Tai Woffinden: ‘King of speedway’ wins historic Torrens Trophy

Tai Woffinden has been awarded the prestigious Royal Automobile Club’s Torrens Trophy, a signal honour and a significant one for the profile of this sometimes overlooked branch of motorsport.

The trophy has been awarded since 1978 for special achievement in the field of motorcycling. It was first awarded in 1978 in memory of Arthur Bourne, a motorcycling journalist who wrote a column under the name Torrens. It has only been awarded 11 times in its history and only when the RAC feels that the achievement justifies it.

Woffinden’s achievements have merited that recognition. The “King of Speedway” screamed his way into the record books when he won his third world championship title last year, and became the most successful British speedway rider of all time, emulating speedway aces Freddie Williams and Peter Craven.

Barrie Baxter, chairman of the RAC Torrens Trophy nominations committee, said: “To be world champion in something as demanding as speedway is very special but to do it three times is a remarkable achievement and one that deserves far more recognition than it currently receives”.

Woffinden, who also won world championship titles in 2013 and 2015, said: “I’m pretty strong in the head but there were times when I was thinking, ‘wow, man, this is tough’. This was my hardest one to date, both physically and mentally.”

He explains speedway in a nutshell: “It’s pretty much motorsport in its rawest form. We race 500cc motorbikes that weigh around 77g, and they accelerate faster than an F1 car with top speeds of up to 80mph.

“The big difference is we don’t have brakes. The bike just has a throttle, clutch and one gear and we race on shale-based oval tracks and you basically power-slide around the corners.”

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Woffinden, 28, is the son of former speedway rider Rob Woffinden. Although born in England and competing as a British rider, Tai grew up in Perth, Western Australia, after his parents Rob and Sue emigrated in 1994.

Seven-times Isle of Man TT winner Mick Grant added: “His unflappable approach is an example many of his competitors should try to copy. Last year in Slovenia he was unfairly excluded for being late to the tapes by a fraction of a second.

“I saw Tai, not kick his bike, and not verbally abuse the referee, but just come out stronger. He is a credit to the sport and deserves this recognition.”

Despite its name, the Royal Automobile Club has always had a close association with the motorcycling world. The club formed the Auto Cycle Club in 1903, which went on to become the Auto Cycle Union in 1947.

The first motorcycle race was held on the Isle of Man in 1905 for cars – two years before the first Tourist Trophy for motorcycles. The Tourist Trophy, or TT race, remains the oldest continuously competed for motorsport event.

Previous winners of the Torrens Trophy include Jonathan Rea (2017), for being the first rider to win three consecutive World Superbike championships, and 2008 World Superbike champion James Toseland.