Peter Collins Article

[INCOGNITO 357]

PC might be a legend but he's turned into a right to**er sorry to say. I can't believe he had the audacity to let them print that. Well no actually I can. The guy is deluded.

Let him go to another club and see if he can get his 100+ hangers on free entry

Wolverhampton have always welcomed ex Wolves riders and the older fans love the fact that ex stars like Ermolenko, Correy etc down to older riders likevArthur Price and Ken Eyre have or are regular visitors and if anything Belle Vue should encourage these to attend as often it can make someone's night that they get to chat with a rider they use to watch week in week out.

 

 

Not sure what other tracks do but think Poole also welcome ex riders

[Whisperer 276]

TBH if I was in the BV camp right now I would maintain my dignity and remain silent.

 

I think the world of Peter and respect his opinion, he is not a freeloader, he has earned his entitlement to whatever any BV Promotion feel disposed to give him and I believe that any British World Champion should be a Freeman of the sport but I feel Peter is misguided taking up the dispute on anyone else's behalf.

 

I've stood in the pits with those guys at Kirky Lane on many, many occasions and listened to some of them constantly slagging the former promotion long before any of this came up. I invited one of them to my track as I hadn't seen him for years, he rocked up at the pit gate with 4 others so I let them in once and when I offered a 50% reduction in admission for the future for the "Pals" they never visited again. Shame but it was clear they didn't just expect free admission to the Zoo.

 

Frequently on the terraces are many former riders and their families from Juniors to World Champions like PC and it is not an insignificant percentage of the modern day crowd levels so cannot be ignored as a potential source of revenue to help the financial performance of the business. The fact that I have always offered concessionary admission for families and sponsors (I'm talking at least 50%) has not eliminated snide and barbed comments so at the end of the day as a Promoter you learn very quickly that you cannot do right for wrong.

 

Whatever the rights or wrongs in anything Speedway I don't believe the public domain is the place to achieve a satisfactory solution for as you have seen opinions are formed before the public utterances are questioned or qualified and the venom begins regardless.

Edited October 26, 2017 by Whisperer

[ouch 1,191]

There's a fair bit of vitriol towards PC in this thread, I can't argue with any of the stuff re his 100club etc but one point possibly being overlooked is that, like me, Peter suffered a brain haemorrhage back in 2010, it was actually the same week as I had mine. I was lucky, following 7hrs surgery I made what's considered to be a full recovery, back at work in 2 months.

However, if you were to ask my wife if I'm the same person I can guarantee she would say no, anyone who suffers a brain injury is very fortunate just survive the trauma, never mind return to their former selves.

 

I have no idea whether or not Peter is a changed man since 2010, I've met with him once since then at a grasstrack meeting, he seemed fine but who knows. Maybe some of those posting should have a think before calling him names, he certainly deserves better than that whatever he has or hasn't done in recent times.

Spot on. Report should not have been written. PC needs to be left alone at this time and remembered for his good times. Stirring things up are no good for him.

Thoughts are with him.

Wolverhampton have always welcomed ex Wolves riders and the older fans love the fact that ex stars like Ermolenko, Correy etc down to older riders likevArthur Price and Ken Eyre have or are regular visitors and if anything Belle Vue should encourage these to attend as often it can make someone's night that they get to chat with a rider they use to watch week in week out.

 

 

Not sure what other tracks do but think Poole also welcome ex riders

Ken and his lad pay to get in.

[baba 562]

And Leicester as well.

 

Back in Birmingham's return season in 2007, Les's son Aidan was a member of the team. During our visit to Kings Lynn (never an easy place in those days), Aidan picked up a knock in his second race and was withdrawn from the match by the track doctor. Les quietly reminded him his job then was to support his team mates, and he stayed, with both his bikes ready to go, should a a team mate require them. It's little things like that you remember as years go by.

Add Glasgow to list of admirers Les was amazing whoever he rode for or against.

