British motorcycle speedway rider
David James Morton (born 24 September 1953 in Eccles, Lancashire) is a former international motorcycle speedway rider from England.[1] He earned 18 international caps for the England national speedway team.[2]
Career
Morton started his career with the Crewe Kings during the 1971 British League Division Two season.[3] He was signed by Hackney Hawks in 1973 from Crewe Kings but missed almost the entire 1977 season with a broken leg. He requested a transfer in 1978 and was swapped for Finn Thomsen from Wolverhampton Wolves.
His best domestic season on an individual basis was the 1976 British League season, when he recorded an impressive 10.28 league average for Hackney.[4] He won the British Best Pairs in 1975.[5]
He won the New Zealand Championship in 1975. He was also British Finalist (1975, 1976, 1978, 1980) and New Zealand Champion (1975).[6]
He retired in 1988.
Personal life
His brother Chris Morton was also a speedway rider and the third most England and British capped rider of all time.[2]
Morton now works for Swissport (formerly Servisair) at Manchester Airport as a technician on the ground support equipment for the aircraft when they are at the airport terminal. He lives in Manchester with his partner, Bernadette.
He likes music, especially blues and rock and bluegrass and plays a bit of banjo. He is the author of a memoir about his time in Speedway, Tapes, Breaks and Heartaches.[7]
