Billy Bales
Encyclopedia
Raymond Arthur Bales (born 6 June 1929 in Norwich, Norfolk, England
) was a former international motorcycle speedway
rider reached the final of Speedway World Championship
in 1955.
where he stayed until the start of 1950 when he was called up for National Service
. On his return he joined his hometown club, the Norwich Stars
and stayed there for thirteen consecutibve seasons. The Stars won the National Trophy twice in that time and Bales was selected to ride for England
as well as qualifying for the World Final in 1955..
Norwich closed in 1964 so Bales was forced to move on. He was signed by the Sheffield Tigers
and remained there until he retired in 1969.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) was a former international motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
rider reached the final of Speedway World Championship
Speedway World Championship
The World Championship of Speedway is an international competition between the highest ranked motorcycle speedway riders of the world. Today, it is organised as a series of Speedway Grand Prix events, where points are awarded according to performance in the event and tallied up at the end of each...
in 1955.
Career
Bales started his career with the Yarmouth BloatersYarmouth Bloaters
The Yarmouth Bloaters are a defunct motorcycle speedway team who operated from the Yarmouth Stadium, Great Yarmouth from 1948 to 1962.-History:...
where he stayed until the start of 1950 when he was called up for National Service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
. On his return he joined his hometown club, the Norwich Stars
Norwich Stars
Norwich Stars were a motorcycle speedway team based in Norwich, England which operated from 1930 until their closure in 1964.-History:Speedway racing was staged in Norwich both before and after World War II at The Firs Stadium in Aylsham Road, Hellesdon. Pre-War Norwich were members of the National...
and stayed there for thirteen consecutibve seasons. The Stars won the National Trophy twice in that time and Bales was selected to ride for England
Great Britain national speedway team
The Great Britain national speedway team are one of the major teams in international speedway. The team is managed by Poole Pirates manager Neil Middleditch and the captain is Chris Harris of the Belle Vue Aces....
as well as qualifying for the World Final in 1955..
Norwich closed in 1964 so Bales was forced to move on. He was signed by the Sheffield Tigers
Sheffield Tigers
The Sheffield 'Window Centre' Tigers are a speedway team based in Sheffield, England. They currently race in the British Premier League and their home meetings take place at Owlerton Stadium which is the fastest track in British speedway...
and remained there until he retired in 1969.
World Final Appearances
- 19551955 Individual Speedway World ChampionshipThe 1955 Individual Speedway World Championship.-World final:*September 15, 1955 London, Wembley Stadium...
-
United Kingdom LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Wembley Stadium - 11th - 6pts