Ron Clarke
Born(1914-03-26)26 March 1914
Oxford, England
Died12 June 1981(1981-06-12) (aged 67)
NationalityBritish (English)
Career history
1938Lea Bridge
1939Crystal Palace Glaziers
1946-1957Odsal Boomerangs/Bradford Tudors

Sidney Ronald Clarke (born 26 March 1914 in Oxford, England[1] - 12 June 1981[2] ) was a former international speedway who qualified for the Speedway World Championship finals twice.[3][4]

Career

Clarke started his career in British leagues with Lea Bridge during the 1938 Speedway National League Division Two season.[5] The following season he joined the Crystal Palace Glaziers but the team withdrew from the league mid-season, shortly before the outbreak of World War II.[6]

In 1944, he was deemed to be the British champion after winning an event advertised as the British Championship but many riders were not involved because of the war.[7]

In 1946 after the war, he joined Odsal Boomerangs of Bradford and would spend the rest of his career with Bradford.[8]

Clarke qualified for two World finals in succession in 1949 and 1950 and at retirement he had earned 9 international caps for the England national speedway team.[4][9]

World final appearances

References

  1. ↑ Addison J. (1948). The People Speedway Guide. Odhams Press Limited
  2. ↑ "Ron Clarke". national-speedway-museum. Archived from the original on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  3. 1 2 Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). A History of the World Speedway Championship. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-2402-5
  4. 1 2 "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  5. ↑ "Rider averages 1929 to 2009" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  6. ↑ "Crystal Palace Speedway". Daily News (London). 16 June 1939. Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ↑ "Exeter Speedway Racing". Western Morning News. 21 May 1945. Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ↑ "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  9. ↑ "Speedway Test team". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 1 February 1950. Retrieved 28 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
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