Malcolm J. Ballard (born 6 August 1948) is a former
motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines that use only ...
rider from England.
Career
Ballard learned to ride a speedway bike at Eastbourne's winter training school, and signed for Division Two
Eastbourne Eagles
The Eastbourne Eagles were a British speedway team, based at Arlington Stadium, near Eastbourne, England, that raced in the SGB Championship.
History
Speedway was initially introduced to Eastbourne in 1929. During their first league season th ...
in 1971.
[Jones, Alan (2010) ''Speedway in Leicester: The Lions Roar'', Automedia, p. 158] He averaged over 8.7 in his first season, which also saw him get Division One opportunities with
Cradley Heathens,
Newport Wasps
Newport Wasps were a British motorcycle speedway team based in Newport, South Wales from 1964 to 2012. They were the 1999 Conference League champions. The Wasp logo incorporates the traditional black and amber colours of the City of Newport.
...
, and
Hackney Hawks. In 1972 his average rose to almost 10 points per match, and he doubled up in Division One with
Oxford Rebels
The Oxford Cheetahs are a British Motorcycle speedway, speedway teamLawson,K (2018) “Riders, Teams and Stadiums”. based at Oxford Stadium, in Oxford, England. They were founded in 1939 and are five times champions of Britain, in 1964 Speed ...
, averaging over 6. He was selected for the Young England (Division Two) team that won a series against Sweden in 1972, and injury prevented him travelling with the Great Britain team that toured Australia the following Winter. He moved to Oxford full-time in 1973, and again averaged over 6. In 1974 he rode for
Poole Pirates, but departed after a few matches, and signed for
Leicester Lions. He struggled to score consistently, partly due to mechanical problems, and retired from the sport before the season ended.
In 2007, he joined
Lewis Bridger's pit crew.
Team LBR
, retrieved 2012-03-15
References
Living people
1948 births
British speedway riders
English motorcycle racers
Eastbourne Eagles riders
Oxford Cheetahs riders
Poole Pirates riders
Leicester Lions riders
Cradley Heathens riders
Newport Wasps riders
Hackney Hawks riders
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