Terry 1,319 Posted November 25, 2015 Having seen English FA Cup finals and England international football matches , Wimbledon Tennis finals and England cricket teams regaining the Ashes in the early fifties with Compton and Bill Edrich .Also the Manchester United football team just before the Munich air crash the best sporting event I have ever seen was the 1949 World Speedway final at Wembley . Nothing could compare to the atmosphere that evening. I have never so many people at a sporting even before or ever since. As I supported Wembley it was the icing on the cake when Tommy Price won and I think it was the only time English riders were first, second and third And fourth! Beating the Yanks in 1937 and the Danes in 88. Those early Wembley finals must have been incredible. My dad went to everyone of them, I saw the last three,(maybe 72, can't remember!) Fantastic events. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
norbold 7,113 Posted November 26, 2015 And fourth! Beating the Yanks in 1937 and the Danes in 88. Like Freddie Williams, Tommy Price often suffers in the "who was the greatest" discussions through being a Wembley rider and therefore somehow their World Championship wins (including Price's 1946 Riders' Championship win) are to some extent discounted as they were on their home track. However, it should also be remembered that Price qualified for the 1949 final in top place with the highest number of points from the Championship Round (semi finals). Tommy Price was a great rider of his era, there is no doubt about it. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BOBBATH 467 Posted November 26, 2015 With all due respect re Freddie Williams and Tommy Price- I agree with all that's been said-BUT if the 1949 World Final had been held at Belle Vue and the 1950 Final at Birmingham -we might have been having the same discussion re Jack Parker and Graham Warren being World Champs. Surely Tommy and Fred were Egon Muller type World Champs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
STEVE5705 1 Posted November 26, 2015 greatest memories for me have got to be on the Sampson coaches to hackney hawks away trips, everybody was so relieved when the coach finally got to the away tracks as they were well known for breaking down either before they left hackney stadium or on route like we ended up at Watford gap services and no further on our way supposedly to Hyde road. just going back to 1980 I remember getting to belle vue at around 3pm glorious blue sky, sun out with hackney hawks think there was 2 Sampson coaches that made it that day lol, only to be told that the meeting was rained off(called off way to early) if memory serves me correctly belle vue had a weaken team out that night everybody was pretty peed just wondered if a few back handers were being dished out to get it called off 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mickthemuppet 976 Posted November 26, 2015 With all due respect re Freddie Williams and Tommy Price- I agree with all that's been said-BUT if the 1949 World Final had been held at Belle Vue and the 1950 Final at Birmingham -we might have been having the same discussion re Jack Parker and Graham Warren being World Champs. Surely Tommy and Fred were Egon Muller type World Champs. Freddie Williams won two world titles and was runner up within four years so hardly a Egon Muller type winner. People always quote that perhaps Freddie Williams or Tommy Price might not have won the world title had it no have been on their own track, yet nobody ever mentions the other Wembley rider who won a world title Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted November 26, 2015 (edited) Freddie Williams won two world titles and was runner up within four years so hardly a Egon Muller type winner. People always quote that perhaps Freddie Williams or Tommy Price might not have won the world title had it no have been on their own track, yet nobody ever mentions the other Wembley rider who won a world title I don't know why there are continual attempts to discredit Egon Muller's world championship victory. On the day he was brilliant - and that's what counts. Nor, as with the Wembley riders who won the world title, Muller was hardly riding on his 'home' track. British bitterness - a national character trait when our favourite loses out - in regard to Muller]s title triumph is akin to how the 1970s success by Poland's Jerzy Szczakiel is viewed. Yet if one studies his racing career it reveals him to also have been a very accomplished rider at international level. And besides the DESERVED world championship victories in post-war seasons by Tommy Price and Freddie Williams, the other Wembley world champion was the Australian star Lionel Van Praag in 1936. Edited November 26, 2015 by Guest Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
norbold 7,113 Posted November 26, 2015 With all due respect re Freddie Williams and Tommy Price- I agree with all that's been said-BUT if the 1949 World Final had been held at Belle Vue and the 1950 Final at Birmingham -we might have been having the same discussion re Jack Parker and Graham Warren being World Champs. Surely Tommy and Fred were Egon Muller type World Champs. As I said, Tommy Price topped the qualifiers for the 1949 World Final. In the Championship Round (semi-finals) at Bradford he scored 14 points compared to Graham Warren's 11; at West Ham he scored 13 points to Jack Parker's 9. So no home advantage in either of those but still managed to beat them both. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steve roberts 9,246 Posted November 27, 2015 Yes he was. A very classy rider. He had a bad crash with Trevor Hedge at Wood Lane in 1976 and he admitted that he lost his nerve (interview in 'Backtrack' magazine some years ago) His brother, Ulf (another favourite of mine), rode for Cradley and Oxford but his style was so very different. Sorry Sidney to bring this one up but one of my great memories was the Swindon v Oxford (BL) clash at the tail end of the 1986 season. 