customhouseregular

I'm not to sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. The beauty of the old system was an unexpected result could occur and more riders had an opportunity to reach the Final. The GP system is too much of a closed shop for me.

Time for a CHR rant. I expect to get some brickbats thrown in my direction but maybe 1 or 2 likes too. I do not like the World Championship qualification system. With 8 seeded riders and 4 hand-picked by the puppet-masters there are only 3 places available for every other rider in the whole speedway world. Under the old system everyone had a chance to qualify from the reigning world champion to the lowest scoring reserve in the bottom-placed Provincial League side. I am not happy that the top points scorer in a GP is not necessarily the winner, How is it right that a rider can score a 15 point maximum yet the rider finishing 8th. could win the GP. I would be mightily p****d off if I was the best rider on the night but fell in my semi. I do not like play-offs. West Ham won the inaugral British League in 1965. Had they been beaten in a play-off by the team finishing 4th. my comments would have stripped wallpaper. During the 60's and 70's my favourite meeting of the year was the Internationale, with a gleaming new bike for the winner. Had I been a rider and scored a flawless 5-ride maximum only to see someone I had beaten ride off with my bike because he beat me in a ride-off, I would have been livid. In all competitions, Team or Individual the winner is the winner. The man with the most points or the team finishing top,,,simples!.

Two World Champions who would not have won had the Final been held elsewhere...Muller and Sczackiel.

Mauger made it all look too easy but Briggs was a battler. As good as Mauger was I never enjoyed watching him but Briggs was always a joy.

Who was the best ever World Champion and how do we measure or compare?. Do we base it on titles won and if so it has to be Mauger or Rickardsson. Or do we look at Finals competed, WC points scored or podiums. I believe we should look at a World Champion's complete career, accepting that for some their careers were not that long...Craven for a tragic reason and Penhall for early retirement for example. Based on World titles won, Finals competed, points scored, podium places, domestic and international competition, BLRC and British Finals etc., there is a clear winner for me. Should anyone be in any doubt to whom I am referring. BLRC is the clue. Should you wish to base the answer solely on WC victories then who was better? 6 wins...Mauger or Rikardsson 4 wins...Briggs or Nielsen 3 wins ...Pedersen, Gundersen or Olsen 2 wins...too many to mention. If I have forgotten anybody my apologies.

To be honest I have no idea of the average age of the British speedway fan. From the few EL meetings I watched on Sky, there seemed to be 6 men and a dog in attendance. Looking around me in Cardiff last July most seemed younger than me, though i did not notice many youngsters. This could be because I was up the cheap seats reserved for us old farts,

???

I don't profess to know all the facts but it does appear Barker and Worrall have done themseves and British speedway no favours at all.

As an old "Hammer" the thought of a WF at West Ham's new home would be one to savour. I might dust off my walking frame and trundle on down. Olympic Park is easier to get to than Wembley too. Nice thought and good post friend. Any more for Olympic Park?.

One would think that any sportsman/woman who had won a World title in any sport would make their country's top 150. On that basis not only Fundin but Knutsson should be there. I have not seen the list but would expect it to be dominated by skiers.

Fair point Gustix. I have to say I now live around 200 miles from both Cardiff and London and, for various personal reasons can not attend speedway any more. However, my son took me to Cardiff this year and if I could persuade him to take me to Wembley this "old" London fan would certainly go. I recall other non-World Final meetings during the late 60's and 70's which I really enjoyed. For me the Cardiff track is too small but I don't know if "new" Wembley could put down anything bigger.

Who knows?.Would probably depend upon the meeting, the field and when the event was staged. If the meeting was attractive enough I don't see why Wembley could not attract 50/60,000. Would not all the old London fans who have lost their clubs long for a big Wembley event?.

Not being an engineer or mechanic I do not understand the finer points of speedway engines. Why did the Jawa, so long a stalwart and the Weslake, once the chosen unit not continue development?.

Sadly I never saw Peter Craven race but that does not stop me knowing for certain he was one of the greats. Keep up the good work Norbold...you probably know more than most of us put together.

Very true WK. As I understand it, Wembley opted out of staging speedway events after 1981, to everyone's surprise and dismay. Bradford had a large capacity though was no Wembley. I do not understand why Wembley today could not hold a major speedway meeting, as they have held other motor sports events there.

Re your last paragraph BW...I'm with you there.

60+...yes Stubborn no but inflexible maybe Miserable no but often frustrated Ford driver...no Dull...hopefully not but possibly predictable The Bill and Pointless no...Messiah and The Chase yes Am I a typical British speedway fan?.

I appreciate I am an old "stick in the mud" but using the principle..."If it aint broke don't fix it", we should never have moved from the pre 1995 system. It worked. Wembley 1981...92,000, Cardiff 2014...45,000(ish). Terenzano had a capacity of 4,000 but staged GP rounds. Back in the day every track staged qualifying rounds...they were well attended. In Britain we had the British Final then maybe the Nordic British or European etc. all of which drew good crowds. I wager a Wembley Final was better anticipated than most GP rounds. Riders from every country that staged competitive speedway entered the competition so why should it be different now?. OK..different eras I know but as I have said before, My last World Final was Wembley 1981 and my first GP was Cardiff 2014. I know which was better but honestly, are the powers that be ever going to sanction a return to the old format!. It is worth remembering that post 1995 unless one travels abroad, we get to see so many GP riders maybe once a year. Pre 1995 we could maybe see top riders in WC rounds, Tests, International open meetings etc.. In Britain we are now starved of top-level speedway which is contributing to the sport's decline. One can not live in the past but one can learn from it.

Today's machinery is of a higher standard, as is technical back-up, track preparation and fitness levels. Previous generation riders competed with what they had then, today's riders compete with what they have now. Today's riders have an advantage which lifts the overall standard but if riders from the 60's/70's had the same advantage, their standard would have been higher.

I first saw John Louis when he was riding Scrambles at Ramsden Heath. I followed his career closely when he switched to speedway. To my mind he and Jessup were two of the best English riders of any era and John would have cut it wherever and whenever ho rode. Cook v Louis...no contest.

Penny would need a shipping container for that lot!.

My word Penny, you did get about. I have to agree with your sentiments.

Spot on WK.

If being at High Beech in Feb 1968 for the 40th. Anniversary counts as seeing speedway at a defunct track, I can add this to my list. Makes my list look pitiful...call yourself a speedway fan CHR. I'm strictly second division compared to you!.

We must have been sitting close to each other. I was always in the main stand just above the starting gate, Happy days my friend, happy days.