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chunky

Forgotten Europeans...

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... or almost forgettable, anyway!

I know we have had similar threads posted before, but I think it's time to dig up some names for the newer BSF members.  In the 70's and 80's, we had a number of poor-quality Europeans engaged in BL action for short periods of time.  Some, like Claes Jensen and Gerhard Uhlenbrock often resurface, as do the mediocre Poles of 76 (Olkiewicz, Szczepanik etc) but others don't seem to.

Just today, I dug up Bernd Odermatt.

I was at Plough Lane when Austrian Walter Grubmuller came to visit, and honestly, he didn't look too bad.

Jan Puk is still mentioned, but his Eastbourne team--mate Josef Kafel often isn't. Then again, a CMA of less than a point is a good reason for that.

Jens-Krause Kjaer actually scored one point for Coventry in 1974.

Another Pole at Arlington, Marek Kepa.  He at least averaged a point a meeting.

Four meetings, eight rides, and "nil points" (in a French accent) for Halifax for Norway's Jorn Haugvalstad (1980)

One meeting, two rides, and nil points for Haliifax for Sweden's Stefan Johansson (1975).

One of my faves, Norwegian Sigvart Pedersen (Wimbledon, Eastborne and Reading), but he too looked promising without doing anything to show it.

An accomplished long-tracker, but Rauli Makinen didn't impress at Owlerton in 1978.

Czech Jiri Hnidak checked out of King's Lynn after scoring just 12 points from 38 rides in 1982.

Steve

 

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Franz Kreimoser?

I actually recall Jens Krause Kjaer,but for some reason up until now I thought his name was Krause Kjaer!!!:D

Another one who lasted longer,but doesn't often get a mention.Adolf 'Adi' Funk

Edited by iris123

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19 minutes ago, iris123 said:

Franz Kreimoser?

I actually recall Jens Krause Kjaer,but for some reason up until now I thought his name was Krause Kjaer!!!:D

Another one who lasted longer,but doesn't often get a mention.Adolf 'Adi' Funk

I thought the same, but that appears to be his correct (or full) name.

If you recall, last week, we were talking about Leonard Raba, and I said that the only legitimate point Raba scored was when he beat Franz Kreimoser in a challenge against Reading. That was Kreimoser's only meeting.

I did think about Adi, but he was better.

Steve

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The less than adequate foreign riders were one of my favourite parts of the sport back then.

The onset of the Internet etc has sadly taken that mystique away.

A few beauts to be going on with are:

Hans Albert Klinge

Flemming Rasmussen

Trond Skretting

Allan Fog

Lennart Bengtsson

Henk Steman

Helge Langli

Eddie Davidsson

Piet Seur

Patrice Blondy

Stefan Deser

Peo Gudmundsson

Lars Eriksson

Peter Wurterle

Max Schollhorn

Jurgen Hehlert

Stein Roar Pedersen

Edited by frigbo

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5 minutes ago, frigbo said:

The less than adequate foreign riders were one of my favourite parts of the sport back then.

The onset of the Internet etc has sadly taken that mystique away.

A few beauts to be going on with are:

Hans Albert Klinge

Flemming Rasmussen

Trond Skretting

Alan Fog

Lennart Bengtsson

Henk Steman

Helge Langli

Eddie Davidsson

Piet Seur

Patrice Blondy

Stefan Deser

Peo Gudmundsson

Lars Eriksson

Peter Wurterle

Max Schollhorn

 

Some I remember and some I haven't heard of.Have to say the period 1978-1981 is a black hole for me.Alan Fog !!:blink:

Henk Steman could probably be replaced by Rob,who wasn't that good!!

Edited by iris123

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7 minutes ago, iris123 said:

Some I remember and some I haven't heard of.Have to say the period 1978-1981 is a black hole for me.Alan Fog !!:blink:

Bit of a cheat really as he rode for Sheffield in 1993, so not in the period mentioned initially.

He was pretty pants though...

I always had a soft spot for Eastbourne in their early BL days as they had a conveyer-belt of untried foreigners in that period.

Edited by frigbo
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I did see on google that Raba now lived in South Germany.Not sure if he has any contact to the sport.Shawn Moran was also down south and helping out at one of the tracks I think 

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1 hour ago, frigbo said:

The less than adequate foreign riders were one of my favourite parts of the sport back then.

The onset of the Internet etc has sadly taken that mystique away.

A few beauts to be going on with are:

Hans Albert Klinge

Flemming Rasmussen

Trond Skretting

Allan Fog

Lennart Bengtsson

Henk Steman

Helge Langli

Eddie Davidsson

Piet Seur

Patrice Blondy

Stefan Deser

Peo Gudmundsson

Lars Eriksson

Peter Wurterle

Max Schollhorn

Jurgen Hehlert

Stein Roar Pedersen

I used to look forward to them too! Funny thing is, so many of the names you mention, I was close to including! Skretting, Bengtsson, Steman, Langli, Davidsson, Blondy, and Gudmunsson were all on my short-list. I'd totally forgotten about Deser and Klinge.

Steve

Edited by chunky

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Just thought of another one - and it's another Eastbourne one : Rene Christiansen. A 1.93 average from ten meetings in 1983...

Steve

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Remember Helge Langli riding a blinder of a race at Cowley and beating Leicester's Ray Wilson. Could have gone on to better things but if I recall picked up an off-track injury and never surfaced again in Britain.

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Three more pretty obscure ones were:

Wieslaw Patynek

Ernst Bogh

Heinrich Sprenger

Edited by frigbo

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Ernst is still involved in speedway.He has I think stayed closely involved with Holsted. I seem to recall his name coming up  quite a bit.It was also his daughter who became the most successful female in the modern era , and he has the first Danish speedway museum

 

But you are right

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11 minutes ago, frigbo said:

Three more pretty obscure ones were:

Wieslaw Patynek

Ernst Bogh

Heinrich Sprenger

Remember Ernst's brother Kurt but not sure if he ever rode in the British League. I recall he took part in the World League Tournaments held in Britain during 1972/73?

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The other two, again, never heard of!!!

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47 minutes ago, iris123 said:

The other two, again, never heard of!!!

Both ex-Sheffield

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