RONNIE GENZ

Poole Speedway are saddened to learn of the death of former rider Ronnie Genz who passed away at the age of 86 on Saturday.

A Poole Pirate between 1965 and 1967 Ronnie made 110 British League and Knockout Cup appearances for Poole, scoring 996 points at an average of 8,77. He is currently ranked 36th in the list of the Poole all time points scorers.  

Born in London’s East End, Ronnie enjoyed a short but successful time in cycle speedway before trying his hand at the motorised version of the sport at the Rye House training school in 1950. After spells with New Cross, Wolverhampton, and Yarmouth, he eventually settled at Oxford, topping the Cheetahs score charts for the next eleven years.

With the formation of the British League in 1965 the management committee’s Rider Control  panel  allocated him to Poole, where his consistent high scoring made him a firm favourite with the Wimborne Road fans.

His mastery of the Poole track was soon apparent, with him scoring a faultless maximum on his debut at Wimborne Road and winning 26 of his first 28 races around the confines of the narrow 347 metre raceway.  

Individually his form was just as good, becoming the first Poole rider to qualify for a place in the British Final, while also representing the club in the first ever British League Riders championship.  He finished the season as the club’s top points scorer with an average of 9.45/
More than happy to remain at Poole, Ronnie put together another fine season in 1966 averaging 8.83 from 37 league and cup matches while helping the club to a top six finish in the league standings.

His third year saw his performances dip slightly, finishing third in the club’s averages, but he was still a consistent heat leader and more than capable of producing match winning performances which helped the club to a top six finish for the second successive season. Sadly the 1967 season was to prove his last in the club’s colours, with the Rider Control panel posting him back to Oxford for the 1968 season.

An extremely likeable man both on and off of the track, Ronnie will be sadly missed by the speedway family everywhere.

The Management and Riders of Poole Speedway extend their sincere condolences to his family at this sad time.