John Boulger
Encyclopedia
John Boulger is a former international motorcycle speedway
rider. After he retired from riding Solo's, Boulger raced in Speedcars
from the mid-1980s until the mid-1990s. Boulger won a record nine South Australian Championships
as well as two Australian Solo Championships
during his career.
before moving into Solo speedway racing in 1966 at what would be his home track, Rowley Park Speedway
in Adelaide. He quickly went from promising rookie to star rider within a couple of seasons and became the best South Australian rider of his generation.
After finishing second to Sydney
's Jim Airey
at the ⅓ Mile Sydney Showground
in 1970, Boulger won his first Australian Solo Championship in 1971 at Perth
's ⅓ Mile Claremont Speedway
. He finished in third place at Rowley Park in 1972 and won his last title in 1973 at the Sydney Showground. He finished the 1974 championship at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground
in 2nd place to cap a four year run where he never finished the Australian title off the podium. He would place once more finishing 3rd in 1979 at Olympic Park in Mildura. Boulger's win in 1973 was the last time a South Australian rider would win the national title until Ryan Sullivan
won in 2004.
During the 1970s Boulger had a virtual strangle hold on the South Australian Championship
. He won his first title in 1970 before winning every title between 1972 and 1978, all held at Rowley Park Speedway. He would win his ninth and last SA Championship at the new Speedway Park
in 1982.
Boulger retired from riding in 1984 and decided to stay in speedway by first teaching young riders the art of racing a Solo motorbike. In 1985 he started racing Sprintcars
before moving on to drive Speedcars with some success including winning the Harry Neale Memorial at Speedway Park. Boulger would race for a few more seasons before retiring from the sport in the mid-1990s to concentrate on driving his taxi
.
. Boulger changed teams the following year to ride for Leicester Lions where he remained for six seasons. His next club was Cradley United
and he returned to Leicester Lions in 1977 where he stayed until 1979 when he retired from British League racing.
team at the 1976 Speedway World Team Cup held at London
's White City Stadium
. He also partnered Phil Crump
in the 1974 World Pairs final
at Hyde Road Stadium
finishing in second place behind Sweden
's 1974 World Champion
Anders Michanek
and Sören Sjösten
.
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. After he retired from riding Solo's, Boulger raced in Speedcars
Midget car racing
Midget cars, also Speedcars in Australia, are very small race cars with a very high power-to-weight ratio and typically use four-cylinder engines.-Cars:Typically, these cars have 300 to 400 horsepower and weigh...
from the mid-1980s until the mid-1990s. Boulger won a record nine South Australian Championships
South Australian Individual Speedway Championship
The South Australian Individual Speedway Championship is a Motorcycle speedway championship held annually in South Australia to determine the South Australian champion. The event is organised by the Speedway Riders' Association of South Australia Inc...
as well as two Australian Solo Championships
Individual Speedway Australian Championship
The Australian Individual Speedway Championship is a Motorcycle speedway championship held each year to determine the Australian national champion...
during his career.
Australia
John Boulger started his racing career in the early 1960s racing scramblesMotocross
Motocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...
before moving into Solo speedway racing in 1966 at what would be his home track, Rowley Park Speedway
Rowley park speedway
Rowley Park Speedway is a former Dirt track racing venue that was located on Torrens Road in Brompton, South Australia, The speedway was named after Mr Enoch Procter Rowley, an English-born Dentist who moved to Adelaide from Kalgoorlie in 1908 where he had forged a reputation as being Western...
in Adelaide. He quickly went from promising rookie to star rider within a couple of seasons and became the best South Australian rider of his generation.
After finishing second to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
's Jim Airey
Jim Airey
James Sydney "Jim" Airey is a former international motorcycle speedway rider who rode in the 1971 World Final in Göteborg, Sweden and was a member of the Great Britain team that won the 1971 Speedway World Team Cup in Wrocław, Poland.-Australia:Jim Airey started racing Speedway in the early-1960s,...
at the ⅓ Mile Sydney Showground
Sydney Showground Speedway
Sydney Showground Speedway, originally known as the Speedway Royal and later the Speedway Royale but often referred to as just The Royale or The Showground, was a dirt Dirt track racing venue at the old Sydney Showground used from 1926 until 1996....
in 1970, Boulger won his first Australian Solo Championship in 1971 at Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
's ⅓ Mile Claremont Speedway
Claremont Showgrounds
The Claremont Showgrounds were built in 1905 in the Perth suburb of Claremont. The Showgrounds are home to the annual Perth Royal Show. They were also the original home of Claremont-Cottesloe in its first year in the WAFL before moving to Claremont Oval....
. He finished in third place at Rowley Park in 1972 and won his last title in 1973 at the Sydney Showground. He finished the 1974 championship at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground
Brisbane Exhibition Ground
The Brisbane Exhibition Ground , is a showground established in Brisbane during 1875 especially for Ekka . The Exhibition ground is owned and operated by the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland...
in 2nd place to cap a four year run where he never finished the Australian title off the podium. He would place once more finishing 3rd in 1979 at Olympic Park in Mildura. Boulger's win in 1973 was the last time a South Australian rider would win the national title until Ryan Sullivan
Ryan Sullivan
Ryan Geoffrey Sullivan Ryan Geoffrey Sullivan Ryan Geoffrey Sullivan (born 20 January 1975, in Fitzroy, Victoria (a suburb of Melbourne) is an Australian international speedway rider.-Early years:...
won in 2004.
