MajorMauger

There was a big article in the speedway star at the back end of last year where the owner of Northside revealed his plans to build a big track on spare land on the site and eventually build up the facilities and stage League racing there. - This indicates that the current track wouldn't be the track used for a League team there! This takes us back to the ludicrous poster who suggests scrapping the 3rd tier of British speedway, one of the best innovations in speedway ever, something that should have been done 15- 20 years earlier, a League that enabled clubs to reopen/ open in a cheaper viable set up and has provided the stepping stone for many young riders including Britains most successful rider Tai Woffinden! - In the the case of Northside, I presume that a League side there would be called the Workington Comets beings its in the Town and that was the name of the long running speedway team that used to race at Derwent Park in the town until it closed a couple of years ago due to low crowds making it unprofitable. - Now do you think that anyone would be willing to restart a previously unprofitable speedway team if the 3rd Division didn't exist meaning they would only have two options being the Championship, the very League Workington were unprofitable in or the Premiership which is probably even more expensive to run in?

Ludicrous ideas! Without the 3rd tier, you probably wouldn't have Birmingham, Scunthorpe, Plymouth, Berwick and Eastbourne in the 2nd tier. These are clubs who either dropped down to the NL to keep going or reopened in it! Mildenhall and the IoW probably would close if the NL folded! The step from junior racing to Championship level is huge so the NL is a more than useful stepping stone!

Exactly and it could be a long time before we ever see speedway in the capital again.

A truly great life has come to an end! I think Olle Nygren started riding in the late 40's and was still riding in the mid to late 70's. Also did road racing and scrambling and in the 50's especially if he'd of concentrated solely on speedway he wouldn't of been far of a World individual title. He was a top rider for Norwich in the 1960's then I saw the now veteran Nygren signed by Ipswich to help with their move into the top flight in 1972. He was past his best and not very quick but could gate and would use his track craft to block faster riders from overtaking. He was well known for sticking out his leg to stop riders coming through. A fracas with Coventrys Rick France one night then Olle getting on the mike to offer to meet a lout who I think chucked something at the parade truck are memories that come to mind in them early Division 1 days at Foxhall in the early 70's!

Those support posts for the hospitality suite look awfully close to the track, even for the stock cars.

Belle Vue speedways an impressive facility but to me it wouldn't have the same appeal as Cardiff, Bradford or Wembley would in terms of staging a GP!

Yes Ivan Mauger certainly knew his value and quite rightfully fully exploited it! I went to a Peterborough V Sheffield fixture in 1993 when I recall Mort beating Mick Poole around there in the days when Poole could of almost won a GP round on the Showground track where he was nigh on unbeatable, so he had a few moments away from home! - Like you say though it was for the best that Mort didn't extend his comeback to the following season!

Yes Jordan Frampton was a talented rider who seemed to progress very quickly in a short space of time which indicates he could of gone further had he kept going?

When you say helping out I think Ivan Maugers desire was more about helping out his pension pot more than it was about helping out his old mate Peter Oakes but then again Mauger was in a position to manipulate the situation to his advantage! Chris Morton was still very competitive when he cameback with Sheffield in 1993 and thats the key element cause if your not competitive its no good especially at a professional level!

Another interesting footnote to Ivan Maugers famous British League "home meetings" only swansong at Exeter in 1984 was in that same season Coventry wanted to use the recently retired (in 1983) Ole Olsen in a similar way for home meetings only, when I think Tommy Knudsen got injured but they were turned down!

I think your right and I did say might although if he gets out of the gate at Kent I'm sure he will be difficult to pass on a track thats not condusive to overtaking.

Mauger while past his best still attained an 8+ average in 1984 and remember he only did it for mainly financial gain and everything was done on his terms, so it was mission achieved from his point of view. The big reason given for not riding in the away games was cause he had business commitments and racing commitments on the continent but I'm sure a big untold reason was that Ivan knew if he rode away meetings as well his average would of probably struggled to reach 6. - He'd only partially retired anyway so he could do it without disgracing himself, especially on his old stomping ground the notoriously home advantaged County Ground! The likes of Chris Pusey and Eric Boocock cameback after lengthy spells out, in Boococks case 9 seasons so they were always going to find it difficult. Puseys was especially sad cause he couldn't adjust to life after speedway so thought he could make a comeback in a poor physical shape with an alcohol problem in what he thought would be a less competitive 2nd Division. One must remember that nearly all riders start racing cause they love the thrill of it so its to be expected that some like to continue racing some sort of motorcycle sport just cause they love it. I've watched ex Rayleigh rider terry Stone have races on his vintage bikes!.

