Chris Julian (speedway rider)

Christoper Julian, to give his full name, was born in Fraddon, Cornwall, UK on the 4th of march 1947 and died in 1997 in a gyrocopter accident.

Early Years

He began by riding grasstrack meetings in the West Country as a teenager then graduated to second half rides at Exeter speedway in 1959. He also had practice sessions at the St Austell speedway track where he was spotted by well known speedway rider and promotor Trevor Redmond who helped to get him a place in the Bristol team for the start of the Provincial League in 1960. His brief spell at the Knowle stadium Bristol saw him average around 5.60 points per match in some 8 matches before the track closed. He then moved on to Pennycross Stadium in Plymouth where he started to gain a reputation for his ruthless riding style for which he would later become renowned.^[1]

Moving On

Chris was unlucky with his next choice of clubs as this was a time when many clubs were closing. In 1962 he rode for Plymouth, which closed at the end of that year and in 1963 at St Austell where he had his best season to date and quickly became the Gulls number one. At the end of 1963 St Austell closed and this left Chris once again without a team to ride for, however a call from his early mentor Trevor Redmond saw him join Glasgow for the 1964 season.^[1]

A More Settled Time

After a year riding for Glasgow, the 1000 mile round trip from his home in Cornwall to fulfil home match committments proved too much and Chris put in for a transfer. He joined the Cradley Heath Heathens at the age of 28. His first season was a struggle, partly due to the stronger team lineups in the British League he was now competing in. The next season Chris shone in an under-performing Heathens team and increased his average by 1.5 points. Notable achievements included his first full maximum on the 7th of May against Belle Vue and briefly holding the Silver Sash after beating Tommy Sweetman in July. He was also ever present throughout the season. Chris continued to improve in the 1967 season scoring two maximums and twice beating the legendary Ove Fundin. The Cradley side was much stronger during the 1968 season and Rider Control allocated Chris to Newport for the start of the 1969 season much to the disappointment of many of the Heathens fans who had enjoyed his full throttle committed style.^[1]

1. ^ ^{a b c} http://www.cradleyspeedway.co.uk

Persondata
Name	Julian, Chris
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1947
Place of birth
Date of death	1997
Place of death

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