Len Silver is the latest inductee into British Speedway’s Hall of Fame. The veteran Kent Speedway co-promoter was surprised before yesterday’s (Tuesday 20/7) home meeting with Eastbourne by the presentation of the commemorative framed race jacket and the news of his great honour.
Born in Bow, London in 1932 Len was initially a star at the burgeoning sport of Cycle Speedway which sprung up on the bomb sites of his native East End and he showed his promotional acumen even as a schoolboy by organising an East London League of the pedal powered version of the sport. Called up for National Service, Len rode Speedway in Germany whilst in the RAF and on his return to civvy street began his league Speedway career with Ipswich Witches in the early 1950s. Moving to Exeter Falcons, Len was a long standing holder of the Silver Sash match race championship title and in 1962 established his credentials as a top English star by winning the Provincial League Riders’ Championship.
Unfortunately injury cut his racing career short and in 1964 he turned to the promotional side of the sport – a role he remarkably at 89 years of age continues in to this very day: the longest serving promoter (by some considerable distance) in the history of the sport.
Len first promoted back in his native East End at Hackney Wick and then at a long succession of tracks including Rayleigh, Crewe, Sunderland and Rye House. He also became Great Britain team manager in the early 1970s, winning the World Team Cup in 1973 and then persuading the authorities to change the national team name to England and leading his country to a run of world championship glory in that decade.
Relocated by this time to Kent, Len became the driving force alongside Roger Cearns in getting the professional sport back into the county with the opening of Speedway at Central Park in 2013. He works tirelessly as co-promoter at Kent, out for hours on the track on his trusty tractor and completely defies Father Time to be not just the oldest but quite possibly the most active promoter in the sport.
Being presented with the honour yesterday by seven times British Champion and current TouchTec Kings’ skipper Scott Nicholls, Len commented, “When I was presented with a Speedway Hall of Fame memorabilia before the meeting against Eastbourne started, I just knew that Lady Luck was shining on me. It isn't a common award and I am gobsmacked that I was chosen to be in the Hall of Fame and I am humbled by the honour.”