Billy Lamont (speedway rider)

Billy Lamont

Born	12 August 1908 (1908-08-12) Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Died	16 November 1988 (aged 80) Merrylands, New South Wales, Australia
Nationality	Australian
Career history
1930–1932	Wimbledon Dons
1933	Clapton Saints
1935–1936	Wembley Lions
1936	Plymouth Panthers
1937	Nottingham
1938	Sheffield
1939	Newcastle
Individual honours
1931, 1935	Dirt Track Championnat du Monde
Team honours
1937	Provincial Trophy
1937	Provincial League Coronation Cup

Wilfred Steward Lamont (12 August 1908 – 16 November 1988) was an Australian motorcycle speedway rider considered to be one of the original pioneer riders in Australia and the United Kingdom.[1][2][3]

Career

Lamont was racing during the first days of speedway during 1924, racing at West Maitland.[2] He arrived in Britain in 1928[4] and became a star of the speedway circuits and gained the nickname Cyclone Billy Lamont.[5] His first league season was with Wimbledon Dons during the 1930 Speedway Southern League season.[6][7]

Lamont won the first of his two Dirt Track Championnat du Monde titles (an early version of the Speedway World Championship and rival of the Star Riders' Championship) at Stade Buffalo in Paris during 1931.

In 1932, he spent a second season with Wimbledon and recorded his best test match result for the Australia national speedway team.[2] He would go on to earn 15 caps for Australia.[1] He stayed with Wimbledon on the formation of the National League in 1932 before joining Clapton Saints in 1933.[6]

On his return to British speedway in 1935 he joined Wembley Lions[8] and later doubled up with Plymouth Panthers in the 1936 Provincial Speedway League. He would spend further seasons in Britain riding for Nottingham, Sheffield and Newcastle until the outbreak of World War II.[6][1]

Players cigarette cards

Lamont is listed as number 26 of 50 in the 1930s Player's cigarette card collection.[2]

References

1. "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022, Billy Lamont" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
2. "Billy Lamont". Speedway Museum Online. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
3. "Lamont still winning". Brisbane Courier. 20 October 1927. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
4. "Britain's New Summer Sport". Daily Mirror. 27 February 1928. Retrieved 31 July 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
5. "Billy Lamont to ride at Owlerton speedway". Sheffield Independent. 8 May 1929. Retrieved 31 July 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
6. "Rider averages 1929 to 2009" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
7. "First London team to visit Leicester". Leicester Daily Mercury. 30 April 1930. Retrieved 31 July 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
8. "The Cyclone comes back". The People. 21 April 1935. Retrieved 31 July 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.