lucifer sam

Sorry hadn't spotted any questions until now. It's not possible to order a ticket for 6902 people. I wouldn't advise it, because it might take a while to retrieve the 40 grand! Sales are monitored. And no, the capacity at Scunthorpe hasn't been made common knowledge as yet, but hopefully it is high enough for everyone wanting to attend a British Youth Round. But if you definitely want to come, book now to avoid any disappointment.

Hurri-Ken almost repeated the feat of Jack Young. In the '56 World Final, while still a second division rider, he fell in his final race at Wembley. It cost him a run-off for first place with Ove Fundin. There was much less gap in standard of riders between the leagues at that point.

It was less unusual in the days before the points limit - teams often moved up with the same team (1957 was a different situation, because there was an influx of riders from the teams not running - for example, the closure of Poole took Ken Middleditch to Robins). The likes of Graham Warren, Alan Hunt and Jack Young (already World Champion when he moved up!) went from Second Division to First Division and took it in their stride. But that's not taking away how good Bob Roger was and what he may achieved without that serious injury early in 1958.

Getting things back on topic, Swindon's 1957 league victory was astonishing when you look at the London domination post-war from 1946 to 1961, although sadly there was only one London track in the 1957 National League. Also, you wonder how good Bob Roger could have been, but for the fractured skull early in 1958. I think Bob and Arne Pander were the riders who could have really challenged the Big Four (later became the Big Five, after Knutsson's ascension) but for injury. Wimbledon had a big miss in Ronnie Moore that year who was having a go at car racing in '57 (he also missed much of '58). On the other hand, Swindon had three good heat-leaders from the side that won the 1956 Division Two and then added to the second string side department to give them a really solid side, with Roger an outstanding No 1.

Re-opening meeting at Scunthorpe: http://scunthorpe-speedway.com/?p=11275

Re-opening meeting: http://scunthorpe-speedway.com/?p=11275

I think Erik Gundersen had a brief spell at No 1 for Cradley, but I seem to recall him being at No 3 most of the time. Most times, he would met Hans Nielsen at least twice during the night. PS And I think Belle Vue had Mort at No 3 and PC at No 5, so both were out in Heat 13 of meetings at Hyde Road.

Which is another reason I've always maintained Hans was even more impressive in 1987. He was riding for a struggling team, still recorded a 11.73 BL average, which would have been 11.87 but for a seized engine at Hackney in late October. PS Two T/S rides for Nielsen for Oxford in the 1986 BL - at Cradley Heath and Reading. Oxford still won the two meetings 45-33 and 43-35.

On the other hand, team strengths have fallen quite dramatically - very few of the world's best now compete in the UK. Whereas once upon a time, a heat leader never had an easy race, because almost every World Class star competed in the UK. For example, if you faced Oxford and you were a heat-leader, you had Nielsen, Wigg or Cox in every race. Likewise, if you faced Cradley Heath and you were a heat-leader, you had Gundersen, Pedersen or Cross in every race. I'd say that's tougher than what current riders have to face, where some teams don't even have one top rider.

The Curtis Sport website. Although don't look for Issue 2 quite yet - give it a week or so. Yeah, hopefully monthly!

Steve, just caught up on this one Yes, I was a fan. I think Todd was riding in a measured way for us, because he knew how much speedway could hurt, but at the same time we had his complete commitment. If we needed someone to beat Adams and Crump in Heat 15 to defeat King's Lynn, or hold out Rickardsson for the whole race in the year of the six-lap Heat 15, then Todd was the man. It's quite remarkable when you consider he had five years out of the sport, then returned in Germany in 1997 and the UK in 1998 and was the World No 8 by 2000! It makes you wonder what he would have achieved but for the injury - as he pointed out, he was ahead of Rickardsson, Hancock and Hamill, then found himself missing five years and playing catch-up. He was Oxford No 1 in 1999 and 2000, won numerous last-heat deciders which seemed to be his speciality, helped us win the league title in 2001 (ironically his weakest year for us, but again performed when we really needed him to), and then his return to the club in 2003 and 2006 simply cemented his status. And while he did set everything up to pop out the start and then control the race from there, he did show that he was more than a gater - wasn't there a 18-point-maximum against Peterborough where half of it was scored from behind? Todd is the one top rider we managed to keep hold of for more than a year or two (or 2.5 years in the case of Hancock) in the later days of Oxford. Plus he was good for team spirit and he's a nice guy.

