The White Knight

Yes - one of the very best. Happy Birthday Briggo.

Fair comment Arson.

No - but he is a very decent Rider.

No - but Speedway is different - it is all about spectacle - different coloured Leathers added to the Sport. Team Suits are boring. I also liked the old 'Racejackets' better too - at least you didn't struggle, as a newcomer, to see who rode for who. Nowadays you have to search through all of the advertisements. SPOT ON!!! sidney.

Or then again - maybe it's harder. Mauger, Moore and Briggo et al had to QUALIFY through various Rounds to even get to the Final. Unlike today when the top eight are presumed to have qualified just because they finished in the top eight the PREVIOUS Season. They are then SELECTED for the following Seasons World Championship Competition. How the hell you justify that I don't know. You couldn't make it up. That doesn't detract from the fact that he won the World Championship as a Second Division Rider and that he did that because he was given the opportunity.

Yes - they were. BUT - how many bread and butter' Riders were? You conveniently forget about them. Everyone - from Elite League, Premier League and National League should have the chance to try to win the Sport's top honour. But no - it is up to BSI to select who they want. They don't even pay British Speedway for the privilege. Some World Championship that!!!!! Remember - Jack Young won his first World Championship as a Second Division Rider. Fat chance of that happening these days - he wouldn't get picked. Much less than that. :sad:

In the days of the 'one off' World Final - we did not have an outside Company taking all of the money out of British Speedway either.

Well I do. I preferred the "noise and smell" in the old days too - I find Speedway very sanitized today. No individual colour any more, just boring Race Suits with all Riders looking the same and all Bikes looking the same - there is no colour in the Sport any more. :sad:

You are probably right - there are no Second Half Events for youngsters to test themselves. The Second Half was a great learning aid to any young aspiring Speedway Rider. They now have to trail around the Country looking for Training Schools instead of getting a couple of rides a week at their local Track. However - if Second Halves were taking place at every Track every week - in my opinion you would be wrong. Simply put - there is not the Track time available these days for youngsters to develop. It is no coincidence, to me, that the demise of the Second Half and the rise of the Grand Prix Series seems to directly mirror the decline of British Speedway.

Scarily accurate in my case. Just read Dog for Fish and that is - - - - me!!! TAX purposes I would guess. :shock: :nono:

Has anyone at Jawa/BSPA been approached with this suggestion. They would be mad not to, at least, investigate the possibilities.

But he was.

The only hole that I can pick Dean - is finding said Sponsor. Terrific idea though.

I think you are probably right PPM. He would not be my choice anyway. I would be happy with Nielsen.

I totally agree with you BOBBATH. The Forum would be a much poorer place without Norbold's input - and yours too for that matter.

I can't agree as a lot of the Riders that you are talking about are 'doubling up' Premier League Riders. Jason Doyle reached Number One for his Premier League Club and was able to do exactly the same for his ELITE League Club. You/He could not have done that in the 'Seventies'.

Best Gater: Ivan Mauger Best Racer: 'Briggo'/Peter Collins/Chris Morton (I can't split them). All three were great Racers. My personal favourite: 'Briggo'.

I am not saying they are not. What I am saying, and yes I am talking British League here that the British League of the Seventies was way stronger than the Elite League, both in British Riders and International Riders. You could make two reasonably decent seven man British Teams out of the Riders who were eligible to Ride for Great Britain both of which would give a good account of themselves (they may not both win, but they would put on a good display) - we cannot even make one decent four man Team that can be competitive in the SWC these days. On top of that - all of these British Riders were riding against the very top International Riders in the World every week in those days - not 'Doubling Up' Premier League Riders. Yes - I am discussing Britain because that is largely the way the Discussion is going. The comparative state of British Speedway in the Seventies and today.

And I suspect that Davey would possibly be top 30 these days too. As I said - there simply isn't the Competition around these days. I would grant you that Riders, in general, are more professional these days - though Ivan Mauger might argue with that. But I still believe that most of the top Riders were better then. As I have said before we can't win an argument at International level these days, back in the 'Seventies' it was a different matter. You actually had Riders fighting for places in the Team. Nowadays they largely pick themselves, because - the sad fact of life is - there is nobody else. Finally, there were a good few Riders around who were not International regulars in those days, but were of International class, and were not automatic 'picks'. Nobody like that around now.

I agree sidney - I would never claim that Tony Davey was the best Rider I ever saw ride for Ipswich - but - he was damned good. He was certainly among the better Riders of that era. Personally I believe that - with his passing ability - he would have been pretty good today too. Sadly - we can never prove these things.

How many more would have done so - had they had the chance of qualifying? The truth is that nowadays the vast majority of Speedway Riders are denied the chance to be top of the tree in their chosen Sport because of the Selection System used in the GP Series.

Well said Sir!!. ............. and again - Well said. Well I, for one, do not think that the Riders are of a "higher standard these days". :nono:

Far better Riders then, in general, then though. That is indisputable. You had to be really good to shine in those days. Much easier to shine these days as there is not much competition.

If there is "reasonable doubt" he should not have been found Guilty. I would say, though, that the man is certainly no gentleman to take advantage as he is alleged to have done. Is he a Rapist? - I don't know but there does seem to be doubt.

I think you have a point actually - so - I won't be shooting you in this Season of goodwill. :)