1960 Southern Area Riders' Championship
# 1960 Southern Area Riders' Championship

The 1960 Southern Area Riders' Championship was the final edition of the Southern Area League Riders' Championship, which was a motorcycle speedway competition.

## History

From 1954 until 1959 the Southern Area League held a competition for its leading riders called the Southern Area League Riders' Championship. It was the second tier of speedway racing in the United Kingdom for Southern British teams.

However, in 1960, British speedway underwent a major revamp with the introduction of the 1960 Provincial Speedway League, which would act as the new second tier of speedway in Britain.

The five teams that previously formed the Southern League were forced to decide what direction they would take. Ipswich Witches joined the National League (the top division) and Yarmouth Bloaters joined the Provincial League. The remaining three teams Eastbourne Eagles, Aldershot Shots and Rye House Rockets were without a league, so they ran a series of challenge matches throughout 1960. The riders of the three teams competed in the Riders' Championship, which continued into 1960.

## Result

Ross Gilbertson won the Southern Area Riders' Championship. The final was held at Arlington Stadium on 25 September.

| Pos. | Rider | Club | Pts |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Ross Gilbertson | Eastbourne | 15 |
| 2 | Stan Stevens | Rye House | 14 |
| 3 | Ken Adams | Stoke | 13 |
| 4 | Eric Hockaday | Aldershot | 12 |
| 5 | John Dugard | Eastbourne | 10 |
| 6 | Tommy Sweetman | Rye House | 9 |
| 7 | Geoff Mudge | Poole | 8 |
| 8 | Jim Heard | Eastbourne | 7 |
| 9 | Bob Dugard | Eastbourne | 6 |
| 10 | Bill Osborne | Aldershot | 5 |
| 11 | Pete Sampson | Rye House | 4 |
| 12 | Clive Hitch | Rye House | 4 |
| 13 | Jimmy Gleed | Rye House | 4 |
| 14 | Colin Gooddy | Eastbourne | 3 |
| 15 | Dave Still | Eastbourne | 3 |
| 16 | John Edwards | Aldershot | 3 |
| 17 | Bob Warner (res) | Eastbourne | 0 |
| 18 | Geoff Pennikett (res) | Eastbourne | 0 |
