The Three Best / Worst - Memories You Have About Speedway.

[Grachan 7,364]

Just off the top of my head, so may well be different and half past 5.

 

Best:

1. Going to Poland in 1976 and seeing Peter Collins win the World Championship.

2. Swindon signing Andrew Silver after a sensational year as a number 8. I was so chuffed!

3. Standing on the grass of bends 1&2 and watching my first ever Swindon meeting in 1974.

 

Worst:

1. Losing to Oxford any time - but particularly when they hammered us and Per Sorensen scored a paid maximum.

2. Going to a Swindon v Glasgow PL meeting having not been to Swindon for several years and feeling very sad at the tiny crowd, lack of atmosphere and boring meeting.

3. Martin Ashby coming fifth in the 1975 British Final.

 

An awful lot of Swindon stuff going on there!!

[Sidney the robin 4,735]

Just off the top of my head, so may well be different and half past 5.

 

Best:

1. Going to Poland in 1976 and seeing Peter Collins win the World Championship.

2. Swindon signing Andrew Silver after a sensational year as a number 8. I was so chuffed!

3. Standing on the grass of bends 1&2 and watching my first ever Swindon meeting in 1974.

 

Worst:

1. Losing to Oxford any time - but particularly when they hammered us and Per Sorensen scored a paid maximum.

2. Going to a Swindon v Glasgow PL meeting having not been to Swindon for several years and feeling very sad at the tiny crowd, lack of atmosphere and boring meeting.

3. Martin Ashby coming fifth in the 1975 British Final.

 

An awful lot of Swindon stuff going on there!!

Was there Wilson beating Crash in a run off Wilson qualifying even after a fall in his first ride.What a line up that British Final was in 1975.

[The White Knight 9,039]

Was there Wilson beating Crash in a run off Wilson qualifying even after a fall in his first ride.What a line up that British Final was in 1975.

What a line up the British Final was in those days full stop.

 

Not like nowadays sadly.

[Andrew 125]

Best

 

Sheffield winning the PL title in 1999/02

Sheffield winning the KO Cup in 02

Shawn Moran beating Kenny Carter in a runoff for the 1985 Overseas Final title

 

 

Worst

 

Witnessing Erik Gundersen's career ending and life changing crash at 1989 WTC at Bradford

Sheffield closing in 1989.

Losing the KO cup semi to Edinburgh in a last heat decider in 1999,Cost the Tigers the quadruple!

[Andy Downes 48]

Best. Mark Loram becoming world champion.

Hackney doing the double in 88.

Having the privilege of watching Barry Thomas every Friday.

 

Worst. Vic Harding being killed and Steve Weatherley getting badly injured.

Paul Muchene being killed, (thankfully I wasn't there the night of Denny Pyeatt's fatal crash.)

Hackney closing midway through the 91 season.

Agree 100% with your best choices Terry but as the Harding/Weatherley crash was before my time my worst 3

1) Paul Muchene killed at Hackney

2) Leif Wahlmann killed during the Euro Under 21 Final at Kings Lynn

3) Crayford 1983/Hackney 1991 closures

[steve roberts 9,247]

Best

 

Oxford winning the KO Cup in 1985 against 'The Witches'

Oxford winning at Swindon in 1986 with Per Sorensen registering a maximum.

White City winning at Wolves in 1977 to secure the championship.

 

Worse

 

Feeling ripped off after a meeting had been cancelled after the running of heat six.

Oxford not being able to 'finish the job' and beating Cradley Heath in two cup competitions in 1986 due to the weather.

The demise of the Second Halves.

[The White Knight 9,039]

Best

 

Oxford winning the KO Cup in 1985 against 'The Witches'

Oxford winning at Swindon in 1986 with Per Sorensen registering a maximum.

White City winning at Wolves in 1977 to secure the championship.

 

Worse

 

Feeling ripped off after a meeting had been cancelled after the running of heat six.

Oxford not being able to 'finish the job' and beating Cradley Heath in two cup competitions in 1986 due to the weather.

The demise of the Second Halves.

I totally agree with that.

 

I used to enjoy the Second Halves - watching the youngsters progress from wobblers to getting in to the Team. I miss the Scurry too - the Second Halvers battling for a Reserve place in the Team - all good stuff.

 

A sad loss in my opinion.

[Gavan 5,050]

Best

 

1. Mark Loram winning the World title. After my uncle sponsoring him as a 14 year old to see him become World Champion was unreal. My aunty died in Feb 2000 so never got to see her 'Marky' win the crown. We still have his race bib from the 1997 final and 'that' run off

 

2. 1994 Commenwealth Final and Mark winning his first 'big' meeting. Can remember it came down to heat 20 with Screeny and Adams in the race.

