Tommy Knudsen

[fatface 2,549]

23 minutes ago, steve roberts said:

The clip used to appear on the beginning credits of "Screensport"...taken from 1987 if I remember?

also made it onto Question of Sport's "What happened next?" round.

[steve roberts 9,242]

1 hour ago, falcace said:

also made it onto Question of Sport's "What happened next?" round.

Didn't know that...thanks!

[steve roberts 9,242]

There was no better exponent pulling wheelies than Hans Nielsen (I recall that he fell off once however!) however Erik Gundersen confessed that he wasn't very good at them...Bobby Schwartz was another who admitted that it was beyond him.

[False dawn 2,294]

11 hours ago, steve roberts said:

Do you remember the occasion Sid when Tommy pulled a celebratory wheelie at Swindon and fell off the back of his machine and got up and bowed to the crowd?

If I remember rightly, he pulled the wheelie crossing the finish line, in the lead, at the end off the race and fell just beyond the line.

But we remember his time at Coventry for a lot more than that. A true professional and ambassador for the sport.

[steve roberts 9,242]

16 minutes ago, False dawn said:

If I remember rightly, he pulled the wheelie crossing the finish line, in the lead, at the end off the race and fell just beyond the line.

But we remember his time at Coventry for a lot more than that. A true professional and ambassador for the sport.

...and a gentleman.

[Sidney the robin 4,735]

8 hours ago, False dawn said:

If I remember rightly, he pulled the wheelie crossing the finish line, in the lead, at the end off the race and fell just beyond the line.

But we remember his time at Coventry for a lot more than that. A true professional and ambassador for the sport.

He was a true gentleman as you say, and what a terrific World Champion and ambassador he could of been if 1986 had of gone his way.Do you think he was good anough to be a world champion??? my view is certainly yes he was.He is in a small group of riders i believe were good anough to be World champion but for whatever reason it never quite happened a few example's,   Farndon, Duggan, Huxley, Warren,  Sigalos, Adams, Carter, .

[adonis 1,454]

On 9/24/2019 at 7:09 PM, steve roberts said:

Do you remember the occasion Sid when Tommy pulled a celebratory wheelie at Swindon and fell off the back of his machine and got up and bowed to the crowd?

I do  . every time  we went to Swindon after that .it was on loop showing on the video screens

[waiheke1 4,295]

On 9/26/2019 at 2:59 AM, Sidney the robin said:

He was a true gentleman as you say, and what a terrific World Champion and ambassador he could of been if 1986 had of gone his way.Do you think he was good anough to be a world champion??? my view is certainly yes he was.He is in a small group of riders i believe were good anough to be World champion but for whatever reason it never quite happened a few example's,   Farndon, Duggan, Huxley, Warren,  Sigalos, Adams, Carter, .

I'd say Carter is the obvious comparison, with injuries and refereeing decisions hampering them. 

After the 81 world final, who would have predicted that neither would make the podium in any future world individual final. 

[Sidney the robin 4,735]

6 minutes ago, waiheke1 said:

I'd say Carter is the obvious comparison, with injuries and refereeing decisions hampering them. 

After the 81 world final, who would have predicted that neither would make the podium in any future world individual final. 

Do you actually feel that Carter was good anough to be World Champion??? i do and if only the Penhall race had been called back with all four riders. Who knows how his life would of panned out, i went to the NSS stadium the other week and just thought to myself how Kenny would of loved that track he was also superb at Hyde Rd.

[waiheke1 4,295]

On 9/25/2019 at 9:05 AM, steve roberts said:

There was no better exponent pulling wheelies than Hans Nielsen (I recall that he fell off once however!) however Erik Gundersen confessed that he wasn't very good at them...Bobby Schwartz was another who admitted that it was beyond him.

surely ermolenko, king, cook were better at wheelies than Hans? my recollection is the Americans were renowned for them (Schwartz being something of an anomaly style wise amongst them)

[BWitcher 12,453]

26 minutes ago, waiheke1 said:

surely ermolenko, king, cook were better at wheelies than Hans? my recollection is the Americans were renowned for them (Schwartz being something of an anomaly style wise amongst them)

I wouldn't necessarily say better, but certainly his equal.

That said, Sam is also in the falling off whilst pulling a wheelie club... against Cradley no less, right in front of their supporters. He also got up and bowed, got back on the bike and pulled another one the opposite way down the home straight.

[steve roberts 9,242]

5 hours ago, waiheke1 said:

surely ermolenko, king, cook were better at wheelies than Hans? my recollection is the Americans were renowned for them (Schwartz being something of an anomaly style wise amongst them)

They were all good exponents but what I remember of Hans was that he was always pretty spectacular in that he would pull wheelies down the straights on successive laps whilst the race was in progress and not not just as he crossed the finishing line as did 'Wiggy' of course...the pair of them together pulling wheelies whilst leading 'The Cheetahs' to another 5-1...great memories!

Edited October 12, 2019 by steve roberts

[Triple.H. 1,982]

1 hour ago, steve roberts said:

They were all good exponents but what I remember of Hans was that he was always pretty spectacular in that he would pull wheelies down the straights on successive laps whilst the race was in progress and not not just as he crossed the finishing line as did 'Wiggy' of course...the pair of them together pulling wheelies whilst leading 'The Cheetahs' to another 5-1...great memories!

The Referee warning them for doing so, think it was a certain Mr Ebdon

[steve roberts 9,242]

Just now, Triple.H. said:

The Referee warning them for doing so, think it was a certain Mr Ebdon

...and of course the farcical exclusion 'Wiggy' got when celebrating with a victory wheelie completing, what he thought, a full 18 point maximum against the Yanks!

[steve roberts 9,242]

Recall the occasion when Swindon's Shawn McConnell played to the gallery when about to cross the finishing line only to be passed by Oxford's Jens Rasmussen who claimed the point!