star ghost

In the latest edition there is an article about Geoff Pymar It is a great pity that the author didn't get his facts correct first As usual I expect his words will be taken as "Gospel" though Geoff did not have "a career which lasted 23 years" I will accept he started on track at Norwich in 1930. He did not retire in 1953 however. In as late as 1962 Geoff was riding for Bradford in the Provincial League. Whilst doing so he again joined up with his ex Norwich associate from the mid 50s Wal Morton. At Bradford they formed a heat partnership on a number of occasions. Both were 50 year old at the time making this partnership a "Centurion Act". 1930 - 1962 makes a career of 27 years (both seasons inclusive and not counting 1940 - 45, war years)

Yes Basil Storey was editor of the Gazette in those 1940s when Speedway came back from the War, I was led to belejve it was the name used by eric Linden Although not a "comic" strip as such I can remember The Flutters, a cartoon strip in the Daily Mirror at the same time as Buck Ryan, Jimpy and Garth. The Flutters were a horse racing family and to get money for betting Bart Flutter had to take up Speedway

All the best for Xmas & the New Vear Ove & Ioana, sorry to have missed you at Norwich this year. As you say Pam Hedge does a fantastic job on running these functions.

I bet they will be mentioned with Wimbledon next All of Londons great tracks went because people stopped going to speedway. Speedway has never fought back really either. It has just got left behind in the modern days.

Hello Igor Try speedway researcher. Under each track name you may well find your answers you require

Hope you had a great time Norbold. Iust sorry I couldnt be there this time around

Gordon Parkins was the front man at Norwich for a number of years and also worked for West Ham when the Norwich Stars closed at the end of the 1964 season. He was announcer at Kings Lynn for a while and I think he stood in for Martin Rogers at times also. He passed away in Pilgrim Hospital at a Xmas time some years back.

The Sussex Championship used to be the longest running trophy at one time. In 1948 West Ham staged "the Olympiad Trophy" to coincide with the London Olympic Games, but it was not run on a handicap system as far as I remember it. There was an International line-up including someone from Holland. I think Vic Duggan won the trophy that night

Howard came to Lynn from Cradley I think He also rode for Long Eaton before that He got sent back to Cradley by the notorious "rider control committee" Didnt he have his big crash at Leicester in a World Championship Semi-Final Howard was the first Kings Lynn rider to qualify for a World Final

yes Andy P Ove Fundin & Olle Nygren are the same It is really great to talk to the older riders

There was a write-up on the London Speedway Forum about the possibility of this event being staged. When it is not happening it is hardly likely to be forgotten about is it

But if you are a Mike Parker fan you might not want to read it though

MIKE Cake, the same bloke who made the team race jackets

Norbold ...... Unfortunately a guest rider will have to be booked for me as I will be away at that weekend. All riders will be available for booking because Pam Hedge does such a good job of running the one meeting a year Norwich Stars are allowed. I hope you & the wife have a good time as usual. My booking is at Corton in Suffolk where I hope to meet Ray again. He is an ex-London fan who I met earlier this year when we were there. We managed to re-run a few Split v Ove battles of those days. Things dont change - Ove won them still

The starting gate for the match race between Harry & Johnnie would look a bit odd. The tapes would have to go high so Harry could get under them but be low enough for Johnnie not to dodge underneath to get a roller. Harry probably used to take part in rolling starts for his races or was he a victim of the "Stamford Bridge" pushers being a visitor. I don't expect he was ever at Stamford though. If they needed a decider to the match race it could be staged at S B and Johnnie could always ride through between the legs of the footballers on the pitch today but poor old Harry could never try that one.

Len has never mentioned it to me but I think he may have ridden at a local grass track like Phil Clarke ang Jack Freeman did before taking up speedway. I thinnk he said his family used to work in a Shoe Factory before the war. Norwich was known for shoe factories at one time. Len was 90 last year so he is wearing well, as they say.

Although not a rider Mrs Max Grosskreutz is still with us and has topped the 100 mark not long ago. Len Read & Phil Clarke are the oldest Norwich riders who I know about but Geoff Pymar died just after he was made President of the Veterans Association a few years back

In that case I have posted wrongly then as I thought we were talking "oldest world finalist" here. Never mind Phil, Olle you are both still fantastic blokes

Yes, Phil is still with us. He is still the same modest bloke as he always was. Phil was a star among the Stars As far as I know Olle is still around as well. Mrs Grosskreutz is now 100 so is our eldest "Star"

I will agree with Norbold and Frenchy. It is time this continual swearing and carry on was outlawed. It does no-one any good and must make others wonder if the forum is worth while. Also someone must pay to keep things going. It is hardly the right way to thank whoever that is as well

Johnnie Chamberlain at 4ft 7 inches I think "and that was big for a Bloater"

Flesh coloured anything reminds me of Putt Mossman above anything else

A very comprehensive answer from Matt on this subject. It also shows just how good Ronnie Moore was with 5 years in the top place. This run was then rivalled by Ove Fundin who did even better due to his wonderful World title record of rostrum places for ten years

Lance was a good rider whilst in the Kings Lynn team but like 25 year fan said "you could make good money in the USA"

I was going to put in a claim for Ove but thought that would be stating the obvious. The heading for this item is "World Champions that never were" but that could never mean Ove, the greatest ever past, present and future, but I would have loved seeing him ride against Jack Parker, Wilkinson, Milne and van Praag when such riders were in their prime. And Huxley, Farndon, Johnson and Grosskreutz would have been interesting opposition too.