norbold

Sometimes it is hard because the person you want to speak to won't speak to you! I'm not saying this is the case with Reg, but I know from (bitter) experience that some former riders are more forthcoming than others. No names!

You've done it again, spiegel. I've been on tenterhooks all day waiting for the response....

Thank you David. If ever Portsmouth do return at least I have the basis for one of my Norman Chronicles articles in your programme!

A made up team.

One of them! Anyway, Portsmouth has had three tracks. The first was opened at Chalton in 1928 and ran for the grand total of two meetings. The second, the Wessex Stadium, opened in 1929 by Wessex Speedway co. in conjunction with Dirt Track Speedways Ltd., the company behind West Ham and Southampton. It was a 440 yard unbanked track. Some top names like Frank Arthur, Bluey Wilkinson, Sprouts Elder and Phil Bishop appeared in open meetings. The track was said to be very bumpy and over the winter a new 382 yard track was laid. Portsmouth formed its own team, which included Steve Langton and Phil 'Tiger' Hart (later to ride for Eastbourne, Birmingham and Hackney amongst others) and raced challenge matches. The track closed at the end of 1930. In 1935, Tom Bradbury-Pratt, the promoter at Harringay opened another track at the Greyhound Stadium. Harringay raced a league match against Hackney there and a week later a challenge match between Wembley and Wimbledon was due to be held but was rained off. There were no further meetings at the stadium until 1937 when the Albatross Motorcycle Club promoted two matches against Basingstoke and Reading. Two attempts were made to re-introduce speedway just after the War but came to nothing and then again in 1977, when locals collected a 1,300 signature petition and the GRA agreed, but the local council turned down planning permission (where have I heard that before?). As far as I know there has never been speedway in Colchester...and I think I would know! Now read the book!

Read pages 216 to 217 of Speedway in the South East! It's all there.

Thanks for doing that, f-t. Looking at it laid out like that it does seem a fair representation of the current position in speedway. I'd say Crump and Rickardsson are a cut above the rest; then there's a group of Hancock, Adams, Pedersen (Nicki) and Gollob. Jonsson is a bit behind them but in front of the rest and then another bigger group of Hampel, Andersen, Pedersen (Bjarne), Richardson, Sullivan, Nicholls and Holta. Sullivan has had a bad year for him and should really be in the second group; Loram and Max should be in the Hampel group but have also not had very good years. What do you think?

Can't help feeling the original intention of this thread has been lost somewhere...

Touche.

Yes, but you'll see I did not mention the semi-finals and final in my original post. It was the format itself I was talking about. I was quite amused when John Poshbloke was explaining it on tele last night - how it seemed to be something new the BSI had thought up to ensure that all riders met each other and that all points counted etc. Yes, I am still thinking about the best speedway book ever!

12? Or are you counting Loramski as Maltese?

They did Norbold,it's one of the formats tried here for the U21 championship this year.The race format changed almost every meeting <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Oh yes, iris, you're right the format has been used before. For every World Final from 1936 - 1994 and every other individual meeting in that time plus most since. Silly me for forgetting that!

Yes, I was there that night as well. Just looked up my programme too. I have written in heat 4 "Tyburn Gallows e/f while 1st third lap." In the second half, he won the Junior Hammers Handicap starting off 10 yards and then came third in the Junior Hammers Snowball (out of 5). So he was doing quite well. Just a shame about the two e/fs.

What does that mean exactly? Who are the true people? (and by the way, you've missed out an apostrophe.)

It should certainly be a good book, but I'm not sure I can agree with your title of "Best Speedway Book Ever"!

Well done Crumpy. You deserve it. You are the greatest.

Why didn't anyone ever think of this 16 rider 20 heat 5 rides per rider format before?

Welcome aboard Nobby. Always good to have another former West Ham supporter.

1. Crump 2. Hancock 3. Bjarne Pedersen 4. Rickardsson

There wasn't a National League Division 2 between 1957 and 1967.

Talking of hidden talents, didn't there used to be a rider called Bryan Newbold or something who used to tell jokes....?

They also don't take account of injuries and running out of fuel!

Personally, I don't think they should have any wild cards. The Grand Prix should be made up of the best riders around not 22 of them and a couple stuck in each meeting who can't actually win the thing. Of course, putting in local wild cards may be a purely commercial decision, but,as has been said above, it's very doubtful that the inlcusion of Dave Norris and Chris Louis brought in any extra fans at Cardiff. I expect the same goes for GPs held in Poland, Sweden and Denmark. Maybe in the smaller countries like Norway it helps, but I guess, even there, it is doubtful. There should be a proper qualification system and if you make it to the Grand Prix, great, if you don't, try again next year.

I think it'll be a sad day if he doesn't win it. He's been the best rider in the world for three years now and absolutely deserves to take the title.

Yes, iris, maybe I was exaggerating a bit to say ALL the time, but I do think they would give of their best in League matches. Certainly Ivan's averages would suggest he was doing his best.