Geoff Bouchard
NationalityBritish (English)
Birth date5 September 1948 (age 77)
Birth placeLeicester, England
Years 11970–1974
Career 1Long Eaton Rangers/Archers
Years 21971
Career 2Cradley Heathens
Years 31971–1972
Career 3Wolverhampton Wolves
Years 41972
Career 4Leicester Lions
Years 51973
Career 5Reading Racers
Years 61973–1979
Career 6Swindon Robins

Geoffrey Alan Bouchard (born 5 September 1948) is a former motorcycle speedway rider from England.[1]

Biography

Geoff Bouchard was born in Leicester in 1948.[2] After initially competing in trials and sidecar racing, he took up speedway in 1969 at Long Eaton, and broke into the Long Eaton team in 1970, riding in the second tier of the British League.[2] By 1971, his average rose to over 8 points, his performances earned him rides in the top division for Cradley Heathens, Wolverhampton Wolves, Leicester Lions, Reading Racers, and Swindon Robins between 1971 and 1973.[2] He made the Swindon team for nine matches in each of the 1973 and 1974 seasons, and became a full-time Swindon rider in 1975, averaging 4.12 from 34 matches.[2] He stayed at Swindon until 1979, becoming a consistent second-string scorer.

He was included in the Young England team on several occasions between 1971 and 1974, and competed in the Second Division (2nd Division) Riders Final in 1973 and 1974, finishing 5th in the latter.[2] At the beginning of the 1976 season Bouchard's wife gave birth to twin boys.[3]

Bouchard retired from racing in 1979 after suffering a punctured lung in an accident at Leicester.[4] He then acted as machine examiner at Leicester Stadium until speedway closed down in Leicester in 1983.[4]

References

  1. ^ "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022". British Speedway. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  2. ^ Oakes, Peter (1976) Who's Who of World Speedway, Studio Publications, ISBN 0-904584-04-6, p. 20
  3. ^ "Around the tracks". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 27 March 1976. Retrieved 6 September 2024. – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. ^ Jones, Alan (2010) Speedway in Leicester: The Lions Roar, Automedia, p. 159