customhouseregular

I'm sure Manchester could find 16,000 people who could/would not go to Cardiff. Have Manchester 3 months before/after Cardiff to maintain interest.

Not sure what book dirt was reading. I don't understand his comments. Thanks for the link Mr. W.

Maybe I am easily pleased but i think not. Obviously the writer is/was a massive Penhall fan but even so... Having seen Pehall fail at White City and triumph at Wembley, I found this book informative and most enjoyable. Perhaps the earlier reviewer was not a fan of either the rider or the writer. I had not read sidney's post of 17.01.2014 but it fits in with my thread I think.

Very true Colin. What struck me reading this book is just how far British speedway has fallen in the 30+ years since Penhall retired. Fans had a feast of speedway in 1981 compared to today.

Having just finished this book I can confirm it is an excellent read. Any fan who watched speedway during the Penhall years, particularly Cradley supporters and anyone like me who was at Wembley for the 1981 WF would enjoy this.

If one comes up again!.

Ken McKinlay and Malcolm Simmons were the masters of Team Riding in the 60's...nobody better in my opinion.

the ebay copy went for £6.20 inc postage. I bid £5.00 inc postage. I can swap all 5 of my Ice speedway programmes + the London Indoor International 1991 programme for the 3 i am after.

I have to eat my words. I really thought Bomber's GP days were over come October, but I was wrong. Well done Chris.

I don't have an answer Iris. Perhaps we should scrub the EL and have a British League of 2 tiers staffed by British riders who only ride in Britain. It is a ludicrous situation when only 12 riders are available for a league fixture and 6 of them are guests, with r/r making up the shortfall. How can we expect fans to get behind their teams when they have no idea who will be riding for their teams, or when?.

Riders doubling-up and riding in more than one league is a major problem. It's not so much too many clubs but not enough Permanent riders to compete for the clubs. If clubs had a maximum 2 foreigner rule and riders had to compete for British clubs first, and only one team at that, British speedway could get back on a proper footing. Nobody said we had too many clubs in the late 60's/early 70's. It's riders not being available that is the real problem.

There we are then...the risk must be acceptable if riders accept it.

I know I am beginning to sound like a one man Norman Jacobs Appreciation Society, but this book is simply wonderful. I have to confess that I had not paid much attention to Tom Farndon, nor indeed pre-1936 speedway. My mistake. What a man and what a rider he was. One can only surmise where his riding would have taken him had his early death and the war years not intervened. Had he been allowed to live and compete for the World Title over the succeeding 15 years, he may well have emulated Fundin, Mauger and Rickardsson, but beaten them all to it. Without doubt the best speedway book I have ever read.

No!...I don't have Sky or BT. If Eurosport don't show GP/SEC my live viewing days are over .

You are right about fans not switching clubs Chadster. When West Ham closed I never gave switching to Hackney a thought.

I just saw that on BBC News. What more can one say?.

A fair point and one which I accept.

Nicely said Paulco.

Not wishing to start an argument (Heaven Forbid) I shall be in England's loveliest county for 10 days after Thursday. No WK...it's not Tyne and Wear .

Phew!

Unless I have my dates wrong West Ham operated for 17 years in the period 1946-1972. Being a big wide track it had it's unwelcome share of serious crashes, and I was present for the Dave Wills and Tadeusz Teodorowicz accidents. But track and rider safety was so much poorer then with the wire fence, iron pit gate, light stanchions and the lack of decent protective helmets. If i am wrong then I shall recant but I firmly believe the current situation is worse, which should not be the case given rider and track safety considerations. My 65 second estimate was arrived at by comparing West Ham with Sheffield, and comparing Sheffield c. 1970 with today. Perhaps my memory has dimmed but 5 extremely serious accidents in 3 years was unheard of in the 1960's. Again, if I am wrong I will be pleased to reconsider my Argument.

Sorry EIA but Richardson, Ashworth, Schlein, Kerr and Ward in a 3 year period tells me the serious injury rate has certainly increased,

Sorry to bang on about Custom House but it was my speedway home. Pre-war the race times on the big 440 yard track were c. 85 seconds. I would imagine Sayfutdinov could do that today in c. 65 seconds. An accident at that speed has to have more serious consequences.

Sadly this only strengthens my argument.

Lee Richardson 2012 Ricky Ashworth 2013 Lewis Kerr 2015 Darcy Ward 2015 ...and that's just 4 names that immediately come to mind. I have come to the conclusion that modern speedway is inherently more dangerous than that of yesteryear. This may sound odd coming from a 67 year old who witnessed injuries and fatalities in the 1960's, but I am firmly of the opinion that speedway has crossed the threshold of acceptable risk. There have always been injuries, some serious and tragically some fatal but it seems to me the serious injuries are becoming more frequent. I can understand and accept a F1 driver risking his life at 200 mph to earn £10m. a year, though Jules Bianchi recently paid the price for chasing that dream. I hear today a British Indycar driver is in a coma and critical following a crash yesterday in America. But they consider the risks acceptable in relation to the rewards. Speedway riders do not earn 7-figure incomes. They do not earn 6-figure incomes and I doubt any rider enjoys a lavish lifestyle. So why do they do it?. Why do people race speedway for a living when the risk is so high and the rewards so poor?. I am also questioning whether I wish to continue enjoying our sport now I am finding the risk level is unacceptable. Add Rory Schlein to the above...5 desperately serious incidents in 3 years.