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Milan Špinka

Milan Špinka (5 May 1951 – 14 August 2024) was a Czech speedway rider.[1][2] He earned ten international caps for the Czechoslovakia national speedway team.[3]

Speedway career

Špinka won the gold medal at the Individual Ice Speedway World Championship in the 1974 Individual Ice Speedway World Championship.[4] He also won a silver and bronze medal at the Championships.[5]

In 1970, he was selected for the Czechoslovakia junior team for their tour of Britain.[6] In 1974, he represented his country in a test series against England.[7]

He rode in two world longtrack finals in 1973 and 1974.[8]

He rode in the top tier of British Speedway from 1979 to 1983, riding for Ipswich Witches and Swindon Robins.[9]

World final appearances

Individual Ice Speedway World Championship

World Longtrack Championship

Personal life and death

His father, Miloslav Špinka, was also an international speedway rider.[10]

Milan Špinka died on 14 August 2024, at the age of 73.[11]

References

  1. ^ "Speedway riders, history and results". wwosbackup. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  2. ^ "Milan Spinka". GrasstrackGB. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  3. ^ "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  4. ^ "Ice Speedway". Speedway.org. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  5. ^ Montague, Trevor (2004). The A-Z of Sport. Little, Brown. p. 530. ISBN 0-316-72645-1.
  6. ^ "Czechs open speedway tour at Romford tonight". Reading Evening Post. 6 August 1970. Retrieved 19 January 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ^ "Browning for England". Walsall Observer. 19 April 1974. Retrieved 17 August 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ^ "Track talk". Sports Argus. 22 June 1974. Retrieved 27 August 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. ^ "History Archive". British Speedway. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  10. ^ "Milan Spinka is 70: An expert on sand and ice". Speedweek. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  11. ^ "V 73 letech zemřel Milan Špinka, legenda ploché dráhy". iDNES.cz (in Czech). Mafra. Czech News Agency. 14 August 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2024.