'The Cheetahs' gave 'The Robins' a real drubbing and my abiding memory was Per Sorensen securing a paid maximum on his return to a track that had earlier discarded him. He must have been 'over the moon' with that performance. Per's signing really turned Oxford's season round and they went on to become invincible in all competitions that year! I was watching a DVD only the other day featuring a match between Leicester and Coventry (1978) at Blackbird Road and Tom Godall was riding for 'The Lions' wearing Dag's leathers! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lucifer sam 3,953 Posted November 27, 2015 (edited) I think it was either 23-55 or 25-53. Try Swindon 21 Oxford 56, and you'd be correct. Per Sorensen unbeaten by an opponent, as was Nielsen, Wigg and Cox. We even gifted you a 5-1 in Heat 2 (De'ath machinery problems while leading) to give you a chance. Around 2,000 Oxford fans made the trip, and by the end, all the Budgies fans had disappeared into the woodwork, to leave us celebrating our second successive BL title. Happy days :D All the best Rob Edited November 27, 2015 by lucifer sam Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BangerBoy 47 Posted November 27, 2015 I don't know why there are continual attempts to discredit Egon Muller's world championship victory. On the day he was brilliant - and that's what counts. Nor, as with the Wembley riders who won the world title, Muller was hardly riding on his 'home' track. British bitterness - a national character trait when our favourite loses out - in regard to Muller]s title triumph is akin to how the 1970s success by Poland's Jerzy Szczakiel is viewed. Yet if one studies his racing career it reveals him to also have been a very accomplished rider at international level. And besides the DESERVED world championship victories in post-war seasons by Tommy Price and Freddie Williams, the other Wembley world champion was the Australian star Lionel Van Praag in 1936. Not just then the track was made to suit him (Muller )which was ovious at the time Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted November 27, 2015 Not just then the track was made to suit him (Muller )which was ovious at the time Who made that claim. British speedway press reporters angry that their pre-meetig forecast had gone wrong and they needed to justify their error? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steve roberts 9,246 Posted November 27, 2015 Who made that claim. British speedway press reporters angry that their pre-meetig forecast had gone wrong and they needed to justify their error? Interesting but I do recall John Berry quoting that 'Billy Sanders could claim to have been the best SPEEDWAY RIDER on view that afternoon and finished second - but nobody was going to stop Muller..." I was there and Muller was by far the quickest rider on view that afternoon although Hans Nielsen had the beating of him until he threw a chain (?) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grachan 7,362 Posted November 27, 2015 Muller wasn't the shock winner people now like to think he was, I went on a coach trip to that final, and beforehand practically the whole coach thought he would win. My friend got him in the sweepstake and everyone else wanted to swap! 1983 was very much a limbo year. Penhall had retired and Nielsen and Gundersen were still on the way up. Muller was one of the favourites. I remember going to the 1976 final in Poland and he was pretty spectacular in that too. Was on course for 11 before his last race crash. Maybe won't be remembered as an all time great but just as worthy as riders like Loram and Havelock, if not more so. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stratton 1,491 Posted November 27, 2015 Muller wasn't the shock winner people now like to think he was, I went on a coach trip to that final, and beforehand practically the whole coach thought he would win. My friend got him in the sweepstake and everyone else wanted to swap! 1983 was very much a limbo year. Penhall had retired and Nielsen and Gundersen were still on the way up. Muller was one of the favourites. I remember going to the 1976 final in Poland and he was pretty spectacular in that too. Was on course for 11 before his last race crash. Maybe won't be remembered as an all time great but just as worthy as riders like Loram and Havelock, if not more so. I really believed Lee could win the final he had been on fire for about six weeks prior and after the final he rode very well.Any speedway fan knew Muller had a hell of a chance (ie he was quality rider with great aquipment and we all know he had excellent time there practicing at Norden a well deserved winner. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted November 27, 2015 Muller wasn't the shock winner people now like to think he was, I went on a coach trip to that final, and beforehand practically the whole coach thought he would win. My friend got him in the sweepstake and everyone else wanted to swap! 1983 was very much a limbo year. Penhall had retired and Nielsen and Gundersen were still on the way up. Muller was one of the favourites. I remember going to the 1976 final in Poland and he was pretty spectacular in that too. Was on course for 11 before his last race crash. Maybe won't be remembered as an all time great but just as worthy as riders like Loram and Havelock, if not more so. I also thought at the time - and nothing since then has changed my mind - that Egon Muller was a deserved world championship winner. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
