His father was a
fireman and he was born in the Govan Fire Station in 1940. Harkins was initially a star of
cycle speedway who represented Scotland and reached two World Finals. He competed on motorcycles in road racing and first rode a speedway bike in 1961. In 1968, he travelled to Australia where he won the
Victorian Individual Speedway Championship. He moved on to
Wimbledon Dons in 1973, where he rode for three seasons and won the
London Cup with them in 1974. He rode in the United States in 1976 with the Bakersfield Bandits. staying until the end of the 1979 season. Harkins was also known to take his pre-meeting parade lap (on his bike) while wearing his tartan hat and
kilt. In 1977, Harkins won the Scottish Open Championship in
Blantyre. After speedway he concentrated on his motorcycle spares and accessories business, Bert Harkins Racing, and later managed the Scotland national team. In 2008 he became President of the World Speedway Riders Association, taking over the position from
Ivan Mauger. == World Final appearances ==