Robert Leonard Dugard (3 July 1942 – 5 August 2018) was a

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 and promoter from England.

Career

After retiring from racing, Bob Dugard joined

Danny Dunton Dennis Clifford "Danny" Dunton (13 May 1924 – 2 January 2015) was an English international motorcycle speedway rider and promoter who reached the final of the Speedway World Championship in 1950, achieving 12th place with 5 points. As well as ...

in a new company – Oxspeed Ltd – as co-promoter of

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 ...

at Sandy Lane, losing the name

Oxford Cheetahs The Oxford Cheetahs are a British 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, 1985, 1986, 1989 and ...

. Another director of the company was the jazz musician

Acker Bilk Bernard Stanley "Acker" Bilk, (28 January 1929 – 2 November 2014) was a British clarinetist and vocalist known for his breathy, vibrato-rich, lower-register style, and distinctive appearance – of goatee, bowler hat and striped waistc ...

. Bob Dugard and Danny Dunton promoted speedway at Oxford until the stadium was under threat from development and they first sought a new location at

Harringay Harringay (pronounced ) is a district of north London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is centred on the section of Green Lanes running between the New River, where it crosses Green Lanes by Finsbury Park, and Duckett's ...

before settling at

White City White City may refer to: Places Australia * White City, Perth, an amusement park on the Perth foreshore * White City railway station, a former railway station * White City Stadium (Sydney), a tennis centre in Sydney * White City FC, a football clu ...

.Lawson,K (2018) “Rebels 1975 – The Last Season”. For a long time associated with

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 ...

, he was active for many years – reputed as being happiest on the tractor and grading the track between races, yet still involved with the management and working alongside his son Martin Dugard and other family members. He was the owner of Arlington Stadium and away from the track he was a successful businessman as a director of Machine Tools in Hove. In later years he underwent heart surgery and was diagnosed with cancer. Bob is survived by his wife Margaret, three children, a step daughter and eight grandchildren.

References

1942 births 2018 deaths British motorcycle racers British speedway riders Wimbledon Dons riders Oxford Cheetahs riders Ipswich Witches riders West Ham Hammers riders Eastbourne Eagles riders Speedway promoters Sportspeople from Hove {{England-speedway-bio-stub