Nigel Boocock

Nigel Boocock

Born	(1937-09-17)17 September 1937 Wakefield, England
Died	Queensland, Australia
Nationality	British
Current club information
Career status	Deceased
Career history
1955-1957 1957 1958 1959-1976 1977-1978 1979-1980 1979	Bradford Tudors Birmingham Brummies Ipswich Witches Coventry Bees Bristol Bulldogs Exeter Falcons Canterbury Crusaders
Individual honours
1968 1969	Midland Riders' Champion South Australian Champion
Team honours
1968 1967 1968 1966, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1976	British League Champions British League KO Cup Winners World Team Cup Midland Cup

Nigel Boocock (17 September 1937 – 3 April 2015) was a British speedway rider who appeared in eight Speedway World Championship finals and was a reserve in one other (1962).

Career

Born in Wakefield, England, Boocock started his career with the Bradford Tudors in 1955 and stayed there until 1957, followed by spells with the Birmingham Brummies and the Ipswich Witches, before moving in 1959 to the Coventry Bees. He spent the next eighteen seasons with the Bees, winning the British League Championship in 1968.

Boocock was the first English rider to win the prestigious FIM Internationale meeting held at Wimbledon. He was known for the blue leathers he raced in when most other riders wore black leathers – he was nicknamed "Little Boy Blue". He appeared with brother Eric Boocock in the 1970 Speedway World Pairs Championship finals, finishing in third place. He was also a regular England International rider and captain of the National team for many years.

Personal life

Boocock married Cynthia Boon in 1958, and they had three children, Victoria, Darren and Mandy. He and Cynthia retired to Australia, which he had visited on numerous occasions with British Lions and England teams during the English winter months. For some time they lived in Maroubra (Sydney), NSW; and Darren and Mandy attended Maroubra Bay Public School.

In 2006, Boocock, who continued to support junior speedway and speedway in general, joined former World Champion Ivan Mauger, and other guests such as South Australian speedway legends John Boulger and Bill Wigzell, Australian flagman Glen Dix, and former Rowley Park Speedway (Adelaide, South Australia) promoter Kym Bonython for the official opening of a junior speedway track on the infield of one of Australia's premier motorcycle speedways, the Gillman Speedway in Adelaide. Bonython officially opened the 111 metre long track, with Boocock and Boulger acting as starting marshals for the night.

In 2008 his son Darren Boocock, a former rider and Coventry Bees mascot, and his wife Sharon were killed in a road accident in Yorkshire. His and Cynthia's children each had at least one child Jack, Daniel, Carl, Thomas and Liam

Nigel Boocock died on 3 April 2015, aged 77.

World final appearances

Individual World Championship

• 1962 - London, Wembley Stadium - Reserve, did not ride
• 1963 - London, Wembley Stadium - 7th - 8pts
• 1964 - Göteborg, Ullevi - 9th - 6pts
• 1965 - London, Wembley Stadium - 8th - 8pts
• 1966 - Göteborg, Ullevi - 15th - 2pt
• 1968 - Göteborg, Ullevi - 16th - 1pt
• 1969 - London, Wembley Stadium - 4th - 10pts
• 1971 - Göteborg, Ullevi - 9th - 6pts
• 1972 - London, Wembley Stadium - 10th - 6pts

World Pairs Championship

• 1969* - Stockholm, Gubbängens IP (with Martin Ashby) - 3rd - 21pts (11)
• 1970 - Malmö, Malmö Stadion (with Eric Boocock) - 3rd - 19pts (6)

* Unofficial World Championships.

World Team Cup

• 1960 - Göteborg, Ullevi (with Peter Craven / Ron How / Ken McKinlay) - 2nd - 30pts (1)
• 1964 - Abensberg, Abensberg Stadion (with Barry Briggs / Ron How / Ken McKinlay / Brian Brett) - 3rd - 21pts (3)
• 1965 - Kempten (with Barry Briggs / Charlie Monk / Ken McKinlay / Jimmy Gooch) - 3rd - 18pts (6)
• 1966 - Wrocław, Olympic Stadium (with Barry Briggs / Terry Betts / Ivan Mauger / Colin Pratt) - 4th - 8pts (4)
• 1968 - London, Wembley Stadium (with Ivan Mauger / Barry Briggs / Martin Ashby / Norman Hunter) - Winner - 40pts (10)
• 1969 - Rybnik, Rybnik Municipal Stadium (with Martin Ashby / Ivan Mauger / Barry Briggs) - 2nd - 27pts (5)
• 1970 - London, Wembley Stadium (with Ivan Mauger / Barry Briggs / Eric Boocock / Ray Wilson) - 2nd - 31pts (2)