Exeter Rider

[active 6]

Hi I have just had a mate of mine on the phone and he has bought a garage near the old County Ground and he says the place was owenend by an old rider called Ronco somthing and he has found a couple of bits that relate to him .

 

Any ideas who he may be ?

[speedyguy 20]

Hi I have just had a mate of mine on the phone and he has bought a garage near the old County Ground and he says the place was owenend by an old rider called Ronco somthing and he has found a couple of bits that relate to him .

 

Any ideas who he may be ?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Most likely Bernard 'Bronco' Slade, who started at Exeter as a schoolboy in 1934, going on to be a big name in pre-war west country grass track racing. In 1938 he rode speedway at Hackney, the following year at Crystal Palace.

 

In 1946, rode on grass again and also had trials at Wimbledon. In 1947, he was captain of Exeter in the Third Division, but in one of the following seasons, crashed and fractured his pelvis. Around 1950 or 1951, he rode for Plymouth and St Austell, then in later part of 1950s was the team manager at Exeter. Also had some second-half rides at Wembley around 1947 or 1948. Bronco was a very spectacular leg trail rider.

 

Take a look on the Exeter speedway site. There was also a feature article in the 1990s about him in the VSM. He is one of the folklore names in west country speedway.

[active 6]

thanks for that will do

[Nevs 4]

Link on Bronco here http://www.exeter-falcons.demon.co.uk/pages.html

 

There is a motor cycle garage right adjacent to the main entrance of the County Ground which used to be called Bronco slade motors-or something very similar-I presume thats the one you mean.

Edited August 5, 2006 by Nevs

[active 6]

yea I think so my friend says he is clearing it out and has maybe found a couple of bit that may be of intrest no idea what.

[speedyguy 20]

yea I think so my friend says he is clearing it out and has maybe found a couple of bit that may be of intrest no idea what.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

I think you should find out what it is. It could be of interest to the new Speedway Museum.

 

No idea though how you contact them, but it's run by George Barclay and Pete Sampson.

[Nevs 4]

I think you should find out what it is. It could be of interest to the new Speedway Museum.

 

No idea though how you contact them, but it's run by George Barclay and Pete Sampson.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

If he is not sure about it Rob Doran is an Exeter specialist and lives local and has his own private museum and I am sure he would be happy to give advice about whatever it is has been found.If you need to get in contact with him gimme a shout.

[Sean 3]

I think you should find out what it is. It could be of interest to the new Speedway Museum.

 

No idea though how you contact them, but it's run by George Barclay and Pete Sampson.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

if you want to get in contact with George or Pete for the museum, mail to me and i will pass it on to them.

 

seanwilkie53@btinternet.com

[Nevs 4]

yea I think so my friend says he is clearing it out and has maybe found a couple of bit that may be of intrest no idea what.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Tell him to jump over the gate when no one is looking and obtain a few more bits of speedway momentos when no one is looking-ie fence panels lol-I know one is going to the speedway museum and one to the Royal Albert memorial museum in Exeter.

 

I will try and get there this week with my camera if anyone is there who will let me in and see how the place is looking now and take a pic of the small garage next door.

 

Still planning problems with regards to housing.

 

Went past on Thursday-The floodlight pylons are still there but all actual floodlights have been removed-Interestingly they still have the green mesh fencing in place on the third turn.From the outside apart from the floodlights looks like nothing has changed.

 

Will try and get in and take a few pictures to post.

[Knowle 51]

Walked into the County Ground last week. Nothing has changed as far as I could see except floodlights missing,speedway office boarded up, stairs to grandstand blocked,centre green overgrown.Track shop sign still in situ.All looked rather sad. The detached house between Bronco Slade Motors and the entrance gates used to have the words 'Stadium House' painted on a panel above the door but these have disappeared. Years ago you could gain entry into the basement of the totalisator on the wall of which was a some sort of wiring diagram dating back to the 1930s.Was the totalisator ever used in connection with speedway racing? I seem to remember that the one at Knowle stadium in Bristol in the 1940s gave helmet colour finishing order of the previous race.

[Nevs 4]

Didn't the house next door used to be home to the groundsman/caretaker of the circuit?

 

Remember as a kid looking over the 4th bend and being almost able to touch the tomatoes he was growing.

Edited August 7, 2006 by Nevs

[active 6]

Thanks for all your help guys will try to find anything I can and pass on to best people that can take care of it .

[Guest]

An update  on research for Bernard 'Bronco' Slade appears elsewhere in YEARS GONE BY. See Bernard Slade details please thread.

Edited February 27, 2022 by Guest
updated

[BOBBATH 466]

Any chance of speedway returning to the County Ground if nothing has been built on it?

[chunky 6,091]

On 2/27/2022 at 9:18 PM, BOBBATH said:

Any chance of speedway returning to the County Ground if nothing has been built on it?

Not sure why you think nothing has been built on it. Once the place was closed, housing went up pretty quickly.