TonyMac 720 Posted December 23, 2009 (edited) ISSUE 35 OUT NOW! WORLD FINAL versus GRAND PRIX - The 80s Following our attempts in the last issue to determine who would have won the World Championship finals had the modern GP system applied in the 70s, this time we leap forward to the 80s, as John Berry and Tony McDonald choose their main men from that era. After Michael Lee and then Bruce Penhall claimed victories in the first three World Finals of the 80s, it became a decade dominated by the dynamic Danes. But just how many titles will our ‘experts' JB and Tony Mac award to Hans Nielsen (below) and his great rival Erik Gundersen - and not forgetting Tommy Knudsen and Jan O. Pedersen? And did they ‘give' another glory night to Lee or a much sought-after first crown to his fellow Englishman Kenny Carter? The individual world title eluded Dave Jessup but would it have done had the championship race been decided over a long series? Where did Sam Ermolenko (left, chasing Nielsen)and the other Americans feature in the reckoning? Surely Egon Muller wouldn't have got near the rostrum under the GP format? All is revealed in the latest issue as we analyse the who, what and when of World Finals/GPs of the 80s. MICHAEL LEE - Exclusive interview Talking of Lee, we catch up with the 1980 World No.1 and find out what keeps him busy today - apart from starring in his own, new DVD! The controversial former King's Lynn and Poole racer (right)explains his mechanical background and why he gets such a buzz from tuning engines for several of today's star names, including England's new white hope and 2010 GP challenger Tai Woffinden. BRUCE PENHALL Our big-name columnist from across The Pond gives his own thoughts on Michael Lee, as well as recalling his former Cradley Heath team-mate Erik Gundersen (left), who was forced to quit racing just over 20 years ago following his near-fatal crash at Bradford. And just what did Ivan Mauger have to say to Bruce when he called him up recently in California? MALCOLM SIMMONS After more bad news from Wimbledon Stadium as the main stand is closed to the greyhound racing public, our other regular star columnist ‘Super Simmo' provides a fascinating insight into three of the London tracks he rode at most often . . . Plough Lane, plus Hackney and West Ham, in what he calls his ‘London lament'. He also reveals some sorry news about his former Hackney team-mate Andy Galvin and has some words of praise for Terry Russell following his recent resignation as BSPA president. Oh, and why did World Champion Jason Crump have cause to phone chez Simmo in Kent? Was it something you said, Malc? CASTLEFORD A place fit for Kings? Well, you would hardly describe the now sadly defunct Whitood Stadium in West Yorkshire as a venue for royalty but this training track cum open licence venue served a very useful purpose in 1979 and '80, before its sudden closure. Martin Neal talks to an ex-Kings rider and team manager who were part and parcel of the Castleford scene, plus we've images of the old site after the bikes moved out. DOUBLE DUTCH National newspaper journalist Richard Bott is back from hospital to recall what it was like covering the World Finals of the 80s, including trips to Poland, Sweden and Amsterdam for the sport's one and only two-day final in 1987. ALAN MOGRIDGE - My Night As a key member of Hackney's all-conquering National League team of the late-80s, ‘Moggo' relives the night, in 1988, when the Kestrels overpowered London rivals Wimbledon to win the KO Cup and complete a glorious NL double. TED HUBBARD Q&A The former Canterbury, Rye House and Hackney favourite (right) is the subject of our latest ‘On 2 Minutes' interview. Amongst other things, read why he didn't go too much on Crewe and who he enjoyed riding with most. RADFORD'S TRAVELS Intrepid Bob is back with more tales of his trips to far-flung places. He's reached the Gs and K's, which means we're on the go from Getingarna to King's Lynn, via Glasgow, Gorzow, Gothenburg, Hackney, Halifax, Hull, Ipswich and Katowice. ZDENEK MAJSTR - Exclusive interview Probably not the first former Czech rider's name you will recall from the early-70s, but an international performer with an intriguing story to tell nonetheless. Vitek Formanek caught up with ‘Zen' to find out all about the determined man from Slany who emerged from the shadow of the favoured Red Star Prague team members. Plus... Your letters, including a backlash for Bruce following his controversial comments about Kenny Carter in our previous issue. BUY YOUR COPY OR SUBSCRIBE ONLINE VIA THIS LINK http://www.retro-speedway.com Edited December 31, 2009 by tmc Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lucifer sam 3,953 Posted December 30, 2009 GREAT DANES - Hans Nielsen & Erik Gundersen dominate the selections of our analysts as winners of 80s World Finals under the GP format. But did Kenny Carter get a look in? My "Backtrack" arrived this morning - excellent read as usual. I notice John Berry has gone for the slightly controversial angle of not giving Erik Gundersen a single win under the GP format - I reckon he would have at least one championship, the most likely year being 1984. Erik would also have been not far from Hans in 1985 - although this was the year Hans stepped up his game even further. But I think both would have been way in front of Kenny Carter, Tony Mac's surprise choice for that particular year. Had Carter won a GP series it would have been in 1982 and not 1985. Shawn Moran (who beat Carter in the Overseas Final and enjoyed the best season of his career) had more chance of pushing Hans & Erik in 1985. I'll have to craft together that letter... especially after Ivan Mauger had 2 to 3 GP championships stolen from him in the 1970s All the best Rob Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shazzybird 10 Posted December 30, 2009 Excellent as ever TMC, Loved the 2 mins Now looking forward to hearing what Erik Gundersen has to say for himself in March Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TonyMac 720 Posted December 31, 2009 Excellent as ever TMC, Loved the 2 mins Now looking forward to hearing what Erik Gundersen has to say for himself in March Thought you'd approve of the feature on Ted. It's Jan O Pedersen - not Erik - next time! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TwoMinuteWarning 69 Posted December 31, 2009 My favourite article isn't even mentioned in the preview above! When friends and I saw Zdenek Majstr score a maximum for the Young Czech team at Canterbury in their, and his, first UK match in 1969, we immediately dubbed him The Complete Nutter. Maybe he wasn't really a partly-out-of-control fence-scraping lunatic with no regard for his own safety - perhaps it was just that the track was just too small for him? But that Czech team were some of the hardest, toughest, most forceful riders we had ever seen, and we made every effort to watch them on that and subsequent tours - we were never disappointed. It's sad that his career ended so early due to injury (and that his appearances in the UK were so few), but his quote in the article - "I don't know why I crashed so often" - made me smile. I was just surprised he didn't crash more often! He's something of a cult hero now, someone who crops up in conversation occasionally, someone very special to those of us who admired him. Thanks for the memories, Zdenek - and thanks to Vitek Formanek for reviving those memories. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bezza 20 Posted January 13, 2010 Has anyone seen the Michael Lee DVD and can recommend or at least give a quick review? How much of the 4hrs is actual racing footage/archive etc? As much as I would like to here Mike today give his account of his Speedway career, it's the on track action what will sell it me. Bezza Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
