MEMORIAL TROPHIES
Alan Hunt Memorial Trophy Ivor Hughes Memorial Trophy
Peter Craven Memorial Trophy Lubos Tomicek Mem'l Trophy
Tom Farndon Memorial Trophy Alfred Smoczyk Memorial Trophy
ALAN HUNT MEMORIAL TROPHY  | The Alan Hunt Memorial Trophy has been raced for 21 times since the death of the Brummie and Durban captain in February 1957 from injuries incurred at Wembley Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa. | 
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The table below lists the venues and winners of the Alan Hunt Memorial Trophy events held in the UK and South Africa.The second and third placed riders are also given.
The UK venues have been Dudley Wood Stadium, Cradley Heath, where Alan Hunt first began racing in 1947, and the Perry Barr Greyhound Stadium, (formerly the Alexander Stadium) Birmingham, home of the Birmingham Brummies, his only other British club which he captained until his death.
The South African venues have been Hoy Park, Durban, Alan's SA base where he captained the Durban Hornets, Springs Speedway near Johannesburg and Walkerville Raceway in the Jo'burg suburbs.
Winners of the prestige event in the UK have included World Champions, Briggs, Mauger, Olsen, whilst in South Africa they have ranged from his former team-mate Doug Davies to present day top Afrikaaner Byron Bekker (above rt,) a 4-times winner. The original silver trophy shown top right, presented by the Durban Supporters club in 1957 is retained in SA and raced for today at Walkerville. The UK trophies can seen below in the first and last UK presentation ceremonies at Perry Barr in 1960 & 2009.
Perry Barr 1960: Arne Pander Perry Barr 2009: Seb Ulamek Walkervile 2008: Byron Bekker
with Doug Ellis and Geoff Duke. with Jason Lyons & Shane Parker. with original 1957 trophy.
Durban, SA Birmingham, UK Cradley Heath, UK Springs, SA Walkerville, SA
1957, 1972 1960, 2007-'09 1963-'72 1975 2008-'11
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ALAN HUNT
b. Aston, B'ham, U.K., 25 July 1925
d.Johannesburg, S.Africa, 2 Feb.1957
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Peter Craven Memorial
Peter Craven died following a crash at Edinburgh's Old Meadowbank stadium on Sept. 20th,1963.
A trophy to the memory of the 2x World Champion has been raced for intermittently at Belle Vue since 1967.
Latterday Aces have won the trophy on 10 occasions, Chris Morton taking 3 of those wins.
1967 - Ivan Mauger, first recipient of the 2010 - last winner: Chris Harris
PCMT, with Mrs Brenda Craven.
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Peter Craven
21 June 1934 - 24 Sept 1963
Liverpool Edinburgh
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IVOR HUGHES MEMORIAL
Welshman Ivor Hughes suffered a fatal crash in the final heat of the Cradley v. Sheffield British League match at Dudley Wood Stadium on August 20th and died in the early hours of Tuesday morning, 23 Aug 1966 in Dudley Guest hospital. Having defeated the current World Champion Bjorn Knutsson at Cradley Heath only a fortnight earlier a promising future was expected but was cut short.
An award in his memory has been made periodically to a novice, junior or improving rider, raced for or awarded, though fixture availability has several times thwarted presentation.
Darryl Ritchings is the latest recipient as Heathens' "Rider of the Year".
IVOR HUGHES MEMORIAL | |
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YEAR | VENUE | WINNER | A = awarded: R = raced for. | |
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1967 | CH | Ken Wakefield | A - "Most Improved Cradley Heath rider" |  |
1968 | CH | Chris Hawkins | A - |
1969 | CH | | |
1970 | CH | | |
1971 | CH | Ralf Waller | A - "Best Novice" |
1972 | CH | Dave Perks | R - 15pts, (2nd D.Harvey 13pts, 3rd T.Kelly 12pts) |
1973 | CH | - | - (Canc'd: 2nd-Half comp'n lost to fixture rev'n) |
197x | CH | T. Spiers | ? |
197y | CH | P. Shear | ? |
1976 | CH | ? | |
1999 | W'TON | Chris Neath | R - (2nd Aidan Collins, 3rd Adam Allott) |
| 2010 | DH | Tom Perry | A - "Dudley Heathens Rider of the Year" |
2011 | DH | Darryl Ritchings | A - "Dudley Heathens Rider of the Year" |
1967 - Ken Wakefield, first recipient of the Ivor Hughes Memorial Trophy, with Mrs Vera Hughes.
Berriew 1966 Cradley 1972
Wolverhampton 1999 2011 winner, Darryl Ritchings
Ivor Hughes
1939 -- 23 Aug. 1966
Welshpool Dudley
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Lubos Tomicek Memorial
At the time of his demise Lubos Tomicek Snr. was the leading Czechoslovak speedway rider and captain of his club Red Star Prague, as well as the national Czech team having been national Czechoslovak champion for 5 consecutive years. He died in October 1968 from injuries sustained in the final of the Pardubice Golden Helmet, and a special memorial meeting has been held in Prague every year since, which over the decades has attracted most of the world's best riders.
Nineteen of the 42 meetings to date have been won by World Champions including Mauger 4x, Olsen 3x and Briggs 2x. His countryman Bo Brhel has also won the meeting on 4 occasions.
n.b. The present day rider of the same name is the grandson, Lubos Tomicek III: son Lubos Tomicek II was also a speedway rider until serious injury curtailed his career.
2010 winner, Matej Kus
Lubos Tomicek
16 Aug.1934 - 20 Oct.1968
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Tom Farndon Memorial
New Cross Ranger Tom Fardon failed to survive his collision with fallen team-mate Ron Johnson in the Scratch Race Final of August 28th 1935 at his home track, New Cross on the eve of the Wembley Star Riders Final, of which he had been a favourite to win. He had been a previous winner of the Star Championship, 2x London Riders Champions and was the current unbeaten British Individual Champion with 5 successes. This competition was abandoned as a mark of respect.
Fardon was buried in his home city of Coventry where he had started his racing career, his burial place being marked with a unique black granite art deco depiction of a speeding motorcyclist, (below).
(See also British Match Race Chmpshp page.)
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1950 1959
Tom Farndon
11 Sept 1910 - 30 Aug 1935
Coventry Greenwich
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Alfred Smoczyk Memorial
Polish national champion of the day, Alfred Smoczyk was killed in a motorcycle road accident in September 1950 shortly before the running of that year's event. He was postumously awarded the 1950 Polish title though the event had been won by Joseph Olejniczak, and up until 1983 all record books registered Smoczyk as champion for that year despite his prior death. As top Pole he had success in Czechoslavokia, Sweden and Netherlands. A memorial race meeting has been held in his honour every year following his death, one-time Coventry Bee Henryk Zyto winning 6 times. In 1953 his home-town track at Leszno was renamed the Alfred Smoczyk Stadium.
Alfred Smoczyk
1 Oct. 1928 - 26 Sept 1950
Koscianie Gostyn-Leszno road
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