WORLD SPEEDWAY CHAMPION

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27564, 22 January 1955, Page 3

WORLD SPEEDWAY CHAMPION

RONNIE MOORE GIVES UP RIDING

HOPE FOR CAR RACING CONTRACT

After nine seasons of speedway racing, the world champion rider, Ronnie Moore, of Christchurch, has decided to give up the sport and to concentrate on motor racing. .

Moore announced this yesterday, when commenting on a cablegram reporting remarks of the director of Empire Speedway, Ltd., in Sydney (Mr J. O. Sherwood). In the cable message Mr Sherwood claimed that Moore had broken his contract to ride in' Australia. He had been booked to ride in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, and was due to arrive in Sydney last Tuesday, but had cabled Empire Speedway, Ltd., stating that his mother had been taken to hospital with a heart attack and he did not wish to leave Christchurch until he was sure that she had recovered. According to Mr Sherwood he had information that Moore’s mother was not in hospital and Moore was seeking a contract to ride in Europe next season. Mother’s Health Moore’s father said yesterday that his wife was indeed ill, but was suffering from nerves, not a heart attack. In Sydney Mr Sherwood said on Wednesday evening that he felt sure that Moore would come if possible. “Should he break the contract without proof of a good reason we will report him to, the Australian Speedway Control Board,” he added. “Any action that is taken by this board must be supported by overseas official speedway bodies. Moore agreed verbally and by cable to race in Australia under contract to us.”

Yesterday afternoon Moore said he would definitely not be going to Australia or elsewhere to take part in speedway racing. He had had nine seasons of it and that was enough. “If anyone has broken the contract it is Empire Speedway, Ltd.,” he said: “The contract was for a New Zealand team to race in Australia. The first overtures were made before I left England. I touch with Empire Speedway, Ltd., a week ago. When I told them that the strength of the New Zealand team was not as good as we originally anticipated they told me that they did not want the team. “We were ready to go. They did not tie me down to a contract. The contract was for a team and then they said that they did not want a team. I had no contract at all.” Of the threat of disqualification, Moore said: “If they want to disqualify me they can. That is as good an excuse for me to get out as any. The money in England was not good last year and it will be worse this year. I am finished with it.”

Moore hopes to secure an engagement to drive racing cars for an English sports car company. Its managing director will visit Christchurch next month to have talks with him. If one manufacturer did not give him an engagement there were others, he said, and if he did not secure a satisfactory engagement he would stay at home. Moore is at present driving his Cooper racing car at the Aranui stadium on Saturday evenings. A Sydney report said that Jack Hart, another New Zealand rider, would take Moore’s place in races last evening if the world champion failed to appear.