Best Ever Norwegian Rider?

[Sidney the robin 4,735]

...and what a year that was watching 'The Rebels' lift the title!

I can remember Mike Sampson doing a great job for your team in 1977 Steve😀

[steve roberts 9,246]

I can remember Mike Sampson doing a great job for your team in 1977 Steve

...exactly Sid! Mike was the inspiration that season (replacing the injured Paul Gachet) and was often a match winner especially at Hull which would have wound Ian Thomas up (glad to say).

 

Personally I feel Mike doesn't get the full credit he deserves. A very accomplished rider for Barrow, Eastbourne, White City and Nottingham over many years.

 

At least he gets praise from the late Lee Dunton in a recent edition of 'Backtrack' but an interview with Mike would be appreciated...over to you Rob!

 

Incidentally Dag's leathers took part during the 1977 season...worn by Norway's Tom Godal!

[Guest]

The speedway/long track career of Leif 'Basse' Hveem:

http://www.speedwayplus.com/LeifHveem.shtml

 

Norwegian speedway champions:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_Individual_Speedway_Championship

[Sidney the robin 4,735]

...exactly Sid! Mike was the inspiration that season (replacing the injured Paul Gachet) and was often a match winner especially at Hull which would have wound Ian Thomas up (glad to say).

 

Personally I feel Mike doesn't get the full credit he deserves. A very accomplished rider for Barrow, Eastbourne, White City and Nottingham over many years.

 

At least he gets praise from the late Lee Dunton in a recent edition of 'Backtrack' but an interview with Mike would be appreciated...over to you Rob!

 

Incidentally Dag's leathers took part during the 1977 season...worn by Norway's Tom Godal!

Sampson was a rider who certainly was good anough to be a full-time BL rider like Jackson, Perks,T.Owen (ect) but they were happy being 2nd Division riders nothing wrong with that.Going back to White City Steve Weatherley before his tragedy was looking good promising Gachet was talented a very good div 2 rider never really made it in the then very tough BL.

[steve roberts 9,246]

Sampson was a rider who certainly was good anough to be a full-time BL rider like Jackson, Perks,T.Owen (ect) but they were happy being 2nd Division riders nothing wrong with that.Going back to White City Steve Weatherley before his tragedy was looking good promising Gachet was talented a very good div 2 rider never really made it in the then very tough BL.

Mike was offered a place in the Eastbourne side that joined the BL in 1979 after the closure of Wood Lane but declined and was, if I recall, signed by the Cradley Heath promotion and loaned out to their sister team Nottingham and not, to my then annoyance, their other sister team Oxford!

 

Yes certainly great days when the old Second Division/National League produced many great talents.

[Guest]

Sadly, as happens so often on the BSF this previously interesting debate on Norwegian speedway riders and especially the ultra-talented Leif Basse Hveem has deviated into a discussion in regard to Mike Sampson, who wan't even a Norwegian.

So be it. In that mindset, does any Poster recall the Japanese rider Junechi Ogisu who rode briefly at Wimbledon in 1971?

Japanese speedway rider at Wimbledon

http://www.world-sra.co.uk/we%20are%20the%20world.html

Edited December 7, 2017 by Guest

[steve roberts 9,246]

Sadly, as happens so often on the BSF this previously interesting debate on Norwegian speedway riders and especially the ultra-talented Leif Basse Hveem has deviated into a discussion in regard to Mike Sampson, who wan't even a Norwegian.

So be it. In that mindset, does any Poster recall the Japanese rider Junechi Ogisu who rode briefly at Wimbledon in 1971?

Japanese speedway rider at Wimbledon

http://www.world-sra.co.uk/we%20are%20the%20world.html

My thread my rules!

[moomin man 76 171]

...never rated Gunnestad. A section of the third bend crowd at Cowley christened him "Lars(t) Again" because he was often trailing having missed the gate.

I never had the chance due to age to see the likes of Reidar Eide, Sverre Harrfeldt etc. To be honest, in the time I have been watching speedway, there have been few Norwegian riders of any real ability, which means that both Rune Holta and Lars Gunnestad stand out. Gunnestad in his prime was at least of heat leader standard.

Sadly, Norwegian speedway has slipped to be comfortably the weakest of the four Scandinavian nations. Whether the likes of Glenn Moi and Lasse Fredriksen can regain some of the lost ground remains to be seen.

[Grachan 7,364]

Sadly, as happens so often on the BSF this previously interesting debate on Norwegian speedway riders and especially the ultra-talented Leif Basse Hveem has deviated into a discussion in regard to Mike Sampson, who wan't even a Norwegian.

So be it. In that mindset, does any Poster recall the Japanese rider Junechi Ogisu who rode briefly at Wimbledon in 1971?

