Graham

MJFC You must have started going a little while before me but I felt exactly the same way about speedway as a youngster. There was something about Glasgow during the Blantyre era which really appealed to me and you've mentioned most of them. I remember lots of people at Blantyre 1 wearing the club jacket which had the name "TIGERS" in red letters horizontally down a white panel on the arm. I'm sure you remember them too. In fact you still see one or two people wearing them at Ashfield. A bit tragic I suppose but at least they've got the use out of them. One of those little things which kind of sums up the 1970s. I think that Coatbridge won it one year. To be honest most of the girls were pretty ordinary looking but I'm sure people kept reading just in case some 70s babe in a wet t-shirt turned up. Speaking of t-shirts, remember the World Final t-shirts that came out every year and were usually advertised in the Speedway Star by a pouting female model? Other things about 70s speedway; Quirky, short-lived tracks e.g. Hevingham, Castleford, Ashington, Paisley, Newtongrange. Results of winter meetings at Iwade in the Star The Chopper Bike Champioships each November at Belle Vue. Feisty articles in the Glasgow programme, particulalrly Ian Steel's visitors page.

Why is James Grieves not riding in this meeting?

I suppose you could refer to one of the threads about long careers, but Nigel Boocock rode in the 1950s, 60s, 70s & 80s. Neil and Les Collins spanned the 1970s, 80s, 90s and 00s as did Bobby Schwartz. In fact if Boogaloo can hang on in there for another couple of years in the US he'll have ridden competitively in five different decades. While never an established league rider, the late George Wells rode in the 1960s, 70s, 80s, 90s & 00s.

There was an interview with Buttigieg in the now-defunct Automobile Sport magazine back in 1983. I've still got it somewhere and I'm sure he mentioned injuries as the reason he quit speedway. A bit like Barry Lee in that he's an ex-speedway rider who found success in another form of motorsport. Won the European Superkart title four times. Graham.

Hi there Can anyone give me details of the meetings held at Ashington in 1972? I believe that was the only season of racing there and they only staged two meetings. Thanks in advance, Graham.

Not a league meeting, but didn't Exeter thrash a Russian touring side 78-18 early in the 1990 season?

Although I was only there once, the old Belle Vue made a real impression on me. I was taken by the decaying splendour of the place - the old stands, the big pacy track and the mural over the entrance overlooking the second bend. Also the surrounding area which in the 1980s was in serious decline - the old exhibition halls out the back and derelict pubs on Hyde Road itself. It just had something. Thank god I visited it before it closed. I feel genuinely privileged having done so, and it's something no-one under twenty years of age will have experienced. If British speedway had a "mecca" then Hyde Road was surely it. I remember the first think I looked for when I got into the stand was the drains on the inside of the kerb. I'd read that one of them had seriously injured Peter Collins a few years earlier when he rode over it. Sure enough they were still there, but neat and tidy and well away from the edge of the track. What'e there now? A crappy car auction and a boring multiplex. This is progress? Graham.

I'm a bit surprised that no-one so far has mentioned either Les Collins (1975-2003) or Neil Collins (1978-2006) both of whom had league careers of over 25 consecutive seasons. I'm also sure that Nigel Boocock used to appear in the Guinness Book of Records for the longevity of his career (1955-1980). Graham.

Drinking beer out of those wobbly plastic pint glasses. David Walsh scoring 20 points for Glasgow there in 1994. Weird crossword-style racecards in the programme. Not a great stadium but a decent racers track. A sad loss for British speedway. Graham.

So what else are they going to have apart from fireworks?

Somerset already is a great circuit and doesn't need banking to improve it. On Friday once it had dried out you saw riders trying different lines, and all of them seemed pretty effective. A very good meeting, and just reward for Somerset who have brought the sport to a new area and as a club have come a long way in a short time. All credit to them and I sincerely hope that this becomes a regular eve-of-GP meeting from now on. Graham.

In this article Drury claims to have been the second-highest points scorer in the 1977 British League behind Gordon Kennett of White City. It's incorrect. Although it was a fine season for him there wee a few riders who scored more points than him - Dave Jessup, Billy Sanders and Michael Lee as well as Kennett. Mind you Drury is second to Kennett in terms of the number of rides taken. Graham.

Go into my profile and browse my previous posts. There are a lot of valid arguments in there and if you read them you'll understand why I feel the way I do. And yes I have spoken to the promoter in question. Graham.

I know. It's such a shame isn't it? This is a weak argument which doesn't stand up. For example Edinburgh are also losing out on a meeting on the Friday. Other weekend tracks will also be missing at least one home meeting because of the GP or shared events. How come these teams are able to take these interruptions better than Newport? I don't doubt the man's commitment but unfortunately it's not showing in the end product. This is evidenced by the dirty stadium, poor crowds and uncompetitive teams fielded in the recent past. Besides, what makes you think that the other, better promoters in speedway put in any less time, effort or money into their job than Newport's promoter does to his? Genuine question - Is speedway the Newport promoter's sole business interest? If so what does he do for income during the winter? Because the people at the Isle of Wight are professionals who have in my opinion done a very good job in bringing speedway to a new area. Their stadium is a pleasant, tidy place and a friendly atmosphere always prevails. Newport, regrettably, is none of these things. Graham.

I'm terribly sorry you feel like that. Paul, one of them was the well-known guy with the yellow t-shirt and grey pony-tail who used to be a regular at Newport's away meetings. This is someone who's behaviour has been, how can I put it, "questionable" in the past. The other bloke (who threw the stone) I didn't recognise. Regardless of who anyone supports I just cannot agree with aggressive behaviour at speedway meetings Graham.