Mauger Stories

[GazzaUK 0]

Hmmmmm, yes.....I know someone who tells a very interesting story about IM...but as some have said, I don't think I should repeat it here!

[stevehone 3,429]

you can but he'll be at my dads next week and might read it

[Tsunami 10,219]

Remember when Ivan first came across to Newcastle, he was accompanied by Rolf his mechanic. Ivan bought several bikes and travelled and slept in a square Bedford Camper van. He went to as many tracks as he could get rides, building up a couple of bikes from the others trying everything out such as handlebar positions, seat positions and setups. He was methodical to the point of obsession until he was happy with everything. When he rode with his bars down everyone in the Newcastle team rode with their bars down. With the introduction of Eso's he would ride one ride with it and then revert back to one of the Japs. Initially his scores for home meetings were ef,3,3,3 until he eventually got the thing to work.

 

It was great to see a great talent develop on the Newcastle strip.

 

[Ian 24]

Remember when Ivan first came across to Newcastle, he was accompanied by Rolf his mechanic. Ivan bought several bikes and travelled and slept in a square Bedford Camper van. He went to as many tracks as he could get rides, building up a couple of bikes from the others trying everything out such as handlebar positions, seat positions and setups. He was methodical to the point of obsession until he was happy with everything. When he rode with his bars down everyone in the Newcastle team rode with their bars down. With the introduction of Eso's he would ride one ride with it and then revert back to one of the Japs. Initially his scores for home meetings were ef,3,3,3 until he eventually got the thing to work.

 

It was great to see a great talent develop on the Newcastle strip.

 

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I well remember him with lower bars than anyone else.

 

Tsunami, I also remember him having a major health scare around that time (I think he was diagnosed with meningitis). Can you tell me whether that was in his first or second season? The big story at the time was that the man with the fastest reflexes in speedway was suffering from an ailment which is known to slow your reflexes down (not that it ever seemed to affect him in that way).

[Tsunami 10,219]

Ian

 

I can't really remember which year but there was a period when he looked very jaundiced.

Peter Kelly once told me he bumped into Ivan in Manchester in the Winter and his only line of conversation was Speedway.

One thing he always did was practice, practice, practice. After a meeting he would fill the bike up and just go round and round Brough trying every line. He would throw the bike in from further and further up the straight such that he was often just passed the start gate and still made the Ist bend OK. None of the other members of the team followed him as they would rather be in the bar.

His chains had always to be in oil and he used to bollock Mike Watkin for not putting his in oil.

His obsession paid off mind.

 

Edited February 25, 2005 by Tsunami

[TigerTom 0]

I remeber watching Ivan at Sheffield in the early sixties and he would always sign my photos I had diligently cut out of the speedway stars. He would sign more than once and always seemed willing to personalize it such as Beat wishes to Tommy whenever asked. I always hated him as he always seemed to score a maximum and clean up in the second half beating my heroes in the process.

 

I met him again in the 90's at Welland County Speedway for the Canadian Nationals where he was looking for riders for his series. He grinned when I told him about the above and promptly gave me yet another autograph!...I know the story goes he never signed an autograph before a meeting but I have at least 50 signed photos so I know he did sign autographs.

 

I was just looking at an old Wimbledon programme from 12th April 1958 where he rode in a junior handicap with him off scatch. Bob Andrews off 20 yards, Gerald King off 20 yards and Bobbie Croombs of 10 yards. Needless to say Ivan won the race with Andrews second!

 

Tom Marriott

Canada

[Canadian Star 6]

I have to say that Ivan committed that major (pardon the pun) sin in England of being too successful. However i have to say also that i have 2 distinctive stories to tell and they are thus. Firstly an old friend of mine who is a former rider from the early days of speedway who quoted Jack Parker as saying that he saw Ivan one night in the pits at Belle Vue Manchester completely pull the telephone off the wall when in Ivans own opinion he had been excluded unfairly from a race, this horrified Jack, who came from an age where people in England just didn't behave that way.

Having said that certainly in the early seventies Ivan truly was in a league of his own as the averages at that time certainly confirm. Also i had seen Ivan on several occasions completely obliterate the opposition at King's Lynn although this i had viewed from a position on the 3rd/4th bend. In 1979 i made a point of sitting in the grand stand at Saddlebow Road in line with the starting gate where i witnessed a display that i had never seen before or since, in each of Ivan's opening three rides he missed the start and yet still made it to the first corner in first position. I have never before or since seen anyone gain such acceleration once releasing the clutch lever as Ivan did that night, and this illustrated to me just how much Ivan had an advantage over his rivals in technical ability from the starting gate.

