Wembley and Beyond

Barry Briggs was born in New Zealand in 1934. He won the World Individual Speedway Championship four times - in 1957, 1958, 1964 and 1966. He appeared in a record 17 consecutive World Individual finals (1954-1970) and a record 18 in all, during which he scored a record 201 points. He also won the London Riders' Championship in 1955 whilst riding for the Wimbledon Dons. He's a six-time winner of the British Championship, winning his first final in 1961 and then dominated the 60s by winning in 1964,1965,1966,1967 and 1969.

His life has been a stream of adventures - and not just in the world of speedway. WEMBLEY AND BEYOND has stories about his adventures diamond mining in the jungles of Liberia, looking down the barrel of an AK-47 rifle held by an irate soldier and losing $43 million in 24 hours. He went through the agony of a beloved wife dying of cancer, his son having a major speedway accident and facing paralysis, he taught Steve McQueen to slide a speedway bike and many other things.

Barry Briggs was born in New Zealand in 1934. He won the World Individual Speedway Championship four times and appeared in a record 18 in all. He's also a six-time winner of the British Championship, dominating the 60s by winning in 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967 and 1969.
His life has been a stream of adventures - not just in the world of speedway. Through diamond mining in Liberia, the agony of losing his wife to cancer, looking down the barrel of an AK-47 and even teaching Steve McQueen to slide a speedway bike, Barry Briggs has always lived life in the fast lane.

It started on a cold, frosty morning in 1951 in Christchurch, New Zealand, with a 17-year-old-boy, a crate of sheep kidneys and a dream: The boss of the city's Belfast meatworks, had arrived an hour early to set up for the day, when he noticed one of his workers packing up a crate on the countertop. The young lad was battling to move it so the boss went over to help. When asked what time he'd started, the boy replied '5 o'clock this morning'. Stunned, and amused, the boss told him he'd be earning a good bonus at the end of the week, and wondered aloud what he'd spend it on. But the boy knew, and immediately replied, 'I'm going to race speedway in England.' And he did. That boy was Barry Briggs, and it was just the start of his great adventure. Little did he know he was soon to become the legendary speedway racer more commonly known as Briggo and later, as Barry Briggs MBE. From dangerous encounters in the jungles of Liberia to teaching Steve McQueen to slide a speedway bike, Briggo's incredible story is one of strength, determination and a life lived firmly in the fast lane.

Barry Briggs was born in New Zealand in 1934. He won the World Individual Speedway Championship four times - in 1957, 1958, 1964 and 1966. He appeared in a record 17 consecutive World Individual finals (1954-1970) and a record 18 in all, during which he scored a record 201 points. He also won the London Riders' Championship in 1955 whilst riding for the Wimbledon Dons. He's a six-time winner of the British Championship, winning his first final in 1961 and then dominated the 60s by winning in 1964,1965,1966,1967 and 1969.His life has been a stream of adventures - and not just in the world of speedway. WEMBLEY AND BEYOND has stories about his adventures diamond mining in the jungles of Liberia, looking down the barrel of an AK-47 rifle held by an irate soldier and losing $43 million in 24 hours. He went through the agony of a beloved wife dying of cancer, his son having a major speedway accident and facing paralysis, he taught Steve McQueen to slide a speedway bike and many other things.

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