stratton

It was NW great days, the Abbey has been my track since 1969 i love the place when prepared a great track.Hyde RD was something else a great racetrack often never mentioned it was a fair track my favourite meeting i saw there was the BLRC in 1983 Lee did well after his first race blip his excuse got filled in the track looked untraceable that night.

The days of everybody having they're own coloured leathers and boots were great in my opinion.Remember Bert Harkins,Alan Cowland having different coloured boots they're were some great characters in the sport then.I think Briggo was one of the first to dismiss the monkey mask and cut offs and go to the full face helmet great days eh!John Davis was another one always had flashy leathers great immaculate aquipment ultra professional those days have gone and we have to progress and go with the times i suppose.

Going off topic as usual NW, you said Mike Hiftle had baby blue leathers like Booey i am sure the Aussie the late Geoff Curtis had them and maybe? Richard May and Geoff Mudge can you remember? my memory sometimes plays tricks.!

I ordered a few back issues seven, which now makes up my collection it got delivered a day later which was great.This magazine in my eyes is a brilliant read,well worth the money and once you pick it up you have to read right through well done TMC on a great magazine.

Quite right i will pay 17 quid each week to see him ride now he needs to really have a strong couple of years.He should not panic in my eyes he is more talented and a better rider than Tai now get to it and prove it i think he will to NKI the danger.?

What are people's opinions ? can Ward win the title this year? or is it a learning year for him.I think he can win it i have backed him also i have backed Iversen my two against the field also i believe Holder could be in the mix at a big price.

Mckinlay often is a forgotten man, he reached nine world finals and i think he once headed the old Prov league averages on a 11 point average.I only see him twice for Scunny in his veteran NL years still half decent then and he was nearly 50 and that's what I call a true speedway man.

A great post Addio, i thought Briggos best years was gone by 1969.? He was still then outstanding i believe in 72 he had every chance gated like a long dog and beat Mauger in a quick time do remember though Ole was unlucky but i think that could of been a Briggo title?.Looked at Briggos record at Swindon1964 to 1972 142 maximums also 5 paid maxis 147 (some record) the best ever for me Ove second.

Luckhurst really was a prospect also before that i believed Keith Millard would do well.In the old national league Owen j, Tom were awesome very good riders my biggest disappointment was Henderson of Newcastle.

Jim Brett was a puzzler for me saw him ride in the NL i really thought he had potential.Never quite did it for the Vue Kristian Praestbro was another he went on and did very well at Cradley. I loved the days of mainly having the same reserves riding all year valued members of the team riders the fans could identify with.

There was dross then no different to now no doubt about it,but in my memory there was also alot of fine racing i wouldn't of wanted to change that much back then you see star riders everyweek and regularly.

He was in the Dent era he come through the ranks i can always remember Eyre ,Hiftle unsung heroes great team members important like at Swindon Hitch and Keen.

Na not rambling NW, Bernie Collier loved that club he was not quite up to the level but the aces always used to give the young uns a go,Smith well he was exciting at Hyde rd really exciting went on did great Scarisbrick ok no world beater but he did pretty well considering his inexperience.

One bloke i really liked was Paul Tyrer exciting rider those guys you mentioned all went on and had nice careers fair play.WIlko a legend and even in later years the 80s as a rookie Eccles showed ability a great club always has been always will the man Utd of speedway in my view.

He was decent a very exciting rider,did he come up through the legendary Dent academy ?of exciting riders how it would be great if that could happen now on that scale.

I hope so it is not a gimme though! i recon it will take a at ten year period before we can really compete.When i was growing up we had the Booey broths, Ashby,Louis!Collins,Wilson,Betts,Simmons even then we were second best now no camparison to be honest we are light years behind.!

I must admit see alot of Havelock at southern tracks Reading, Oxford, Swindon never in a month of Sundays did i think he would ever be world champion.Fair play he was did it and that can never be taken away from him.!

I was a big Mike Tyson fan so i know what it is like to be a supporter of a flawed star.As much as i liked Tyson and admired what he did for boxing in the mid 80s.Most people i would presume would admire Ali more because of how he generally conducted himself and the way he went about his business.

Pedersen not a fan never have been,i admire what he has achieved in the sport but he has sometimes pushed things to the limit and got away with murder.He for me was like Roy Keane was in football could dish it out but was not very good at taking it.

Very hard on Hancock to be honest, totally different riders a hypothetical point to compare both my take on it is Hancock has done things always the right and fair way has Pedersen?

To have speed like he has you have to have skill! he uses his brain i feel he is more capable from coming from the back than anybody.!Are you watching the same Darcy Ward i have seen?

Jensen certainly what an a enigma he was,for me though it was Malc Holloway at his best he could beat anybody.Remember for Reading at Bradford he scored 0 then 2 days later he got 12 plus 3 paid max against the same team he beat Carter three times he was my favourite ever rider with Briggo and Lee.

Cox as a junior under Len was very good had a great career really did great.I rated him with Nielsen and WIgg at oxford he really progressed and improved bigtime.

So was Ivan Mauger overated then? he was probably the greatest roller on earth but he was still a great rider.The starts then added to the excitement for me and often riders got punished by themselves by being left at the start.Now i hate the starts a rider anticipates the start skillfully yet it gets dragged back often stopping the flow and the excitement of the meeting.

Never!!