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TonyMac

Top 20 Brits Of The 80s

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My list, I've tried to be objective though the list is no doubt skewed by the fact that I watched most of my Speedway at Hyde Rd 81-87, with regular visits to halifax/Bradford and also Coventry (for Aces meetings and world final qualifiers - though never went to a British Final fomr somme reason).

 

 

1. Michael Lee (the most talented English speedway rider of the generation. If you doubt that watch the 80 World Final in particular the way he storms past Penhall in his second ride. I never particularly rated him around Hyde Rd where I watched most of my Speedway, certainly not as highly as say Morton or Carter, though a couple of performances stand out in 81 against USA, and the 83 BLRC where he finished on the rostrum. And I was there in Norden in 83 when he finished on the podium. A real shame that he didnt live up to his potential, as Id rate him at least as talented as Gundersen and Nielsen).

2. Kenny Carter (Along with Morton the best Englishman around Hyde Rd, and certainly the best around the Shay and Odsal. For those who doubt his achievements: 2 x British Champion. Back to back winner of the BLRC (the only other riders to have ever achieved this feat are Briggs, Olsen, Peter Collins and Nielsen). One first and two seconds from 3 World Pairs finals (stand out performance being 85 where he was beaten only by Gundersen). Finished on the podium in 3 Overseas finals, and one inter-continental final. And in World finals: 81 denied a probable place on the rostrum by an engine failure. 82 denied a place on the rostrum (and possibly the title ) by THAT incident (for what its worth, I think the ref called it correctly). 83- Mullers final, 10 points disappointing but far from disgraceful. 84 brave effort to qualify though injured. 85- had he made the final he would have had a great chance at winning. I think he would have done, though it would have required some luck with what gates he was drawn on (as the inside gates were a HUGE advantage in the first half of the meeting). Looking at other top riders of the era, Its worth remembering that Carter was younger than the likes of Nielsen, Gundersen and Sigalos, and that it took Nielsen 7 attempts to win a World Final - and even then he required some luck with the refs decision going his way. Carter was also (along with Morton) the best rider in England colours in the first half of the decade.

3. Chris Morton ok Im biased, as he was my favourite English rider. He was generally rubbish on World Final night, but he won everything else. British Final, Inter-Continental Final, BLRC Final (those two events arguably the strongest line ups of any meeting at that time), World Pairs Final and World team Cup Final. An absolutely amazing rider to watch, and in terms of consistent performance over the whole decade hed be the top English rider.

4. Dave Jessup never particularly rated him as with the exception of one performance against USA- I always remember him as being rubbish around Hyde Rd. But… he was the best rider in the World in 1980 (arguably would have been the only Englishman to win a world title in the decade under a GP format) and would have finished on the rostrum in 81 but for engine troubles.

5. Simon Wigg the best English rider over the second half of the decade, but not quite good enough to seriously challenge the dominance of Hans and Erik. Averaged over 11 in the BL 86, I believe the last Englishman to do so. Double British Champion, and 2nd in the World in 89.

6. Peter Collins past his best, but still won more World titles in the 80s than any other Englishman, including Pairs titles with three different partners. Watching him and Chris ride in heat 13 was one of the finest sights in Speedway.

7. Kelvin Tatum probably just behind Wiggy as the best Englishman in the latter 1980s. On the rostrum 4 times (with 4 different partners) in the World Pairs, member of the 89 WTC winning team, and won all the major qualifying rounds of the World individual, as well as finishing 3rd in the 86 Final.

8. Les Collins the biggest loser out of the controversial Carter/|Penhall clash, as this denied him a run-off for the title. That said, if he hadnt dropped points in his easiest ride the title would have been his. Also won the 80 BLRC and 82 inter-Continental final, so that performance cant be viewed as a fluke. But surprisingly faded and never made another final.

9. Jeremy Doncaster consistently in the top 10 riders in the world in the second half of the 80s, and finished 3rd in the 89 final (though only due to a Gundersen ef).

10. Simon Cross 87 was really his breakthrough year, making the World Final and being one of Englands strongest performers in Tests. Runner up in the 88 World Pairs.

