{{Short description|Australian speedway rider}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2014}} {{Use Australian English|date=October 2014}} {{Infobox Speedway rider | name = John Titman | image = | nationality = Australian | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1951|1|26|df=y}} | birth_place = Brisbane, Queensland
| years1 = 1972–1973 | career1 = Halifax Dukes | years2 = 1975–1977 | career2 = Exeter Falcons | years3 = 1978–1981 | career3 = Leicester Lions | years4 = 1982–1983 | career4 = Hackney Hawks | years5 = 1984 | career5 = Wimbledon Dons | indivhonour1 = Australian Champion | indivyear1 = 1977 | indivhonour2 =Queensland State Champion | indivyear2 =1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983,<br />1984, 1986 | teamyear1 = 1986 | teamhonour1 = Australian Best Pairs Champion }}
'''John Charles Titman''' (born 26 January 1951) is an Australian former motorcycle speedway rider who was Australian Champion in 1977.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://grasstrackgb.co.uk/john-titman/ |title=John Titman |website=Grasstrack GB |access-date=1 January 2023}}</ref>
==Biography== Born in Brisbane, Queensland, Titman initially worked as a mechanic, making his speedway debut at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground in April 1968.<ref name="Oakes">Oakes, Peter & Mauger, Ivan (1976) ''Who's Who of World Speedway'', Studio Publications, {{ISBN|0-904584-04-6}}, p. 136-7</ref> He made his British League debut with Halifax Dukes in 1972,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000901/19720307/011/0011 |title=Six Dukes entered |website=Huddersfield Daily Examiner |date=7 March 1972 |via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription |access-date=23 August 2024}}</ref> and also made his international debut for Australia that year against the British Lions.<ref name="Oakes" /> In 1973 he averaged 6.92 from 38 matches, and became a regular member of the Australian team.<ref name="Oakes" /> In 1973 he finished in 7th place (with John Boulger) in the Australian qualifying round of the World Pairs championship. He also raced in Poland and New Zealand. He moved on to the Exeter Falcons in 1975.<ref name="Oakes" />
Titman won the Australian Solo Championship in 1977 on his home track, the Brisbane Exhibition Ground. He also finished runner-up in the Australian championship to Phil Crump in 1975 at the Sydney Showground Speedway, and again in 1986 at the Pioneer Park Speedway in Ayr behind fellow Queenslander Troy Butler.
He signed for the Leicester Lions in 1978, becoming club captain in 1979.<ref name="Jones">Jones, Alan (2010) ''Speedway in Leicester: The Lions Roar'', Automedia, p. 179</ref> After falling to third in the Lions averages in 1981 and being stripped of the captaincy, he was transfer listed at the end of the season, and moved on to the Hackney Hawks in 1982.<ref name="Oakes1982">Oakes, Peter (1982) ''1982 Speedway Yearbook'', Studio Publications, {{ISBN|0-86215-072-8}}, p. 173</ref> He moved on again in 1984 to the Wimbledon Dons, and this was his final season in British speedway.
During his career, Titman made the World Final on two occasions, finishing 8th in 1978 and 9th in 1979. Titman also rode in longtrack speedway, reaching the world final in 1983 and 1984. After returning home at the end of 1984, Titman continued to ride, captaining the Australian national team for a further three years.
In 2022, he was inducted into the Speedway Australia's Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite magazine |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Off the Beaten Track |url=|magazine=Speedway Star |page=14 |location= |publisher= |date=23 July 2022 |access-date=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.speedway.org.au/hall-of-fame-inductee-john-titman |title=Hall of Fame |website=Speedway Australia |access-date=1 January 2023}}</ref>
==Career record==
All figures relate to the British League.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" ! Year ! Team ! Matches ! Rides ! Points ! Bonus ! Total ! Average ! Full<br />Maximum ! Paid<br />Maximum |- |1972||Halifax Dukes||34||119||101||19||120||4.03|| || |- |1973||Halifax Dukes||38||167||274||15||289||6.92|| || |- |1975||Exeter Falcons||32||127||165||22||187||5.89|| ||1 |- |1976||Exeter Falcons||37||155||251||20||271||6.99|| || |- |1977||Exeter Falcons||40||177||327||38||365||8.25||1||4 |- |1978||Leicester Lions||40||175||375||16||391||8.94||6||2 |- |1979||Leicester Lions||35||163||326||19||345||8.47||1||1 |- |1980||Leicester Lions||31||129||227||21||248||7.69|| ||1 |- |1981||Leicester Lions||47||227||376||46||422||7.44||1||1 |- |1982||Hackney Hawks||36||145||215||24||239||6.59|| || |- |1983||Hackney Hawks||41||167||233||28||251||6.25||1||1 |- |1984||Wimbledon Dons||47||187||238||34||272||5.82|| || |}
==World Final Appearances== ===Individual World Championship=== * 1978 - {{flagicon|GBR}} London, Wembley Stadium - 9th - 7pts * 1979 - {{flagicon|POL}} Chorzów, Silesian Stadium - 12th - 5pts
===World Pairs Championship=== * 1979 - {{flagicon|DEN}} Vojens, Speedway Center (with Phil Crump) - 4th - 19pts (6)
==World Longtrack Championship==
'''Finalist'''
* 1983 {{flagicon|CZE}} Mariánské Lázně 9pts (11th) * 1984 {{flagicon|GER}} Herxheim 11pts (10th)
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Titman, John}} Category:1951 births Category:Living people Category:Australian speedway riders Category:Exeter Falcons riders Category:Hackney Hawks riders Category:Halifax Dukes riders Category:Australian expatriate speedway riders in England Category:Leicester Lions riders Category:Wimbledon Dons riders Category:Motorcycle racers from Brisbane Category:Individual Speedway Long Track World Championship riders Category:20th-century Australian sportsmen