Obituary: Reg Bond, tyre wholesaler

Reginald Bond, who has died at 77, was a garageman who built one of the largest tyre wholesalers in the country.
Reg BondReg Bond
Reg Bond

Reginald Bond, who has died at 77, was a garageman who built one of the largest tyre wholesalers in the country.

Born in March 1943 at Wheldrake, to Reg Senior and Mary Bond, he moved with the family to Pocklington when he was 10. He never left.

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At 22, he was blinded in one eye by a splinter of flying metal and received £350 in compensation. With the money he set up his own car repair business based in Pocklington. In 1966 he went into business with his father and established R & RC Bond as a garage and motor factor, selling car parts to other garages. But he soon realised there was more money to be made from tyres than from fixing cars and in 1971 he set up Bond International. Around 1985 he decided to concentrate solely on tyres and never looked back. This year the firm will be among the top 100 largest privately owned companies in the UK.

Reg was its chairman until his death and was actively involved in the business for over 50 years, although he had handed over the day-to-day running to his sons, Greg and Charlie.

Also a keen footballer, he turned out for Allison’s Social Club (later Pocklington Town FC) in the York and District Football League, and after retiring as a player became the club’s assistant groundsman, barman and junior team manager at various times.

In his business capacity he was also its first shirt sponsor and possibly the first such sponsor in the country.

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His interests also extended to racing, and in 2002 he bought Bond Boy, which won the Steward’s Cup that year.

He also bred racehorses through his own business, Bond Thoroughbred Corporation, at Yapham Mill Stud. His sprinters included Moving Time, group one winner of the Prix de l’Abbeye de Longchamp in 2014, and Ladies are Forever, which won the Summer Stakes at York a record three times.

He married Margaret (Betty) Wilson at 21. The two had grown up in the same street and worked together in their spare time. They had four children and five grandchildren.

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