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BOBBATH

Oldest Survivng World Finalists

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Impressive score Norbold you might even be the champ!! Sidney,as regards Arthur Forrest I sadly never saw The Black Prince-wish I had but I saw my first meeting in 1964 and he'd retired a couple of years earlier-died quite young I think, is it true to say that he never performed to his potential in World Finals although I see he finished third in 1956 -beating Peter craven in a run off no less. What do you reckon re my comments on Arthur-think he finished his career at Coventry

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Impressive score Norbold you might even be the champ!! Sidney,as regards Arthur Forrest I sadly never saw The Black Prince-wish I had but I saw my first meeting in 1964 and he'd retired a couple of years earlier-died quite young I think, is it true to say that he never performed to his potential in World Finals although I see he finished third in 1956 -beating Peter craven in a run off no less. What do you reckon re my comments on Arthur-think he finished his career at Coventry

Arthur finished at Coventry he was very young when he retired aged 26/? ?? he was an exciting rider imagine he was a great sight at Odsal and The Shay.Was just checking some scores and filling in a programme from Southampton 1961 WCSemi Final round some line up Craven ,How ,Maidment,Jack Young,Broadbanks, Waterman,Chum Taylor,N.Boocock .Can you remember the meeting "BOBBATH" ? How 15 won it from Craven 14 Maidment 13. you dont get meeting's like those anymore do you.😜 Edited by Sidney the robin

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I've seen 13 of them. Missed out on Arthur Payne, Henry Long and Derek Close.

 

So we are even Norbold.

 

As I am Living in Johannesburg does it count if I happen to bump into Henry Long in the street?

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"allo Split, I have to inform you that there has been a meeting of the Speedway Forum Policy Committee and sadly meeting someone on the street like you may have done with Henry Long in Johannesburg does not count the same as seeing him ride. (Speedway Committee article 22 subsection 3). Myself I voted for you but was in the minority- Good try though!! Keep smiling mate

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Arthur finished at Coventry he was very young when he retired aged 26/? ?? he was an exciting rider imagine he was a great sight at Odsal and The Shay.Was just checking some scores and filling in a programme from Southampton 1961 WCSemi Final round some line up Craven ,How ,Maidment,Jack Young,Broadbanks, Waterman,Chum Taylor,N.Boocock .Can you remember the meeting "BOBBATH" ? How 15 won it from Craven 14 Maidment 13. you dont get meeting's like those anymore do you.

Sorry Sidney didn't see WC Semi final you refer to -in fact Southampton had gone before I discovered Speedway in 1964, however a great WC Semi Final meeting was at Poole on July 25th 1965-great surprises in Heat 4 the result was Guasco, Gooch, Briggs, Broadbanks -Guasco ended up getting to the British final and almost made the World Final that year. Great line up. I hitch hiked there with Ian Terrar (later of Newport) -slept overnight in an empty house in Poole.. Through the good offices of a reader of this website (thanks Colin Sutton) I was put in touch with Ian last year. We met up in a pub in Cardiff, had a great evening, hadn't seen each other for 50 years. Told Ian I would wear a Moosehead lager baseball cap so he would recognise me-glad I did otherwise no way we would have known each other. I mentioned this reunion to Reg Fearman who has an incredible memory and indeed he remembered Ian also. Reg had recommended Ian to West Ham but an unfortunate accident ended Ian's promising career prematurely before he was able to take up the offer.

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Sorry Sidney didn't see WC Semi final you refer to -in fact Southampton had gone before I discovered Speedway in 1964, however a great WC Semi Final meeting was at Poole on July 25th 1965-great surprises in Heat 4 the result was Guasco, Gooch, Briggs, Broadbanks -Guasco ended up getting to the British final and almost made the World Final that year. Great line up. I hitch hiked there with Ian Terrar (later of Newport) -slept overnight in an empty house in Poole.. Through the good offices of a reader of this website (thanks Colin Sutton) I was put in touch with Ian last year. We met up in a pub in Cardiff, had a great evening, hadn't seen each other for 50 years. Told Ian I would wear a Moosehead lager baseball cap so he would recognise me-glad I did otherwise no way we would have known each other. I mentioned this reunion to Reg Fearman who has an incredible memory and indeed he remembered Ian also. Reg had recommended Ian to West Ham but an unfortunate accident ended Ian's promising career prematurely before he was able to take up the offer.

1965 was a vintage year some real tough meeting's in the World Championship what did strike me was when you mentioned Gordon Guasco.Four Australian's all lost there lives over a five year Period, Gordon,Peter Bradshaw,Jack Biggs,Geoff Curtis.

