[3][4] His small size as a child led to him being given the nickname "Squib", although as an adult he stood at 6 ft 1in tall.
[5] He began his speedway career at Coventry's Foleshill track, transferring to Leicester in Autumn 1928 where he rode in the novice class.
[3] He soon progressed to senior racing, transferring to Rochdale, and won several individual competitions in 1929, including breaking the world record for four laps of track over a quarter of a mile in length with a time of 89.4 seconds.
[6] He first raced in international competition in 1930, as part of the England team that faced Australia for all but the first of the five-test series.
[6] A series of injuries led to Burton retiring from speedway, although he went on to race midget cars in the late 1930s.