The other Yank who rode in that 81/82 team from memory, who I thought on his day was as good as Penhall was Ronnie Preston. I was told years ago that he wasn't in the Costa Mesa Californian group which almost all of the others were, so was always a bit off the radar. Not sure how true that was but he always went underrated in my opinion.  

Thorssell is only 32! 😲 Genuinely thought he was in his early 40’s!    Seems to have been around forever.

Well the BSPA clearly do not class the National League as a professional league (which is more than fair and correct in my opinion). Lots of people get paid small fees across a range of motorsports it certainly doesn’t make them professional! No standalone National league rider can make speedway their day job! You only have to look back to the Covid times when the national league / national league level matches were allowed to race because it was classed as amateur!

But that is the point.... he didn't miss a year, he rode in the NDL. As I've stated before this "non-professional" League is a load of nonsense - if he got paid he was a professional in a professional league. 

Eastbourne had the best of him league wise in 1981 & 82 this was his return 6 years after that.

All them riders on parade with no helmets... however did they survive! 😁