During the 1970s Boulger had a virtual strangle hold on the South Australian Championship
South Australian Individual Speedway Championship
The South Australian Individual Speedway Championship is a Motorcycle speedway championship held annually in South Australia to determine the South Australian champion. The event is organised by the Speedway Riders' Association of South Australia Inc...
. He won his first title in 1970 before winning every title between 1972 and 1978, all held at Rowley Park Speedway. He would win his ninth and last SA Championship at the new Speedway Park
Speedway City
Speedway City is a Dirt track racing venue located 26 km north of Adelaide in Virginia, South Australia, adjacent to the Adelaide International Raceway...
in 1982.
Boulger retired from riding in 1984 and decided to stay in speedway by first teaching young riders the art of racing a Solo motorbike. In 1985 he started racing Sprintcars
Sprint car racing
Sprint cars are high-powered race cars designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa....
before moving on to drive Speedcars with some success including winning the Harry Neale Memorial at Speedway Park. Boulger would race for a few more seasons before retiring from the sport in the mid-1990s to concentrate on driving his taxi
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
.
England
John Boulger arrived in England in 1969 to ride for Long Eaton, scoring a paid 12 point maximum on his debut against ExeterExeter Falcons
The Exeter Falcons were a speedway team which operated from 1947 until their closure in 2005 at the County Ground Stadium in Exeter. The track first operated in 1929.-Track:...
. Boulger changed teams the following year to ride for Leicester Lions where he remained for six seasons. His next club was Cradley United
Cradley Heath Heathens
Cradley Heath Heathens are a defunct motorcycle speedway team from Dudley, England.-History:Cradley Heath speedway team was formed in 1947 and first raced at Dudley Wood Stadium on 21 June 1947 after a number of away appearances prior to the opening of the newly built stadium...
and he returned to Leicester Lions in 1977 where he stayed until 1979 when he retired from British League racing.
International
Boulger had the honor of captaining the victorious AustralianAustralia national speedway team
Australia are one of the major teams in international speedway. The team is managed by former rider, three time Australian Champion and 1994 World #3 Craig Boyce and captained by three time Speedway World Champion Jason Crump...
team at the 1976 Speedway World Team Cup held at London
London
London 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...
's White City Stadium
White City Stadium
White City Stadium was built in White City, London, for the 1908 Summer Olympics, often seen as the precursor to the modern seater stadium and noted for hosting the finish of the first modern distance marathon. It also hosted speedway and a match at the 1966 World Cup, before the stadium was...
. He also partnered Phil Crump
Phil Crump
Philip John "Phil" Crump in Mildura, Victoria is a retired Australian Motorcycle speedway rider who attained 3rd place in the 1976 World Championship...
in the 1974 World Pairs final
1974 Speedway World Pairs Championship
The 1974 Speedway World Pairs Championship was the fifth FIM Speedway World Pairs Championship. The final took place at the Hyde Road Speedway in Belle Vue, Manchester, England. The championship was won by Sweden from Australia and New Zealand...
at Hyde Road Stadium
Hyde Road (speedway)
Hyde Road Stadium was the home of the Belle Vue Aces speedway team. The stadium's` capacity was 40,000 and it was built in 1928 and used until demolished in 1987. It was claimed to have been the first purpose built speedway track in Britain....
finishing in second place behind Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
's 1974 World Champion
1974 Individual Speedway World Championship
The 1974 Individual Speedway World Championship.-World final:*September 6, 1974 Göteborg, Ullevi...
Anders Michanek
Anders Michanek
Anders Michanek is a Speedway rider. In 1974 he won the Speedway World Championship in his Swedish homeland with a maximum score of 15 points. He also won the World Pairs Championship with the late Tommy Jansson in 1973 and 1975 and with Sören Sjösten in 1974.Michanek had a very successful career...
and Sören Sjösten
Sören Sjösten
Sören Willy Ernfrid Sjösten was a motorcycle speedway rider. He won the world pairs championship in 1974 with Anders Michanek and became world team champion three times representing Sweden, in 1962, 1964 and 1970. Sjösten also appeared in six individual World Championship Finals with two bronze...
.
World Final appearances
- 19731973 Individual Speedway World ChampionshipThe 1973 Individual Speedway World Championship.The 1973 World Final was won by Polish rider Jerzy Szczakiel following a run-off in with defending champion Ivan Mauger after both riders had finished on 13 points. In the run-off Mauger fell in turn 3 after trying a risky passing move leaving...
–
Poland ChorzówChorzówChorzów is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Chorzów is one of the central districts of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metropolis with a population of 2 million...
, Silesian Stadium – 13th – 6pts - 19771977 Individual Speedway World ChampionshipThe 1977 Individual Speedway World Championship.-World final:*September 2, 1977 Göteborg, Ullevi*Referee: Torrie Kittelsen-Classification:...
–
Sweden Göteborg, UlleviUlleviUllevi is a stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. The stadium was built for the 1958 FIFA World Cup, but since then Ullevi has also hosted the 1995 World Championships in Athletics and the 2006 European Championships in Athletics, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup finals in 1983 and 1990, the UEFA Euro 1992...
– 12th – 5pts