Careers Ruined By Injury

[chunky 6,087]

Okay, it's time to clarify again... Sorry Tarabanko (and others), but if you go back and reread my original post, this thread was not intended to list those who suffered tragic career-ending injuries. This is for those, such as Dave Morton, Ronnie Genz, Tommy Knudsen (excellent example, incidentally) and others who simply got knocked back one or more times when they could possibly have gone on to greater things; those who carried on riding AFTER their injuries (sometimes serious, sometimes just niggling little things), pehaps not quite fulfilling the potential they possessed before the accident.

 

Sorry if I seem a little pedantic, but that's the way I started the topic.

 

Steve

 

PS Thanks to all who have posted some excellent cases here.

 

 

[briggo 29]

I think Mike Keen is worth mentioning in this topic. So, o.k. he was never a top notch rider, but on occassions when he was fit and flying he could dice it with the best of them, especially at Blunsdon.

 

He always seemed to get niggling little injuries that would set him back for a while. Late on in his career he often struggled to come back from these injuries and was never quite the same rider.

 

Injury free he could have been a quality third heat leader for many a year, in my opinion.

[4thbender 382]

In my very first season as a fan of the shale sport - 1966 - I remember Bob Paulson being hotly tipped (with sound justification) to be future championship material. In that same season he was involved in the crash at Cradley Heath that saw the tragic death of Ivor Hughes, and subsequently succombed to two shoulder injuries in quick succession, each one costing him several weeks on the sidelines.

 

Although Bob went on to be a much-respected and loyal servant of Sheffield - ultimately becoming a cup-winning captain - he never fulfilled the promise of those early years. I think the 1966 season took a lot out of Bob in lots of different ways, but one of my abiding memories of speedway is of Bob beating Barry Briggs in four scintillating laps in a British semi-final at Owlerton. Sheer poetry!

[speedybee 295]

I remember Paulson and agree.

 

Another one not mentioned here so far is John Harrhy, who I also remember beating Briggo a couple of times in classic races. I think it was midway through the 72 season, when John had been recalled to Coventry from Ipswich because of injuries and Ron Mountford's retirement (Ron - now there's another example!) , that he started to really click, which also coincided with the first appearance of those resplendent gold and black leathers. He popped out and beat Briggs in heat 1 riding at no2 with Nigel Boocock finishing third, and went on to have a great end of season, which peaked at home to Hackney with a 12 point max and temporarily holding the track record (which I remember Bengt Jansson also broke that night). He started 73 like a train and was averaging 8.50 or so when that fearful smash happened in early May against Cradley 'United' which Les Owen and Bruce Cribb were also involved, entering turn three when they all tangled at high speed, with Harrhy breaking his neck and ankle I think. Up to that point I really felt that John could have gone all the way, and done it very spectacularly too.

 

Also he was forced to sit out 73, he came back - very tentatively - the following year. Now 74 was almost a carbon copy of two years earlier, with Harrhy really struggling until June, and the suddenly clicking into the sort of form that saw him account for the likes of Phil Crump and other top riders at Brandon as he started riding wider and wider, and delivering some quite spectacular racing, especially on the faster away tracks such as Halifax. I think he finished 74 on 6.68 average, and certainly took some more knocks - on one occasion riding being flipped into the crowd at the start of the back straight in Heat 13 versus Exeter at Brandon.

 

75 - the year the 4 valve came in big time - was even more enigmatic, struggling in the the third heat leader berth and only occasionally showing glimpses of form, such as the home match with Hackney in July when he went through the card unbeaten. The away meeting at Wimbledon was a case in point, a track where he'd done diddly squat before (he even named it as his bogey track) and I think he'd scored two from three rides in another Bees away mauling, and then he goes out at the end and ruins Briggo's maximum.....That year, John was having some problems with his riding technique, and at one stage even had Ken McKinlay studying his style looking for ways to turn it around.

 

76 saw a further slide, starting as third heat leader and ending the season in and out of the team, before quitting at the end of the year (although he came back later with Stoke for a couple of years). As I say, a rider who quite possibly may have gone all the way, but ended up more as a great team servant.

 

Other riders? Rick France was one, as was Roger Hill. And quite possibly Andy Smith, who must have broken most bones in his body.

 

Tony Briggs?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[25yearfan 476]

Ipswich speedway legend Tony 'Shrimp' Davey had a good 10 year career but lost a finger in a 1972 good friday crash against Hackney when they had to cut his hand out of the sprocket with bolt croppers.

 

Shrimp also broke his thigh at Leicester in 79 I think when his footrest got caught in the wire mesh fence stopping the bike and throwing him up in the air and down the track. He packed up pro speedway in 1980 after another crash.

 

I feel without these bad smashes Shrimp could of got much further!

Edited May 17, 2008 by 25yearfan

[BOBBATH 466]

I thought of Rick France-I recall the 1967 World Final where he got to-did he have an accident later then??

[speedybee 295]

can't remember a bad one, but he did seem to have ongoing niggles, not least a collar bone which kept popping out, and was regularly visiting dr carlo biagi