Gatwick Rocket

I have compiled as much info as I have been able to for the 1983 Southern Junior League. I will post what I have tomorrow and hopefully others can add more. Suffice to say it was poorly reported at the time and there are lots of gaps we need people with completed programmes to fill in. I recall that Oxford were claimed as champions as well at some point.

This is an interesting topic. Clearly over a lengthy period of time the decline can be attributed to more than one thing. For me the biggest negative developments have been: 1. The 1950s entertainment tax, which massively reduced crowds and saw a number of tracks fold 2. The 4-valve engine and then the lay down engine, for successively ramping up the cost of taking part and making it more a contest of machine than a contest of man 3. The points limit, which penalises success and rider loyalty as promoters form new teams each year 4. Absence of track covers or other means of preventing meetings being postponed due to weather 5. The limited effort put in to promote the sport to new customers (as far as I can see) 6. Planning laws that make it nigh on impossible to establish new tracks, which severely restricts the ability of the sport to expand its geographic footprint The proliferation of alternative forms of entertainment hasn't helped but speedway needs to get its own house in order rather than blame others. PS I've got programmes from the 1950s with promoters complaining that crowds are down to single figure thousands so please bring a friend

I think you'll find the Boston second halfer was Alan Louth Sorry, just realised there is a page 2 to this thread and the Louth Mouth situation has been resolved already.

This is an interesting subject. For me, Michael Lee was the best youngster to burst on the scene and rise to the top. I agree with the comment that Darcy Ward is the closest to Lee we've seen since. Plenty have been tipped for stardom in their mid-teens (Martin Dugard, Tai Woffinden, Edward Kennett, Justin Elkins, Lewis Bridger) before exposed to competitive racing. Makes you realise just how hard it is to realise your full potential.

Yes, that was in the old Inter-League Knockout Cup, after Boston had beaten Hackney 40-38 at home in the first round and then got a bye after the British League side they were supposed to meet failed to fulfil the fixture. At the end of his debut season he had topped the Boston averages with an average over 9 points and scored almost 350 league points. He had also scored a full maximum for King's Lynn that year.

Michael Lee also rode in the 1975 Junior Championship of the British Isles at Canterbury and finished fourth on 12 points. Then in 1976 he won that event with a 15 point maximum.

Appearing in the meeting in question were Bob Coles (Connor Coles' grandfather), Neil Middleditch (Poole team manager) and Colin Richardson (father to the late Lee Richardson) amongst others.

And heat times that don't get slower as the meeting progresses. Now why might that have been?

what is the URL?

From what I remember Bobby Duncan used to beat Gary Havelock in the second halves as 16 year olds, and Bobby packed it in because he couldn't make it pay. It was reported at the time he retired that Ron Henderson became a social worker.

I'm pretty certain it was John Place. Clayton Isbel rode for Newcastle at Glasgow on 17 April 1983 (National League) and at home to Belle Vue on 4 July 1983 (Challenge). John Place was signed on loan from Middlesbrough in October 1983 after David Walsh broke his collar bone. Place rode in each of the last five meetings for Newcastle: at Edinburgh on 14 October (National League), home and away against Weymouth on 24/25 October (Supernational Semi-Final) and home and away against Crayford on 26/31 October (Supernational Final).

My programme says it was John Place at number seven that night (three rides, no points). Clayton Isbel had gone back to Australia before then I think. Bruiser McHuge is right that Clayton was due to ride for Belle Vue in one meeting in 1983 that was rained off.

The Derek Cooper in 1981 was a midlands junior that rode at places like Birmingham and Long Eaton. He was related to Bob Cooper of 1970s Rye House fame.

Here's a list of riders that rode in Wimbledon junior teams and the second halves at Plough Lane during 1982 and 1983: 1982: Steve Bosley, Mike Fitzpatrick, Peter Johns, Jamie Luckhurst, Jeremy Luckhurst, Alan Mogridge, N.Moore, Nick Smith, Mark Terry, D.Trocion, Phil Vance, Greg Williamson, Keith Yorke 1983: John Bines, Steve Bosley, Ian Brett, Steve Carter, R.Evans, Alan Farmer, Lee Farthing, Neil Ferguson, Martin Goodwin, Robin Hampton, Roger Hatchett, Paul Hilton, Gordon Humphreys, Ian Humphreys, Peter Johns, Alan Mogridge, Terry Mussett, R.Pearce, Richard Pettman, Jay Pleece, Gary Rolls, Des Smith, Kelvin Tatum, Neville Tatum, Mark Terry, Phil Vance Anyone remember these guys? Also, does anyone know the christian names of Messrs Moore, Trocion, Evans and Pearce in this list?

