customhouseregular 1,651 Posted June 15, 2021 On 6/13/2021 at 7:40 PM, AndyO said: Reading some old speedway stars the other day got me thinking about what I really miss most about going to meetings back in the day, and whilst there is loads of stuff I think one of the things that was wonderful for a kid was to be able to stand up against the solid safety fence and feel the speed of the riders as they came past.. except on the bends when you had to duck down at the last minute to avoid a face full of shale! I remember that well at Rye House as a 12 year old in 1960. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
customhouseregular 1,651 Posted June 15, 2021 1964-1970...being single with no responsibilities and being able to see speedway at West Ham, Hackney and Wimbledon. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
norbold 7,110 Posted June 15, 2021 34 minutes ago, customhouseregular said: 1964-1970...being single with no responsibilities and being able to see speedway at West Ham, Hackney and Wimbledon. You and me both, chr. I wonder how many meetings we have both seen without knowing! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
customhouseregular 1,651 Posted June 15, 2021 49 minutes ago, norbold said: You and me both, chr. I wonder how many meetings we have both seen without knowing! Don’t laugh I used to wear a white Stetson. I was sitting outside the Odeon in Hornchurch at 3.00 a.m. after an away meeting. The Stetson was on my lap. The police pulled up and spoke to me. They thought I had a stolen frozen chicken on my lap. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fatface 2,554 Posted June 15, 2021 On 6/13/2021 at 7:47 PM, steve roberts said: Remember visiting both Exeter and Newport and dodging the shale and Olle Nygren passing me within inches as he was so far back I had forgotten about him as I stuck my head over the fence at Exeter! You could still get really close to the fence in the 1990s at Exeter. Not the biggest star, but David Steen was exciting to watch around the County Ground. If you picked the right spot coming out of the fourth bend, he would drift and straighten up right at the last second before whistling past inches from you. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grachan 7,362 Posted June 15, 2021 8 minutes ago, falcace said: You could still get really close to the fence in the 1990s at Exeter. Not the biggest star, but David Steen was exciting to watch around the County Ground. If you picked the right spot coming out of the fourth bend, he would drift and straighten up right at the last second before whistling past inches from you. I made a couple of trips to Exeter in the 1970s. Leaning over the fence on the home straight as Ivan Mauger came straight towards me is probably the best thing I ever experienced at Speedway. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steve roberts 9,246 Posted June 15, 2021 2 hours ago, falcace said: You could still get really close to the fence in the 1990s at Exeter. Not the biggest star, but David Steen was exciting to watch around the County Ground. If you picked the right spot coming out of the fourth bend, he would drift and straighten up right at the last second before whistling past inches from you. Recall David Steen as a "Cheetah" in 1995 hanging off the fence! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grachan 7,362 Posted June 15, 2021 Dave Steen was an electrician by trade. Every time there was an electrical problem at Reading (which seemed to happen quite often) he used to have to go up to the box and fix it. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iris123 20,988 Posted June 15, 2021 (edited) 5 hours ago, Grachan said: I made a couple of trips to Exeter in the 1970s. Leaning over the fence on the home straight as Ivan Mauger came straight towards me is probably the best thing I ever experienced at Speedway. Same here. Made two trips up from our holidays in Cornwall. Coventry with Booey was one meeting and the Dons in the other. Fantastic place. But one of my memories was buying what must have been the worst programme board I ever saw. Hard bit of plastic just the size of a folded programme with no way of holding the programme. So you needed a metal clip or something ....... Edited June 15, 2021 by iris123 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chunky 6,093 Posted June 15, 2021 1 hour ago, iris123 said: Same here. Made two trips up from our holidays in Cornwall. Coventry with Booey was one meeting and the Dons in the other. Fantastic place. But one of my memories was buying what must have been the worst programme board I ever saw. Hard bit of plastic just the size of a folded programme with no way of holding the programme. So you needed a metal clip or something ....... I got one from there in the 80's, and it was like most of the others; a vinyl covered board that folded in two. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iris123 20,988 Posted June 15, 2021 32 minutes ago, chunky said: I got one from there in the 80's, and it was like most of the others; a vinyl covered board that folded in two. Obviously improved over the years Tbh I am not even sure now, why I bought it. I usually got a team photo or badge as a souvenir in those days. Maybe there wasn't much in the shop or not in my pocket money price range. Or did they have two shops like Wimbledon and Hackney and I went to the wrong one Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chunky 6,093 Posted June 15, 2021 1 hour ago, iris123 said: Obviously improved over the years Tbh I am not even sure now, why I bought it. I usually got a team photo or badge as a souvenir in those days. Maybe there wasn't much in the shop or not in my pocket money price range. Or did they have two shops like Wimbledon and Hackney and I went to the wrong one I just got one from each track I visited in the 80's. Looking at it now, I'm not sure why as they were all basically the same thing; certainly nothing unique about any of them, other than the colours. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iris123 20,988 Posted June 15, 2021 7 minutes ago, chunky said: I just got one from each track I visited in the 80's. Looking at it now, I'm not sure why as they were all basically the same thing; certainly nothing unique about any of them, other than the colours. Sticking to memorabilia for the moment. The other one that springs to mind is my trip to Boston. Remember getting a photo of Carl Glover and it was an unusual square format that I never saw at any other track Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steve roberts 9,246 Posted June 16, 2021 12 hours ago, chunky said: I just got one from each track I visited in the 80's. Looking at it now, I'm not sure why as they were all basically the same thing; certainly nothing unique about any of them, other than the colours. I still have my White City programme board from 1977 however I later designed and painted my own boards and even sold a few! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chunky 6,093 Posted June 16, 2021 2 hours ago, steve roberts said: I still have my White City programme board from 1977 however I later designed and painted my own boards and even sold a few! I actually designed and painted one myself. It was hinged with a perspex cover so I could still watch racing without having to look away to avoid getting a faceful of shale! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