11. Phil Collins the 83 Overseas final was probably the biggest win of his career. A solid perfomer for England and Cradley in the early-mid 80s.

12. Paul Thorp almost made the World Final form while riding in the NL in 86, and looked awesome when he joined Belle Vue in 87. A member of the 89 WTC winning team, and runner up in the Pairs in the same year.

13. John Davis consistent across the whole decade.

14. Neil Evitts I always rated him, from his time as a young reserve for Birmingham. He started 86 on fire, winning the British Final, and was superb for Bradford early in that season as well, but, partly due to injuries I suspect, never consistently produced that form again.

15. Marvyn Cox World junior champ and key member of Oxfords 85/86 championship winning teams.

16. Andy Grahame had a great record in the British final, including winning in 82, and a solid performer over the whole decade.

17. Alan Grahame like his brother had a good record in the British final. He was a key member of the great Heathens sides of the 80s (what a team they had with Gundersen and Penhall/King/Pedersen as spearheads, and then Phil Collins and Grahame at 4 and 5.) 5 points from 2 World final rides must give him one of the best points/per World Final rides records of all time!

18. John Louis although past his best, made the rostrum of the Commonwealth final in 80 and british final in 81).

19. Andy Smith the most spectacular English rider of the 80s, even more so than Mort and PC in my mind. Watching him develop and starting beating the top riders around Hyde Rd was just brilliant! Never really lived up to his potential, I guess because his gating was so rubbish. Scored 10 points on debut in the 89 World Final.

20. Joe Owen arguably the best second tier rider of all time. And his performances for Hull in 81 and Newcastle in 84 showed that he could certainly have competed at British League level in my view he would have been a genuine top flight heat leader had he not rraced pre-dominantly in the NL.

 

Other riders that would come close are Gordon Kennett, Malcolm Simmons, Neil Collins, Richard Knight, Gary Havelock.

Edited by waihekeaces

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1 Chris Morton

2 Kenny Carter

3 Mike Lee

4 Simon Wigg

5 Kelvin Tatum

6 Peter Collins

7 Jem Doncaster

8 Les Collins

9 Phil Collins

10 Alan Grahame

11 Andy Grahame

12 Dave Jessup

13 Neil Evitts

14 John Davis

15 Andy Smith

16 Simon Cross

17 Marvyn Cox

18 Neil Collins

19 John Louis

20 Paul Thorp

Others..Richard Knight, Steve Schofield

 

To declare my interests, Chris Morton is my all-time favourite, but I still reckon I can back it up. He was capable of beating the very best in the world from 1980 right through to 1988. At their very best, Carter and Lee were probably better riders. But for an overall contribution over the decade, Mort has to come out top. He led Belle Vue throughout the decade, averaging above 9pts for nine seasons (above 10 for four of those). For England, he got the vast bulk of his 100 caps, twice top scored in WTC finals and actually scored his first England maximum (vs USA) as late as 1988. Also top-scored when he and PC won the World Pairs. Individually, he won British Final, BLRC (when it really meant something), Inter-Continental and was third in the World Long-Track. His World Final record makes painful reading and doesn't fairly reflect his talent at all. But as a club rider, you'd be hard pressed to find a more reliable and entertaining no1 throughout the 80s.

 

As for others, I haven't rated Jessup too highly because after 1980, he was on the slide, by 1984 he was second-string level. John Louis sneaks in because although past his best, he was still a capable of giving most no1s a decent race right through to 1985. Also liked that he didn't take the easy pickings at NL level, when he could've had some easy pickings there for a few years. Tatum gets a hard ride from some and like many, he wasn't my cup of tea (more gater than racer). But he was still a top line rider for the latter half of the 80s.

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anyone other than Aces fans going to submit their lists? otherwise, i reckon we'll just agree that Chris Morton is number one. :wink:

slightly off topic, but does anyone know of a site which lists British League averages for the 80s (or other years as well)?

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anyone other than Aces fans going to submit their lists? otherwise, i reckon we'll just agree that Chris Morton is number one. :wink:

slightly off topic, but does anyone know of a site which lists British League averages for the 80s (or other years as well)?

