tigerbrandcoffee

In Red/Blue/White/Yellow & Black format: Ht 01: 1 2 1 2 Ht 02: 3 4 3 4 Ht 03: 5 6 5 6 Ht 04: 2 7 2 7 Ht 05: 5 6 3 4 Ht 06: 3 4 1 2 Ht 07: 1 2 5 6 Ht 08: 4 7 4 7 Ht 09: 5 6 1 2 Ht 10: 3 4 5 6 Ht 11: 1 2 3 4 Ht 12: 3 6 1 2 Ht 13: 1 5 3 6 The more familiar 13 heat format came into action in 1969.

I don't have the programme but it was a 4TT challenge with Belle Vue, Halifax and Hull. Hull won the meeting.

I liked Neil's style a lot. It's no co-incidence he was around during Tigers' most successful spell in their history. True he did drop Steve Lawson when he was struggling and that put a lot of red 'n' white noses out of joint but for me, he cleared that slate by getting shot of Kenny McKinna in favour of the infinitely more entertaining (on and off the track) Mark Courtney.

I don't have the final programme from Coatbridge (17/6 v Eastbourne) but at the start of that meeting the track record would have been the 67.8 secs set by Peter Collins on 17/9/76. Typical race times were 3/4 secs slower than that so I believe that record would have remained intact.

There's a similar story I recall although in this case it was Newcastle who were in town. The track width was again the concern on said home straight, and Neil McFarlane produced a tape measure to prove beyond doubt that the track was the minimum required width, and this was accepted albeit reluctantly by the riders and officials... It later emerged that Neil had cut about 3 feet out of the tape measure before re-joining it so that the track looked legal

Ah rite... Milton Keynes in 1987...us Glasgow fans tend not to recall too much about that season Incidentally it was still known as the British Junior Championship in 83, not U-21. Keith also represented Exeter that year in his only appearance in the NLRC.

From the 1986 Speedway Yearbook: Keith John Millard b. 18/11/1964, Newent, Gloucs. Exeter (NL 1981-83) Peterborough (NL 84) Rye House (NL 85) Swindon (BL 82) Poole (BL 83) Exeter (BL 84) British Junior Champion 1983 I can't confirm, but I think he retired, from the shale at least, at the end of 1985. Can't help on the footage front though, sorry.

Ron Preston in action : 1980 Daily Express Spring Classic Heat 2: Ron Preston (U.S.A.), Finn Thomsen (Denmark), Hans Nielsen (Denmark), Larry Ross (New Zealand)

As clear as day now I know it's there

I must have watched that Final a thousand times and you know, I'd never picked up on Wiggy and his comments! I YouTube'd the opening sequence and Carter's races recently so why not have a watch for yourself, DonsFanSW: 1984 British Final: Opening Sequence 1984 British Final: Heat 10 1984 British Final: Heat 15 1984 British Final: Heat 20 & Interview

You must be joking...tabloids eat this kind of headline for lunch and it sells their papers. If the media chose to cold-shoulder the sport it was because nothing of any interest to them (ie headline grabbing, paper selling scandal) ever happened. The Simon Wigg race-fixing hoo-haa did more to discredit speedway than this tragedy ever did.

American Donny 'Too Tall' Odom was a big fella, can't recall the details though. Think he rode for Middlesbrough??? Andy Reid 6' 1"

I remember speedway in Aberdeen being talked about in around 1984. Don't really know how close it came but it was as succesful as the ahem 'attempt' to have the World Final staged at Hampden Park the same year I doubt Scotland could support a third team, there's barely enough supporting the two that exist in/near Scotland's two largest cities as it is.

Only joshing mate You're right about punk not 'killing off' anything...ELP had their biggest chart success the same week as Pretty Vacant was in the top 10...

...played by session musicians You'll be saying Kurt Cobain was a genius next...