Roy Richard Trigg (born 29 April 1943, in Morden, Surrey)[1] is a former motorcycle speedway rider from England. He earned 31 international caps for the England national speedway team and five caps for the Great Britain team.[2]
| Born | 29 April 1943 Morden, Surrey, England |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British (English) |
| Career history | |
| 1961 | New Cross Rangers |
| 1961–1964 | Wimbledon Dons |
| 1962 | Poole Pirates |
| 1964–1966 | Hackney Hawks |
| 1967 | Oxford Cheetahs |
| 1968–1972 | Cradley Heathens |
| 1973–1974 | Newport |
| Individual honours | |
| 1966, 1969, 1970 | Victorian State Champion (Aust) |
| Team honours | |
| 1962 | Provincial League Champion |
| 1962 | Provincial Southern League Champion |
| 1974 | Spring Gold Cup Winner |
Career
editHe was noticed as a teenager by the Wimbledon Dons management who signed him up but immediately loaned him out to lower league Poole Pirates. In 1963 he was recalled by his parent team Wimbledon Dons.[3] In 1964 the new Hackney Hawks promoter Len Silver signed him on a full transfer. He stayed with the Hawks for two seasons[4] but was forced out of the team when Bengt Jansson was signed.
After leaving the Hackney he spent a season with the Oxford Cheetahs before moving on to Cradley Heath[5] where he spent the next five seasons. It was with Cradley he was threatened with a gun by Garry Middleton. Garry tried to forcefully dive under Roy but Roy saw him and slowed down, leaving Middleton to shoot straight past him into the safety fence. Middleton then went into the pits into his toolbox and pulled out a handgun. He had to be dragged from the pits to avoid further trouble.[1]
After being called into the England team during July 1968 as a late replacement, Trigg played a pivotal part in the win against the Soviet Union.[6]
In 1970, he finished third in the British Speedway Championship final. For the last two seasons of his career Roy rode with Newport.
After he finished his British career he emigrated to New Zealand. Trigg rode as a New Zealander in the inaugural Australasian Final in 1976. He finished in 15th place with two points.
References
edit- ^ a b Fenn, C.(2003). Hackney Speedway, Friday at Eight. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-2737-7
- ^ "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ "Team changes". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 26 March 1963. Retrieved 27 August 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Rider averages 1929 to 2009" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- ^ Foster, P. (2002) Heathens: Cradley Heath Speedway 1947-1976, The History Press Ltd. ISBN 0-7524-2704-0
- ^ "Vital win by Roy Trigg". Wolverhampton Express and Star. 4 July 1968. Retrieved 10 October 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.