Belle Vue 1972 or Cradley 1983.???

[steve roberts 9,242]

Just now, geoff100 said:

Still got that race on video stancl hardly moves when the tapes go up and was one of the first to get to penhall after the race

Long time since I've seen the video but surely no one would believe that Stancl was a serious threat to Penhall..just keeping out of his way perhaps which was common practice in important meetings. Recall Michanek not wishing to 'mess up' Malcolm Simmons during the 1976 Final.

[geoff100 1,426]

18 hours ago, steve roberts said:

On one memorable night he scored paid 14 points at Cowley with Weymouth but generally he wasn't a success on the south coast. A great thrill merchant in his day and I know that it irked his brother Geoff that Chris' name wasn't mention during a Belle Vue reunion some years ago.

Watched chris in his final year at workington, overweight he was knackered after 4 laps with a red face and sweat pouring off him ron bagley thought if fit he could still have been a number 1 for the comets just lasted a few weeks!

[Sidney the robin 4,735]

12 hours ago, steve roberts said:

Personally I thought that the Cradley team of 1979 was a bit special?

That side cannot be that far behind the 83 side Steve ? what a squad of riders they had. Penhall, Erik, Phil, Alan, Kristian, Steve,Boogaloo, Dave Perks, John Hack, Les Rumsey..

[cityrebel 2,960]

21 hours ago, Sidney the robin said:

Pusey underachieved really  some of the reasons why have been well documented in recent years.Bob for me was a terrific rider think he could of been world class he was only just below that his figures at Exeter show that he was capable of beating anybody.Yes that Cradley side was something else Ravn was the joker in the pack really stepped up.

Pusey at his peak, was a very exciting rider Sid. I saw him a couple of times in full flight at Custom House when i was a kid. His polka dot leathers really made him stand out!

[salty 2,200]

3 hours ago, Sidney the robin said:

That side cannot be that far behind the 83 side Steve ? what a squad of riders they had. Penhall, Erik, Phil, Alan, Kristian, Steve,Boogaloo, Dave Perks, John Hack, Les Rumsey..

They certainly were a strong side as evidenced by their winning of 2 Cups. I think by the end of the season they were the best team in the league, but injuries to Erik, Kristian and Stevie B earlier in the season cost them. Imo a stronger septet than the one that finally delivered the league title 2 years later.

[Sidney the robin 4,735]

1 hour ago, salty said:

They certainly were a strong side as evidenced by their winning of 2 Cups. I think by the end of the season they were the best team in the league, but injuries to Erik, Kristian and Stevie B earlier in the season cost them. Imo a stronger septet than the one that finally delivered the league title 2 years later.

Erik broke a leg early at Wolves and as you said Kristian/ Steve picked up nasty injuries amazing they won anything with that handicap.For me it was the Squad that was decent Perks averaged over 6 Les Rumsey was very useful and the young promising John Hack got his chance it really shows you how strong our league was then.

[Sidney the robin 4,735]

3 hours ago, cityrebel said:

Pusey at his peak, was a very exciting rider Sid. I saw him a couple of times in full flight at Custom House when i was a kid. His polka dot leathers really made him stand out!

I was a fan of Chris city really enjoyed watching him ride and in those days riders had there own identity Chris, Ivan, Broady, Boy Blue , John Davis come to mind.

[steve roberts 9,242]

5 minutes ago, Sidney the robin said:

I was a fan of Chris city really enjoyed watching him ride and in those days riders had there own identity Chris, Ivan, Broady, Boy Blue , John Davis come to mind.

Yes the days of individual identifiable leathers!

[Sidney the robin 4,735]

13 minutes ago, steve roberts said:

Yes the days of individual identifiable leathers!

Tell you something Steve i didn't even mind the old black leathers and monkey mask.You could still usually  tell a rider by his riding style, nowadays alot of the riders styles look similar.

[steve roberts 9,242]

5 hours ago, salty said:

They certainly were a strong side as evidenced by their winning of 2 Cups. I think by the end of the season they were the best team in the league, but injuries to Erik, Kristian and Stevie B earlier in the season cost them. Imo a stronger septet than the one that finally delivered the league title 2 years later.

If I recall their collective team average was too high and they off loaded Bobby Schwartz to Reading prior to the 1980 season and complicated things when they signed Ila Teromaa and had to declare two juniors at reserve?

[Sidney the robin 4,735]

30 minutes ago, steve roberts said:

If I recall their collective team average was too high and they off loaded Bobby Schwartz to Reading prior to the 1980 season and complicated things when they signed Ila Teromaa and had to declare two juniors at reserve?

They had that problem a few times when assembling  sides they were very weak at reserve.The likes of Reid,Gledhill, S.Collins, Leaver, Fry, Bostin (etc) found it very difficult.

[salty 2,200]

56 minutes ago, steve roberts said:

If I recall their collective team average was too high and they off loaded Bobby Schwartz to Reading prior to the 1980 season and complicated things when they signed Ila Teromaa and had to declare two juniors at reserve?

Teromaa was signed during the 1979 season to replace Stevie B who was transferred to Birmingham after a major bust up with Dan McCormick. Ila only rode a couple of times in 79 as he was cup tied. The success of the team in 1979 meant that it fell foul of the points limit and Schwartz had to be loaned out. 

As for Sid's point about reserves, that was the price you paid for having a strong top 4 and why Dave Shields was so important in 1981. To be fair to Nigel Leaver and Paul Fry they came later when teams had to track a junior (if I remember correctly). 

[Shrub 1,109]

Mentioned this before but the ultimate side of the 70's was Ipswich 1975 and '76. Champions both years, the double in '76 and all with a home grown side. Six of the seven born within a 20 mile radius of Foxhall plus Billy Sanders who had only ridden for Ipswich once he turned 16. No guests used, instead used rider replacement or local juniors moving up into the team when required. One hell of an achievement and has never been given the credit it deserved.

[steve roberts 9,242]

55 minutes ago, salty said:

Teromaa was signed during the 1979 season to replace Stevie B who was transferred to Birmingham after a major bust up with Dan McCormick. Ila only rode a couple of times in 79 as he was cup tied. The success of the team in 1979 meant that it fell foul of the points limit and Schwartz had to be loaned out. 

As for Sid's point about reserves, that was the price you paid for having a strong top 4 and why Dave Shields was so important in 1981. To be fair to Nigel Leaver and Paul Fry they came later when teams had to track a junior (if I remember correctly). 

Yes I remember now.  Dan McCormick was a bit of a "huff and puff" type manager (we had him at Oxford too) and despite changing Cradley's image he fell foul when he took on the "Brummies" and was forced to relinquish his position at Dudley Wood I seem to recall...and how Stevie B must have felt eventually moving to Swindon.

[steve roberts 9,242]

41 minutes ago, Shrub said:

Mentioned this before but the ultimate side of the 70's was Ipswich 1975 and '76. Champions both years, the double in '76 and all with a home grown side. Six of the seven born within a 20 mile radius of Foxhall plus Billy Sanders who had only ridden for Ipswich once he turned 16. No guests used, instead used rider replacement or local juniors moving up into the team when required. One hell of an achievement and has never been given the credit it deserved.

Yes a great side made up of local discoveries...very different to today and perhaps that's where speedway started to go wrong?