Weren't Second Halves Wonderful

[chunky 6,103]

You mean to say there are only 16 or so heats and that is it-when do they have an interval or have they got rid of that too-wot about junior type races. Can you still meet the riders in the bars at the track like you used to be able to do??(I'm talking the sixties here)-I recall nice after the meeting chats at Newport with visiting riders like Mike Watkin, Ivan Mauger,(both Newcastle) Alby Golden etc

 

No Bob, that is it., and you don't even see much in the way after after-meeting practices. It's also difficult to find riders who socialise in the bar. Most are in such a rush to get off as they are needed in Sweden, Poland etc the next evening. Things really have changed.

 

Steve

[Paulco 7,080]

From memory , at Glasgow , there would be a reserves race with the home and away number 7's and two of the home novices . A good way for the novices to guage their progress .

Then you would have the three heats for the rider of the night between the top 6 from both sides , with each heat winner and the fastest runner up progressing to the final .

There would be another reserves race before that final .

So that was an added 6 races after the 13 heat league match . Which is a bit better value than what we get now .

Though there were certain away riders who were packed up and ready for the off not long after heat 13 was over , but generally the second halfs were pretty good .

[BOBBATH 467]

Hi Steve -hope you are surviving in downstate Illinois ok in this weather-also paulco-what you describe at Glasgow is what I recall also-I used to like the novices racing against the number 7's also. I recall being in the bar at West Ham after the British Final was cancelled -in 1965 and talking to Ivan who was glad he had an extra week to get over his injuries-also chatting with Ken McKinlay and Bob Andrews-nice guys-though Ken liked his whiskey a bit more than most!!!Great days eh!!

[Ian 24]

It seems to be widely believed nowadays that some of the old second half races were a bit of a sham, with riders agreeing to split the prize money etc. I have no idea whether that was true, but I recall with great pleasure the weekly Rider of the Night finals from Meadowbank. I remember local heroes like George Hunter and Dougie Templeton facing the likes of Monk, Mauger, Boothroyd and Squibb. If they weren't actually "racing" then they certainly had me fooled.