Japanese speedway rider at Wimbledon

http://www.world-sra.co.uk/we%20are%20the%20world.html

 

I've noticed this too. Why does every thread end up as a discussion about Mike Sampson? It is kind of spooky.

 

Best Norwegian was probably Sverre Harrfeldt, but he was a bit before my time. Dag Lovaas is streets ahead based on the ones I saw ride. Such a classy rider and so good for Oxford in 1975.

[steve roberts 9,246]

I never had the chance due to age to see the likes of Reidar Eide, Sverre Harrfeldt etc. To be honest, in the time I have been watching speedway, there have been few Norwegian riders of any real ability, which means that both Rune Holta and Lars Gunnestad stand out. Gunnestad in his prime was at least of heat leader standard.

Sadly, Norwegian speedway has slipped to be comfortably the weakest of the four Scandinavian nations. Whether the likes of Glenn Moi and Lasse Fredriksen can regain some of the lost ground remains to be seen.

...I was fortunate and saw the likes of Reidar Eide, Dag & Ulf Lovass. the late Svein Kaasa, Edgar Stangeland etc etc.

 

 

I've noticed this too. Why does every thread end up as a discussion about Mike Sampson? It is kind of spooky.

 

Best Norwegian was probably Sverre Harrfeldt, but he was a bit before my time. Dag Lovaas is streets ahead based on the ones I saw ride. Such a classy rider and so good for Oxford in 1975.

...I guess it's the way public forums develop and conversations drift along. You only need to view some of the EU and/or political stuff to see how the discussion takes some very strange twists!

Edited December 7, 2017 by steve roberts

[iris123 21,012]

Think there is no doubt Rune Holta is the best Norwegian of modern times.Even though by then he was a Pole,winning two GPs is something no other Norwegian could have achieved imo after Harrfeldt

[steve roberts 9,246]

Think there is no doubt Rune Holta is the best Norwegian of modern times.Even though by then he was a Pole,winning two GPs is something no other Norwegian could have achieved imo after Harrfeldt

...he was one rider I never saw ride.

[iris123 21,012]

...he was one rider I never saw ride.

Think his record talks for itself.4 times Norwegian champ,Nordic champ I think twice and even Polish champ twice,plus as I said a couple of GP wins.Ok you might say he changed nationality,but how do you judge Kylmäkorpi?He was Swedish U21 champ and world longtrack champ a number of time,but never Finnish champ as far as I know.Which shows up the trouble of saying rider x was the best Norwegian because he won the most national titles etc..Kylmäkorpi was far better than Timo Lahti of Kauko Nieminen,but they have senior national titles to their name

[chunky 6,112]

Think his record talks for itself.4 times Norwegian champ,Nordic champ I think twice and even Polish champ twice,plus as I said a couple of GP wins.Ok you might say he changed nationality,but how do you judge Kylmäkorpi?He was Swedish U21 champ and world longtrack champ a number of time,but never Finnish champ as far as I know.Which shows up the trouble of saying rider x was the best Norwegian because he won the most national titles etc..Kylmäkorpi was far better than Timo Lahti of Kauko Nieminen,but they have senior national titles to their name

That is such a great point. Of course, winning any National Championship is an achievement, but the quality of the opposition is not as reliable. Looking at the British Final; Craig Cook has one win and three seconds, far superior to Peter Collins' one win, a second, and a third.

 

PC's win in 1979 came against Lee (World Champ), Jessup (World No 2), Simmons (World No 2), Kennett (World No 2), Louis (World No 3), and multi-World Finalists Morton and Davis. No disrespect, but was Cook's win achieved against the same quality opposition?

 

Back on subject, it is difficult to argue against Hveem's record, and while there have been quite a few very good Norwegians over the years, only Harrfeldt and Holta made any real impression on the international scene. In BL racing, Eide certainly stands out, and Lovaas was excellent, but neither could manage more than one World Final apiece. I also feel that while Gunnestad's international record wasn't at all special (and you can't really judge anything by his National Championships), his British career should put him next in line.

 

Steve

Edited December 7, 2017 by chunky

[Terry 1,319]

That is such a great point. Of course, winning any National Championship is an achievement, but the quality of the opposition is not as reliable. Looking at the British Final; Craig Cook has one win and three seconds, far superior to Peter Collins' one win, a second, and a third.

 

PC's win in 1979 came against Lee (World Champ), Jessup (World No 2), Simmons (World No 2), Kennett (World No 2), Louis (World No 3), and multi-World Finalists Morton and Davis. No disrespect, but was Fool's win achieved against the same quality opposition?

 

 

 

I know Cook isn't as good as PC, but that's a little disrespectful isn't it?