William Rogers (1911 – 5 March 1992) was a motorcycle speedway rider from Australia. He was twice champion of Australia in 1932 and 1947 and earned 13 international caps for the Australia national speedway team.[1]
| Born | 1911 St Kilda, Victoria, Australia |
|---|---|
| Died | 5 March 1992 Sydney |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Career history | |
| 1934, 1936–1937, 1948–1949 | Wimbledon Dons |
| 1936–1938 | Bristol Bulldogs |
| 1948 | Belle Vue Aces |
| 1949 | Southampton Saints |
| Individual honours | |
| 1932, 1947 | Australian Solo Championship |
Biography edit
Rogers, born in St Kilda, Victoria, won the 1932 Australian Solo Championship.[2] He began his British leagues career after being persuaded by Vic Huxley to ride for Wimbledon Dons.[3] He began riding for Wimbledon during the 1934 Speedway National League season, although he only made three appearances.[4]
He missed the 1935 season because of a broken leg[5] but returned to England in 1936. Wimbledon then loaned him out to Bristol Bulldogs for the 1936 Provincial Speedway League season, where he achieved a 9.15 average.[6]
He became a popular rider at Bristol, spending two more seasons with them in 1937 and winning the league title with the club) and in 1938, but had his season ended in 1938 by another broken leg.[7]
It would be his last season in the United Kingdom for ten years, after missing most of them because of World War II and then riding in Australia. He won a second Australian national title in 1947.[2] In 1948, he returned to the UK to ride for Belle Vue Aces[8] and then had one final season in 1949 with Southampton Saints.[9]
References edit
- ^ "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
- ^ a b "Individual Australian Championship". Historia Sportu Zuzlowego. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
- ^ "Speedway finds from Down Under". Daily Mirror. 9 February 1934. Retrieved 22 February 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "1934 season" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
- ^ "Shots from all Angels". Sunday Mirror. 7 April 1935. Retrieved 22 February 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Rider averages 1929 to 2009" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
- ^ "No time to cure staleness". The People. 18 September 1938. Retrieved 22 February 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Rogers returning for Speedway Season". Western Daily Press. 24 February 1948. Retrieved 22 February 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 22 February 2024.