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Golden Helmet

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that has to be the most deluded confusing suggestion ever contrieved.

You would have Kasprzak, Harris, Watt, King, Richardson, Bjerre, Holder, Adams and Lindgren all meet up at a track, compete in three round robin groups to determine three group winners who would ride in the final.

 

Thats 12 heats which if run alongside a meeting like an Under 18;s Test Match (England v Poland say) over 15 heats could create quite a bit of interest and a pretty good crowd.

Edited by T.N.T.

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I would add my weight to that, bring back the Golden Helmet, as it used to be.

Best of 3 home and away, with any decider on a neutral track.... I can still

picture John Louis, who was a bit of a specialist in the Golden Helmet, when

he smashed the track record at Foxhall, whilst beating Dave Jessup....

I'd kill to see that kind of thing again.... And people ridicule the old days...

they don't know what they missed.

 

I can remember Nigel Boocock beating Ove Fundin and taking him to a decider on a neutral track

Happy daze!

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Get Sky to rename it the 'Sky Golden Helmet Series' and you would have a winner!

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Just recapped on this thread:

One has to question if the past attraction was the trophy of a Golden Helmet, per se, or the Match Race itself. I must believe the later, be it the monthly H&A best of 3, or the single post-league race where the top scorer challenged the holder.

 

Of course the riders would want paying; yes, they want to get away after Ht.15 (except where the financial attraction appeals !)

But in its heyday, it was the opening event, - before league racing commenced. Only in this format can it be 'promoted' heavily, in advance, to bring in add'l supporters to cover the prize money. I see no point in a full blown mtg with the Helmet as a prize, - too man riders dont bother now with such competitions, (i.e. the ELRC,) and changing a cup for a helmet wont appeal, especially if its polycarbonate full-face 21-century safety gear.

 

Reflecting on past winners, indeed John Louis had a good run in both formats in '73/'74 at the time of the transition, but Olsen's amazing 19 consecutive wins in ‘72/’73, (post-mtg single race format,) and Briggo and Peter Collins' 12 monthly successes, (H&A best-of-3 format,) stand out, post 1960. The master of the Match-Race however still remains Jack Parker and his 20 monthly successes between 1946 and 1951 with only 3 defeats in that 5-year period.

 

You can see all the detail on this website

http://speedwaychampions.kk5.org/login/453...home/4538411176 - - "Golden Helmet/British MRC" page,

plus pics of various Golden Helmets, old and new, and their holders.

.

Edited by britmet

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Hi BritMet,

The best of 3, home and away, is the best format I ever saw.

And having those match races opening a meeting, was and

still is, the best buzz I got at speedway. Although the idea

that your own top rider held the helmet was the tops, it was

in fact the whole match race scenario that excited me on a

personal level.

Never ever liked or understood that daft one heat rubbish,

after a meeting had finished either.... and at the end for an

old Gauntlet, not a helmet, that had been badly painted with

some cheap gold spray paint.

 

It was a bit like two modern day Gladiators going into combat,

where there could only be one winner.

Apart from those magical series that John Louis was involved

in, I also traveled to other tracks, just to see the Golden Helmet

match races, involving other riders. There was just something

very special about those races.

 

We get the usual people that knock the past, but I believe that

sometimes we need to go back to the past, regarding some

aspects of speedway, as well as embracing modern idea's.

A return to the Golden Helmet, in its 70's format, would IMHO,

be a good thing.

I understand the riders are over stretched, riding in so many

different countries, but all the authorities have to do is look at

the fixtures lists and make their nominations each month from

those. So they would know who qualified to take part and who

was available and when. Its not hard to do, if anyone really wanted

to get this off the ground again and make it compulsary for a rider

that is nominated to ride, or face a fine.

All anyone has to do is look at the recent Troy Batchelor/Chris Harris

fiasco. Troy was booked to guest for Coventry, only to find that Harris

was at Poole and ready to race. No-one had bothered to inform Troy

that Harris was there, so he travelled all that way for nothing.

The point being, that riders are prepared to travel regardless, so

it would work I feel.

Its not rocket science to organise and who knows, it may even

entice some former fans back again, as many don't go anymore, as

things have changed way too much for them.

 

As I said, sometimes a step back is a step forward.

Edited by tomcat

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The original Golden Helmet match races were always held before the meeting started. I can remember that they caused a lot of excitement part of which was due, I think, to the fact that they were only held once a month and therefore held a great deal of prestige for the riders and the track holding the event.

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The original Golden Helmet match races were always held before the meeting started. I can remember that they caused a lot of excitement part of which was due, I think, to the fact that they were only held once a month and therefore held a great deal of prestige for the riders and the track holding the event.

 

Exactly Old Saint, my sentiments to a tee.

What I want to say doesn't always come out well on these

forums... :lol:

 

Just thinking back to those match races brings back some

cracking memories.

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Exactly Old Saint, my sentiments to a tee.

What I want to say doesn't always come out well on these

forums... :lol:

 

Just thinking back to those match races brings back some

cracking memories.

 

My memories of the Golden Helmet go back to the 50s and 60s :wink: I never saw any in the 70s so I cannot comment.

 

Certainly in the 50s and 60s, a Golden Helmet challenge was regarded as something special and was definitely looked forward to by supporters.

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My memories of the Golden Helmet go back to the 50s and 60s :wink: I never saw any in the 70s so I cannot comment.

 

Certainly in the 50s and 60s, a Golden Helmet challenge was regarded as something special and was definitely looked forward to by supporters.

 

As it was in the 70's too. The competition still had a lot of prestige

for the riders and fans. What also made it special was that some

unfancied riders could come along and take the Helmet from a

more established rider.

