Team Man

By your reasoning then NO rider should be paid at all,no one asked Tony Rickardson or any rider for that matter to take up the Sport, so you must see them all as amatuer's doing it for love.... Is that how you see it ???

One of the starting gate staff was mowed down at Oxford a few years ago,he sold his business and hasn't worked since ,I believe........

The governing body set the rates, but yes I agree it shoud be more,the cost per gallon (5 ltr) of fuel costs just the same as it does for top riders, who are earning well over the top. When some clubs are struggling to cover costs, you can't blame them for paying the minnimum. Pay rates need sorting all round, maybe this winter, but don't put money on it.

See my post under, Next Promoters meeting "Cards on the table"

The thing that needs sorting more than anything is the surface we ride on, with the amount of wet summers we are getting, its playing havoc with fixtures, not to mention televised meetings being scuppered,it can't be long before SKY get fed up of things. We've had shale since the late 50's, before that we were on cinders, I cant remember rained off matches on cinders, I can remember riding 40 miles in the rain to a track not thinking one moment that it would be rained off, you couldn't over water cinders. British Rail ran a Special train from Northampton to Coventry every week then, thats how certain it was that the matches would be on,3 carriages full of supporters. There must be an effort made to find a man made material that will not turn to mud,after all in the horse racing game they have all weather tracks and training strips, I beleive they consist of sand and coconut hair, a surface that we could probably ride on. We lose a percentage of fans every year because of rain off's, and the new fans coming in hardly keep pace with those going out And rain off's cost the promotion money. I know its almost impossible to get cinders in large quantity now, but we must find something similar, and soon..............

Flight of the bumble bee, Coventry 1950, or how I think of it as....... "The Bum of the beetle fly" !!!!!!!. "Knights in white satin", Groveway Stadium Milton Keynes 1978.... "Imperial Echo's" Oxford 1993.... Nothing brings back memories to people more than smells or Music, the music chosen is very important, its what I've been trying to get through to Boston for some time

I remember Johnnie Reason!!!!!! He had a brother Pete who did second halfs, its all flooding back now.

Ian Cartwright runs the family business, and his son Simon rides for Hull. Simon also works for the family firm.

Hi Panthersfan. Yes I can remember your dad, Ray Wood, he didn't ride for us for very long as I can remember, a lot water has gone under the bridge since then, as the saying goes.......He probably can't remember me but give him my regards when you speak to him. To reply to this thread proper, my first meeting was at coventry, when I came out the Army in 1950, can't remember much of that first meeting, but I can remember being "Gobsmacked", and thought, I've got to be part of this!!!!!!!!!! PS The crowds then were huge

I too heard of Rons Death, I knew him quite well through the V.S.R.A., we used to chat alot, particularly about the film "Once a jolly swagman" in which he doubled for Dirk Bogarde in the on track sequences, the Film was a particular favourite of mine from my youth......... I shall miss him very much. I think of his family at this time.

Yes!!! its me, twice as fit and twice as ugly, this is a real blast from the past,where are you getting your Speedway these days ?. I'm up here in Lincolnshire now, following Boston in the CL (great Speedway), I've got Peterborough and Kings Lynn within 30 odd miles, doing a bit here and there, have the 2valve Jawa out around KL now and again. And the Fishing is great up here too!!!!!.

"] quote="Team Man Hi Our paths must have crossed!!!! At that time I was Mechanic for Bob Humphreys and then went on to be start Marshal untill "The Knights" closed down....... Then joined Oxford. Quote Panthersfan So I'm guessing you must have been there in 1981? Hi Panthersfan Yes I was there in 1981!!!!, From 1979 till the end on that fatefull night in 1992 at Elfield Park, a coming together of factions,on another night might not ever have happened.