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Dave Jessup

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British motorcycle speedway rider

Dave Jessup
Born (1953-03-07) 7 March 1953 (age 71)
Ipswich, England
NationalityBritish (English)
Career history
1969Eastbourne Eagles
1970West Ham Hammers
1970-1971Wembley Lions
1972-1975Leicester Lions
1976-1978Reading Racers
1979-1981, 1984-1985King's Lynn Stars
1982-1983Wimbledon Dons
1986-1987Mildenhall Fen Tigers
Individual honours
1970British League Div 2 Riders Champion
1974Midland Riders' Championship
1974The Laurels
1975London Riders' Championship
1976Yorkshire Television Trophy
1976, 1981Spring Classic
1979, 1980Pride of the East
1979Brandonapolis
1980Blue Riband
1980Internationale
1980British Champion
1980Commonwealth Champion
1981, 1982Overseas Champion
1976, 1980Superama
1974, 1980Littlechild Trophy
1983, 1984South African Champion
Team honours
1980Speedway World Pairs Championship
1974, 1977, 1980World Team Cup
1972, 1974Midland Cup
1977Spring Gold Cup
1980Gauntlet Gold Cup
1987Pairs Championship winner
1987Fours Championship winner

David John Jessup (born 7 March 1953 in Ipswich, England) is a former motorcycle speedway rider from England. He was a world championship runner-up, world pairs champion, world cup winner and British champion. He earned 97 international caps for the England national speedway team.

Career

Jessup commenced his speedway career in 1969, when he rode for Eastbourne Eagles recording 6.62 average during the 1969 British League Division Two season. The following season, he won the British League Division Two Riders Championship, held at Hackney Wick Stadium on 25 September 1970. Jessup was aged just 17 at the time. He also rode for Wembley Lions in the British League.

In 1972, he joined Leicester Lions and spent four years with the Midlands club. In 1974, he won the first of three World Team Cups with the England national speedway team and in 1975, he won the London Riders' Championship in 1975, despite being in his fourth and final season with Leicester. He recorded an average of 10.45 in his last season with Leicester.

In 1976, he joined Reading Racers and was their top rider for three seasons. In 1977, he helped England win the World Cup to earn a second winners medal. In 1977 and 1978, Jessup finished second in the British Speedway Championship to Michael Lee and the following year finished third behind Peter Collins and Michael Lee. In 1979, he switched to King's Lynn Stars, where he would join Michael Lee as a teammate.

In 1980, Jessup completed his best ever season. He finished runner-up in the Speedway World Championship to fellow countryman Michael Lee. The same season he won the World Pairs Championship with Peter Collins, the World Cup with England and became British Speedway champion.

He continued to perform at the highest level in 1981 and moved to join Wimbledon Dons for the 1982 British League season, where he topped the London team's averages for both 1982 and 1983. He returned to King's Lynn for the 1984 British League season but struggled to retain the form he had for the previous decade.

In 1986, he dropped a division to join the Mildenhall Fen Tigers after leaving the Stars. The following year in 1987, he won the National League Pairs, partnering Melvyn Taylor for Mildenhall, during the 1987 National League season. He also helped Mildenhall win the Fours Championship during the 1987 season.

When Jessup retired in 1988 he had earned a remarkable 97 England caps and had reached six world finals.

World final appearances

Individual World Championship

World Pairs Championship

World Team Cup

References

  1. Lawson,K (2018) “Riders, Teams and Stadiums”. ISBN 978-0-244-72538-9
  2. ^ "Dave Jessup" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  3. Oakes, Peter (1981). 1981 Speedway Yearbook, rider profile Dave Jessup. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. ISBN 0-86215-017-5.
  4. "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  5. "Jessup roars in". Daily Mirror. 26 September 1970. Retrieved 14 June 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. "Dave Jessup". WWOS Backup. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  7. "1974 WORLD TEAM CUP". International Speedway. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  8. Matthews/Morrison, Peter/Ian (1987). The Guinness Encyclopaedia of Sports Records and Results. Guinness Superlatives. p. 290. ISBN 0-85112-492-5.
  9. "British Final Roll of Honour". BSPA. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  10. Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). A History of the World Speedway Championship. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-2402-5
  11. Bott, Richard (1980). The Peter Collins Speedway Book No.4. Stanley Paul & Co Ltd. ISBN 0-09-141751-1.
  12. "jessup and Jolly may quit stars". Lynn Advertiser. 14 February 1986. Retrieved 26 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  13. "Tigers triumph". Cambridge Daily News. 27 July 1987. Retrieved 25 May 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  14. "Fantastic Fours!". Cambridge Daily News. 31 October 1987. Retrieved 8 May 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
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