I must look out for the Aces next time I pop over to the Island! Cheers. :lol:

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I'm not an aces fan!

 

Personally, I don't feel that riders should be penalised in this list for only being around for some of the decade. Yes, Chris Morton was around for most of it which gives the impression that he is more worthy of being at the top, but in my view, guys like Wigg, Tatum, etc. did a lot for British Speedway in the late 80s and it isn't their fault they weren't around for the whole 10 years.

In the case of Michael Lee and Kenny Carter for example, it could be argued that it was their own actions that prevented them from continuing longer, but again i think we have to look at it more broadly than just "he won 12 titles, he only won 1", etc., although achievements do have to be taken into consideration.

 

So here is my top 20:

 

1. Simon Wigg

A great ambassador for the sport, World No.2 in 89, twice British Champion, sole World Finalist in 84, a solid England performer throughout.

 

2. Kelvin Tatum

Probably the most dependable rider England had in the second half of the decade, World No.3 in 86, twice British Champion, sole World Finalist in 85 and a respectable first final under a lot of hype.

 

3. Kenny Carter

I have no doubt in my mind that, although his World Final record reads as modest, he would have gone on to be World Champion. Had terrible luck with injuries in 84 and 85. A perfect example of my philosophy above, he was only around for the first half of the 80s and his results at the very top don't do his talent, courage and passion justice.

His performance on a slimy night at Coventry in the British Final alone, with a broken leg in 1984 emphasise just what he was prepared to do to reach his ultimate goal, when the majority of the perfectly fit field wanted to pack up and go home.

For England he was a class act, and again, another two times British Champion.

 

4. Chris Morton

British Champion in 83, solid England performer and World Pairs Champion in 84 with PC. Never knew when he was beaten.

 

5. Michael Lee

World Champion of course at the start of the decade, World No.3 in 83. From 84 it all went wrong for him but he is still there in the Elite list of riders to have ever been the World No.1 and always will be.

 

6. Peter Collins

As previously posted, was not the force he was in the 70s but still a World Champion in 84 with Mort in the World Pairs and a quality England rider.

 

7. Jeremy Doncaster

World No.3 in 89, Mr. Dependable at international level, Donkey was never spectacular but another quality rider that England/GB would kill for these days.

 

8. Neil Evitts

British Champion and World Finalist in 86, easily his best year but an almost automatic choice for England in the late 80s. Pretty sure injuries hampered him a little at times which may have prevented him from adding to his achievements.

 

9. Alan Grahame

As someone mentioned, came in as reserve in the 84 World Final, his only appearance and dropped just the one point in his 2 rides. Was a solid team man at Cradley and a reliable England International.

 

10. Phil Collins

I was surprised when he quit Britain after the 1986 season and felt he had lots more to offer. An exciting rider to watch and another rider who regularly "picked himself" when it came to test matches.

 

11. Marvyn Cox

World Finalist in 86, and was both British U-21 Champion and European Under-21 Champion (pre-World U-21 Championship) in 1984. Again a rider of quality but never quite made the headlines after that.

 

12. Dave Jessup

DJ was, like PC, in the latter stages of his career but was in the early 80s a regular World Finalist and World No.2 in 1980. Suffered more than most when it came to luck, but it has to be said that carbs should not fall off in a World Final!

 

13. John Davis

Never World Champion material but a seasoned International right up to the mid 80s and was still in the pink by the turn of the 90s!

 

14. Les Collins

1982 was easily his best, winning the Intercontinental Final on his way to becoming World No.2 in LA. That apart though, from memory he was never in the same vein as the riders above.

 

15. Paul Thorp

Burst onto the scene in 86 with a terrific run in the World Championship whilst still in the lower division, almost making the World Final. A regular England man in the late 80s and played a big part in England's victory in the WTC Final at Bradford.

 

16. Andy Grahame.

British Champion 1982 and an altogether reliable points scorer.

 

17. Simon Cross

Regular International in the mid to late 80s, Overseas Champion in 1988 and World Finalist in 87.

