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iris123

Time Travel

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Blimey, never knew any of that.

 

Lots of oval trotting tracks around there isn't there? Could have been any of those or maybe not. Looks a bit up market (with the Polo club) for Winkfeld to ever grace another speedway club.

 

Excellent topic by the way.

Learn something new every day! Oxford had a sort of track (grasstrack really) at Sandford-on-Thames prior to Cowley Stadium...I've tried to trace it but with no luck.

 

How frustrating, I've looked through all of these and can't see anything! I was hoping to find something.

 

http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/epw024432

 

http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/eaw003959

Edited by Deano

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:wink:

How many memories does Steve L hold for you "Paulco".?

Too many to mention Sidney . There will never be another club man as loyal as Steve Lawson . 1978 till 1992 and he virtually carried Glasgow single handedly through the eighties . When we turned up at an away track and the poor announcer was trying to introduce the sides to the crowd and all you could hear was the Stevie Lawson chant . :P

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17 June 1983 - Ullevi Stadium, Gothenburg - Australia's heat against Germany - and I would have added a bit of spring to Billy Sanders' bike to enable him to bounce straight up from his, uncharacteristic, fall to enable him to complete his 18 point maximum and be crowned World Pairs Champion. A title he fully deserved that day.

 

(I might have chosen 04 September the same year, and found a way of nobbling Egon Muller's bike so that he wasn't so blinking fast that day. Having already sneaked into Dennis Sigalos' workshop a few days before the Final and nicked his best bikes, I had already eliminated one of Billy's biggest rivals for the Title..... :lol: .)

 

 

Lots of oval trotting tracks around there isn't there?

 

I know that a certain someone had already started - and then probably deleted, a thread about 'horse harness racing', but I hadn't realised until very recently that trotting races were held at Foxhall Heath - just can't find the blinking info again now - blinking memory cells.

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17 June 1983 - Ullevi Stadium, Gothenburg - Australia's heat against Germany - and I would have added a bit of spring to Billy Sanders' bike to enable him to bounce straight up from his, uncharacteristic, fall to enable him to complete his 18 point maximum and be crowned World Pairs Champion. A title he fully deserved that day.

 

(I might have chosen 04 September the same year, and found a way of nobbling Egon Muller's bike so that he wasn't so blinking fast that day. Having already sneaked into Dennis Sigalos' workshop a few days before the Final and nicked his best bikes, I had already eliminated one of Billy's biggest rivals for the Title..... :lol: .)

 

 

I know that a certain someone had already started - and then probably deleted, a thread about 'horse harness racing', but I hadn't realised until very recently that trotting races were held at Foxhall Heath - just can't find the blinking info again now - blinking memory cells.

There is a Trotting/Horse Harness Track at Green Hammerton just outside York on the A59. I'm assuming that this was the venue of a one-off meeting that was run in 1980ish which was won by Ivan Mauger?

Edited by steve roberts

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I've just discovered that planning permission for a "dirt track racing circuit" in Clacton-on-Sea was turned down in 1933. It's all a bit vague at the moment but I am following this up as I have never seen or heard any mention of dirt track racing or speedway in Clacton before.

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Sort of made my mind up for which day,just not sure about which meetings i'd like to see

 

The day:06.08.1928

 

The meetings in London area on that Bank Holiday Monday were

Wimbledon (40,000 crowd)

High Beech 2 meetings,1 morning + 1 afternoon

Lea Bridge 2 meetings 1 afternoon and 1 evening which was abandoned due to bad light

Stamford Bridge (30,000 crowd)

West Ham

Crystal Palace had a gymkhana with some dirt track races

 

I know Wimbledon,High Beech and Lea Bridge culd be done in the day as Noel Johnson rode in all 3,and Wimbledon and Stamford Bridge could also be done as Art Pechar rode in those.Wonder if with a motorbike or car it would have been possible to catch a few heats at each of those tracks? and get to see some greats like Pechar,Sprouts Elder,Jim Kempster,Roger Frogley,Frank Arthur and Mart Seiffert etc :party:

 

The Swindon track at Gorse Hill also held a meeting the same day

 

Thanks to Brian Collins work on the 1928 season vie the Speedway Researcher site

Edited by iris123

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And turn up on a Triumph Street Triple bike or a modern Porsche :P

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1964 National Trophy Final, second leg. Oxford Cheetahs overturn 20-point deficit from first leg to defeat West Ham in last-heat decider, to complete the treble. Plus I'd get to see Arne Pander, Ron How, Jimmy Gooch, Ronnie Genz, Jack Geran, Colin Gooddy, Eddie Reeves and John Bishop in action for the Cheetahs.

