Junior Bainbridge
{{Short description|Australian motorcycle speedway rider (1924 – 2000)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox Speedway rider
| name = Junior Bainbridge
| image =
| caption =
| nationality = Australian
| birth_date = {{birth date text|26 April 1924}}
| birth_place = Melbourne, Australia
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2000|11|5|1924|4|26|df=y}}
| death_place = Melbourne, Australia
| career1 = Glasgow Tigers
| years1 = 1947–1953
| career2 = Ipswich Witches
| years2 = 1954–1957
| teamhonour1 = Scottish Cup
| teamyear1 = 1952, 1953
}}
Ronald Arthur Bainbridge (26 April 1924 – 5 November 2000) was an Australian motorcycle speedway rider. During his speedway career he rode as Junior Bainbridge and earned 9 international caps for the Australia national speedway team.{{cite web |url=https://britishspeedway.co.uk/docs/Ultimate_Index_1929-2022.pdf |title=ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022 |website=British Speedway |access-date=10 January 2024}}{{cite web |url=http://www.speedwayplus.com/pdf/SpeedwayAZ.pdf |title=Bainbridge, Ronald Junior |website=Speedway Plus |access-date=10 January 2024}}
Biography
Bainbridge, born in Melbourne, was spotted riding by Charlie Spinks in 1946. before beginning his British leagues career riding for Glasgow during the 1947 Speedway National League Division Two season.{{cite web|url=https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/1947.html |title=1947 season |website=Speedway Researcher |access-date=10 January 2024}} After two moderate seasons his average improved significantly during 1949, when he hit 8.17 and then increased this to 8.68 in 1950.{{cite web|url=https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/specialfeaturesrideraverages.pdf |title=Rider averages 1929 to 2009 |website=Speedway Researcher |access-date=10 January 2024}} He became a crowd favourite and expectations were high when he rode for them.{{cite news |title=Junior faces a tough speedway job here |work=Daily Mirror |date=23 May 1949 |access-date=10 January 2024 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000560/19490523/093/0011 | via = British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription }}
He reached the Championship round of the 1950 Individual Speedway World Championship and the 1951 Individual Speedway World Championship{{cite news |title=Bainbridge qualifies |work=Daily Record |date=8 July 1950 |access-date=10 January 2024 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000728/19500708/125/0011 | via = British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription }} and averaged an impressive 9.18 in 1952 for Glasgow.{{cite web|url=https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/yearbyyear.html |title=Year by Year |website=Speedway Researcher |access-date=10 January 2024}}
His final season at Glasgow was in the 1953 Speedway National League Division Two, because the following year he signed for Ipswich Witches at a cost of £500, to help clear the debts of the Scottish club.
He would spend four years with the Suffolk club, recording 9.32 and topping the team's averages during his first season with them.
He retired form British speedway after the 1957 season but returned to Australia and continued to ride for a few years, riding for Australia against England as late as January 1960.
References
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bainbridge, Junior}}
Category:Australian speedway riders
Category:Glasgow Tigers riders
Category:Australian expatriate speedway riders in Scotland
Category:Ipswich Witches riders
Category:Australian expatriate speedway riders in England
Category:Motorcycle racers from Melbourne