Claremont

I knew a Gerry Bridson here in Perth years ago. He rode a few seasons at Claremont around the late 60's - early 70's. There was a little bio of him in the local track programme or a magazine back then. I have to rely on my memory about this, so please forgive any wrong info. I think Gerry was actually born in the UK and immigrated to New Zealand in the early 50's. He was a friend of Barry Briggs' and travelled back to the UK with him and had something of a career there as a speedway rider. Sometime later, he moved to Perth, Western Australia and while I don't know much about his involvement in speedway after that, I do remember him making a reappearance at Claremont around the time above....late 60's - early 70's. He sticks in my memory mostly because of two of the funniest things I've ever seen in speedway. The first was of Gerry making a copy book lay down to miss a fallen rider, right outside the pit gates at Claremont. After the race was over and he was walking across the track to the pits, everyone watching from the pits gave him a standing ovation and Gerry stopped and with helmet in one hand and gloves in the other, made a very elaborate bow to us all. I reckon if he had seen it, it would have even cracked the stone-like visage of Chum Taylor! The second story is something that might have been very serious, but turned out to be something else altogether. As he was coming out of the top bend at Claremont, Gerry and a rider named Ian Clifton clashed. Unbeknowst to Gerry, Ian's foot and leg had been picked up by Gerry's rear wheel and been dragged over the tyre and down the mudguard, behind the counter-shaft. We all watched from the pits at the strange sight of two men and two machines locked together and gradually going slower and slower until finally they both stopped and fell in a heap on the track. Gerry said later that he couldn't work out what was wrong with the bike...he was just about screwing the throttle off the handlebars and the bike just keep going slower and slower. Then he turned around and saw Ian, who had somehow been twisted around on his bike into such a position that the handlebars were across his throat and slowly choking him! Amazingly, Ian suffered no serious damage at all. His boot and leathers were nearly worn through, but he had no damage to himself at all. I don't know if Kevlar would stand up to that sort of treatment! lol

I was telling my son how finals and championships were run back in the days when we used to have 16 riders each having 5 races in a 20 race final or championship. Then it occurred to me that I really had no idea how this was done...how the draw for each heat was done so that each rider was ensured of racing every one of his opponents once over his 5 races. I even tried working it out for myself, but it seems to be a mathmatical thing and thats why I'm still so broke...just bloody awful at maths! lol Is there some sort of mathmatical formula that was used and does anyone know what it is or how it works? I know there must be some sort of trick to it because I know it can be manipulated for entertainment value. I saw this years ago while watching the Australian Championship at Claremont in about 1970. By the time we got to heat 20, each of the 4 riders involved had a change of lifting the title. And thats a huge coincidence! lol