 

18. Gary Havelock

British Under-21 Champion in 1986, European Under-21 Champion (pre-World Under-21) 1987. A 1 year ban in 1989 prevented him from possibly adding to his honours during the 80s.

 

19. Richard Knight

Made steady progress, making his England debut in 1984 and becoming a key part of the England team in the late 80s.

 

20. Andy Smith

Although he probably had his best years during the 90s, Smudger began his career in 1982 and by 1985 was mixing it with the best at International level at the age of 19. Made his World Final debut in 1989.

Edited by ImpartialOne

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Aye, but it were National League!

 

With all due respect to Stevie and his supreme efforts for the Tigers over yonks, can't see any NL stars sneaking in to this list.

 

 

You can rule out any second division riders. How can any competing in the second tier, racing against second tier opposition, possibly be considered for a place in the Top 20 Brits of the 80s?

Strange then that in his monthly column in Backtrack magazine, of all the riders that he had ridden with and against that Bruce Penhall remembered riding against and getting beat by no other than the classy Steve Lawson. In Penhalls words, ''Being World Champion doesn't mean you won't be beaten often and sometimes when it's largely unexpected by the neutrals. This is something I can attest to. You're up there to be shot down, as I found out to my cost at Glasgow when we were there in an Inter League challenge.Their No 1 Steve Lawson beat me fair and square and they were really going for it. I can't say i remember anything about Blantyre Stadium but I sure do remember Steve beating me!!! -- From one class rider to another-- Can't get a much better accolade than that.

 

Just because Lawson didn't want to grace the First Division, shouldn't detract from him being recognised as one of the best British riders of the 80's. Indeed a similar thing was said about a certain Mr Carl Stonehewer, who had no ambition, yet graced the GP Series. Don't delude yourself that all the best riders were in the First Division!!

 

 

Given the choice of a role model for my children, Mr Lawson would figure highly up my list and he certainly served British Speedway well in the 80's, my choice of top 20 British Riders would be based on other things apart from how well they done in European or World Events. There were some loyal club riders during the 80's. My list shall follow in due course.

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I dont really understand how anyone can consider any second division riders for this list.For the recond what was Mr Lawsons record in British finals?? Now im sure he was a very good NL rider, but lets be honest he wasnt in the same league as riders like Carter/Morton and Wigg. To be considered one of the best, surely you need to be competing week in week out against the very best in your chosen field. If anything it shows a lack of ambition from certain riders, who were happy to pick up easy pickings season after season, instead of having ago against the big boys in the BL. ;)

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anyone other than Aces fans going to submit their lists? otherwise, i reckon we'll just agree that Chris Morton is number one. :wink:

slightly off topic, but does anyone know of a site which lists British League averages for the 80s (or other years as well)?

 

I'm after a quick summary of the 1980s 9.00+ BL averages as well, but they don't seem to be readily avaiable in one location. I guess I'll have to plough through the Speedway Stars and post them here.

 

And personally, I can't see how Chris Morton can No. 1. He never finished above eighth in a World Final. He was a very good rider, but not quite there at the very, very top level (i.e. Individual World Finals). I've got 20 names (which I will change around after studying the averages), but I've got a firm idea who my Nos 1 & 2 will be - and they will be winners, not eighth placed riders. :wink: The No. 1 has to be a World Champion, not nearly men such as Carter and Morton.

 

All the best

Rob

Edited by lucifer sam

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I'm after a quick summary of the 1980s 9.00+ BL averages as well, but they don't seem to be readily avaiable in one location. I guess I'll have to plough through the Speedway Stars and post them here.

 

And personally, I can't see how Chris Morton can No. 1. He never finished above eighth in a World Final. He was a very good rider, but not quite there at the very, very top level (i.e. Individual World Finals). I've got 20 names (which I will change around after studying the averages), but I've got a firm idea who my Nos 1 & 2 will be - and they will be winners, not eighth placed riders. :wink: The No. 1 has to be a World Champion, not nearly men such as Carter and Morton.

 

All the best

Rob

 

Try the Complete History of the British League 65-90, it'll be easier to go through than 10 years of Stars !

