mrss 691 Posted January 25, 2017 Bill Barker signed Henka in place of Lance King. Barker then quit halfway through the season after the Commonwealth Final takings were stolen from his house. Buster then bought the club off him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bagpuss 10,784 Posted January 25, 2017 I think it was Gary Hicks Henka replaced, in 1990. The Commonwealth Final takings 'theft' was 1992. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mrss 691 Posted January 25, 2017 My memory isn't what it was. You are right Henka did sign in 1990 for Barker. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sidney the robin 4,735 Posted January 26, 2017 (edited) I don't know about the young bit Trees something s seem better with age. Back in the 70s it felt a truely Lynn team. Riders cloning through the Nursery at Boston. The same riders each year with minor adjustments. GB, Lee was special some real big names of Speedway were put to the sword by a 16/17 year old. By 18 he was a scalp that other riders wanted. Incredible when you look at what 18 year olds there are today on The World stage. He was just a natural and of course wasn't a great gater which made it even better. When you look at 15 year olds like Bickley going in the NL and yes he is a prospect and compare him to Lee what a difference.At 16/17Lee was a freak a one off i think his first big scalp was Ray Wilson.??Lee is certainly one of the best riders i have ever seen in my lifetime Ward is the only young rider that comes close to him for me. Edited January 26, 2017 by Sidney the robin 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
B.V 72 1,054 Posted January 26, 2017 When you look at 15 year olds like Bickley going in the NL and yes he is a prospect and compare him to Lee what a difference.At 16/17Lee was a freak a one off i think his first big scalp was Ray Wilson.??Lee is certainly one of the best riders i have ever seen in my lifetime Ward is the only young rider that comes close to him for me. Don't leave Peter Collins off your list.All 3 aged 17 in their 1st season in the 2nd division averaged Collins 9.80 Ward 9.71 Lee 9.08.All 3 are on the greats list. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
g13webb 4,254 Posted January 26, 2017 I have been very fortunate to have seen all those world stars that rode for Lynn, and to me Micheal Lee was without doubt the best rider we ever had. In them 5 yrs to when he won the World Championship, he was without equal. Cyril Crane and Alan Littlechild often said he was the only rider capable of putting a 1000 people on the gate ........every week.... He was a godsend...... Lynn's problems started when Lee knew he was irreplaceable and could come and go as he liked....... which he often did. That was the start of his decline, both as a rider and also the crowd puller.. They soon got fed up with his wayward ways, not bothering to turn up anymore...... Not only did we lose a fantastic rider, but also many spectators got fed up with the way he was allowed to behave.... A double whammy.... What a waste of talent.......... Don't leave Peter Collins off your list.All 3 aged 17 in their 1st season in the 2nd division averaged Collins 9.80 Ward 9.71 Lee 9.08.All 3 are on the greats list. No one will ever doubt the ability of PC but Michael Lee only rode in the 2nd division ( Boston) when he was 16. When he was 17 he rode full time for Lynn. and averaged 9.43 in his first full season. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sidney the robin 4,735 Posted January 26, 2017 (edited) I have been very fortunate to have seen all those world stars that rode for Lynn, and to me Micheal Lee was without doubt the best rider we ever had. In them 5 yrs to when he won the World Championship, he was without equal. Cyril Crane and Alan Littlechild often said he was the only rider capable of putting a 1000 people on the gate ........every week.... He was a godsend...... Lynn's problems started when Lee knew he was irreplaceable and could come and go as he liked....... which he often did. That was the start of his decline, both as a rider and also the crowd puller.. They soon got fed up with his wayward ways, not bothering to turn up anymore...... Not only did we lose a fantastic rider, but also many spectators got fed up with the way he was allowed to behave.... A double whammy.... What a waste of talent.......... No one will ever doubt the ability of PC but Michael Lee only rode in the 2nd division ( Boston) when he was 16. When he was 17 he rode full time for Lynn. and averaged 9.43 in his first full season. I think he averaged 7.43 for Lynn in 1975 in his double up year people often forget he had a decent WF record and also won a Longtrack title all achieved in 8 years 75/83. Edited January 26, 2017 by Sidney the robin 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
