Ivan Mauger

Ivan Gerald Mauger (4 October 1939 – 16 April 2018; last name pronounced "Major") was a New Zealand motorcycle speedway rider. He won a record six World Championships (Finals), a feat equalled only with the inclusion of the Speedway GP Championships by Bartosz Zmarzlik of Poland and Tony Rickardsson of Sweden. In 2010, Mauger was named an FIM Legend for his motorcycling achievements.

Career United Kingdom Mauger first arrived in the UK as a 17-year-old aboard the SS Rangitoto, which docked at Tilbury in 1957, with his teenage bride Raye, renting a one-bedroom flat in Wimbledon around the corner from Plough Lane where Ronnie Moore and Barry Briggs were the star names. Inspired by Moore, Mauger's began racing at Plough Lane in the second-half 'faces of the future' races and assisted the groundsman. He only rode a handful of races for Wimbledon Dons during the 1957 and 1958 seasons.

A major breakthrough in Mauger's career occurred in 1963 when he returned to England with Raye and his young family to join Mike Parker's Provincial league team Newcastle Diamonds. He averaged 10.42 that season and won the Provincial League Riders' Championship, held at Hyde Road on 28 September 1963. He then won the Riders' Championship for the second successive year in 1964 and topped the league averages with an impressive 11.54 average and helping Newcastle win the league title. His 1965 season was interrupted after he broke an ankle riding in a league match.

In 1966, Mauger qualified for his first world final where he finished fourth, and won the first of his six record breaking World Championships in 1968. In 1968, he was considered the league's best rider and after a public falling out with Parker, Mauger put in a transfer request in December 1968, stating that the mental strain of riding with Newcastle was endangering his health.

Mauger joined the Belle Vue Aces in 1969, where he enjoyed his greatest league team achievements. As a Belle Vue Ace he won the title in 1970, 1971 and 1972. In 1969, Mauger finished with a British League record average of 11.67. He dropped only 13 points from his 37 completed League & Speedway Star KO Cup matches. During these matches, he recorded 22 full maximums, and three paid maximums.

Mauger joined the Exeter Falcons in 1973 and would spend five years at the club. In 1977 he equalled Ove Fundin's then-record of five World Championship wins. In 1978 he joined the Hull Vikings, winning his last and record sixth world title in 1979. He left Hull in 1981, but returned in 1984 at the age of 44 for Exeter where he competed in home meetings.

Australasia

In his home country of New Zealand, Mauger is considered a national sporting hero. He has won the New Zealand Championship on two occasions (1974 and 1981), and scored his first podium in the championship with second in 1959 behind then dual World Champion Barry Briggs.

Adelaide based Speedway promoter Kym Bonython signed Mauger to ride the 1960/61 Australian season based at the Rowley Park Speedway. Mauger had considerable success riding in Australia throughout his career. In 1962 he was the Australian Long Track Champion, as well as the Victorian and Queensland State Champion. He also finished runner up in the 1962 Australian Solo Championship in Rockhampton, Queensland. He would repeat his Victorian Championship win in 1963, and would finish third in the Australian Championship in the same year. Ten years later in 1973, Mauger would win the Western Australian State Championship, held at the Claremont Speedway in Perth.

Mauger credits advice he received from Australia's former World Champion Jack Young (whose home track was Rowley Park when Mauger was based for the season) for steering him on the path to becoming a World Champion himself. Young told Mauger that it isn't the fastest rider who wins the World Championship, it's the rider who at the end of the meeting had scored the most points and that to get there he had to conserve his bike to make sure he finished. Being the fastest rider didn't mean much if he led a race until half a lap from home but had pushed the bike beyond its limits and didn't finish. Ironically the same fate awaited Mauger in the 1961 Australian Long track Championship when his clutch gave out after leading 4½ laps, but he would make amends and win the title in 1962 at Port Pirie.

Mauger was the Australasian Grand Prix winner in 1971, 1972 and 1973 at the Liverpool Speedway in Sydney. He later would win the Australasian Championship in 1977 at the Sydney Showground Speedway, and in 1981 again at Liverpool. Mauger rode his last meeting in Australia back where he first rode in the country in Adelaide. Mauger rode in the South Australia 150 Jubilee at the Wayville Showground in 1986. There he was presented with the winners trophy by his idol Jack Young.

International Mauger is considered to be one of the best speedway riders of all-time and jointly holds the record for most Speedway World Championship wins with Sweden's Tony Rickardsson, and Poland's Bartosz Zmarzlik, with six wins each.

Mauger won the Individual Speedway World Championship in 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1977 and 1979. He was runner up in 1971, 1973 and 1974, and third in 1967. Mauger's second place in 1971 at the Ullevi Stadium in Sweden was to the man whom he not only taught to ride a speedway bike but would become his great friend and rival throughout the 1970s, Denmark's Ole Olsen.

