Milan Špinka
| Born | 5 May 1951 Pardubice, Czechoslovakia |
|---|---|
| Died | 14 August 2024 (aged 73) Czech Republic |
| Nationality | Czech |
| Career history | |
| Czechoslovakia | |
| 1970–1983 | Rudá Hvězda Praha |
| Great Britain | |
| 1979 | Ipswich Witches |
| 1979–1980, 1983 | Swindon Robins |
| Individual honours | |
| 1974 | Ice Speedway World Champion |
| 1973 | Golden Helmet of Pardubice |
Milan Špinka (5 May 1951 – 14 August 2024) was a Czech speedway rider.[1][2] He earned ten international caps for the Czechoslovakia national speedway team.[3]
Speedway career
Špinka won the gold medal at the Individual Ice Speedway World Championship in the 1974 Individual Ice Speedway World Championship.[4] He also won a silver and bronze medal at the Championships.[5]
In 1970, he was selected for the Czechoslovakia junior team for their tour of Britain.[6] In 1974, he represented his country in a test series against England.[7]
He rode in two world longtrack finals in 1973 and 1974.[8]
He rode in the top tier of British Speedway from 1979 to 1983, riding for Ipswich Witches and Swindon Robins.[9]
World final appearances
Individual Ice Speedway World Championship
- 1971
Inzell, 3rd – 21pts - 1973 Inzell, 6th – 21pts
- 1974
Nässjö, champion – 15 pts - 1975
Moscow, 12th – 8pts - 1976
Assen, 2nd – 27pts - 1978 Assen, 17th – 2pts
- 1980 Kalinin, 11th – 10pts
- 1981 Assen, 14th – 6pts
World Longtrack Championship
Personal life and death
His father, Miloslav Špinka, was also an international speedway rider.[10]
Milan Špinka died on 14 August 2024, at the age of 73.[11]
References
- ^ "Speedway riders, history and results". wwosbackup. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
- ^ "Milan Spinka". GrasstrackGB. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
- ^ "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
- ^ "Ice Speedway". Speedway.org. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
- ^ Montague, Trevor (2004). The A-Z of Sport. Little, Brown. p. 530. ISBN 0-316-72645-1.
- ^ "Czechs open speedway tour at Romford tonight". Reading Evening Post. 6 August 1970. Retrieved 19 January 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Browning for England". Walsall Observer. 19 April 1974. Retrieved 17 August 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Track talk". Sports Argus. 22 June 1974. Retrieved 27 August 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "History Archive". British Speedway. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
- ^ "Milan Spinka is 70: An expert on sand and ice". Speedweek. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
- ^ "V 73 letech zemřel Milan Špinka, legenda ploché dráhy". iDNES.cz (in Czech). Mafra. Czech News Agency. 14 August 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2024.