brianbuck

They would obviously see that as Oxford's problem. This kind of thing will inevitably keep happening whilst British clubs include foreign riders. Poland pay the money, so we can't blame the riders for opting to ride there. Birmingham would have had the same problem if Pawlicki had not been injured and temporarily replaced by Scott Nicholls.

Yes, numerous people have commented on this, but unfortunately, there is little that can be done to remedy this. When the stadium was restored from the wreck that the previous owners (Birchfield Harriers Athletics Club) left it when they moved out in the late 1970's, the new leaseholder Maurice Buckland was only interested in greyhound racing and laid the facilities out accordingly, removing the original terracing on the home straight and replacing it with a flat area for the bookies to use to set out their stall. Spectator viewing was confined solely to the grandstand/bar. When the operation was sold to the GRA in 2004, speedway was invited back and restarted there in 2007 and this was when the "temporary" accomodation on the first bend was installed by Tony Mole's promotion. Part of this later had to have the roof removed because it was blocking the view of a section of the dog track from one of the executive boxes, which the GRA would not allow. As the stadium now has only another 2/3 years before it is demolished to make way for houses, there is little point in trying to remedy this, which I agree is a pity, but its fair to mention that the view of the speedway track from the stadium's first floor bar is superb and uninterrupted, and is air conditioned on warm nights, and heated on cold nights, and there is no additional charge for viewing there. Personally, I'm not too keen on watching from inside, but even I have to admit that it does have its consolations on a cold or wet evening, and I'd say that overall, a visit to Perry Barr on a speedway night is well recommended.

The track was very wet from overnight and morning rain, and although I was there before 4pm, I didn't see any water being added. It did seem a bit greasy and this probably made passing more difficult. I thought we caught Sheffield cold in the early stages and were able to twice build up a ten point lead, but Sheffield always looked to be capable of catching us up, and being able to use Tai Woffinden four times in the last six races (including the superheat) was hugely to their advantage - although fair play to their team manager for reading the situation rightly. I didn't think Birmingham's Team Manager made any blunders. He might have made a couple of late changes but these probably wouldn't have affected the final outcome. In my opinion, the superheat spoiled the meeting. What is wrong with a drawn match anyway? Both clubs and their supporters would have gone home happy with a draw, so why ruin things for half of them with a daft rule that very few people ever wanted introduced in the first place? (That's not sour grapes, and I congratulate Sheffield on their win which I think they perhaps just about deserved, but I was delighted with the size of the crowd which was a great relief and was well deserved by a promotion which has worked so hard to keep speedway in Birmingham, and by the enthusiasm displayed - made so much better by Sheffield's happy and noisy contingent. This I think, justifies the gamble to move up to the Premiership, and will hopefully lead to more entertaining meetings like this one.

One big league would be impossible without a massive reduction in team strengths to a level which would be unacceptable to the majority of supporters.

Yes - a most enlightening and sobering article that graphically highlights the risks that all speedway riders take every time they take to the track.

Many thanks BL65 for this information which has been passed on to the lady making the enquiry. I don't know your name, but I have stressed that these details came from you and we're not due to my knowledge. I knew that this meeting did take place but I wasn't there on the night and had no idea of the details. Thanks again.

Mike Parker's Bradford's initial season as an open licence track and the club's first season in the Provincial League were both at Odsal. An alternative Promoter Jess Halliday then took over with a plan to move the operation to the Greenfield Greyhound Stadium. A new track was constructed but was not ready until late in the 1961 season and was only able to stage a few open meetings. Bradford, then using Greenfield did re-enter the Provincial League in 1962, but with a very weak team, struggled for most of the season until Mike Parker re-took control of the promotion, but the club did not survive beyond that campaign. I never went to Greenfield, but they say that the track was extremely rough (as Mike Parker's tracks always seemed to be) but it does seem that the chance of re-establishing Bradford away from Odsal, was a chance missed.

Does anyone have any information about an indoor ice race meeting held at The Cresta Ice Rink, Hobs Moat Road Solihull on Monday 13th March 1972? This was claimed to be "England's first ever ice race meeting" promoted by "Speed Track Promotions" and was between "Birmingham City" and "Midlands Select" Can't recall the event myself, but I think Harry Bastable was one of the "Speed Track Promotions" group. Any info would be much appreciated

Bob Roger 14, Peter Moore 13, Eric French 11, Cyril Roger 10 were the leading scorers. Peter Moore was the only non-British rider in the field. Birmingham 44 Nottingham 32 was the result of the other Christmas meeting I mentioned.

