-
Content count
343 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Community Reputation
176 ExcellentPrevious Fields
-
Gender
Male
-
Age
63
Recent Profile Visitors
The recent visitors block is disabled and is not being shown to other users.
-
My mother was at New Cross when the great Tom Farndon was fatally injured so she was there well before 1946
-
You'll find "The Complete History of the Speedway / Wills / Embassy Internationale by Robert Browne" here: https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/wimbledoninternationale.pdf
-
Briggs, Craven, Knutson, Fundin.
-
My first world final was 1962 won by Peter Craven. It was the one that featured four of the "big five" in heat six. They ended up as the top four on the night although not in order they finished that race. The other member of that illustrious quintet (Ronnie Moore) finished joint fifth.
-
Just noticed that there are seven swedes in the top twenty and three of them won the World Championship with one runner-up. Maybe it's the saunas that keep them fit and well.
-
I recall a mechanics' race being part of the end of season fun at Wimbledon. The time in the programme was shown as Hours ... Minutes ...
-
I only have to go down to Ray Wilson at number 34 to find a rider younger than I am - that's really scary!
-
I know how you feel. Oh, how I wish that speedway would return to New Cross but of course it's a forlorn hope. I was hoping that somebody would come up with the idea of building a speedway track around the football pitch when Millwall relocated (like Wembley in the old days) but I suspect that it would have been impractical.
-
It's surprising that Ivor Brown couldn't force his way into that team when we consider the success he had in later years with Cradley Heath.
-
Johnny Hoskins sometimes invited celebrity guests to appear during the interval at News Cross. I recall Nero and the Gladiators (a rock band of the 60's) being paraded around the track on the grader. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nero_and_the_Gladiators The team setting fire to Hoskins' trilby became a tradition which took place on the centre green during the interval to amuse the crowd. I assume that he eventually ran out of hats to wear.
-
The point I was making is that not necessarily on this forum, but generally it is only the winners of the official World Championship who get the recognition they deserve. Some of the names on that list come up when THE best rider ever is discussed (over to you Norbold). A combination of the suspension of world finals during World War Two and one tragic accident prevented these riders from having the opportunity to register a win in the official competition.
-
I was looking at the results of the Star Riders' Championship which was the forerunner of the official Speedway World Championship which was first held in 1936. - see below Some of speedway's best ever riders are featured and it's sad that the competition rarely gets a mention and that the winners don't enjoy the recognition they deserve. Year 1st 2nd 3rd 1929 (Overseas) Frank Arthur () beat Vic Huxley () 1929 (Britain) Roger Frogley () beat Jack Parker () 1930 Vic Huxley () beat Frank Arthur () 1931 Ray Tauser () Vic Huxley () Tommy Croombs () 1932 Eric Langton () Vic Huxley () Dicky Case () 1933 Tom Farndon () Ron Johnson () Bluey Wilkinson () 1934 Jack Parker () Eric Langton () Ginger Lees () 1935 Frank Charles () Jack Ormston () Max Grosskreutz (
-
So sad to hear that Gote Nordin is no longer with us. His name always seems to come up when we talk about the best riders never to win a World Final.
-
Very much part of the Belle Vue heat leader trio in the early 60's. He was also one of their three New Zealanders along with Ron Johnston and Bryce Subritsky.
-
Who COULD Have Been a Major Force in World Speedway?
Split replied to chunky's topic in Years Gone By
Stefan Kwoczala was Polish champion in 1959 and seventh in the World Final the following year. He rode for Leicester that year but was only allowed one season of racing in Britain and returned to ride in the Polish domestic league in 1961. Sadly, he suffered serious head injuries in a track crash in May of that year which effectively ended his career. Who knows what he might otherwise have achieved.