He was signed to ride on a six-week contract, but Aaron Lanney cut it to four weeks and brought in Todd Wiltshire a couple of weeks earlier, because our team spirit was non-existent while Rickardsson was in the team. We only won one meeting under Rickardsson - when he deemed to finally show everyone his capabilities in a home match against Reading. Todd was a 7.50 rider in 2006, but brought together the side as a team and still had his uncanny habit of going out and getting the points when we really needed him to. We were woefully weak in 2006 - it was Todd who saved us from the wooden spoon. I'd quite liked Rickardsson up until the point he signed for us, but lost a lot of respect for him. Mind you, I don't think he cared what any of the fans thought, he was just in it for himself. On the other hand, Todd further cemented his place as a club legend.

Actually, three, because of the Gold Sash. Just put together the content for Issue 2 of the Oxford mag... but I think I might include a piece on Hans' BL record from 1984-1992 in the next issue. In some years they are staggering - the 11.83 in '86 and 11.73 in '87 (would have been 11.87 but for an e/f).

I can't see Cardiff being allowed to stage a SGP round as early as July 18th. Even if the lockdown is over by then, some degree of social distancing will still be required. That's possible at league meetings with a crowd of 500-1000, but not with 40,000 at Cardiff. I like the idea of a November staging to conclude the series - the UK hasn't held the final round since 1995. It would be a nice way to celebrate the 20th staging at the Principality Stadium.

No evidence on any number. It could have killed 2 million without a lockdown. We just don't know. We have to rely on the medical experts on how we deal with a virus for which we don't have a vaccine. None of us are experts. What I do understand is that it's R (the re-infection rate) which is the critical number. But we have to listen to medical and scientific advice. You're not an expert. Neither am I.

We have 'flu vaccines to try to aid with that - we don't have a Covid-19 vaccine. Surely you understand that key and absolutely massive difference? It's why it's not necessary to lock down every time we have a 'flu outbreak, but it is during the current outbreak of Covid-19. It's very different. Of course, the 'flu is mutating every single year and therefore sadly, there are still deaths, but many are prevented. That's not to say every death is not tragic - it is. But Covid-19 and 'flu are not the same thing, due to the current lack of vaccine for one of them.

Yes, any profits go to the fund.

THE brand-new speedway season gets underway at Scunthorpe’s Eddie Wright Raceway on Saturday afternoon (2pm), with the highly-prestigious Ben Fund Bonanza, sponsored by the Sheffield Window Centre. The Bonanza raises funds for the vitally important Speedway Riders’ Benevolent Fund charity, which provides money for both short-term and long-term injured riders, as well as offering them other crucial support when needed. It is the first of two big individual meetings that kick off the 16th season of racing at the North Lincolnshire track, with the Josh Auty testimonial following on Sunday, March 22nd at 3pm. The Ben Fund Bonanza will have two very special guests. Sam Norris was fighting for his life on a life-support machine last June, after a serious accident at Glasgow left him in a coma. The Suffolk rider was just 15 at the time of his accident. He’s now back on a bike and is taking his GCSEs this year, while he will be making the presentations to the riders on Saturday. Ricky Ashworth is making his first return to the Eddie Wright Raceway, since his life-changing accident during a Scunthorpe v Berwick clash in August 2013 that left him a coma for 91 days. The Salford-born rider spent most of his career riding for Sheffield Tigers. It is bound to be an emotional return for Ricky on Saturday. The Ben Fund has not only provided vital help and support to both Sam and Ricky and other injured riders, but has also assisted the family of Danny Ayres, the tragic Scunthorpe Scorpion who lost his battle with mental health at the start of February. Organiser and Ben Fund secretary Paul Ackroyd said: “It’s more important than ever for people to support the Ben Fund meeting this season. “Sheffield Window Centre are the meeting sponsors, and Ian Hunter was telling me he’s in awe of the good work done by the fund. He loves speedway and tells me we’re one of the most credible aspects of the entire sport.” Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey is proud to be staging the Bonanza at Scunthorpe for a second time – Dane Hans Andersen won the 2011 event at the Eddie Wright Raceway. Godfrey, who is also the chairman for British Speedway, said: “This is such an important event for British Speedway and I’m delighted to be holding it at Scunthorpe. “People may think the Ben Fund just dish out a bit of money here and there to riders who have been injured and all they do is send out a few cheques now and again, but it is so much more than that. “There’s the incredible support that they gave to Ricky Ashworth after his crash in 2013, plus the same with young Sam Norris last year. “More recently, we’ve had the Danny Ayres tragedy, which knocked the whole of British Speedway for six, including us all at Scunthorpe Speedway. The Ben Fund were straight into contact with Danny’s family, to help out financially and to be there to offer ongoing support. “It doesn’t matter what age or what standard a rider is, or was, the Ben Fund is there to help.” An attractive line-up features former British Champion Danny King, plus a wealth of riders with international experience. A quartet of Scunthorpe Scorpions are on display: Josh Auty, Thomas Jorgensen, Tero Aarnio and Simon Lambert. Admission prices are £20 adults, £15 concessions, £10 for children aged 12-16 and under 12s go free. A souvenir programme is available for £4. 2020 BEN FUND BONANZA LINE-UP: Josh Auty, James Wright, Aaron Summers, Ben Barker, Steve Worrall, Danny King, Lewis Kerr, Tom Bacon, Paul Starke, Tero Aarnio, Thomas Jorgensen, Connor Mountain, Andreas Jensen, Anders Rowe, Simon Lambert, Kasper Andersen.