 

All the best

Rob

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I'd love to go to High Beech in 1928.

 

Wearing a Wulfsport jacket.

I remember taking a friend to the Speedway once, and they spent more time staring at people wearing those, totally aghast, than watching the speedway lol

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1963...the last meeting at New Cross.

Believe it or not it was not that significant, we, my parents and I (I was a young lad then) didn't even know until the following week when we and many many more went to the gates to find out that it had closed....one sad day of many...the next for me was the loss of West Ham...

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I've just discovered that planning permission for a "dirt track racing circuit" in Clacton-on-Sea was turned down in 1933. It's all a bit vague at the moment but I am following this up as I have never seen or heard any mention of dirt track racing or speedway in Clacton before.

 

Being an Essex lad by birth, Norman, I know a bit about the attempts to bring speedway to various parts of the county over the years, and was involved in bringing the sport back to Essex, at what is now Lakeside, after the closures of Romford and Rayleigh.

 

I understand that the reason that speedway did not occur at Clacton-On-Sea was not because the application was turned down, but that they had an issue with the third bend, with (sea) water seeping up through the sandy sub soil and causing issues on that bend, even though there had been declarations by the promoters, Sponge Bob Squarepants and Patrick, that the track was suitable for racing. The problem persisted after the Clacton Cockleshells had to abandon their opening meeting when riders, including the then World Champion, Tide Woffinden, declared the track unsuitable for racing. Attempts were made over the next few weeks and months to get speedway up and running at the track, but despite the best efforts of track curator, King Canute, no signs of speedway were ever seen at the track. Waves of protest letters were sent in by disgruntled fans who had attended the Grand Opening Meeting, but after the promoters had had a word in everyone's shell like, the dissatisfaction levels ebbed away totally, like Castles in the Sand.

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Being an Essex lad by birth, Norman, I know a bit about the attempts to bring speedway to various parts of the county over the years, and was involved in bringing the sport back to Essex, at what is now Lakeside, after the closures of Romford and Rayleigh.

 

I understand that the reason that speedway did not occur at Clacton-On-Sea was not because the application was turned down, but that they had an issue with the third bend, with (sea) water seeping up through the sandy sub soil and causing issues on that bend, even though there had been declarations by the promoters, Sponge Bob Squarepants and Patrick, that the track was suitable for racing. The problem persisted after the Clacton Cockleshells had to abandon their opening meeting when riders, including the then World Champion, Tide Woffinden, declared the track unsuitable for racing. Attempts were made over the next few weeks and months to get speedway up and running at the track, but despite the best efforts of track curator, King Canute, no signs of speedway were ever seen at the track. Waves of protest letters were sent in by disgruntled fans who had attended the Grand Opening Meeting, but after the promoters had had a word in everyone's shell like, the dissatisfaction levels ebbed away totally, like Castles in the Sand.

Great fun!

 

I remember reading that Middlesborough's track was affected by the tide however?

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A great loss for the sport was Bristol what potential that had, went to the first meeting back at Eastville for the Daily mirror meeting.Got there was shocked with the sandy looking surface the crowd was very big indeed such a shame things did not work out there.Also after that over a period to lose Bristol,Reading,Oxford,Exeter,Hackney,Wimbledon is heartbreaking i loved going to everyone of those tracks.When you think about it that is what is lacking with the EL now VARIATION add the tracks named with Halifax,Hyde Rd, Sheffield a different challenge for the riders then more demanding. Thats why i believe most teams were very strong at home, mainly because some away riders might only visit an away track once a year.

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