 

From what I remember Mort was by far and away the most consistant British performer in the top flight over this period & don't forget that he was a World Champ just in the Pairs/Fours and not solo.

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Strange then that in his monthly column in Backtrack magazine, of all the riders that he had ridden with and against that Bruce Penhall remembered riding against and getting beat by no other than the classy Steve Lawson. In Penhalls words, ''Being World Champion doesn't mean you won't be beaten often and sometimes when it's largely unexpected by the neutrals. This is something I can attest to. You're up there to be shot down, as I found out to my cost at Glasgow when we were there in an Inter League challenge.Their No 1 Steve Lawson beat me fair and square and they were really going for it. I can't say i remember anything about Blantyre Stadium but I sure do remember Steve beating me!!! -- From one class rider to another-- Can't get a much better accolade than that.

 

Just because Lawson didn't want to grace the First Division, shouldn't detract from him being recognised as one of the best British riders of the 80's. Indeed a similar thing was said about a certain Mr Carl Stonehewer, who had no ambition, yet graced the GP Series. Don't delude yourself that all the best riders were in the First Division!!

 

 

Given the choice of a role model for my children, Mr Lawson would figure highly up my list and he certainly served British Speedway well in the 80's, my choice of top 20 British Riders would be based on other things apart from how well they done in European or World Events. There were some loyal club riders during the 80's. My list shall follow in due course.

 

I saw Steve Lawson ride FOR Cradley Heath in the 1980 KO Cup final at Belle Vue. The boy scored 1 point and he looked a little out of his depth from memory. I personally am struggling to pick 10 top brits from the 80's if i'm honest! The standard of rider we were producing at the time was very poor compared to the 1970's ( Carter, Wigg, Morton, Les & Peter Collins excluded) But i would not stoop to the depths of the second tier of british speedway just to try and fill my list up let alone put a rider high up the list who spent all his career pottering about for easy pickings in the second division.

The new national league was set up to help young british riders start their competitive apprenticeship and then move up to the british league to further their careers. IMO the likes of Steve Lawson milked the fact that he was scoring points at that level and had no ambition to take the step up to mix it week in week out with the big boys! Thats some role model, someone who stays an apprentice all his career! :lol:

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Bit harsh on Steve Lawson. As far as I recall he ran the family farm and wasn't a full time Speedway rider, so one can't really blame him for staying as a big fish in the National League. I remember him riding for Cradley in late 70's/early 80's and I reckon he would have made a good BL rider if he'd been able to commit the resources needed to be competitive at that level.

Having defended him, I have to agree that he is nowhere near the top 20 of the decade.

 

As for the top 20, interesting that there is more debate than the 70's list. Haven't quite got round to posting my full list yet, but no surprises in the names. It's just sorting out the order that is proving difficult.

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Try the Complete History of the British League 65-90, it'll be easier to go through than 10 years of Stars !

 

From what I remember Mort was by far and away the most consistant British performer in the top flight over this period & don't forget that he was a World Champ just in the Pairs/Fours and not solo.

 

I looked through the Complete History of the British League, but the averages are team-by-team, rather than a summary of the top averages. I'm still going to go through the Stars, all I need is one from the end of each October.

 

And sorry, but IMHO the No. 1 Brit has to be an individual World Champion - a rider who never finished above eighth doesn't cut it for me. The No. 1 has to be a winner, not an World Final also-ran.

 

All the best

Rob

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And sorry, but IMHO the No. 1 Brit has to be an individual World Champion - a rider who never finished above eighth doesn't cut it for me. The No. 1 has to be a winner, not an World Final also-ran.

 

All the best

Rob

That should narrow it down to a shortlist of one for the 1980's then.

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It didn't take too long in the end (well, apart from 1983, when the Speedway Star didn't publish a final set of BL averages and I had to work out the final Halifax & Cradley averages myself!).

 

The below averages are from British League matches ONLY. I've listed down to 9.00 for 1980-1987, and down to 8.00 for 1988 & 1989 (as the top averages came down, due to the introduction of both fixed gate positions and a nominated heat).

 

British riders in BOLD.