John Scrutton 180 Posted January 27, 2017 I think that you are right about Lee He thought he was Great (which he was) Could it not have been to a lot of press coverage which he couldn't handle which is why I hope that the same thing doesn't happen to Robert Lambert & Josh Bailey etc. `Don't think It will. At least I hope not. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rusky 113 Posted January 27, 2017 Agree with you on that.Loved watching Henka from the first time i saw him at the World Final at Bradford in 1990.I seem to recall seeing Buster saying to us after the meeting very excitedly we've signed we've bloody signed him(sure it was Buster). I think Trees is right in what she says too,that most people will say/think that they have seen the most exciting/best riders when they(the fan) are in their younger years. It was quite funny at the 1990 final where all of the pits staff were telling me that without doubt I should keep an eye on Henka as Ole Olsen had done a deal for him to ride at Coventry (Most of the pits staff were from Coventry.....). Having spent quite a bit of time in Sweden that summer I knew that wasn't the case, and it wasn't too long before I was meeting Henka and his family off of the ferry at Harwich ........ I did remind one or two of the Coventry pits staff (Who I got on well with) of that fact when I saw them next. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tellboy 3,662 Posted January 27, 2017 It was quite funny at the 1990 final where all of the pits staff were telling me that without doubt I should keep an eye on Henka as Ole Olsen had done a deal for him to ride at Coventry (Most of the pits staff were from Coventry.....). Having spent quite a bit of time in Sweden that summer I knew that wasn't the case, and it wasn't too long before I was meeting Henka and his family off of the ferry at Harwich ........ I did remind one or two of the Coventry pits staff (Who I got on well with) of that fact when I saw them next. Having spent a bit of time in Sweden that year,a certain Mr Hellsen wasn't still riding then was he? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
szkocjasid 3,042 Posted January 27, 2017 How do Lynn fans think Troy Batchelor will go this year? I think he has an important role as 3rd heat leader behind a strong top 2! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bunce 347 Posted January 27, 2017 How do Lynn fans think Troy Batchelor will go this year? I'm hoping we see a different Troy from last year. He suffered with that arm injury for a long while, and I think his confidence was affected by it. We all know he can do it, and on his day can beat the best in the World. However we also know that if things don't go well for him, his performances can be frustrating to say the least! He is also not a lover of wet tracks, and unfortunately it rains a lot in the UK. I guess we shall just have to wait and see. He has had a good winter in Australia, and I'm hoping he comes back to the UK on a high and can bang in some good scores for the Stars. If he starts well, I think he will be vital back up for Holder and Lambert, and we could potentially have a terrific 3 man spearhead for this season. Fingers crossed and lets bring it on. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Speedball 566 Posted January 27, 2017 It was quite funny at the 1990 final where all of the pits staff were telling me that without doubt I should keep an eye on Henka as Ole Olsen had done a deal for him to ride at Coventry (Most of the pits staff were from Coventry.....). Having spent quite a bit of time in Sweden that summer I knew that wasn't the case, and it wasn't too long before I was meeting Henka and his family off of the ferry at Harwich ........ I did remind one or two of the Coventry pits staff (Who I got on well with) of that fact when I saw them next. Nice to see you posting again Steve. The 1990 World Final was the first time I'd seen Henka ride. Everyone I went with started supporting him that night as he was neutral (no tie to a UK club) and so exciting to watch. Never been so happy with a signing when the news broke that we had signed him for the Stars. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mrss 691 Posted January 27, 2017 Isn't it about time the Stars named there number 7 ? The longer they wait to sign someone the less riders there will be to pick from and there isn't too many left. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gemini 4,894 Posted January 27, 2017 Perhaps waiting for James Sarjeant? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
