His Praises Unsung At Home

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31256, 31 December 1966, Page 15

His Praises Unsung At Home

TT has often been said that New Zealand is a nation of sportsmen; it is difficult, therefore, to understand why some of its must successful performers in international competition are not credited with the recognition they deserve. To the purist motor sport is, for some reason, tainted, although it probably demands greater skill to ride a racing motor-cycle than to run in a foot race. Be

that as it may, it was a tremendous achievement for the 30-year-old Christchurch speedway rider, Barry

Briggs, to win the world title for the fourth time. Not only is Briggs New Zealand’s only current world champion in sport, but he is also well on his way to a unique record as a speedway rider. No rider, in the long history of the sport, has ever won the world championship more than four times and only one other, Ove Fundin (Sweden), has achieved this figure.

And Briggs is not finished r et. If his devastating form n the world championship, leld at Gothenberg, Sweden, s any indication, he could win his fifth world title next season. He scored the maxinum of 15 points, winning ill his heats and beating Bjorn Knutsson (Sweden) in the process. He has been racing in

speedway for 15 years. His previous world titles were in 1957, 1958 and 1964. He has also won the British title three times and in 1963 won the New Zealand title during the English off-sea-son.

Speedway racing is not the only form of motorcycle sport in which Briggs «xcels. He is a former New Zealand miniature T.T. champion (1963), and has been the holder of both South Island and national scramble titles. Had he not concentrated on dirt track racing, he could have reached international class as a scrambler. This year Briggs was •unner-up in the English Sportsman of the Year" ontest. In the New Zealand contest his fellow countrymen did not consider him worthy of a place the top ten. There must i; a moral in this someht ?.