norbold

Strangely enough I was working on a similar thread myself, only with 4-man World Cup type teams. However, I agree with most of your selections CHK. My only changes would be: Australia: Vic Duggan, Jack Young res: Vic Huxley. Gt Britain: Tom Farndon, Peter Craven res: Jack Parker. Denmark: Erik Gundersen as sub. Not sure about USA, might put Jack Milne and Greg Hancock round the other way. Might also put Briggs and Moore round the other way for New Zealand.

Barry Briggs

And everyone seems to have missed out Tommy Price. Surely, if longevity is the key, then there is no doubt that Jack Parker would be the greatest ever. Arguably the best - or at least one of the best three - British riders in the very first year, 1928, and still arguably the best (in fact, almost certainly the best) British rider twenty years later in 1948. The only interruption to being accounted the best probably coming during Tom Farndon's hey-day, c. 1932 - 35. He even beat Malcolm Simmons fifty years later in 1978 on a very cold day at Hackney!

I agree falcace. That is the real tragedy of Michael Lee. He could have been the greatest rider of the 80s. It would be interesting to know how Nielsen and Gundersen would have fared had he still been around and whether Nielsen would still be one of the leading candidates for "greatest rider of all time" or whether Lee would have eclipsed him..... But (sigh) we'll never know.

And then what happened....?

I suggest you contact Jim Henry, editor of Speedway Researcher and Scottish speedway historian at 90 Greenend Gardens, Edinburgh, EH17 7QH and/or Ian Moultray (another Scottish speedway historian) at 24 Moredun Park Gardens, Edinburgh, ED17 7JP. Tel: 0131 6662826, e-mail: ian@moultray.freeserve.co.uk

September the 20th might be appropriate as it will be the 40th anniversary of his death That may well be why the publication date is mid-August. It allows for a little slippage and time to get it out to the shops for the anniversary.

I believe it's due out in the middle of August...or thereabouts.

I'm with you CHK, though Michael Lee might have made it if he hadn't gone off the rails.

...in the modern era I think you mean Gem. Sprouts Elder and Art Pechar were probably the first in 1928 followed by Ray Tauser, Jack and Cordy Milne, Wilbur Lamoreaux, Benny Kaufman etc. etc. The first clean sweep of the World Championship was achieved by the Americans in 1937 - Jack Milne, Wilbur Lamoreaux and Cordy Milne. Nevertheless, having said all that, Scott Autrey was the first of a new wave of Americans and laid the foundations for Bruce Penhall, Sam Ermolenko, Greg Hancock, Billy Hamill etc. He was a brilliant rider. I remember him well. Happy 50th.

Dave has been a sheep farmer for many years, even whilst riding. Does Lt know?

May I quote from that excellent book, 'Speedway in East Anglia' by...the name of the author escapes me at the moment...: "It was in 1969 that John Louis was approached and asked if he would like to have a go at speedway. In spite of being a top local scrambler, Louis was very reluctant to have a go. In the end he agreed to a trial session on condition that it was held after a meeting; that all the stadium lights had to be turned off for ten minutes so that all the spectators would leave and then, and only then, would he try his hand. All the conditions were met, but Louis got scared and joined the crowd by going home instead! Eventually, he was persuaded to ride in a second-half event and the rest, as they say, is history." I believe that is the true story of Louis' debut! And yes, Gem, he was quite old. 28 I think, but not sure.

More impressive debut: John Louis. In each of the first two matches he ever rode in he scored seven points. He finished his debut season as Ipswich's top scorer with 7 full and 1 paid maximum. He also took the Silver Helmet during the season and successfully defended it seven times. In his second season he averaged 11.31, easily topping the league averages, scoring 21 full and 4 paid maximums on the way. He successfully defended the Silver Helmet 25 times and won the Division Two Riders' Championship.

