{{Short description|British motorcycle speedway rider}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}} {{Use British English|date=July 2016}} {{Infobox Speedway rider | name = Terry Betts | image = Terry Betts.jpg | nationality = British (English) | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1943|9|15}} | death_date = | birth_place = [[Harlow]], England

| years1 = 1960–1963 | career1 = [[Norwich Stars]] | years2 = 1961 | career2 = [[Wolverhampton Wolves]] | years3 = 1965 | career3 = [[Long Eaton Archers]] | years4 = 1966–1978 | career4 = [[King's Lynn Stars]] | years5 = 1979 | career5 = [[Reading Racers]] | indivyear1 = 1970, 1971 | indivhonour1 = [[Southern Riders' Championship|Southern Riders Champion]] | indivyear2 = 1977 | indivhonour2 = Littlechild Trophy | teamyear1 = 1972, 1973 | teamhonour1 = [[Speedway World Team Cup|World Team Cup Winner]] | teamyear2 = 1972 | teamhonour2 = [[Speedway World Pairs Championship|World Pairs Champion]] | teamyear3 = 1977 | teamhonour3 = [[British League Knockout Cup|British League KO Cup Winner]] | teamyear4 = 1963 | teamhonour4 = National Trophy | teamyear5 = 1973 | teamhonour5 = Spring Gold Cup Winner }}

'''Terence Arnold Betts''' (born 15 September 1943 in [[Harlow]], [[Essex]], England)<ref name="ww76"> {{cite book | last = Oakes | first = Peter |author2=Mauger, Ivan OBE, MBE |authorlink2=Ivan Mauger | title = Who's Who of World Speedway | publisher = Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd | year = 1976 | isbn = 0-904584-04-6 }}</ref> is a former international [[motorcycle speedway|speedway]] rider<ref>Lawson, K (2018) “Riders, Teams and Stadiums”. {{ISBN|978-0-244-72538-9}}</ref> who reached the final of the [[Speedway World Championship]] in 1974. He became [[Speedway World Pairs Championship|World Pairs Champion]] with [[Ray Wilson (speedway rider)|Ray Wilson]] in 1972 and was a member of the [[Great Britain speedway team|Great Britain]] team that won the [[Speedway World Team Cup|World Team Cup]] in 1972 and 1973.<ref>{{cite book|last=Montague|first=Trevor|title=The A-Z of Sport|year=2004|page=514|publisher=Little, Brown|isbn=0-316-72645-1}}</ref>

==Career summary== Betts began his career with the [[Norwich Stars]] in 1960<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000525/19600525/011/0011 |title=Terry (16) rides for the Rest speedway team against Stoke |website=Staffordshire Sentinel |date=25 May 1960 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=15 September 2024}}</ref> but joined the [[King's Lynn Stars]] in 1965 after the closure of Norwich. He remained there for the majority of his career, spending one season with Reading Racers before he retired on the eve of the 1980 season. He was awarded a [[Testimonial match|testimonial]] meeting in 1975 after ten years of continuous service to the club.<ref name=URI>{{cite web |url=https://britishspeedway.co.uk/docs/Ultimate_Index_1929-2022.pdf |title=ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022 |website=British Speedway |access-date=8 August 2023}}</ref> Betts was a regular England international.

At retirement he had earned 55 international caps for [[England national speedway team]] and 19 caps for Great Britain.<ref name=URI/>

In 2005, Betts was voted as the greatest [[King's Lynn Stars]] rider of all time by the club's fans.<ref name="bbc1">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/norfolk/content/articles/2005/03/03/speedway_nibs_march_2005_feature.shtml|title=King's Lynn Stars - March 2005|date=2005-04-06|publisher=BBC|access-date=2008-09-14}}</ref>

==World Final Appearances== ===Individual World Championship=== * [[1974 Individual Speedway World Championship|1974]] - {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Gothenburg]], [[Ullevi]] - 12th - 6pts<ref>Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). ''A History of the World Speedway Championship''. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. {{ISBN|0-7524-2402-5}}</ref>

===World Pairs Championship=== * [[1972 Speedway World Pairs Championship|1972]] - {{Flagicon|SWE}} [[Borås]] (with [[Ray Wilson (speedway rider)|Ray Wilson]]) - '''Winner''' - 24pts (9)

===World Team Cup=== * [[1966 Speedway World Team Cup|1966]] - {{Flagicon|POL}} [[Wrocław]], [[Olympic Stadium (Wrocław)|Olympic Stadium]] (with [[Barry Briggs]] / [[Nigel Boocock]] / [[Ivan Mauger]] / [[Colin Pratt]]) - 4th - 8pts (0) * [[1972 Speedway World Team Cup|1972]] - {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Olching]], [[Olching Speedwaybahn]] (with [[Ivan Mauger]] / [[Ray Wilson (speedway rider)|Ray Wilson]] / [[John Louis (speedway rider)|John Louis]]) '''Winner''' - 36pts (8) * [[1973 Speedway World Team Cup|1973]] - {{Flagicon|ENG}} London, [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]] (with [[Malcolm Simmons (speedway racer)|Malcolm Simmons]] / [[Ray Wilson (speedway rider)|Ray Wilson]] / [[Peter Collins (speedway rider)|Peter Collins]]) – '''Winner''' – 37pts (9)

==References== {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Betts, Terry}} [[Category:1943 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Sportspeople from Harlow]] [[Category:British speedway riders]] [[Category:English motorcycle racers]] [[Category:Speedway World Pairs Champions]] [[Category:King's Lynn Stars riders]] [[Category:Norwich Stars riders]] [[Category:Wolverhampton Wolves riders]] [[Category:Reading Racers riders]] [[Category:Long Eaton Archers riders]] [[Category:20th-century English sportsmen]]