In fairness also i went to the Golden Great's meeting at Coventry in 88 or 89 and Ivan gave me and several thousand other people his autograph which today i treasure and certainly the Ivan Mauger i saw that day was nothing like some magazine articles have often unfairly portrayed. He is weather anyone agree's or not the greatest of all time, statistic's prove this and certainly the promoter's both during his riding career and since would do well to listen to, he certainly made a lot of sense to a lot of people. Sadly a lot of BSPA members then, as now, resented being told how to run there business's, particularly from someone who had done so much to line there pockets over a number of years.

[spin king 1,923]

For me Ivan is and always will be the greatest, we have the Ove Fundin trophy, why cannot a trophy be named after Ivan, after all he has won more titles than any other rider in history.

And to think when he won his sixth and final title he was not far of his 40th Birthday.

[neil_L 3]

Even though I was only what 15 or 16 I went to see the Goldern greats at Coventry in '88 (?) .... and I remember Ivan doing some demo races on Han's bikes .... and the crowd was silent when Peter York said "who thought that was slow ?"

 

I remember reading a article about him about that time and he said he cycled miles and miles every day and was still fit enough to win a world long track title. On Han's machines he was full gas and very impressive. I think he had a race against Barry Briggs and I remember Barry taking off into the 2nd bend fence on one of Kelvin tatum's bikes.

 

I remember at junior school late 70s some of the kids who went speedway would argue who was the best ... collins , Mauger or Olesen ... who was the best in this period ??? I still have vauge memories of world of sport with what's his name dicki davis ? Riders like Ivan were clearly privileged to have been around when the sport was at the hight of popularity.

[KIWIPIRATE 0]

Hmmm.... that Mauger family

 

one of his great nephews is Aaron Mauger - the All Blacks centre...

[rmaction 0]

I love reading stories about the legends. I raced with Ivan various places around the world. Germany, Australia mainly as it was towards the end of his carreer and the beginning of mine. What an inspirational man, it was quite a pleasure to race with him the times I did, I have always been grateful to ride with one of the greats. Also, I give Ivan credit for indirectly teaching me one of the most valuable lessons I ever learned. While on a tour through Australia, racing throughout the country on a trip that my old dear friend Nigel Boocock had arrainged. I raced Ivan several times during this tour at more than one track. I was having a good season down under, my confidence was high and I remember beating Ivan on several occasions. But, here is the crux of the lesson, this one night in particular I noticed Ivan got maybe a second, a third, I beat him, and I think I won every race that night. There was only one race I didn't win that night, and that was the race Ivan won, the last race, the only one that counted. That night Ivan taught me not to let my ego get the better of me, but try to play it smart in one the one that counts. By the way that other night I refered to in beating Ivan that night he also one the final. But, of course learning the lesson and executing the lesson is another thing. Rick Miller

[stevehone 3,429]

Remember when Ivan first came across to Newcastle, he was accompanied by Rolf his mechanic.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

i remember Rolf staying with us years ago as he did some driving still for Ivan when Gordon Stobbs was his mechanic ... i remember him having the nickname of the Bullfighter and have no idea why.

i asked my dad the other night but he didn't know either ... do you know the reason Tsunami?

 

would be good for people to get down to Belle Vue, Buxton or Newport to see Ivan doing his training academies

[shazzybird 10]

For me Ivan is and always will be the greatest, we have the Ove Fundin trophy, why cannot a trophy be named after Ivan, after all he has won more titles than any other rider in history.

       And to think when he won his sixth and final title he was not far of his 40th Birthday.

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That's a fair shout SK, why is there not a trophy with his name on anyone know?

 

HERE when Ivan rode at Canterbury all those years ago

Edited February 28, 2005 by shazzybird

[Ian 24]

Who's the punter on the left then Shazzy?

[Tsunami 10,219]

stevehone

 

Unfortunately I don't know why Rolf was called the Bullfighter. He was always just Rolf to us.

Gordon and his wife Margaret used to be Newcastle fans who packed their bags to live in Manchester to be full time with Ivan. Margaret's dad stayed up here and stayed around speedway for a long time. One of Ivan's other mechanics was Tony Shelley who like Gordon and Margaret were big followers in the Newcastle Supporters Club in the early 60's hence how I know them all.