Roger Frogley
Encyclopedia
United Kingdom
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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, who won several races at the start of the 20th century. His crowning triumph was beating the Australian star, Ben Unwin, at the International Match Race in front of a 40,000 strong crowd.
Frogley rode for the Crystal Palace Glaziers
Crystal Palace Glaziers
Crystal Palace Glaziers were a British speedway team that existed from 1928 to 1940-Brief history:They first competed in the Southern League in 1929 and were based at Crystal Palace Exhibition Grounds, Sydenham, South London....
the majority of his career. He made his debut on 14 April 1928 at High Beach
High Beach
High Beach also known as High Beech is a hamlet located within Epping Forest. Epping is located to the north east and Central London at Charing Cross lies approximately to the south west.-Description:...
motorcycle speedway located inside of Epping Forest, England; the track was behind The King's Oak public house. A special trophy was put forth that year for the first, fourth place riders to win races at more than 39 mph. The trophies were won by Roger, his brother Buster, Joe Francis, and Arthur Willimott.
Roger and Buster Frogley rode modified 1928 Dirt Track Rudge motor bikes.
In 1929, Roger Frogley rode in forty races, winning eighteen of them. Most significantly, he won the "Home" Star Riders' Championship
Star Riders' Championship
The Star Riders' Championship was the forerunner of the Speedway World Championship and was inaugurated in 1929. The competition was sponsored by The Star, which was a London evening newspaper at that time....
at Wimbledon
Wimbledon Stadium
Wimbledon Greyhound Stadium is a greyhound racing track located in Wimbledon in southwest London, England. It also hosts speedway, stock car and other racing events....
on Monday 21 October, making him the first British Star Rider.
Roger Frogley was the top scoring rider for England, with six points, in the first England versus Australia Test Match at Wimbledon Stadium
Wimbledon Stadium
Wimbledon Greyhound Stadium is a greyhound racing track located in Wimbledon in southwest London, England. It also hosts speedway, stock car and other racing events....
, Plough Lane, in 1930.
He retired in 1932, when the Crystal Palace track closed and made an unsuccessful comeback at New Cross Rangers
New Cross Rangers
The New Cross Rangers were a Speedway team which operated from 1937 until their closure in 1953. The track reopened in 1959 under Johnnie Hoskins for a series of open meetings and then in 1960 and 1961 operated in the National League...
in 1936.