Billy Hole (speedway rider)

William Stanley Alfred Hole (23 October 1919 – 4 April 1986) was a motorcycle speedway rider from England. He was known as Billy Hole during his speedway career.^[1]

Billy Hole

Hole in 1951
Born	23 October 1919 (1919-10-23) Bath, England
Died	4 April 1986(1986-04-04) (aged 66) Bath, England
Nationality	British (English)
Career history
1947–1955	Bristol Bulldogs
1955	Exeter Falcons
Team honours
1948, 1949, 1954	League champion (tier 2)
1949	National Trophy (tier 2)
1954	Southern Shield Winner

Biography

Hole, born in Bath, began riding for the Bristol Bulldogs junior team in 1946,^[2] one year before making his British leagues debut riding for the first team during the 1947 Speedway National League Division Two season.^[3]

The following season in 1948, he helped Bristol win the league title^[4] and one year later he was averaging an impressive 10.11 on his way to helping Bristol achieve the 1949 league and National Trophy double.^[5] Additionally, Hole reached the Championship rounds of the 1950 Individual Speedway World Championship and the 1951 Individual Speedway World Championship, and in the latter just missing out on a place in the World final.

The Bulldogs moved up to Britain's top league in 1950, finishing 7th, before a 6th-place finish in 1951.^[6] Hole remained as one of Bristol's main riders, became the club captain and a fan's favourite.^[7]

On the team's return to the second division, for the 1954 Speedway National League Division Two season, he captained the team to league success again and even in his eighth season with them he was still averaging 8.28.^[5]

Mid-way through the 1955 season Bristol withdrew from the league forcing Hole to ride for another club. He finished the season with Exeter Falcons and that proved to be his last season in speedway.^[8]

References

1. "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
2. "On the Cinders". Somerset Guardian and Radstock Observer. 30 August 1946. Retrieved 6 January 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
3. "1947 season" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
4. Oakes, Peter (1978). 1978 Speedway Yearbook. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. ISBN 978-0904584509.
5. "Rider averages 1929 to 2009" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
6. "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
7. "Bristol Speedway Knowle Stadium". Defunct Speedway. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
8. "Only 2,000 attend Knowle Speedway". Bristol Evening Post. 18 June 1955. Retrieved 6 January 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.