Brian John Leonard (born 19 February 1946) is a former motorcycle speedway rider from England.[1]
 | |
| Born | 19 February 1946 Newbury, England |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British (English) |
| Career history | |
| 1962-1965 | Poole Pirates |
| 1962, 1972-1974, 1976 | Swindon Robins |
| 1965-1969 | West Ham Hammers |
| 1969 | Hackney Hawks |
| 1970 | Newport Wasps |
| 1970-1971 | Wembley Lions |
| 1975, 1976 | Leicester Lions |
| 1976-1978 | Oxford Cheetahs |
| Team honours | |
| 1965 | British League Winner |
| 1965 | British League Knockout Cup KO Cup Winner |
| 1965, 1966, 1967 | London Cup Winner |
Career
editBorn in Newbury, Leonard followed his father Maurice into speedway.[2] He started his career with second half rides at Oxford in 1962, and made his league debut later that year, riding for Poole Pirates and Swindon Robins.[3] His first two years in speedway were marred by injury, suffering two collarbone breaks, and he missed four and a half months in 1963 with two broken bones in his left leg.[2]
In 1965 he signed for West Ham Hammers, where he steadily improved, averaging over seven points per match in the 1967 season.[3] After a spell with Hackney Hawks in 1969, he moved on to Wembley Lions in 1970[4] but in 1972 Wembley sent their entire team out on loan due to extra football fixtures stopping the speedway at Wembley and Leonard moved to Newport Wasps.[5] He moved to Swindon Robins in 1972, but by 1974 his average had dropped below four points.[3] He was signed by Leicester Lions in 1975 but released after a poor run of results, due in part to a back injury, which led to his retirement from the sport.[6] He returned in 1976 and fared better after dropping down to the National League with Oxford Cheetahs,[7] averaging over seven points. The following year he scored less well, and after two matches in 1978 he retired.[8]
References
edit- ^ "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ^ a b Oakes, Peter (1963) "A Peter Oakes Speedtale on Brian Leonard (Poole)", Speedway Star, 28 September 1963, p. 23
- ^ a b c Oakes, Peter & Mauger, Ivan (1976) Who's Who of World Speedway, Studio Publications, ISBN 0-904584-04-6, p. 76
- ^ "Leonard off with a bang". Harrow Observer. 10 July 1970. Retrieved 27 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Wembley Lions split". Hull Daily Mail. 29 February 1972. Retrieved 5 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Jones, Alan (2010) Speedway in Leicester: The Lions Roar, Automedia, p. 171
- ^ Lawson, K (2018) “The Cheetahs – The Resurrection”. ISBN 978-0-244-69934-5
- ^ Bamford, R & Shailes, G (2007). "The Story of Oxford Speedway". ISBN 978-0-7524-4161-0