Representing New Zealand, Mauger was the Speedway World Pairs Champion in 1969 with Bob Andrews (1969 was the unofficial World Championship), and 1970 with Ronnie Moore. The 1970 Pairs Championship held at the Malmö Stadion in Malmö, Sweden, was the first official FIM World Championship held for Pairs. He would finish runner up in the championship in 1971, 1972, 1978 and 1981, before one last podium in 1984 when he finished third with Mitch Shirra.

Mauger was also the Speedway World Team Cup Champion in 1968, 1969 and 1971 while riding for Great Britain (the British team regularly consisted of riders from the Commonwealth nations). He would win the title again in 1979 as captain of New Zealand.

During his career, Mauger also raced in the World Long Track Championship, winning the title in 1971, 1972 and 1976, bringing his total of World Championships in speedway racing to 15. Mauger was also runner up at the Longtrack Championship in 1974 and 1975, beaten both times by West Germany's Egon Müller, who himself would go on to win the Speedway World Championship in 1983.

Honours and awards Mauger was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1976 New Year Honours, for services to speedway riding. In the 1989 New Year Honours, he was promoted to Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to speedway sport.

Mauger was an inaugural inductee into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1990. He was voted the prestigious Millennium Man of Speedway by the readers of Speedway Star and Vintage Speedway Magazine in December 1999. He was selected by the Olympic Committee to carry the Olympic Torch at the Sydney Games, an honour which he performed on 12 June 2000.

In 1970, two men in the USA named George Wenn and Ray Bokelman said that if Ivan Mauger won his third World Final in a row at Wrocław (Poland), they would have the winning bike gold plated. Mauger duly won the World Final that year, and true to their promise, the bike was taken to America and Gold plated, and so was born the "Triple Crown Special". The machine is on display at Canterbury Museum in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Personal life Mauger and his wife of over 60 years, Raye, lived on Australia's Gold Coast. He was an active supporter of speedway, attending many meetings throughout the Australian season, as well as the Speedway Grand Prix of New Zealand, held at the Western Springs Stadium in Auckland.

Mauger was president of World Speedway Riders' Association from 2007 to 2008. He died in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, on 16 April 2018.

Titles World Champion: 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1977, 1979 – R/Up 1971, 1973, 1974 New Zealand Sportsperson of the Year (Halberg Award) 1977 and 1979. Long Track World Champion 1971, 1972, 1976 R/Up 1974, 1975 World Pairs Champion 1969, 1970 R/Up 1971, 1972, 1978, 1981 Speedway World Team Cup Champion 1968, 1971, 1972, 1979 European Champion 1966, 1970, 1971, 1975 British Champion 1968, 1970, 1971, 1972 Intercontinental Champion 1975 New Zealand Champion 1974, 1981 New Zealand Long Track Champion 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986 New Zealand South Island Champion 1977, 1981, 1983 Australasian Champion 1977, 1981 Australasian Grand Prix winner 1970, 1971, 1972 Sunday Times King of Claremont winner 1973, 1980, 1981, 1983 British-Nordic Champion 1968, 1971 British League Riders Champion 1971, 1973 Embassy Internationale Winner 1970, 1971, 1972 Northern Riders Champion 1964, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1972, 1980 Provincial League Riders Champion 1963, 1964 Lubos Tomicek Memorial Trophy Winner 1971, 1972, 1973, 1979 Silver Sash Match Race Champion 1968, 1969 Golden Helmet Match Race Champion 1970 Scottish Open Champion 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973 Scotianapolis Winner 1969, 1970 Welsh Open Champion 1964, 1973 Westernapolis Winner 1968, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975 Leningrad Cup (USSR) Winner 1969 Lokeren Memorial Trophy Winner 1970 Golden Key of Bremen 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975 Australian Long Track Champion 1962 Victorian State Champion (Australia) 1962, 1963 Queensland State Champion (Australia) 1962 Western Australian State Champion 1973 Yorkshire Television Trophy 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980 Lada Indoor International 1979 British Long Track Champion 1980 World Champion of Champions Match Race Series 1989 South Australian 150 Jubilee Trophy 1986

Speedway World Final appearances

Individual World Championship 1966 – Gothenburg, Ullevi – 4th – 11pts 1967 – London, Wembley Stadium – 3rd – 13pts 1968 – Gothenburg, Ullevi – Winner – 15pts 1969 – London, Wembley Stadium – Winner – 14pts 1970 – Wrocław, Olympic Stadium – Winner – 15pts 1971 – Gothenburg, Ullevi – 2nd – 12pts+3pts 1972 – London, Wembley Stadium – Winner – 13pts+3pts 1973 – Chorzów, Silesian Stadium – 2nd – 13pts + F 1974 – Gothenburg, Ullevi – 2nd – 11pts + 3pts 1975 – London, Wembley Stadium – 4th – 12pts + 2pts 1976 – Chorzó, Silesian Stadium – 4th – 11pts 1977 – Gothenburg, Ullevi – Winner – 14pts 1978 – London, Wembley Stadium – 8th – 8pts 1979 – Chorzów, Silesian Stadium – Winner – 14pts