[Hot Shoe 58]

When I was an ice hockey referee (for ten years) I could see every match in every rink in Finland for free. Out of the "million" matches in Finland every season special requests in advance had to be made but I was getting in IF I wanted to.

 

Then I quit and they didnt renew my card. End of.

I refereed ice hockey in the British League for over 15 years from the 1980s to 2000. While i was actively refereeing i could watch any game in the UK for free although as i did a game every Saturday and Sunday plus often a mid-week match there wasn't too much time for spectating. The end of season finals were always at Wembley every year and i paid like everyone else to watch. No freebies and when i retired from the sport in 2000 if i went to a match i paid just like everyone else and i didn't ever have a problem with that.

[f-s-p 832]

I refereed ice hockey in the British League for over 15 years from the 1980s to 2000. While i was actively refereeing i could watch any game in the UK for free although as i did a game every Saturday and Sunday plus often a mid-week match there wasn't too much time for spectating. The end of season finals were always at Wembley every year and i paid like everyone else to watch. No freebies and when i retired from the sport in 2000 if i went to a match i paid just like everyone else and i didn't ever have a problem with that.

Crap, had missed a word. Was supposed to say "requests had to be made for a few".

 

It was all about the refs seeing games and learning from that. So me thinks thats how it should be in speedway as well. And is.

[bellevueace 913]

Taffy Owen is at Belle Vue quite a bit. He usually sits in the Peter Craven suite with a drink along with Eric Broadbelt and Billy Powell and a couple of other "oldies"

 

Sadly what the one-sided article in the Speedway Star doesn't show is that Peter Collins has sadly become a very bitter and awkward man. It's awful to have to say that because throughout the 70s I idolised Peter Collins (just as most British fans of that time did). He was a god to me.

 

Peter Collins always receives VIP invites to major meetings at Belle Vue, but always obstinately turns them down as he believes every ride who has ever turned a wheel for Belle Vue (and there are literally hundreds and hundreds of them) should be invited to every meeting. Last year I'm told he provided Chris Morton with a list of over one hundred names (ex-riders, friends and acquaintances) that he demanded must be given free tickets, and if they all weren't admitted free, he wasn't coming. It was a logistical impossibility, but he wouldn't back down or compromise.

 

Sad to see the Speedway Star run this one-sided article. If people only knew the truth, they would have a much different opinion. Peter Collins the rider will always be a hero to me with godlike status. But Peter Collins the man is, I'm sad to say, a different story.

 

 

Good post, PC was a genius on a bike a rider you would happily travel to go and watch, he personified what speedway racing is all about. Having said that sadly as a person he comes over completely differently, to some extent he alienated himself from the club and appears to think he should be put on a pedestal and pandered to. By comparison look at Alan Wilkinson a legendary skipper who suffered that horrific injury but hold no bitterness whatsoever. As stated PC comes across as being very bitter. One other point, when we moved from Hyde Road to Kirky Lane I was told by someone involved in promoting at the time if PC were promoter we would have no riders as he wouldn't pay the going rate at the time. A fantastic talent on a bike and only for that leg injury in 1977 could have I feel equalled Ivans three consecutive world title wins, he was that good at the time. Nowadays he comes across as very bitter. When this new promotion took over they stated at the pre season meeting everyone is welcome here when asked about Morton and Gordon, the article only gives one view.

He does (PC) have a point regarding the state of the sport though

He also says that referees get a life time pass too.

 

If all the freebies he wanted handed out actually were the state of the sport would probably be even more dire.

[cityrebel 2,960]

Going off topic, wasn't taffy Owen's track shop at Hyde road, the biggest and best in speedway. He certainly used to have a massive selection of stuff for sale in the grand old stadium.

