Daniel Robert King (born 14 August 1986) is a British speedway rider.[1] He earned six international caps for the Great Britain national speedway team.[2]
 | |
| Born | 14 August 1986 Maidstone, England |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British (English) |
| Career history | |
| Great Britain | |
| 2001–2003, 2007–2008 | Peterborough |
| 2002 | Swindon |
| 2003, 2014 | Arena Essex/Lakeside |
| 2003 | Reading |
| 2003–2004, 2006 | Mildenhall |
| 2003–2006, 2009–2010, 2015–2025 | Ipswich |
| 2005 | Rye House |
| 2011–2014 | Birmingham |
| 2014 | Newcastle |
| 2015–2016 | Coventry |
| 2017–2018 | Leicester |
| 2019 | Sheffield |
| 2020–2022 | Poole |
| 2023–2025 | Redcar |
| Poland | |
| 2008 | Ostrów |
| Denmark | |
| 2015 | Munkebo |
| Individual honours | |
| 2016 | British Champion |
| 2004 | British Under 18 Champion |
| Team honours | |
| 2022 | tier 1 Pairs winner |
| 2023 | tier 1 KO Cup winner |
| 2005, 2021, 2022 | tier 2 league champions |
| 2021, 2022 | tier 2 KO Cup winner |
| 2005 | tier 2 Premier Trophy |
| 2015 | tier 2 Pairs winner |
| 2002, 2003, 2004, 2024 | tier 3 league champions |
| 2003 | tier 3 KO Cup winner |
| 2007 | Elite Shield Winner |
Career
editBorn in Maidstone, King began his career in 2001 with Peterborough Pumas.[3] He has raced for Ipswich Witches, Birmingham Brummies, Lakeside Hammers, and Coventry Bees in the Elite League.[1] His brother Jason was also a speedway rider.[1]
In 2007 he finished fifth in the British Championship and qualified as a reserve for the 2007 British Grand Prix. In September 2007, King was selected to represent Great Britain for the 2007 Under 21-World Cup Final.
King captained the Birmingham Brummies in 2011, when the club were accepted into the Elite League. In 2015, he won the Premier League Pairs Championship partnering Rohan Tungate, for Ipswich Witches during the 2015 Premier League speedway season.[4]
On 13 June 2016, King became British Champion for the first time in his career after winning the 2016 British Speedway Championship.[1][5] During the 2016 Elite League he finished 8th in the division 1 averages riding for Coventry Bees and 2nd in the averages riding for Ipswich Witches.[6] The following season he joined the Leicester Lions in division 1 and spent two seasons with them, while still impressing for Ipswich in division 2. In 2019, Ipswich moved up a division to the SGB Premiership 2019, which resulted in King riding for them in the top tier and joining Sheffield Tigers in division 2.
During 2021 and 2022, King rode for the Ipswich Witches in the SGB Premiership and the Poole Pirates in the SGB Championship.[7] His move to Poole resulted in a collection of silverware as he captained the Pirates to league and cup double during the SGB Championship 2021. The following season (with King as captain again) Poole successfully defended their League and British Division 2 KO Cup titles.[8] In addition he won the Premiership pairs with Ipswich.[9]
In 2023, he signed for Ipswich for the SGB Premiership 2023, it was a 7th consecutive season with the club and he captained the team when they won the Knockout Cup.[10] He also signed for Redcar Bears for the SGB Championship 2023 after being released by Poole.[11] He remained the Ipswich captain for 2024.[12] He re-signed for Redcar for the 2024 season.[13]
He won the 2024 Pairs Championship with Charles Wright.[14]
Honours and international competitions
edit- British Under-18 Champion (2004)
- British Champion (2016) – Belle Vue (13 points)[1]
Speedway Grand Prix
edit1 SGP, 7 points (2016).[1]
Others
edit- Individual U-21 World Championship
- 2005 – Stadion Wiener Neustadt – 15th place (4 points)
- 2007 – Pista Olimpia Terenzano – 9th place (3 points)
- Team U-21 World Championship:
- 2007 – Altes Stadion Abensberg – Silver medal (5 points)
- Speedway World Cup
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f "Rider Index", speedwaygb.co. Retrieved 24 March 2017
- ^ "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "2008 Rider index" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ "PAIR-FECTION FOR WITCHES". British Speedway. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
- ^ Damerell, Richard (2016) "Danny King wins British speedway final at Belle Vue", Sky Sports, 14 June 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2017
- ^ "Hard work pays off for Coventry Bees star Danny King". Coventry Observer. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
- ^ "Danny King". Ipswich Witches. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
- ^ "Pirates are Cup Kings". British Speedway. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
- ^ "Witches win Premiership Pairs". British Speedway. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
- ^ "King returns for Ipswich". British Speedway. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
- ^ "Bears name full side". British Speedway. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
- ^ "Skipper King returns". British Speedway. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- ^ "Jorgensen back as Bears name team". British Speedway. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ^ "Charles Wright helps Redcar Bears pull off incredible comeback". Cumbria Crack. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
- ^ "Coventry Bees star Danny King helps Great Britain secure silver at Speedway World Cup Final", Coventry Observer, 3 August 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2017