Am just catching up on the terrible events of last night. Was it track conditions or just bad luck for so many crashes?

This is such a good comment. Steve Lawson was Glasgow Speedway for so long, and on more than the odd occasion scored more than the rest of the team put together. I remember him at Arena Essex in (I think 1985). The final score was something like 54-24 and Steve scored 16 of those 24. I always thought it was a real shame that the year after he retired Glasgow finally won something, especially as he so very nearly helped Glasgow win the KOCup against the awesome Arena Essex side of 1992.

Was going to make a similar comment. For a spell during the summer of 1983 Michael Lee was beating everyone everywhere and clocking up fastest times of the season at different tracks. Comfortably beating Phil Crump at Blunsdon and Kenny Carter at Halifax demonstrate just how dominant he was at that time. Had the World Final been at any other track then it would most probably have been Lee or Hans Nielsen that walked away with the title.

Thanks Puma23, this is superb

Thanks a lot Wilman70 I see some of these individual scores are different to what was recorded in Speedway Mail at the time. How do you know yours are correct?

Top ten from Dutch Golden Helmet at Veenoord in 1985 John Jorgensen 15, Steve Regeling 14, Frank Andersen 13, Kevin Jolly 12, Henny Kroeze 11, Wojciech Zabialowicz 10, Frits Koppe 9, Alan Mason 8, Julian Parr 6, Leo Bathoorn 6. Top ten from Dutch Golden Helmet at Amsterdam in 1985 Frank Andersen 14, Henny Kroeze 13, Mark Courtney 12, Steve Regeling 11, Heinrich Schatzer 9, Peter Hehlert 9, Toni Pilotto 8, Frits Koppe 8, Wojciech Zabialowicz 7, John Jorgensen 5.

I think the Dutch Golden Helmet in 1984 was cancelled due to bad weather and not restaged.

Top ten from Golden Helmet at Veenoord in 1983 Vaclav Verner 15, Phil Crump 13, Henny Kroeze 13, Neil Middleditch 12, Alf Busk 10, Zoltan Adorjan 9, Toni Pilotto 9, Frits Koppe 8, Ralph Geurtz 6, Zoltan Hajdu 5. Top ten from Golden Helmet at Amsterdam in 1983 abandoned after 12 heats Zoltan Hajdu 9, Henny Kroeze 9, Phil Crump 9, Vaclav Verner 8, Alf Busk 6, Frits Koppe 5, Josef Petrikovics 5, Ralph Geurtz 4, Leo Bathoorn 4, Henk Steman 3.

Sure thing! 1st Hungary 24 (Zoltan Adorjan 13, Zoltan Hajdu 11) 2nd Italy 21 (Armando dal Chiele 12, Francesco Biginato 9) 3rd Bulgaria 20 (Nikolai Manev 10, Veselin Markov 10) 4th Holland 20 (Rudy Muts 13, Henny Kroeze 7) 5th Yugoslavia 17 (Stefan Kekec 9, Vlado Kocuvan 9) 6th Austria 17 (Adi Funk 10, Herbert Szerecz 7) 7th Switzerland 6 (Raoul Reutimann 5, Peter Kasper 1) Note the fact that the scores for Yugoslavia don't add up is what was recorded in the Speedway Mail article I sourced this from. I'm also not sure of the first name of Mr Reutimann from Switzerland as I've seen him referred to as Romano Reutimann on another source.

Hi Robbie B, thanks for trying to help. Speedway Star didn't cover the qualifying round at Krsko but I have today found the details in an end of season review in Speedway Mail that year. Cheers

Hi Phil, The list I have is less complete than yours. Its hard to be sure with these training school / junior meetings but I think there was also a meeting between Mildenhall and Iwade on 3 January 1976. Hope this helps