 

1980:

PETER COLLINS 10.70

Hans Nielsen 10.70

DAVE JESSUP 10.52

Bo Petersen 10.46

Bruce Penhall 10.35

MICHAEL LEE 10.17

CHRIS MORTON 10.11

Jan Andersson 10.08

Scott Autrey 9.97

Bobby Schwartz 9.95

Ole Olsen 9.70

JOHN DAVIS 9.54

GORDON KENNETT 9.50

Dennis Sigalos 9.41

Phil Crump 9.41

MALCOLM SIMMONS 9.40

KEVIN JOLLY 9.18

Larry Ross 9.12

Richard Hellsen 9.22

Ron Preston 9.09

 

1981:

Bruce Penhall 11.08

KENNY CARTER 10.50

Phil Crump 10.39

MICHAEL LEE 10.34

Erik Gundersen 10.26

CHRIS MORTON 10.26

Jan Andersson 10.02

GORDON KENNETT 9.95

Kelly Moran 9.83

Hans Nielsen 9.83

Bo Petersen 9.81

DAVE JESSUP 9.59

JOHN DAVIS 9.34

Tommy Knudsen 9.27

ALAN GRAHAME 9.26

Ole Olsen 9.12

Bobby Schwartz 9.09

Larry Ross 9.06

 

1982:

KENNY CARTER 11.05

Erik Gundersen 10.72

Hans Nielsen 10.49

Bruce Penhall 10.39

Dennis Sigalos 10.21

Bobby Schwartz 10.11

CHRIS MORTON 9.98

Kelly Moran 9.97

Billy Sanders 9.93

Shawn Moran 9.88

Ron Preston 9.87

Jan Andersson 9.78

GORDON KENNETT 9.62

Larry Ross 9.59

ALAN GRAHAME 9.49

Phil Crump 9.44

MICHAEL LEE 9.42

Tommy Knudsen 9.17

PETER COLLINS 9.10

LES COLLINS 9.07

 

1983:

Dennis Sigalos 10.99

Hans Nielsen 10.77

Erik Gundersen 10.59

MICHAEL LEE 10.43

Mitch Shirra 10.38

KENNY CARTER 10.34

Billy Sanders 10.27

CHRIS MORTON 10.17

Phil Crump 9.85

Jan Andersson 9.61

Shawn Moran 9.38

Ole Olsen 9.25

Tommy Knudsen 9.20

PAUL WOODS 9.18

DAVE JESSUP 9.17

SIMON WIGG 9.15

Bobby Schwartz 9.14

Lance King 9.11

 

1984:

Hans Nielsen 10.69

CHRIS MORTON 10.65

Jan Andersson 10.30

Phil Crump 9.94

SIMON WIGG 9.91

Bobby Schwartz 9.73

PETER COLLINS 9.73

Billy Sanders 9.73

Shawn Moran 9.66

John Cook 9.36

Lance King 9.19

Mitch Shirra 9.18

Erik Gundersen 9.16

 

1985:

Hans Nielsen 11.42

Eirk Gundersen 11.11

Tommy Knudsen 10.37

Shawn Moran 10.26

Bobby Schwartz 10.00

SIMON WIGG 9.70

JEREMY DONCASTER 9.60

Jan Andersson 9.57

CHRIS MORTON 9.53

John Cook 9.40

Bo Petersen 9.33

PETER COLLINS 9.08

JOHN DAVIS 9.04

 

1986:

Hans Nielsen 11.83

SIMON WIGG 11.01

Erik Gundersen 10.91

JEREMY DONCASTER 10.19

Shawn Moran 10.14

CHRIS MORTON 9.74

Sam Ermolenko 9.66

John Jorgensen 9.66

Tommy Knudsen 9.57

Jan Andersson 9.46

Bobby Schwartz 9.23

Phil Crump 9.17

 

1987:

Hans Nielsen 11.73

Tommy Knudsen 10.90

KELVIN TATUM 10.42

Erik Gundersen 10.22

Jan O. Pedersen 9.84

JEREMY DONCASTER 9.83

SIMON CROSS 9.77

Jimmy Nilsen 9.73

Mitch Shirra 9.66

Shawn Moran 9.58

Sam Ermolenko 9.47

Per Jonsson 9.35

SIMON WIGG 9.17

Peter Ravn 9.01

 

