kennylane

Time fades the memory - the years are marching on. But wasn't this also the early post-war theme song at New Cross with a version by the great Al Bowlly? Or am I just confused?

And who does New Zealand have of the grade to be a wild card? But I suppose that as the competition directs it there will be one. Too true mate!

This is the best analysis so far of the New Zealand speedway/car scene. There will be a good crowd at the GP in March but it will not spark a revival for the bikes down under any more than Greg Hancock's GP success has sparked a massive USA speedway bikes revival. The event will attract the curious looking for a day out but is unlikely to turn them into the speedway faithful. Many people will be there with no idea of what speedway is - no background knowledge which is essential - and soon look for another big attraction for a day out - like a pop concert with performing names that are known worldwide. To many New Zealanders going to the GP out of curiosity the riders names mean nothing - added to the fact there is no "home town" contender for the event.

This comment by norbold does need an answer surely?

Two posters and they don't know that Bert's surname was # Name Removed #! He was one of the Saints best in the post-war seasons. I'm really surprised.

I think we may have seen the last of the talented Lee Strudwick on speedway. There's a driver of that name (one of 140 starters) listed for banger races at Wimbledon Stadium on Sunday (December 4) according to the Spedeworth Motorsports site. Does anyone know if it is the same person?

I have trawled through the Speedway Researcher for Middlesbrough in the 1961. It does say at the bottom that results for some matches are still to be recorded. In those that are, I found no trace of a Wal Morton-Geoff Pymar pairing si I would query that claim about them forming the oldest pairing in the sport that season. Pymar in fact had only a brief stay with Middlesbrough and by mid-season had moved to Wolverhampton. Morton also seems to have had an erratic season and missed quite a few matches. However, it could be that they did form a pairing for one of the matches not yet up on Speedway Researcher so I do not entirely dispute the claim made in this matter.

Thank you very much.

hank you for the offer. And I see there's also now a message detailing all this information.

This is a really interesting thread and I love to see all the names of real speedway greats who are still with us. Any idea where I can find a chart to show when these riders made their first and last appearances in the 'real world final' please? And was it confirmed that Brian Elliott is still alive - I think he was last heard of living in Australia about two years ago. I guess these world championship appearances were all between 1949 and about 1966?

There are some still around who seem to think oldtimespeedway was claiming the rider photo was Johnnie Hoskins when a good read of the posts on their site shows this isn't the case and all they were trying to verify was who the said trackman was and why a 1932 Danish newspaper stated it was him. For me I like theory that it was a British based rider who liked to use Johnnie's name when he rode in Europe.

That's a wodge of reading! Didn't they know about paragraphs in those day? The first English speedway rider - wasn't that Freddie Hore? Who was the Englishman who compiled this tirade of reading matter posted above?

You are in danger of disappearing up you know where by going round in circles! The Bill Crampton letter has already been up on this thread several pages ago!

This has been a great debate but at the end of the day nothing has been proved or disproved.

This post will need approval from a moderator before it is shown. Then Mr Mod please send me a PM as to what the problem is? I hav tried many ways to contact someone at BSF about this ban but nver get a reply. Somehow, I think this message will go the same way. kennylane17@yahoo.com

An interesting thread. I'll send off for the next issue of 'Classic Speedway' to read what promises to be a robust defence of JSH.

Did the American rider Alvin 'Spike' Rhiando - also a racing car driver - ride on speedway for Dagenham in 1938 or in any meetings at the Essex track?

Derek Bridgett - a brother of former speedawy rider and speedway promoter Bill Bridgett - is involved with this site that covers the history of British midget car racing. http://midgetcarpanorama.proboards.com

In the words of the famous song "Why are we waiting..?"

Well they're incredible comments from the speedway history moderator to a member. Perhaps one should ask him to look up a dictionary to find out what the word moderator means - I think its something about respecting all opinions.

May I intervene without upsetting you? I think Jack Keen makes a good sensible point in what he says, while I also feel it's of interest to know that there have been two books with similar titles. There's no harm in mentioning that. It won't stop me buying the latest book in any way. When I first saw the mention about two titles I thought how interesting that was. I don't know what the speedway history forum is but if I was Mr Keen I'd pull my membership of it after reading this. From the way you put this response over it looks to me that you have a deeper resentment of both Jack Keen and speedyguy beyond their harmless mentions on here that there have been two books with similar titles. Grow up man! As I said at the start I don't want to upset you but fancy I probably have.

The Martin Rogers' original was a great book, as are all works by him.

Two books. Same title! Copyright! Don't be a 'Colin"!!

That's a brief summary of things!

Sad to say but speedway will have to be really top class to match the cars at Auckland - midget cars and sprint cars. Take a look at some of the links both main and to the right to be found here: