Howard Cole (speedway rider)

George Howard Cole (born 29 December 1943) in Cardiff, Wales is a former international motorcycle speedway rider. He rode for the Long Eaton Archers in 1964, the King's Lynn Stars for six years, and the Cradley Heathens in 1966 and 1974. For much of his career he was known as Kid Brodie and did not ride under his birth name.[1]

Howard Cole
Born (1943-12-29) 29 December 1943
Cardiff, Wales
NicknameKid Bodie
NationalityBritish (Welsh)
Career history
1961Wolverhampton Wolves
1962-1963Stoke Potters
1964-1965Long Eaton Archers
1966, 1973-1974Cradley Heathens/United
1967-1972King's Lynn Stars
Individual honours
1964Ace of Herts Trophy, Rye House
1967New Zealand Champion, Christchurch, 4 February
1968Track record: Palmerston North
1969Pride of the East, King's Lynn
1971World Championship qualifying round winner Glasgow, 14 pts
1972World Championship qualifying round winner Exeter, 14 pts
1972Track record: Ipswich, 9 May
1973Pottinger Best Pairs Trophy with Bernt Persson, Cradley Heath

Career summary

Cole first appeared at the age of three in a short British Pathe film titled Child Motorcyclist 1948.[2]

Cole began riding speedway in 1961 for the Wolverhampton Wolves when he was 17. Because he was still at Wolverhampton Grammar School at the time he rode under the nom de plume "Kid Bodie" so that the school would not find out.[3] He also used the nom de plume because he had been a mascot for the Wolverhampton and Birmingham teams in the early 1950s and did not want this to be known at the time. The following year he transferred to Stoke and rode for the Potters until he broke his arm in 1963. In 1964-1965 he rode for the Long Eaton Archers. In 1966 he joined the Cradley Heathens for a year. He then had six years with the King's Lynn Stars before rejoining Cradley for two seasons in 1973-1974.[4] He qualified for and rode in the 1969 World Final at Wembley.

He also rode in three British Championship finals from 1969–1971 and won the New Zealand Championship in Christchurch in 1967. He regularly rode in New Zealand and Australia during the English winter months and represented England in team contests in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.

After retiring from speedway he moved to live in Sydney. He graduated with a teaching degree in 1978 and taught at Sydney Grammar Prep School until his retirement in 2003.

World Final Appearances

References
  1. "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  2. "Child Motorcyclist 1948". British Pathe. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  3. "Cradley Heath Speedway website, riders A-Z". Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  4. "Rider averages 1929 to 2009" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  5. Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). A History of the World Speedway Championship. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-2402-5
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