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Kenneth Lloyd Goffe (30 January 1913 – 18 October 1984) was a British motorcycle speedway rider. He earned one international cap for the England national speedway team.

Career

Goffe began his racing career in 1934 at the sand track in the resort of California near Wokingham, riding for prize money. He then concentrated on grasstrack racing, winning the South of England Grass Track Championship at Basingstoke in 1936. He bought a 500cc Rudge bike from "Froggy" French in 1936, which he used in his early speedway rides, impressing sufficiently to receive offers from both Hackney Wick Wolves and the Johnny Hoskins-managed West Ham Hammers, signing for the latter in 1937. He had a brief spell with the Leicester Hounds team, riding in three matches in 1937 before the club withdrew from the Provincial League.

His performances progressed after transferring to the Harringay Tigers later that season, staying with the team until the outbreak of World War II. During the war, he served as a fitter in the Royal Air Force.

After the end of the war, Goffe joined the Wimbledon Dons in 1946. His riding style led to him being nicknamed "Cowboy". He achieved one of his ambitions in 1946 by beating the Wembley captain Bill Kitchen in a race. In 1948 Goffe rejoined Harringay (now the 'Racers') for a £1,350 transfer fee, where he won the Anniversary Cup in 1949 and by 1950 his career completed a full circle when he rejoined West Ham.

In 1951 he signed and rode for Odsal Tudors and started the 1952 season there before he joined the St Austell Gulls.

World Final Appearances

• 1949 – London, Wembley Stadium – 14th – 2pts

References

1. Addison J. (1948). The People Speedway Guide. Odhams Press Limited
2. "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
3. ^ Storey, Basil (1947) "From an Office Stool to Cinders", in Speedway Favourites, Sport-in-Print, p. 5
4. ^ May, Cyril (1963) "Riders I Remember: Fighting 'Cowboy'", Speedway Star, 30 November 1963, p. 14
5. ^ Jones, Alan (2010) Speedway in Leicester: The Pre-War Years, Automedia, p. 180
6. "Lloyd Goffe achieves ambition". South Western Star. 11 October 1946. Retrieved 23 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
7. Belton, Brian (2003). Hammerin' Round. Stroud: Tempus Publishing ISBN 0-7524-2438-6
8. "Lloyd Goffe joins Odsal". Halifax Evening Courier. 8 May 1951. Retrieved 23 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.

• 1913 births
• 1984 deaths
• Military personnel from Reading, Berkshire
• British speedway riders
• English motorcycle racers
• West Ham Hammers riders
• Harringay Racers riders
• Wimbledon Dons riders
• St Austell Gulls riders
• Sportspeople from Reading, Berkshire
• Royal Air Force airmen
• Royal Air Force personnel of World War II
• 20th-century English sportsmen