Ray Wilson (speedway rider)

Raymond "Ray" Wilson (born 12 March 1947 in Merton, Surrey, England)[1] is a former international speedway rider[2] who was World Pairs Champion in 1972 and British Speedway Champion in 1973, was also England Team Captain for five years in the early 1970s. He was the first Englishman to record a maximum score in a World Team Cup Final. His father Ron Wilson, was also a speedway rider for Leicester and Oxford in the early 1950s.

Ray Wilson
Born (1947-03-12) 12 March 1947
Merton, Surrey, England
Nationality England
Current club information
Career statusRetired
Career history
1963-1967Long Eaton Archers
1968-1976Leicester Lions
1977-1979Birmingham Brummies
Individual honours
1969Brandonapolis
1972Poole Blue Riband
1973British Champion
Team honours
1971, 1972, 1973, 1974World Team Cup Winners
1972World Pairs Champion
1972, 1974Midland Cup

Domestic career

Wilson competed in cycle speedway for Leicester Monarchs before following his father into a career in motorcycle speedway.[1] He first rode at Leicester Stadium in 1962 after a league meeting and after occasional visits to the training track at Rye House and further second-half rides at Long Eaton in 1963, made his competitive debut in 1963 for Long Eaton Archers, coming in as an emergency replacement against Stoke Potters.[1] He was included in the Archers team in 1964, although the season was interrupted by a broken leg.[3] In 1965, he rode with the Archers in the new British League, and in 1966 he rode in every league match for the Archers, finishing the season with an average of 8.6.[3] He then raced in Australia over the Winter and in 1967 his performances improved again, averaging 10.36 per match.[3] He also reached the British Final, scoring ten points and qualifying for the World Final, where he finished in eighth place.[3]

He followed the Long Eaton promotion when they moved to Leicester to open the Leicester Lions. He stayed with the Lions for nine seasons, scoring over four thousand points (including bonus points). For the final three seasons of his career he joined the Birmingham Brummies.

Outside speedway, Wilson ran his own haulage company.[1]

He is currently enjoying the role of Ambassador to his home town team, Leicester.

International career

Wilson first rode for England in 1966 against Scotland, and in 1967 rode in test matches against Sweden and Poland.[3] He was part of England's line-up for the 1967 World Team Cup, becoming the youngest Englishman to feature in a World Team Cup final at aged twenty,[4] and was part of the England team that toured Australia in 1967/8.[3]

1967 also saw him appear in his first of four World Championship finals. In 1972 he became World Pairs Champion with partner Terry Betts.

He captained Great Britain when they won the World Team Cup in 1973, and was also a member of the winning teams in 1971, 1972 and 1974 (the latter for England). His maximum score in 1971 led to him gaining the nickname "World Cup Willy".[1]

World Final appearances

Individual World Championship

World Pairs Championship

* Unofficial World Championships.

World Team Cup

* 1967-1973 for Great Britain. All others for England.

References
  1. Oakes, Peter & Mauger, Ivan (1976) Who's Who of World Speedway, Studio Publications, ISBN 0-904584-04-6, p. 113-4
  2. Lawson,K (2018) “Riders, Teams and Stadiums”. ISBN 978-0-244-72538-9
  3. Arnold, Peter "Profiles of Some Leading Riders: Ray Wilson" in Silver, Len & Douglas, Peter (1969) The Speedway Annual, Pelham Books, ISBN 0-7207-0322-0, p. 121-4
  4. Vintage Speedway Magazine. Vol.14 No 4
  5. Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). A History of the World Speedway Championship. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-2402-5
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