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Sorry Sidney didn't see WC Semi final you refer to -in fact Southampton had gone before I discovered Speedway in 1964, however a great WC Semi Final meeting was at Poole on July 25th 1965-great surprises in Heat 4 the result was Guasco, Gooch, Briggs, Broadbanks -Guasco ended up getting to the British final and almost made the World Final that year. Great line up. I hitch hiked there with Ian Terrar (later of Newport) -slept overnight in an empty house in Poole.. Through the good offices of a reader of this website (thanks Colin Sutton) I was put in touch with Ian last year. We met up in a pub in Cardiff, had a great evening, hadn't seen each other for 50 years. Told Ian I would wear a Moosehead lager baseball cap so he would recognise me-glad I did otherwise no way we would have known each other. I mentioned this reunion to Reg Fearman who has an incredible memory and indeed he remembered Ian also. Reg had recommended Ian to West Ham but an unfortunate accident ended Ian's promising career prematurely before he was able to take up the offer.

Gordon Guasco rode for Sunderland 'Saints' when he first came over here, along with Jim Airey.

 

I still remember our Team with affection even though they weren't around very long. :sad::sad::sad:

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Arthur finished at Coventry he was very young when he retired aged 26/? ?? he was an exciting rider imagine he was a great sight at Odsal and The Shay.Was just checking some scores and filling in a programme from Southampton 1961 WCSemi Final round some line up Craven ,How ,Maidment,Jack Young,Broadbanks, Waterman,Chum Taylor,N.Boocock .Can you remember the meeting "BOBBATH" ? How 15 won it from Craven 14 Maidment 13. you dont get meeting's like those anymore do you.

Sidney re more Arthur Forrest-if you go on youtube and enter Arthur Forrest you can see an interview in 1995 with him and some others at a motorcycle show, also if you go to a website called Speedway on Disc which has a lot of old stuff you can see Arthur riding in a Halifax Speedway meeting circa 1949-and he still has his immaculate black leathers. I understand he married Arthur Wright's sister and that family had a very successful bus/transport business so Arthur didn't need the money from speedway anymore-wonder if he could have become World Champion if he'd carried on-but on balance don't think so. Hope this all helps!

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Sidney re more Arthur Forrest-if you go on youtube and enter Arthur Forrest you can see an interview in 1995 with him and some others at a motorcycle show, also if you go to a website called Speedway on Disc which has a lot of old stuff you can see Arthur riding in a Halifax Speedway meeting circa 1949-and he still has his immaculate black leathers. I understand he married Arthur Wright's sister and that family had a very successful bus/transport business so Arthur didn't need the money from speedway anymore-wonder if he could have become World Champion if he'd carried on-but on balance don't think so. Hope this all helps!

Yes Thanks" BOBBATH "a bit like Jim Airey i remember him saying after the 1971 WF he would never be a World Champion he then called it a day in Britain and how good was Jim Airey not bad eh !!!

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Yes Thanks" BOBBATH "a bit like Jim Airey i remember him saying after the 1971 WF he would never be a World Champion he then called it a day in Britain and how good was Jim Airey not bad eh !!!

He was great!! Loved watching both him and Guasco at Sunderland.

 

Two super Riders and Gordon is still sadly missed.

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On ‎05‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 2:31 PM, The White Knight said:

He was great!! Loved watching both him and Guasco at Sunderland.

 

Two super Riders and Gordon is still sadly missed.

We have interviewed Jim Airey for the next issue of both Backtrack and Classic Speedway magazine.

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Sorry to hear about George White-there was talk of him coming back to ride in BL 65-wish he had as I would like to have seen him ride-sadly I now have to update the list of  oldest World Finalists still with us. Here goes

1  Split Waterman 27/7/23

2 Arthur Payne 30/8/24

3 Dick Bradley 28/11/24

4 Chum Taylor 4/4/27

5 Eric Boothroyd 26/4/27

6 Derek Close 13/5/27

7 Henry Long 26/7/27

8 Billy Bales 6/6/29

9 Olle Nygen 11/11/29

10 Rune Sormander 29/11/29

11Jack Geran 10/12/29

12 Ian Williams 4/8/31

13 Per Tage Svensson 16/10/31

14 Peo Soderman 29/10/32

15 Ronnie Moore 8/3/33

16 Ove Fundin 23/5 /34

17 Dan Forsberg 25/3/34

18 Josef Hofmeister 17/6/34

19 Brian Crutcher 23/8/34

20 Mike Broadbanks 25/9/34

21 Barry Briggs  30/12/34

   Let's hope I don't have to update this list anytime soon-does anybody know what these guys drank to keep them going???-if you do lemme know so I can order a case for myself

 

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I know , I know  but to me Mike Broadbank is still Mike Broadbanks as I suspect to most of his fans from the sixties-great rider -stood out in his red leathers when most rode in black(with the honorable exception of Booey in blue)!!

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Question for whiteknight-did you follow any other team after the sad demise of the Saints-or did you give up on Speedway(which I could quite understand). Before I forget the birthdates of the oldest World Finalists are getting uncomfortably close to mine-yours too I think Norbold!!!!!:D:D(just learned how to use emoticons):)

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