 

3. Tied with my first (and Marks) British Final in 1990. Great racing and standing near the Havelock fans who screamed the place down as he won heat 16 only to then go to despair in the very next race. Mark winning heat 19 from Simon Cross to ensure qualifying.

And then Marks first meeting as reserve in the top league for Kings Lynn v Reading in 1990. Mark was beaten only once by an opposition rider.........a reserve.........Todd Wiltshire who ended the season as World Number 3

 

Worst

 

1. I too was there that night when Paul Muchene crashed. He slid off and Nick Floyd could not avoid him. We used to stand near the pits wall at Hackney and we knew Dave Steen and he came over and told us that it was very serious.

 

2. The day Mick Poole deliberatly knocked Mark off and he broke his shoulder. Dirty not hard riding

 

3. At a league meeting at Ipswich versus Edinburgh i think in 1990. Brett Saunders ending up in a heap at the edge of the concrete and later on Frede Schott coming off down the back straight and tumbling along and his helmet just flying off. One of those meetings that had crash after crash.

Tied with the night Sam Simota put Mark through the fence and ended his career

[steve roberts 9,247]

Just off the top of my head, so may well be different and half past 5.

 

Best:

1. Going to Poland in 1976 and seeing Peter Collins win the World Championship.

2. Swindon signing Andrew Silver after a sensational year as a number 8. I was so chuffed!

3. Standing on the grass of bends 1&2 and watching my first ever Swindon meeting in 1974.

 

Worst:

1. Losing to Oxford any time - but particularly when they hammered us and Per Sorensen scored a paid maximum.

2. Going to a Swindon v Glasgow PL meeting having not been to Swindon for several years and feeling very sad at the tiny crowd, lack of atmosphere and boring meeting.

3. Martin Ashby coming fifth in the 1975 British Final.

 

An awful lot of Swindon stuff going on there!!

Blimey! You've had some bad nights at the speedway...used to happen regularly!

[Triple.H. 1,988]

Blimey! You've had some bad nights at the speedway...used to happen regularly!

We better not mention Swindons current record vs Oxford in the football either

[longlivefrankie 458]

Best -

winning at Swindon in 1975 after years of losing there

Newport reopening 1997

World finals at Wembley & blrc at belle vue in 70s

 

Worst -

 

Witnessing Lawrence hare crash

Newport closing twice

Get beaten up at cradley in 1976

[steve roberts 9,247]

Best -

winning at Swindon in 1975 after years of losing there

Newport reopening 1997

World finals at Wembley & blrc at belle vue in 70s

 

Worst -

 

Witnessing Lawrence hare crash

Newport closing twice

Get beaten up at cradley in 1976

Strewth! That's pretty bad...although some were a volatile lot! Recall getting into some slanging matches with some of them at Cradley and Cowley. I guess the Nielsen/Gundersen rivalry brought a lot of it on although I do remember Malcolm Ballard having his car severely damaged when trying to exit Dudley Wood back in 1972.

Edited February 22, 2017 by steve roberts

[BOBBATH 467]

Best :

#1 Being at L.A. World Final in 1981 #2 Newport winning KO Cup Final of Prov. League against CH in October 1964 (eat your heart out BL65). #3 Seeing Knutsson winning 1965 World Final at Wembley.

Worst:

None -I loved it all

[Grachan 7,364]

Blimey! You've had some bad nights at the speedway...used to happen regularly!

Had a good few wins too, though. Kojakgate, for example, when the riders all had a mass brawl.

 

First time I ever went to Cowley was also a win for Swindon, only for the Rebels to come to Blunsdon near the end of the year and give us a good thumping!

 

Best -

winning at Swindon in 1975 after years of losing there

 

Was that the one where the Newport fans did a march round the greyhound track at the end?

[steve roberts 9,247]

Had a good few wins too, though. Kojakgate, for example, when the riders all had a mass brawl.

 

First time I ever went to Cowley was also a win for Swindon, only for the Rebels to come to Blunsdon near the end of the year and give us a good thumping!

 

 

Was that the one where the Newport fans did a march round the greyhound track at the end?

Good old Kojak! He was good for a wind up! I think that was 1989?

 

Was that in 1974? We had Bob Radford to blame for that Cowley defeat (he later resigned). He informed Gordon Kennett not to bother coming up from Kent as he thought that the meeting would be cancelled due to rain...it went ahead with Alan Johns as his replacement! Yes well recall the two wins 'The Rebels' achieved at Blunsdon that year. In the league and also in the 25th Anniversary Meeting when Oxford came and spoiled the party!

 

Great days!

Edited February 23, 2017 by steve roberts