Crashes and Smashes

[Bee 1]

May 1973 Coventry v Cradley Utd. Les Owen and John Harrhy. Les was very badly injured and on life support, ended up never riding again. John broke a bone in his neck, and was never the same on track again.

 

Booey took a few knocks in some spectacular crashes too... Recall fracturing his skull at Leicester in a smash with John Boulger and Roger Hill.

 

The last really bad smash I recall was Erik Gundersens at Bradford.

[aussiegal 0]

Does anyone remember a few years back at Cov when Shane Bowes had a tumble over the first bend safety fence, minus his helmet?? I think the riders bunched up going into the bend, and he just went straight on instead of turning, the tangle ripped of his helmet and then he was over the fence and on the dog track. we thought he'd be out for the rest of the season but he was at brandon the following week, i think with black eyes and maybe a broken nose saying it wasn't really that bad!!!

[ruckerroo 792]

The worst one i saw was the crash poor dave mullet had at reading when andre compton went inside him on the first bend,straightened up and dave rode thru the safety fence and wound up on the hare rail of the dog track,it was a truly horrible incident because everybody knew the accident was a bad one and nobody could do anything about it.

[Guest dontforgetoturnleft!!]

Ipswich v Brum - second part of a double header - 1981. Kevin Jolly comes out of the fourth bend, clips somebodies back wheel and flies superman fashion, landing at the pit gate (for those who cannot picture this - it involved vaulting the collapsable safety fence and then projectilling across the tarmac stock car track - about 10-12 feet I would guess). He then got up, brushed himself down and took place in his next heat!!.

[NJT 4]

Trelawny v Newcastle, Clay Country Motor Parc 2003

Ht 14 Trelawny seemingly out of the meeting 10 points down. Mark Phillips puts Chris Harris in off 15 metres for double points. At the end of lap 1 Harris is closing on Lawson when suddenly Lawson loses drive giving Harris nowhere to go but through the back of Lawson's bike. Chris finished up several yards gone the track but both riders walked away. Not a nice one to watch right in front of you.

[Dean Speedway 0]

A couple that spring to mind are Marvyn Cox at the first bend at Oxford, his forks or frame collapsed I think, and he went straight into the fence, got up with the bike in a few pieces around him. The commentator Peter York went up to him to get his reaction in went something like "****ing hell, my bike!!!".

 

I also remember Jens Rasmussen having some big crashes one in particular at Oxford was a day meeting (Possibly pairs or 4TT). Looked pretty bad, carried off I think, then the bike a revvin emerges from the pits to a huge roar. He was one tough rider!

[djp 0]

Remember Howard Cole hitting one of the lamp posts on the first bend at Blackbird Road in I think a British Semi Final meeting many years ago.

[Canadian Star 6]

I wasn't at Liecester that night but know several who were, they said it was the worst accident they had seen at that time. Howard had been going terrifically well up until then beating just about everyone, sadly he was never quite the same after that crash, he suffered a punctured lung and was over a year before he rode again. He was one of my favourite riders, his bike was always immaculate and that white shirt he wore was always clean at the start of the evening and depending on how successful he was, would often still be clean at the end!

[Markone 3]

At the end of lap 1 Harris is closing on Lawson when suddenly Lawson loses drive giving Harris nowhere to go but through the back of Lawson's bike.

Snapped a chain if I remember rightly, it all happened in slow motion. Harris did well to walk away unhurt!!

Edited August 13, 2004 by Markone

[Liontamer 202]

One of the worst crashes I've witnessed was in the last ever meeting at Leicester when Mike Lanham was so badly injured. If I recall he suffered something like 14 bone fractures & lost the use of one arm. I was also unfortunate enough to be riding in a meeting where a rider was killed right in front of me. I was one of the first to see the result of his injuries close up & it's something you never forget. Speedways a fantastic sport, but sometimes it can also kick you in the guts without warning.

[Silver Fox 1]

The most horrific crash i saw was at hyde road when both Mike Lohmann who had just joined Belle Vue from Halifax and Mick Mckeon (Halifax). Both riders suffered serious injuries. Lohmann was rushed off to hospital while Mckeon was taken to hospital in a cortina estate.

[mIcK50 3]

I can vividly recall a very nasty looking accident at Claremont Speedway, Perth, WA, way back about 1970. I can't remember the name of one of the riders involved, but he was a Scot and I think his first name was George. He had ridden in the UK in the 50's - 60's and immigrated to Oz when he retired. He made a short comeback at Claremont and this was the result.

 

He fell in the middle of the track on the Pits Bend, in front of most of the field in a handicap race. Most of the riders managed to avoid him, but one, I think it was Dennis Carter, was crowded for room as he tried to ride around George on the inside. His right hand footrest got hooked in the back of George's old style pudding basin helmet.......and ripped it right off his head and sent it spinning down the track!

 

I don't think many of us watching over the fence from the pits really wanted to look at George as he lay on the track. I for one, was wondering if he still had his head on! He didn't move and was taken away in the ambulance. Next week he was walking around as good as gold, except for a light brace he had to wear on his neck for about a week.

 

And what saved him from far more serious injury? He was using all his old gear from his racing days in the UK, which included the old style helmet. The stitching in the leather harness was so old and rotten, that when Carter's footrest got hooked in the helmet, it just ripped the stitching out and left Georgie laying on the track unconscious, with the leather harness still attached to his head!

 

I think George took that as a sign and gave speedway up for good after that!

[superjoe 0]

two nasty crashes i remember were fromthe early nineties.

 

1. Shaun Venables, Belle Vue vs Ippo. Venables come steaming under ben howe?

 

took him down, venables straightened up and slammed into the fence.

 

2. i think it was simon wolstenholme(sp) who went oversheffield safety fence and was revived in the ambulance

 

 

on a lighter note i remember a couple of years ago there was a crash at belle vue and brian karger tried to jump the fence to help someone and fell flat on his arse

[boss 2 0]

Remember Wayne Brown guesting for Cradley early '80's and as He crossed the finish line His throttle jammed and He hit the first bend fence full on His bike went higher than the lamp standard and He walked off unhurt!

Also Frank Killeen(remember Him?)went over home straight fence at Monmore and hit a post full on as the ambulance sped onto the track it passed Him walking up the dog-track and waving to the crowd/ambulance driver.

[spin king 1,923]

two nasty crashes i remember were fromthe early nineties.

 

1. Shaun Venables, Belle Vue vs Ippo. Venables come steaming under ben howe?

 

took him down, venables straightened up and slammed into the fence.

 

2. i think it was simon wolstenholme(sp) who went oversheffield safety fence and was revived in the ambulance

 

 

on a lighter note i remember a couple of years ago there was a crash at belle vue and brian karger tried to jump the fence to help someone and fell flat on his arse

I think you find that the rider who crashed at Sheffield was Simon Green.