Speedway Racer Lee Richardson Dies Following Crash

Dennis Chung
by Dennis Chung

British racer Lee Richardson succumbed to injuries suffered after crashing into fencing during a Speedway race in Poland.

Richardson, 33, was competing in Poland’s top-tier Ekstraliga speedway division, racing for the PGE Marma Rzeszów team at a track in Wroclaw, Poland.

Running on the inside on the first lap of a heat race, Richardson’s front wheel clipped the rear of another racer’s, sending the Hastings, England, racer tumbling into the fencing along the back straight. Richardson received a severe blow to the chest, suffering internal injuries and breathing difficulties.

Richardson was taken to hospital and underwent surgery but died in the operating room on My 13 at 8 pm local time. He is survived by his wife and three sons.

“I am numb and just can’t take this in, Lee’s loss to his family is beyond imagination and I can’t see further than that at the moment,” says Jon Cook, co-promoter of Richardson’s British racing club, the Lakeside Hammers.

Richardson is a former Under-21 Speedway World Champion and was also crowned the 2003 Elite League Riders championship in the U.K. Richardson holds the Speedway World Cup British team’s all-time leading point-scorer with 240 points in 10 tournaments.

To honor Richardson’s memory, the Ekstraliga will observe a minute of silence ahead of all of its matches on May 20. Ekstraliga will also raise flags of mourning.

“On behalf of the FIM, I extend my deepest condolences to Lee’s family, friends and team for this tragic loss.” says Vito Ippolito, president of the International Motorcycling Federation.

[Source: FIM, Lakeside Hammers, Stal Rzeszów]

Dennis Chung
Dennis Chung

Dennis has been a part of the Motorcycle.com team since 2008, and through his tenure, has developed a firm grasp of industry trends, and a solid sense of what's to come. A bloodhound when it comes to tracking information on new motorcycles, if there's a new model on the horizon, you'll probably hear about it from him first.

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