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James Bond (speedway rider)

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James Bond
Born (1938-07-05) 5 July 1938 (age 86)
Sutton Coldfield, England
NationalityBritish (English)
Career history
1963-1971Wolverhampton Wolves
1971-1972Swindon Robins
1974Long Eaton Archers
Team honours
1963Provincial 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

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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

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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

[5]

Division two

References

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  1. ^ "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ a b Davies, Trevor (2008) Warzone Speedway, Trevor Davies Publishing, ISBN 978-0-9558624-0-3, p. 107-8
  4. ^ "James Bond to ride at Brafield". Peterborough Evening Telegraph. 4 May 1967. Retrieved 27 August 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ^ a b Oakes, Peter (1991) The Complete History of the British League, Front Page Books, ISBN 0-948882-07-7, p. 64
  6. ^ Ochiltree, Charles (ed.) (1970) The British Speedway Handbook, BSPA, p. 23
  7. ^ Jones, Alan (2010) Speedway in Leicester: The Lions Roar, Automedia, p. 114-8