SCUNTHORPE promoter Rob Godfrey is urging supporters to attend the Ben Fund Bonanza at the Eddie Wright Raceway this Saturday (March 14th) at 2pm. Godfrey is also chairman of the British Speedway Promoters’ Association and he is fully aware of the good work that the Speedway Riders’ Benevolent Fund charity does in assisting both short-term and, in particular, long-term injured speedway riders. Godfrey says: “The Ben Fund Bonanza has played a pivotal role in fund-raising for the Speedway Riders’ Benevolent Fund for many years and we are delighted to be hosting the event for the second time on Saturday. “I will do everything to ensure that the riders will have a track surface on which they can provide some first-rate racing for everyone to enjoy. “In a way, however, that’s almost secondary to the real reason for the Bonanza – and that’s to raise as much money as we can to swell the coffers of the Ben Fund and assist Paul Ackroyd and his team with the fantastic work they do in helping injured riders and their families in their hour of need. “Personally, I don’t think the Ben Fund team sing their own praises enough and I can refer you all to a story that Paul told me recently that aptly sums up the good work they do. “At Christmas, Paul found himself arranging for a specialist bed to be delivered to an ex-rider who had found himself in difficulty”, Godfrey explains. “The hospital wouldn’t release him to go home because he didn’t have this particular type of bed, so Paul was straight on the phone, and he managed to source the correct bed and he got it delivered so the ex-rider, a former second-halver, could actually be home again in time for Christmas Day. “This story absolutely typifies the type of work the Ben Fund does, a lot of which seems to go under the radar of publicity. “You’ve got the disabled riders who occasionally need upgrades to their houses to make their lives more comfortable and the Ben Fund team – and we should say team, because it is a team – facilitates that and makes things happen. “More recently, and something especially close to our hearts at Scunthorpe, we’ve had the Danny Ayres tragedy. The Ben Fund were straight onto help Danny’s family with the funeral and to be there to offer support, and they continue to do that.” Saturday’s meeting will be the eleventh staging of the Ben Fund Bonanza and the second time the event has been held at Scunthorpe. Admission prices are £20 adults, £15 concessions, £10 for children aged 12-16 and under 12s go free.

It's less than 1 in 100,000 or less than 0.001%. At the moment. So yes, still less than seasonal 'flu at the current time.

Not factual, unless the UK now has a population of over 456 million.

Special guests... SAM NORRIS and RICKY ASHWORTH. Come and give them your support!

He was excluded from Heat 3 for 2 mins and replaced by Brian Collins. He was excluded from Heat 7 for 2 mins and replaced by Roger Lambert. He was simply replaced by Brian Collins in Heat 13.

True. I remember the immediate impact that Todd Wiltshire - returning after a two-year retirement - had on the Oxford team a month into the 2006 season. The very first meeting he rode for Cheetahs, there was an improvement and the team started to look more like a team rather than seven individuals. I recall that we beat Coventry in that meeting and eventually avoided the wooden spoon that we had been odds-on to collect. Crumpie will make such a difference to the rest of the Ipswich lads. I’m excited to see how a young Australian such as Jake Allen will progress riding alongside Crumpie. It will be a fantastic thing for young Drew Kemp as well.

Yes, which means it went from official to unofficial and then seemingly back to official again! I think it's only a few years ago that they decided that 1969 was official after all! Like Steve, I'm sure I saw it somewhere - would be interesting to know where! Mauger always included it in his tally - as far as he was concerned, he had the medal so it counted!