Less impressive debut: Terry Betts for Norwich. He rode in four meetings in 1960 and did not score a single point. Didn't improve much in 1961. Then... He suddenly came good in one match in 1962 away at Belle Vue. On a night when Ove Fundin managed to score just four points, Betts scored a 15 point maximum including two victories over Peter Craven on his home track. Craven was later to win the World Championship that year. From then on Bettsy never looked back.

falace is right. That stuff is worth a tidy sum. Who was your grandfather, by the way? I would certainly be interested in knowing what you have, so I know where I can come and do some research for my next book!

I'm not sure how to take that... :?:

It is often said that Jerzy Szczakiel was the worst World Champion of all time; that his win was a fluke and that no-one had ever heard of him before he won the title in 1973. I was recently reading Donald Allen's 'Speedway '72' book which included in it a review of the 1971 Polish season by Ian MacDonald. Here are a few selected quotes from that article: Talking of the World Cup, Macdonald named the five riders in the team then went on to say, 'Certainly the selected team was hard to justify', after mentioning Jancarz's absence, the article goes on, 'Even stranger was the absence of Jerzy Szczakiel from the side. Only a few weeks earlier he had been Poland's only entrant in the World Final. He had also been the best rider on show in the World Best Pairs Final which he had won in conjunction with Wyglenda.' Later, in the same article he reports on the Polish Riders'Final, 'Favourites were Szczakiel and Wyglenda'. Szczakiel in fact finished second. Finally, MacDonald says, 'If only a couple [of Polish riders] follow in the footsteps of Szczakiel, who was the Silver Helmet winner two years ago, then the Poles will be more than pleased.' Perhaps he wasn't that bad after all. After that, I'm voting for Egon Muller as the worst ever!

Perhaps it was because they abolished the death penalty a long time before we did. How did your dad get on with him Shazzy? I spoke to him once in the pits at Rye House. I had the uncomfortable feeling that he had probably just escaped from the local lunatic asylum...Great character though!

Thanks for the run down falcace. I guess I'll have to change my mind and go back to Jerzy being the worst ever...although there's always Gary Havelock. However, I'm not sure your two quotes above quite add up, unless you're not countng getting past Jancarz as overtaking and by 'nearly always first to the first turn' you mean in all but the one heat when Jancarz was in front. Anyway, the fact he won by rolling at the start in every race seems to me to be a case of the biter bit when it comes to Ivan Mauger

My e-mail said:

I remember it well, Jim. In fact you can read a bit more about the first Internationale in a forthcoming Wimbledon programme as part of the Norman Chronicle series (The title wasn't my idea - honest!)

Apart from Norwich fans of course who idolised him. I have no personal memories of him from his riding days in the sense that I never actually met him then, but I have a number of memories of his racing. He won the first race I ever saw, beating Split Waterman in heat one of the New Cross v. Norwich Britannia Shield match. He went on to get an 18 point maximum that night. In 1967 I took a group of college friends to the World Championship Final. They had never seen speedway before and didn't know anything about the riders. I told them we should support Ove as our college was in Norwich. It was more in hope than anything else as it did seem as though Ove was a bit past his best by then. Of course he won the 1967 World Championship and the fact they were supporting the winner went down very well with my friends and even got one or two of them interested in speedway. I first met him two years ago at the annual Norwich Veteran Riders' Association Eastern Region Social and Dinner. He was a real gentleman. I presented him with a copy of my book "Speedway in East Anglia". He told me he'd heard a lot about the book and that he was looking forward to reading it. I said I hoped he found that I had done his contribution to Norwich justice. A couple of weeks later he 'phoned me from his home in France to say how much he had enjoyed my book and, remembering what I had said, he added that he felt that the book had more than done him justice and he was very pleased that his time at Norwich was still so well remembered. I have spoken to him several times since to ask him questions mainly. He never fails to be extremely helpful and courteous and always seems to be only to happy to take the time to talk to me and answer my questions fully. He's a real hero. Happy birthday Ove.

Yes it was more like an iron cross before the war. The colours were the same. The colour I have on this forum is the pre war design.

Well, I assume New Cross adopted a cross as its body colour because of the name and a Maltese Cross looks better tha just a plain x