James Bond (speedway rider)
| Born | 5 July 1938 Sutton Coldfield, England |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British (English) |
| Career history | |
| 1963-1971 | Wolverhampton Wolves |
| 1971-1972 | Swindon Robins |
| 1974 | Long Eaton Archers |
| Team honours | |
| 1963 | Provincial League Champions |
John James Bond (born 5 July 1938) is a former motorcycle speedway rider from England, who rode for Wolverhampton Wolves, Swindon Robins, and Long Eaton Archers.[1]
Biography
[edit]Bond was born in Sutton Coldfield in 1938.[2] He competed in cycle speedway for Sutton Coldfield Stars before taking up the motorized form.[3] He undertook his national service in 1960, joining the Royal Corps of Signals and training as a despatch rider before joining the Royal Signals Motorcycle Display Team, performing around the UK and at Madison Square Gardens.[3]
He first rode in speedway as a junior in 1961, moving into the Wolverhampton Wolves team in 1963,[4] the year that the Wolves won the Provincial League.[2] Nicknamed "007" in reference to his fictional namesake, he was a regular member of the Wolves team until 1971 when he moved to the Swindon Robins.[5] After two seasons with the Robins, he spent a season with the Long Eaton Archers before retiring at the end of 1974.
Bond represented England against Australia in 1969.[6] He won the first indoor speedway event to be staged in Leicester, the Midland Riders Championship at the Granby Halls in 1971.[7]
Career record
[edit]All figures relate to the British League.
| Year | Team | Matches | Rides | Points | Bonus | Total | Average | Full Maximum |
Paid Maximum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 20 | 80 | 47 | 20 | 67 | 3.35 | ||
| 1966 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 31 | 112 | 125 | 28 | 153 | 5.46 | ||
| 1967 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 27 | 92 | 106 | 22 | 128 | 5.57 | ||
| 1968 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 37 | 159 | 237 | 34 | 271 | 6.82 | 1 | |
| 1969 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 37 | 154 | 248 | 36 | 284 | 7.38 | 1 | |
| 1970 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 37 | 143 | 161 | 29 | 190 | 5.32 | ||
| 1971 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 3 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 3.27 | ||
| 1971 | Swindon Robins | 17 | 49 | 33 | 9 | 42 | 3.43 | ||
| 1972 | Swindon Robins | 13 | 36 | 24 | 8 | 32 | 3.56 | ||
| 1974 | Long Eaton Archers† | 21 | 69 | 57 | 13 | 70 | 4.06 | 1 |
†Division two
References
[edit]- ^ "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ^ a b "A look at 80 years of speedway stars Archived 1 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine", Express & Star, 30 June 2008, retrieved 2011-12-09
- ^ a b Davies, Trevor (2008) Warzone Speedway, Trevor Davies Publishing, ISBN 978-0-9558624-0-3, p. 107-8
- ^ "James Bond to ride at Brafield". Peterborough Evening Telegraph. 4 May 1967. Retrieved 27 August 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ a b Oakes, Peter (1991) The Complete History of the British League, Front Page Books, ISBN 0-948882-07-7, p. 64
- ^ Ochiltree, Charles (ed.) (1970) The British Speedway Handbook, BSPA, p. 23
- ^ Jones, Alan (2010) Speedway in Leicester: The Lions Roar, Automedia, p. 114-8