1988:

Hans Nielsen 11.00

KELVIN TATUM 10.41

Tommy Knudsen 10.23

Erik Gundersen 9.96

Jan O. Pedersen 9.75

Shawn Moran 9.52

Sam Ermolenko 9.32

JEREMY DONCASTER 9.32

Per Jonsson 9.11

CHRIS MORTON 8.98

Jan Andersson 8.96

Kelly Moran 8.74

SIMON WIGG 8.66

SIMON CROSS 8.44

GARY HAVELOCK 8.30

Mike Faria 8.21

Mitch Shirra 8.18

 

1989:

Hans Nielsen 10.97

Jan O. Pedersen 10.39

Sam Ermolenko 10.00

Erik Gundersen 10.00

Shawn Moran 9.75

KELVIN TATUM 9.49

SIMON CROSS 9.32

JEREMY DONCASTER 8.51

Jimmy Nilsen 8.33

Ronnie Correy 8.12

Brian Karger 8.05

Kelly Moran 8.00

 

I'm off to reconsider my list. It looks like I need to get Gordon Kennett somewhere in the lower reaches, while Les Collins needs to come down a bit. I'll post my final top 20 later today.

 

All the best

Rob

Edited by lucifer sam

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British World Champions (plus European Under-21 Champions) during the 1980s:

 

1980

World Champion - Michael Lee

World Pairs Champions - Dave Jessup & Peter Collins

World Team Cup Champions - Michael Lee, Chris Morton, Peter Collins & Dave Jessup (John Davis - non-riding reserve)

 

1981

World Longtrack Champion - Michael Lee

 

1983

World Pairs Champions - Kenny Carter and Peter Collins

 

1984

World Pairs Champions - Chris Morton and Peter Collins

(European Under-21 Champion - Marvyn Cox)

 

1985

World Longtrack Champion - Simon Wigg

 

1987

(European Under-21 Champion - Gary Havelock)

 

1989

World Team Cup Champions - Jeremy Doncaster, Kelvin Tatum, Simon Wigg, Paul Thorp and Simon Cross

World Longrack Champion - Simon Wigg

 

TOTALS:

Peter Collins 4

Michael Lee 3

Simon Wigg 3

Dave Jessup 2

Chris Morton 2

Kenny Carter 1

Kelvin Tatum 1

Jeremy Doncaster 1

Paul Thorp 1

Simon Cross 1

John Davis 1

(Plus Marvyn Cox & Gary Havelock as European U21 Champions)

 

 

British Individual World Finalists in the 1980s:

 

1980: 1 MICHAEL LEE 14, 2 Dave Jessup 12, 6 John Davis 9, 8 Chris Morton 8, 9 Peter Collins 8.

1981: 5 Kenny Carter 11, 8 Dave Jessup 7, 10 Michael Lee 5, 11 Chris Morton 5.

1982: 2 Les Collins 13, 5 Kenny Carter 10, 6 Dave Jessup 8, 13 Peter Collins 5, Andy Grahame DNR (res).

1983: 3 Michael Lee 11, 5 Kenny Carter 10, 10 Chris Morton 7, 13 Phil Collins 4.

1984: 6 Simon Wigg 9, 11 Alan Grahame 5 (res).

1985: 8 Kelvin Tatum 8, Phil Collins DNR (res).

1986: 3 Kelvin Tatum 12, 8 Chris Morton 8, 9 Neil Evitts 8, 12 Marvyn Cox 3.

1987: 6 Jeremy Doncaster 20, 11 Simon Cross 10, 13 Chris Morton 9.

1988: 6 Simon WIgg 9, 8 Kelvin Tatum 8, 10 Chris Morton 6, 12 John Davis 3, Simon Cross DNR (rest).

1989: 2 Simon Wigg 12, 3 Jeremy Doncaster 12, 5 Kelvin Tatum 10, 7 Andy Smith 10.

 

 

All the best

Rob

Edited by lucifer sam

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