Unfortunately, my era's for the Golden helmet are a complete

reverse of yours, I never saw the 50's or 60's as I didn't come

along until 1963, my first meeting was when Ipswich re-opened

in 1969. But I've heard many many stories about the way

speedway was back then.

I get called a dinosaur on here, but oh for those days back again.

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.....

I get called a dinosaur on here, but oh for those days back again.

 

It may considered a trait of the old but I do not agree with the general idea that because something is old it is not as good as its modern equivalent. Personally I think that modern speedway could still learn a great deal from looking back and trying some of the things from "yesteryear".

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It may considered a trait of the old but I do not agree with the general idea that because something is old it is not as good as its modern equivalent. Personally I think that modern speedway could still learn a great deal from looking back and trying some of the things from "yesteryear".

100% ....................... the old promoters were more inventive/intuitive were they not, as were the riders probably!

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100% ....................... the old promoters were more inventive/intuitive were they not, as were the riders probably!

 

The promoters of old regarded speedway as being entertainment as well as sport and as promoters of such, they tried to entertain the public. Unfortunately speedway now suffers from the same affliction that has helped to ruin many another sport - "win at all costs".

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The promoters of old regarded speedway as being entertainment as well as sport and as promoters of such, they tried to entertain the public. Unfortunately speedway now suffers from the same affliction that has helped to ruin many another sport - "win at all costs".

 

Absolutely agree with your good self and Trees.

I laugh my socks off at some of the younger posters on here, they

think they know everything about speedway, but if they could have

seen how the sport was run in those past days, maybe they wouldn't

be so damn smug.

The trouble is, they see a couple of clips from past years on YouTube

and think thats it. There was so much more to our sport and unfortunately

the younger generation just will not see, or accept, that there is much to

be learn't from those Golden Days.

 

Mind you, its not just speedway thats a Money orientated, win at all

costs thing. I just had the best laugh in years this past weekend.

I run a small WW2 Living History group, we try to do many of our

shows for little or no fee. There is a former club of mine, who charge

ridiculous amounts for even the smallest show, but they came unstuck

this time. Approached the Royal British Legion, who have their 90th

Anniversary next year, to do a show for them. The Legion Secretary

asked how much they charge, when told the figure, which I am reliably

told was near £2,000 for an afternoon, they were politely told where to

get off. We have been contacted by the same guy at the Legion, our fee?

Absolutely 100% free. The whole point of what we do is to honour those

that fought in any conflict, although our particular area of interest is WW2.

How on earth the other lot can justify charging our Veterans that amount

is beyond me and also disrespects the memory of those that have fallen.

 

Sorry, that was off topic, but I had to share that with someone, as it made

my day.

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The original Golden Helmet match races were always held before the meeting started. I can remember that they caused a lot of excitement part of which was due, I think, to the fact that they were only held once a month and therefore held a great deal of prestige for the riders and the track holding the event.

 

THE match race championship, which was rewarded with the golden helmet, used to be one of the highest prizes to be won in British speedway. That's why it was such a draw with the crowd in the old days. I think it all began in 1930, and was initially designed as the world match race championship, but since the ACU would not sanction such an ambitious title, it reverted to become the British match race championship.

 

This used to be a contest similar to how boxing world championships are decided, the champ defends his title against a nominated challenger.

 

Speedway and Boxing have some similarities, not least that both sports/businesses are run by promoters.

 

The old system of monthly challenges for the Golden Helmet Match Race Championship was far better than the inflated version they had in the sixties or seventies, when the holder had to defend the helmet and weekly challenges, somtimes within 24 hours after he had won it. This was simply too much and people, as well as the media, got an overdose and did no longer give it as much attention as it used to get when there were only monthly challenges.

 

In the old days, the media had time to preview and build up such events and people used to know who would be challenging for the helmet, as it was raced for monthly on a home-and-away basis at the holder and challenger's track, with a neutral track decider if neccessary. And to make it lucrative for the riders, there was money for the holder as long as he kept it, even through the winter.

 

For example, in 1949 at Birmingham, some 44,000 people turned up to see the match between Graham Warren and Jack Parker. It was promoted just like a big boxing bout. Those were the days.

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<!--quoteo(post=1583626:date=Aug 31 2009, 03:21 PM:name=T.N.T.)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (T.N.T. @ Aug 31 2009, 03:21 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1583626"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->The Golden Helmet was always a good extra to a meeting but these days riders finish heat 15, get showered and then off to the next meeting. They don't need any extra ware and tear on equipment and would want paying for these extra rides.

 

Although it would be nice, I cant see it happening but maybe another idea would be to include heat 15 results in a competition.

 

At the end of the season, the top two riders with the most race points from each track would then be selected for the ELRC (bottom two as reserves) where the trophy could be the Golden Helmet.

 

Otherwise, you could have the top rider at each track go forward to a Golden Helmet meeting held at say Cardiff (on the Sunday) or even alongside the Silver Helmet with the meeting held at a central track like Birmingham, Coventry or Wolves.

 

You would then have 9 top EL riders competing in three groups of three for the Golden Helmet and 14 top PL riders competing in groups. All races would be match races with the meeting lasting about 40 heats of two riders.If you could get on average 100 fans from each track, thats a pretty good crowd and help pay for the prize money as well as making it a charity meeting for injured riders.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

 

 

that has to be the most deluded confusing suggestion ever contrieved.

 

That's our TNT for you :wink:

 

He's a harmless old cove really and where speedway is concerned his heart's in the right place :)

 

Just has a problem with the grey matter sometimes :D

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