Old Seventies Footage..

[Grachan 7,364]

Here is some old footage that I borrowed recently, which people might enjoy. It's been transferred from Cine film to video and the pictures have become very blurry in the process, but it's still worth looking at.

 

1973 - Swindon v Oxford Midland Cup This is the riders on parade before the meeting. Swindon won 51-27, not 40-38 as that was a league match.

 

1973 - Swindon v Oxford Midland Cup Hasse Holmqvist taking a tumble and walking back across the centre green.

 

1975 - Oxford v Wolves - Midland Cup Final First Leg Martin Ashby, guesting for Wolves, performs some brilliant team riding to help his partner (Finn Thomsen??) to a 5-1 over Gordon Kennett. What a rider.

 

Oxford v Dag Lovaas Select - 1974 A short clip from this meeting featuring Dag Lovaas and Swindon legend Bob Kilby during his brief spell as skipper of the Oxford Rebels.

 

More Oxford v Dag Lovaas Select 1974 Some more action from the same match with Dag again. I think I can spot John Dews in there too, because I remember he wore the same face mask as Martin Ashby.

 

Swindon v Poole 1977 I think it's 1977 anyway. I kept my own little record from 1977 and Jan Andersson and Bobby McNeil scored a 5-1 over Colin Goody and Neil Middleditch in their first heat, so I'm going with that. You can see a brief glimpse of it here, although most of it is a bit jerky. There's also a quick of heat 1, with Martin Ashby, Malcolm Simmons, Soren Karlsson and Dickie May. Don't blink though!

 

(Thanks Frigbo for some of the information and Steve Roberts for lending me the footage and letting me put the stuff online)

Edited July 26, 2005 by Grachan

[miro 9]

In the Oxford clips from 1974 the other home riders on view look like John Davis (briefly), Ulf Lovass and as you say John Dews. (Dews in fact wore a white face mask whereas Ashby's was of a different design and light grey in colour, look out for my forthcoming book 'Classic Speedway Face Masks').

 

3000 people at Cowley for the 1975 Midland Cup Final on a Sunday afternoon, this was supposed the be the last ever meeting there ...without getting the programmes out I believe Kennetts partner was Trevor Geer, looks like him anyway.

 

Thanks so much for that, happy days at Oxford and Swindon

Edited July 26, 2005 by miro

[Grachan 7,364]

Of course. I'd forgotten about the 'Save Oxford Speedway' campaign in 1975. I still have a Speedway Mail front cover somewhere with a picture of Dag Lovaas, John Dews and others holding up a banner.

 

'Classic Speedway Face Masks'? Are you serious. I may be showing my total anorak-ness here, but that would fascinate me. There were so many, and the riders were so identifiable then.

 

Which one is Ulf Lovaas? Is he the rider in the blue helmet, who appears just after John Dews in the footage?

[miro 9]

Of course. I'd forgotten about the 'Save Oxford Speedway' campaign in 1975. I still have a Speedway Mail front cover somewhere with a picture of Dag Lovaas, John Dews and others holding up a banner.

 

'Classic Speedway Face Masks'? Are you serious. I may be showing my total anorak-ness here, but that would fascinate me. There were so many, and the riders were so identifiable then.

 

Which one is Ulf Lovaas? Is he the rider in the blue helmet, who appears just after John Dews in the footage?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

 

Yes I believe Ulf is the rider in blue, long time ago now!

 

I can be a very sad person when it comes to Speedway trivia and I hope I've got it under control these days! God no I'm not planning a book about face masks, and I wonder now at how much I once noticed, every detail fascinated me back then, and there was so much variety and individuality.

 

Superb race between Ashby and Kennett. I enjoyed going to Swindon on a summer saturday evening and watching Ashby (and I'm sitting here in Oxford saying that!).

 

Cheers

[Grachan 7,364]

It certainly demonstrates what a lost art team riding has become, doesn't it. And from a guest too. I wonder what it is about today's speedway that makes it so rare now.

 

Hmmmm. Now then, 'Classic Speedway Face Masks'.

 

Chapter one. The Monkey Mask........

[frigbo 522]

1975 - Oxford v Wolves - Midland Cup Final First Leg Martin Ashby, guesting for Wolves, performs some brilliant team riding to help his partner (Finn Thomsen??) to a 5-1 over Gordon Kennett. What a rider.

[

 

Sure is Finn Thomsen. Ashby was fantastic, does anyone remember him team riding Kevin Young home for a 5-1 in circa '77, they must have been doing about 10mph at times!

[Grachan 7,364]

I can't actually remember it. I'll have to dig out my 'Swindon Robins 1977' exercise book again and have a look in there.

[mikejb 4]

Here is some old footage that I borrowed recently, which people might enjoy. It's been transferred from Cine film to video and the pictures have become very blurry in the process, but it's still worth looking at.

 

1973 - Swindon v Oxford Midland Cup   This is the riders on parade before the meeting. Swindon won 51-27, not 40-38 as that was a league match.

 

1973 - Swindon v Oxford Midland Cup Hasse Holmqvist taking a tumble and walking back across the centre green.

 

1975 - Oxford v Wolves - Midland Cup Final First Leg Martin Ashby, guesting for Wolves, performs some brilliant team riding to help his partner (Finn Thomsen??) to a 5-1 over Gordon Kennett. What a rider.

 

Oxford v Dag Lovaas Select - 1974   A short clip from this meeting featuring Dag Lovaas and Swindon legend Bob Kilby during his brief spell as skipper of the Oxford Rebels.

 

More Oxford v Dag Lovaas Select 1974 Some more action from the same match with Dag again. I think I can spot John Dews in there too, because I remember he wore the same face mask as Martin Ashby.

 

Swindon v Poole 1977   I think it's 1977 anyway. I kept my own little record from 1977 and Jan Andersson and Bobby McNeil scored a 5-1 over Colin Goody and Neil Middleditch in their first heat, so I'm going with that. You can see a brief glimpse of it here, although most of it is a bit jerky. There's also a quick of heat 1, with Martin Ashby, Malcolm Simmons, Soren Karlsson and Dickie May. Don't blink though!

 

(Thanks Frigbo for some of the information and Steve Roberts for lending me the footage and letting me put the stuff online)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Grachan 7,364]

Sure is Finn Thomsen. Ashby was fantastic, does anyone remember him team riding Kevin Young home for a 5-1 in circa '77, they must have been doing about 10mph at times!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I found my exercise book, entitled "Swindon Robins 1977 Results, Scorers, Averages etc (+ other big meetings)".

 

I'm doing this from memory now! There's once match. I think it was May 26(?), Swindon 52 Sheffield 26.

 

Swindon used R/R for Jan Andersson. Kevin Young was number 8. One ride - 2 points plus a bonus. Could be that one.