = |nationality = British (English) |birth_date = {{Birth date|df=y|1924|5|13}} |birth_place = [[Cholesbury]], Buckinghamshire, England |death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|2015|1|2|1924|5|13}} |death_place = England
|years1 = 1949–1952, 1954 |career1 = [[Harringay Racers (speedway)|Harringay Racers]] |years2 = 1953, 1955 |career2 = [[Birmingham Brummies]] |years3 = 1953 |career3 = [[Yarmouth Bloaters]] |years4 = 1955 |career4 = [[Weymouth Wildcats|Weymouth Scorchers]] |years5 = 1955 |career5 = [[Bristol Bulldogs]] |years6 = 1955–1958 |career6 = [[Ipswich Witches]] |years7 = 1959, 1964 |career7 = [[Belle Vue Aces]] |years8 = 1960–1965 |career8 = [[Oxford Cheetahs]] |years9 = 1963 |career9 = [[Long Eaton Archers]] |years10 = 1964 |career10 = [[Swindon Robins]] |teamyear1 = 1952 |teamhonour1 = National Trophy Winner |teamyear2 = 1952 |teamhonour2 = London Cup }}
'''Dennis Clifford Dunton''' (13 May 1924 – 2 January 2015) was an English international [[motorcycle speedway]] rider and promoter who reached the final of the [[Speedway World Championship]] in 1950, achieving 12th place with 5 points.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://britishspeedway.co.uk/docs/Ultimate_Index_1929-2022.pdf |title=ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022 |website=British Speedway |access-date=1 August 2023}}</ref> As well as riding, Dunton promoted [[Peterborough Panthers]] and co-promoted [[Oxford Cheetahs]], then Oxford Rebels and finally [[White City Rebels]].
== Biography == Dunton was born in [[Cholesbury]], Buckinghamshire. He first took his bike in 1949 to [[Harringay Racers (speedway)|Harringay Racers]], and immediately found himself as a team member in his first meeting, a rare if not unique feat.<ref name=nsm>{{cite web|url=http://www.national-speedway-museum.co.uk/danny%20dunton.html|title=Danny Dunton|publisher=National Speedway Museum|accessdate=1 March 2019}}</ref>
As well as [[Harringay Racers (speedway)|Harringay Racers]], [[Belle Vue Aces]], [[Ipswich Witches]], [[Oxford Cheetahs]], and [[Long Eaton Archers]] are listed as tracks where he rode as a contracted or loaned rider.<ref name=nsm/> In 1950, in only his second season, he qualified for the World Championship Final and finished 12th – the top three riders were [[Jack Young (speedway rider)|Jack Young]], [[Graham Warren]] and [[Cyril Brine]].<ref name=nsm/>
In 1953, following a crash at New Cross, he used a wheelchair and could not walk for 4 months.<ref name=nsm/> Danny Dunton was named Chairman of the Speedway Riders' Association in April 1963.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002490/19630405/059/0004 |title=Danny Dunton honoured |website=Buckinghamshire Examiner |date=5 April 1963 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=20 September 2024}}</ref> Dunton retired from racing at Long Eaton at the end of 1963, having scored 127 and a half points from just 17 matches.<ref name=nsm/>
In 1964, he was the Team Manager at Oxford, taking over the promotion the following year. He was joined in 1972 by Bob Dugard, becoming co-promoter.<ref>Bamford, R & Shailes, G (2007). “The Story of Oxford Speedway”. {{ISBN|978-0-7524-4161-0}}</ref> He already had opened up Peterborough Speedway at the Showground in 1970, and was joined as co-promoter by his son, Lee, in 1979, who was also the Team Manager. 1974 saw the Rebels at the bottom of the League Table but, with new signing [[Dag Lovaas]] the team improved, winning the Midland Cup.<ref>Lawson, K (2018) “Rebels 1975 – The Last Season”. {{ISBN|978-0-244-99725-0}}</ref> After a threatened closure of the stadium at Oxford, Danny and Bob Dugard secured White City as a venue, only to find out too late, the stadium was saved.<ref>Lawson, K (2018) “The Cheetahs – The Resurrection”. {{ISBN|978-0-244-69934-5}}</ref> At White City, the Rebels won the Gulf British League in 1977 but, the venue not proving viable, raced their last season in 1978 and the licence was moved to Eastbourne.
Following the decision of the British League promoters in November 1967 to run a second division, five promoters from the British League, Danny Dunton, [[Maury Littlechild]], [[Len Silver]], Ron Wilson and [[Reg Fearman]] formed Allied Presentations Limited. This company opened three tracks in 1968, Reading, Middlesbrough, and Rayleigh, and constructed Crewe in 1969, followed by Peterborough in 1970. Each track was promoted by one of the APL members and Danny Dunton’s track was Peterborough.<ref name=nsm/>
After he retired from riding, he served during the 1970s on the committee of the British League and then the National League as its chairman in 1981–85 and 1987, and was honoured by being made president in 1988.<ref name=nsm/> Danny was active in the World Speedway Riders Association and was the honoured and respected president for the year 2005/06.<ref name=nsm/>
After retirement, he was a keen golfer and restorer of vintage speedway bikes, which he used to race in specialist matches. That had to stop after a motoring accident (car ran into him) in 2004 and he had to have a leg amputated.
He lived for many years with his wife in [[Ley Hill]], Buckinghamshire. He died after a long illness on 2 January 2015.<ref>{{cite news |date=8 January 2015 |title=Danny Dunton |website=speedwaygb.co |url=http://www.speedwaygb.co/news.php?extend.28128 |accessdate=1 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181009020332/http://www.speedwaygb.co.uk/news.php?extend.28128 |archive-date=2018-10-09}}</ref>
== World Final appearances == *[[Individual Speedway World Championship|1950]] – {{flagicon|ENG}} London, [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]] – 12th place – 5 points
== References == {{Reflist}} ^ a b "A History of Long Eaton Speedway". Speedway Plus. 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20071208055430/http://www.speedwayplus.com/long_eaton.shtml. Retrieved on 2008-12-20.
==External links== *[http://www.defunctspeedway.co.uk/Reg%20Fearman%20part%20three.htm Reg Fearman Part 3] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20141108220630/http://www.speedwayatoz.co.uk/dannydunton.html Dennis Clinton Dunton] at Speedway Atoz *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160304063538/http://www.world-sra.co.uk/danny%20dunton.html Danny Dunton] on World SRA
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunton, Danny}} [[Category:1924 births]] [[Category:2015 deaths]] [[Category:British speedway riders]] [[Category:English motorcycle racers]] [[Category:Belle Vue Aces riders]] [[Category:Ipswich Witches riders]] [[Category:Harringay Racers riders]] [[Category:Birmingham Brummies riders]] [[Category:Swindon Robins riders]] [[Category:Bristol Bulldogs riders]] [[Category:Long Eaton Archers riders]] [[Category:Oxford Cheetahs riders]] [[Category:20th-century English sportsmen]]