The first Winter meeting that I can remember was the Christmas Vase at Wimbledon, staged on Boxing Day 1956 which was won by Bob Roger of Swindon. The event did not include the top riders who would all have been wintering in Australia or South Africa. From memory, it wasn't particularly successful, attracting only a small crowd on a very cold evening, and Wimbledon never did repeat the experiment. I'd like to have gone myself, but as I was then a 16 year old office boy earning £2.10.0d a week (£2.50), I couldn't afford either the train fare or the admission money!!!! I know that my club Birmingham staged a Boxing Day meeting in 1937, this being a challenge match Birmingham v Nottingham (both tracks being promoted by Arthur Westwood). The original staging was called off through bad weather and was restaged 24 hours later on December 27th, but what sort of attendance there was I wouldn't know as this was all a bit before my time!

Thanks very much for this interesting response which is much appreciated.

Does anyone have any information about a track or the possibility of a track in the Yorkshire town of Keighley? I'm asking because I remember reading a feature about the formation of the Provincial League in 1960, in the Birmingham Mail. The feature listed the 10 tracks who were joining the league and also stated that there was interest from three more clubs, Rye House, Aldershot and Keighley. None of them did join, but I never saw or heard anything else about Keighley, so I'm intrigued!

Personally, I would be in favour of reverting to the race formula which was used in the 1950's which was 16 heats with teams of three pairings and one reserve. The riders in the team-proper got five rides and the reserve just two (with the option of 3 more as replacements for out of form riders in the team-proper. This might be a bit hard on the reserves, but having to give a reserve only two rides would make clubs more inclined to persevere with a young number 7 rather than keep chopping and changing like they do now, plus the fact that reserves wouldn't be allowed to take seven rides and thus play an unrealistic role in match results (which is nonsensical in my opinion.) If the extra heat is regarded as an unwanted additional expense, the format could easily be rejigged to make it a 14 heat match with perhaps the heat leaders taking 5 rides and the second strings only four. Just a thought so I expect to be shot down in flames!!!!

I don't feel that this is a case of "changing history" - its more a matter of "correcting history." The 1946 Final was described "The British Riders' Championship" and for 1947 and 1948 they were styled "The Speedway Riders' Championship" which certainly in the case of the latter two, were "World Championship Finals in all but name. For 1946, a fair number of the pre-war Australian and American stars were still undecided as to whether to return to British clubs, but they were all back here by the following year, so I don't see that it can be argued that these latter two finals didn't feature the world's best riders of the time.

I'm surprised that there has been no comment regarding the article printed in the latest Speedway Star which reports that the FIM is to be petitioned to re-classify the 1946 1947 and 1948 British Riders' Championship Finals as World Championships. These three finals all featured the 16 best riders in the World, and the three winners, Tommy Price, Jack Parker and Vic Duggan should certainly be entitled to claim the status of "World Champion" which has been denied to them. These three events were conducted in exactly the same way as previous and later World Championships with Qualifying Rounds which featured every rider competing in the British Leagues. I'm not 100% certain about 1946, but the 1947 and 1948 Qualifying Rounds included a number of European riders who were not attached to British Clubs, and the fact than none of them were good enough to qualify for the Wembley Finals is immaterial - the best 16 riders of the day were all in the final! Every speedway rider of quality was competing in the British Leagues during those three seasons, so why these event were not described as "World Championships" in the first place is a nonsense - and this ought to be rectified. Tommy Price perhaps, had the advantage of riding in the final on his home track, but there can be no question at all that both Vic Duggan and Jack Parker were the outstanding riders of the time. Parker, who rode speedway from 1928 until 1954, and was one of the country's leading riders for all of that time, was a very worthy World Champion, as of course was Vic Duggan, and it is scandalous that they have been prevented from being accepted as such. I was pleased to read that the campaign is being supported by Tommy Price's wife and by the sons of both Jack Parker and Vic Duggan, and by a number of respected senior promoters such as Len Silver and Reg Fearman, and I believe speedway enthusiasts everywhere should also give it their backing.