[iris123 20,972]

For i think one season i used to get into Plough Lane for nothing.My Grandad worked at the stadium for a couple of decades for the St.John's and so knew the staff there,at least the security guy on the gate of the Grandstand and later when he was in a wheelchair we went to the speedway and the guy just opened the gate and through we went.Not sure how widespread such things were though and it was possibly nothing that the speedway promotion knew about

Then again,seeing as one of my family used to be mechanic to Ronnie Moore and then became speedway machine examiner,i was told as a teenager to go to the pits gate and ask for him and i would get in for nowt........

[Tsunami 10,219]

For i think one season i used to get into Plough Lane for nothing.My Grandad worked at the stadium for a couple of decades for the St.John's and so knew the staff there,at least the security guy on the gate of the Grandstand and later when he was in a wheelchair we went to the speedway and the guy just opened the gate and through we went.Not sure how widespread such things were though and it was possibly nothing that the speedway promotion knew about

Then again,seeing as one of my family used to be mechanic to Ronnie Moore and then became speedway machine examiner,i was told as a teenager to go to the pits gate and ask for him and i would get in for nowt........

And that's the historic problem with our sport. Too many freebie hangers on like you, paying nowt but trying to be the worlds best critic on the sport. Tosser.

[Argos 262]

Going off topic, wasn't taffy Owen's track shop at Hyde road, the biggest and best in speedway. He certainly used to have a massive selection of stuff for sale in the grand old stadium.

Sure did Track in Spares

[balderdash&piffle 720]

And that's the historic problem with our sport. Too many freebie hangers on like you, paying nowt but trying to be the worlds best critic on the sport. Tosser.

Calm down Dave, hope you not going through the change pal.

[keepturningleft 589]

PC has always come across in interviews as a modest and amiable man.

I can barely recognize the PC depicted in some of these posts.

 

It's difficult to comprehend why he would (apparently) become excessively embittered over such an issue.

 

 

 

.

[Ghosty 500]

TBH if I was in the BV camp right now I would maintain my dignity and remain silent.

 

I think the world of Peter and respect his opinion, he is not a freeloader, he has earned his entitlement to whatever any BV Promotion feel disposed to give him and I believe that any British World Champion should be a Freeman of the sport but I feel Peter is misguided taking up the dispute on anyone else's behalf.

 

I've stood in the pits with those guys at Kirky Lane on many, many occasions and listened to some of them constantly slagging the former promotion long before any of this came up. I invited one of them to my track as I hadn't seen him for years, he rocked up at the pit gate with 4 others so I let them in once and when I offered a 50% reduction in admission for the future for the "Pals" they never visited again. Shame but it was clear they didn't just expect free admission to the Zoo.

 

Frequently on the terraces are many former riders and their families from Juniors to World Champions like PC and it is not an insignificant percentage of the modern day crowd levels so cannot be ignored as a potential source of revenue to help the financial performance of the business. The fact that I have always offered concessionary admission for families and sponsors (I'm talking at least 50%) has not eliminated snide and barbed comments so at the end of the day as a Promoter you learn very quickly that you cannot do right for wrong.

 

Whatever the rights or wrongs in anything Speedway I don't believe the public domain is the place to achieve a satisfactory solution for as you have seen opinions are formed before the public utterances are questioned or qualified and the venom begins regardless.

Well said & well balanced, fact is Belle Vue were so good @ producing speedway talent in the 70s & 80s that they are unique with so many ex riders. I can see this from both sides & as you say " I don't believe the public domain is the place to achieve a satisfactory solution" P.S. The current BV promotion are doing a fantastic job & PC is a icon.

[Hot Shoe 58]

 

Man U don't need to invite ex-players in for nothing. I bet Bobby Charlton won't have to pay I bet... even Dennis Law. Even in my advancing years, it was always nice as a fan to see an ex-rider in the stadium. Would feel a bit embarrassed if one was standing with me in the queue paying admission.

Bobby Charlton is a director of Manchester United so yes he gets a ticket.

 

Manchester United like all Premier League clubs employ ex-players to host hospitality on match days where they have a meal and talk with the fans.