99:(USA). Starting from near the back of the field, Cunneen fought his way through the star-studded line-up to establish a commanding lead. He appeared certain to snare the title when, entering the final lap, a pin sheared in his steering box, sending him careening into the wall of the arena and resulting in one of the most spectacular crashes in Australian Speedway history. Cunneen was thrown from his car, but remained attached to the somersaulting vehicle by his lap belt. Remarkably, he was not seriously injured.
87:– a time when crowds regularly exceeded 30,000 people – and competed in an incredible 247 feature races at the famous arena, more than any other driver in history. Known for his skilful driving and consistency, Cunneen amassed 18 wins, 23 seconds and 29 thirds at the Showground during his career.
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Cunneen began his speedway career in the mid-1950s and quickly established himself as one of the country's elite drivers. In 1957, he took 4th place in the NSW Championship, 7th in the
Australian Championship and 2nd place in the World Derby. Higher honours did not elude him for long as he claimed
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In 1961, Cunneen competed in the World Derby amongst a host of the era's biggest stars, including state champions, Jack O'Dea (Victoria) and Bruce
Rickard (South Australia), and international drivers, Bob Tattersall (USA) and
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The toughest driver I've raced against? I suppose I would have to say Jeff
Freeman, don't get me wrong, Freeman was not as skilled as, say, Peter Cunneen at his peak...
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In 1965, at the height of his powers, Cunneen edged out Lew
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Ghosts in the Bull Pens: Speedway Racing at the Sydney
Showground Royale
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speedway driver who competed during the 1950s and 1960s. He won the
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Cunneen raced during a golden age for speedway at the
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248:Peter White's 100 Aussie Legends of the Speedway
127:Australian Motorsports Driver of the Year (1965)
109:Cunneen retired from speedway racing in 1969.
78:Three-time Australian Champion, Johnny Stewart
196:Australian Speedway – An Illustrated History
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55:(5 July 1926 – 24 November 2007) was an
124:Australian Speedcar Championship (1965)
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151:. Full Throttle Publishing. 2012.
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338:Ampol Australian Sporting Records
174:A History of Australian Speedway
121:QLD Speedcar Championship (1958)
118:NSW Speedcar Championship (1958)
104:Australian Speedcar Championship
61:Australian Speedcar Championship
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365:Images of the Cunneen Brothers
280:Speedway's Sensational Sixties
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198:. Working Class Productions.
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390:Australian speedway riders
250:. Peter White Publishing.
340:. Transworld Publishers.
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16:Australian speedway rider
314:. NASR National Office
172:Shepherd, Jim (2003).
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336:Blanch, John (1988).
278:Loxley, Tony (2008).
246:White, Peter (2012).
194:Tony, Loxley (2004).
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113:Achievements
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44:(2007-11-24)
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385:2007 deaths
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34:5 July 1926
374:Categories
318:9 February
132:References
57:Australian
63:in 1965.
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67:Career
342:ISBN
320:2014
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39:Died
31:Born
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