Racing to a world title - Bradley Wilson-Dean, from Hawke's Bay.
Racing to a world title - Bradley Wilson-Dean, from Hawke's Bay.
A Hawke’s Bay racer has scored one of New Zealand’s biggest triumphs in international speedway this century by winning the USA National Open final.
Born in Hastings and in father and fellow racer Darrin Wilson’s words “New Zealand speedway’s greatest export”, the 28-year-old Bradley Wilson-Dean won the title at ActionPark East and Champion Speedway at Owego, NY, in two nights of racing on Saturday and Sunday.
He is the first non-American rider to win the title, and is now back in the UK where he lives in Leicester. There is growing interest in him racing in Europe as he strives for the dream of riding in the World Speedway championships, which New Zealand riders Ronnie Moore, Barry Briggs and Ivan Mauger won 12 times between them from 1954 to 1979.
Way to go at Owego, as Bradley Wilson-Dean (left) enjoys the moment of triumph in the US.
His father, who’s raced speedway for 42 years, won American pairs speedway titles in 2018 and 2019 and expects to be racing again in the six solo bikes nights at Meeanee Speedway, Napier in the coming season.
He said the win by “BWD”, as his son is often referred to in the speedway scene, was possibly the biggest New Zealand success in international speedway since Mitch Shirra was second in the World long-track championship in Germany in 1992.
A young hopeful in 2016, Bradley Wilson-Dean off to race professionally in England. Photo / NZME
It was tough going for Wilson-Dean, who’s won 14 New Zealand national titles in speedway and motocross dating back to primary school days.
At the weekend he made it through two rounds of five races each and Sunday’s final of four races for a points win, despite a crash, though not as severe as some bone-breaking outcomes of the past.
He posted on Facebook soon afterwards: “I’ll post something more about it once it’s morning here. Just in a lot of pain after the crash in the third finals race.”
But he’s used to it, having in 2020 won a fourth New Zealand Speedway Championship riding with a broken collar bone.
Wilson-Dean began riding speedway at Meeanee at the age of 12 and progressed to riding 500cc machines in 2011 when he was 15, the same year he rode in The FIM Speedway Youth Gold Trophy series in Sweden, and placed 4th.
Bradley Wilson-Dean, in second place in a previous race, has raced is way into US history on the speedway track. Photo / Getty
In 2015, he joined the Eastbourne Eagles in the National League in England. He’s ridden for several clubs since then, and is now expected to attract offers to race for clubs in Europe.
Doug Laing is a senior reporter based in Napier with Hawke’s Bay Today, and has 50 years of journalism experience in news gathering, including breaking news, sports, local events, issues, and personalities.
