Malcolm Ballard

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Malcolm Ballard
Born(1948-08-06)6 August 1948
Catsfield, East Sussex
NationalityBritish (English)
Career history
1971-1972 Eastbourne Eagles
1971 Cradley Heathens
1971 Newport Wasps
1971 Hackney Hawks
1972-1973 Oxford Rebels
1974 Poole Pirates
1974 Leicester Lions
Team honours
1971 British League Division Two Champion

Malcolm J. Ballard (born 6 August 1948) is a former motorcycle speedway rider from England. [1]

Career

Ballard learned to ride a speedway bike at Eastbourne's winter training school, and signed for Division Two Eastbourne Eagles in 1971. [2] He averaged over 8.7 in his first season, which also saw him get Division One opportunities with Cradley Heathens, Newport Wasps, and Hackney Hawks. In 1972 his average rose to almost 10 points per match, and he doubled up in Division One with Oxford Rebels, averaging over 6.

Ballard 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. [3] 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 following a row with management, and signed for Leicester Lions [4] after the promoter Ron Wilson made a substantial bid for his services. [5] He struggled to score consistently, partly due to mechanical problems, and retired from the sport before the season ended. [2]

In 2007, he joined Lewis Bridger's pit crew. [6]

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References

  1. ↑ "Ultimate Rider Index" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  2. 1 2 Jones, Alan (2010) Speedway in Leicester: The Lions Roar, Automedia, p. 158
  3. ↑ "Substitute Riders in British Solo Team", Sydney Morning Herald , 26 October 1972, p. 14, retrieved 2012-03-15
  4. ↑ "Ballard to make debut" . Leicester Daily Mercury. 6 May 1974. Retrieved 19 September 2024– via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ↑ "Wilson bids for Ballard" . Leicester Daily Mercury. 24 April 1974. Retrieved 15 September 2024– via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. ↑ "Team LBR", retrieved 2012-03-15


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