2ndBender

You don't happen to have the result and scorers of their match at Linkoping against Ostgota Kombination on 05.10.51, do you? It's a long shot, I know, but the forum has come up trumps for me in the past!

I'm hoping to go but I need to know if the Collectors Fayre is going to be any good this year, given that the second Ryton Fayre is only a week later. Anyone know? It's a long way for me if the Collectors Fayre isn't gonna be up to much!

It's all about fashion, isn't it? As most Speedway riders are young, they obviously follow todays fashions, and most of today's fashionable young men wouldn't be seen dead in a tie and a sharp suit! They'd rather look like Bosnian refugees, 'cos that's what all the other non-speedway youngsters look like! It's not realistic to expect young Speedway riders to dress any differently.

I'm pretty sure the Polish budget airline Wizzair fly from Luton to Wroclaw - check out their web site. We flew with them to Gdansk in May, booked online and everything worked like a dream. Also, you can book accommodation online with StayPoland - very easy and efficient as well.

Do you know where I can get a programme from this meeting f-s-p? Programmes from Finnish tracks seem hard to come by in the UK.

I think the attendance has levelled out at around the current figure. I can't see it increasing unless two things happen - 1) they produce a decent track so that we finally see some REAL speedway, and 2) we produce a British rider capable of winning the damn thing! That would put 10,000 on the gate. I can even see the attendance falling as people gradually get p***** off with the lousy track.

I'll be there - never miss it! The second best Fayre of the year after Ryton, and following the demise of the Fours at Peterborough. Nick Barber does a great job.

There's a "Nipper" bus that goes from right behind the Railway Station, every 10 mins, I think. The Bay is well worth a visit, but it can be expensive with lots of poncy bars and restaurants. My favourite restaurant is the Turkish "Bosphorus" but that will set you back a bit. Terra Nova is a reasonably priced bar, but if you want a real pub try the Packet.

Gabdrahkman Kadirov was a Tartar, but I'm not sure which republic he came from. The Tartar race, (I think), is fairly widespread over most of what was Soviet Central Asia, so he maybe was an Uzbek. Good Speedway rider and World Ice Racing Champion on more than one occasion, if I remember right. Just goes to show how vast the old Soviet Union was!

Thanks Santos and Paul - you've been a big help! Looks like I may be there for Gdansk v Tarnow on May 29. Do any Polish forum members know if Gdansk are at home on May 22? I think all Polish fixtures on that day are provisional at the moment.

Can anyone help with information about Gdansk? I'm hoping to go there next month and I need to know where the stadium is in relation to the city centre. Is it easy to get to, and back from on a Sunday afternoon? I know the stadium is on ul. Elblaska, but I can't find a decent map on the web showing the location. All I know at the moment is that I might be staying in a hotel which is slightly north of the city centre near the seafront. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I'd be very interested in receiving more details, Al. Can you e-mail a list to me at black.amber@ntlworld.com Look forward to hearing from you!

Many thanks Puma23! I searched all over the web for this result and couldn't find it anywhere!

I know it's a while back but does anyone have the full list of scorers from the Latvian Open Championship at Daugavpils on 12.10.2003? I've tried the Daugavpils website but my browser displays the Cyrillic characters just as rows of question marks, so I can't make any sense of it!

Norbold, you're a star!!!! Many thanks, and so quick too!!!

I know it's an extremely long shot, but does anyone have the scorers from the Kings of Oxford Trophy at Yarmouth on 8 August 1961? I know Pete Jarman won it, but other than that the meeting doesn't appear to have been covered in the Speedway press of the time.

Thanks very much TMW. I guess Germany, Slovenia and Ukraine didn't have/use reserves.

Does anyone have the result and scorers from the European Pairs meeting in Debrecen, Hungary, on September 11? I picked up the programme in Bydgoszcz last week and it would be good to know how the meeting went.

If you're a Witches fan you're ideally placed to have a word with Nick Barber in the Ipswich track shop. He organises all the Collectors Fairs around the country and also issues a bi-monthly Memorabilia list with thousands of items on it. 1960's Rayleigh stuff is relatively easy to get hold of with the 1960 issue being the most costly at around 4 quid.

I've got a few programmes from '46, '49 and '51 from Brough Park. I could post the Newcastle teams on here if it's any use to you. Maybe this weekend when I have more time.

Great idea. The one that sticks in my mind is a GB v USSR test match at the old Somerton Park track in '65. GB won fairly comfortably but Plechanov and Kurilenko were outstanding for Russia on a track which many British riders considered "difficult". They either broke or equalled the track record about five times, (I can check the programme). I was 11 years old and I was gob-smacked by the whole occasion - there were 18,000 in the old place and the traffic was gridlocked on the roads to the stadium. We had to walk to get there because the buses couldn't get through. I also remember Nigel Boocock performing acrobatics to stay on his bike after hitting the fence. A truly amazing occasion. Let me know if you want more detail!

Can't help you with the King's Lynn match but here's the scorers from Sheffield : England : Thorp 9, Havelock 9, Screen 9, N.Collins 6, Wilson 2, Dugard 0, Stonehewer ® 0, Schofield ® 0 Australia : Boyce 17, Crump 16, Adams 12, Poole 11, Lyons 10, Parker 7, Bartlett ® dnr, Bowes ® dnr I was at the match and the Aussies were simply awesome. I think it might have been a record England home defeat.

You won't be able to go back much further than the early '50s because no-one really kept comprehensive records. Your best bet is early Speedway Stars, (from '53 onwards) and the British Speedway Handbooks which were around in the mid sixties. An excellent book is The Complete History of the British League by Peter Oakes but that only starts when the BL did in '65. Other good team statistics books are the softback Speedway Surveys by Maurice Jones. Welcome to the world of scouring Collectors Fairs!!! What I think you've got in mind is a MAJOR undertaking!!

Fairs are coming up at Ipswich, Marriott Hotel, Feb 22, (includes an auction), High Beech, Kings Oak pub, Feb 29, Speedway GB Show, Stoneleigh, March 7. There's always a good one on GP day in Cardiff, but the best is the Auction/Fair in Ryton on Dunsmore, near Coventry every November, (details from Nick). There's usually one or two fairs at big meetings such as the British Final or the Fours - watch the press. There are 5 or 6 other dealers around too, but your best bet is to pop along to a Fair and get acquainted! Also, keep an eye open for people selling their collections in Speedway Star and on eBay.....you never know!

These two programmes are quite rare but they do occasionally come up at Collectors Fairs and Auctions. Be warned though, they can command up to £20-£25 each! Your best bet is to keep an eye on the lists issued by Peter Holtom and the Auctions/Fairs organised by Nick Barber. Even then, you might wait years, - I did!