World Pairs Championship 1969 – Stockholm, Gubbängens IP (with Bob Andrews) – Winner – 28pts (18) 1970 – Malmö, Malmö Stadion (with Ronnie Moore) – Winner – 28pts (12) 1971 – Rybnik, Rybnik Municipal Stadium (with Barry Briggs) – 2nd – 25pts (12) 1972 – Borås, Ryavallen (with Ronnie Moore) – 2nd – 24pts (14) 1973 – Borås, Ryavallen (with Graeme Stapleton) – 7th – 10pts (8) 1974 – Manchester, Hyde Road (with Barry Briggs) – 3rd – 21pts (17) 1976 – Eskilstuna, Snälltorpet (with Barry Briggs) – 5th – 15pts (8) 1977 – Manchester, Hyde Road (with Larry Ross) – 5th – 17pts (16) 1978 – Chorzów, Silesian Stadium (with Larry Ross) – 2nd – 24pts (12+2) 1979 – Vojens, Vojens Speedway Center (with Larry Ross) – 6th – 12pts (6) 1980 – Krško, Matija Gubec Stadium (with Larry Ross) – 5th – 16pts (11) 1981 – Chorzów, Silesian Stadium (with Larry Ross) – 2nd – 22pts (12) 1983 – Gothenburg, Ullevi (with Larry Ross) – 7th – 11pts (7) 1984 – Lonigo, Santa Marina Stadium (with Mitch Shirra) – 3rd – 25pts (9+2) 1985 – Rybnik, Rybnik Municipal Stadium (with Mitch Shirra) – 4th – 15pts (8)

World Team Cup 1966 – Wrocław, Olympic Stadium (with Barry Briggs / Terry Betts / Nigel Boocock / Colin Pratt) – 4th – 8pts (3) 1967 – Malmö, Malmö Stadion (with Ray Wilson / Barry Briggs / Eric Boocock / Colin Pratt) – 3rd= – 19pts (2) 1968 – London, Wembley Stadium (with Barry Briggs / Nigel Boocock / Martin Ashby / Norman Hunter) – Winner – 40pts (12) 1969 – Rybnik, Rybnik Municipal Stadium (with Martin Ashby / Nigel Boocock / Barry Briggs / Pete Smith) – 2nd – 27pts (9) 1970 – London, Wembley Stadium (with Barry Briggs / Nigel Boocock / Eric Boocock / Ray Wilson) – 2nd – 31pts (9) 1971 – Wrocław, Olympic Stadium (with Jim Airey / Ray Wilson / Barry Briggs / Ronnie Moore) – Winner – 37pts (10) 1972 – Olching, Olching Speedwaybahn (with Ray Wilson / Terry Betts / John Louis / Ronnie Moore) Winner – 36pts (11) 1979 – London, White City Stadium (with Larry Ross / Mitch Shirra / Bruce Cribb / Roger Abel) – Winner – 35pts (9) 1966–1972 as a member of Great Britain. 1979 with New Zealand

World Longtrack Championship

Finals

1971 – Oslo (Champion) 27pts 1972 – Mühldorf (Champion) 30pts 1974 – Scheeßel (Second) 26pts 1975 – Gornja Radgona (Second) 22pts 1976 – Mariánské Lázně (Champion) 26pts 1977 – Aalborg (9th) 12pts 1978 – Mühldorf (4th) 24pts (lost a run-off to Peter Collins) 1979 – Mariánské Lázně (10th) 8pts 1980 – Scheeßel (8th) 9pts 1981 – Gornja Radgona (11th) 6pts 1982 – Esbjerg (6th) 14pt 1983 – Mariánské Lázně (9th) 11pts 1984 – Herxheim (13th) 5pts 1985 – Esbjerg (15th) 4pts

Grasstrack

Among Mauger's many honours he also took his share on grass. These included titles in the Bewdley Bonanza, the Lydden International and the Western Winner.

Guinness Book of Records Most Individual Championship wins – 9 (6 Speedway / 3 Long track), First person to win World Speedway and Long track Championships in the same year – 1972, Only person to win 3 Individual World Championships in succession – 1968, 1969 and 1970, Most individual World Speedway wins – 6 (joint with Tony Rickardsson and Bartosz Zmarzlik) Most World Championship Finals appearances with 52, First person to win World Speedway, World Long track, World Pairs, and World Team Cup Championships (achieved in 1971 with World Long track win)