Intriguing and an exciting prospect for British speedway! So its not a track that has staged League speedway before? - Workington Northside?

Oh yes I forgot about them! It'd be great to see the Buxton Hitmen back in the League!

I've also read in some Ivan Mauger publication that originally Peter Oakes called on Ivan to help him find a number 1 for Exeters return to the British League in 84. Mauger talked to Larry Ross, then Scott Autrey without success after Oakes failed to persuade Bobby Schwartz to sign. Exeter purchased the British League license of the recently defunct Leicester which gave them Neil and Les Collins as assets both of whom refused to join the Falcons. Andy Grahame was another rider to turn down the Falcons. After all these dead ends Oakes turned to his old mate Mauger who initially wasn't interested but lucrative sponsorship packages, Exeter changing racenights to Fridays to suit Maugers continental schedule and persuading the BSPA to allow Ivan to ride in home meetings only twisted his arm. In fairness to Mauger he still topped Exeters averages with an 8+ average from 20 something meetings for Exeter in 1984 in the British League when nearly all the Worlds top riders were still riding over here although he was obviously was past his best. I'd reckon Ivan did very well out of the deal. Peter Oakes was the loser cause the move up was a financial disaster no doubt assisted by having a weak team and moving away from the traditional Monday racenight. Oakes not surprisingly left Exeter at the end of the disasterous campaign. Nielsen always said he'd pack up before reaching 40, although I'm sure he could have gone on for another 3-4 years at the top level. He was still good enough to come 3rd in the World in his 1999 farewell season. Ermolenko still has a go on odd occasions even now no doubt loving riding his bike and he was still decent when he finished with Peterborough in the mid 00's when he was in his mid 40's even if he was past his best!

The promotion at Plymouth speedway have stepped things up there in the last couple of years so moving back up into the 2nd tier did always look like the plan. Hope it works out but they could run into the same problems the club had before in the 2nd tier in that attracting riders to one of the Countries furthest speedway outposts could be an issue? It'd be nice if Plymouth also run a team in the NL but understandable if they don't. The NL director said in this weeks SS that all teams due to run last year have said they want to run again in 2021, theirs been interest from other senior tracks in entering teams and a team that would be a standalone track has also expressed an interest. This indicates a new track or a defunct track reopening - Workington?, Oxford? - Bradford? One must remember that in 1998 the 3rd tier went down to 5 teams but it survived. I just hope that plans to water the League down to more of a development League don't materialise cause its unnecessary and counter productive. We want to see Britain produce more riders capable of competing on the World stage, and the best way for riders to develop is by racing in a decent standard. Top prospects beating "wobblers" by half a lap won't bring them on quicker. Novice riders making their first steps up into League racing have the Development Leagues below the NL and theirs also numerous amatuer meetings to hone racing skills. Also the NL has been a safety net option for standalone tracks that have struggled in the higher Divisions and for new centres to test the water. Take away this safety net by reducing the Division to a free for all try out for novices and you'd likely lose the likes of the IOW, Mildenhall, Plymouth, Birmingham, Eastbourne and others over the years cause attracting viable crowds to watch it would be difficult. Take away Plymouth, Eastbourne and the Brummies from the 2nd tier and you'd now be looking at the top 2 Leagues amalgamating.

I also remember that in the early 80's. It was painful watching one of the top riders in the World at his peak, a colossus of the British league and in my opinion Halifax Dukes best ever rider scratching around at the back for a point or two. I think he averaged under 3 and had quit before the end of the season. Leigh Lanhams right in not coming back cause he had a very good career, finishing cause he was on the wane and no one wanted him in the end. If he came back he'd struggle to average 5. Paul Hurry might just about eek out a 6 average and Crump will average under 8. I remember reading something Ivan Mauger put in one of his books or an article where he said he was seriously considering a comeback on the Longtracks in the late 80's but backed away after consulting his son Kym who rightly said that you've got nothing to prove and you wouldn't be as good as before. Hopefully the new plan for young Brits will result in more homegrown riders filling out teams and Britain becoming stronger on the International stage.

100% unfortunately. Rye House speedway much the same as Coventry speedway and Newport speedway in recent years were facilities that had more scope for practice sessions than most other speedway tracks in the Country. Like has been much said over the years and Peter Oakes said as much in the star the other week, one of British speedways big issues in recent decades has been not owning most of the stadiums speedway takes place in which leaves it at the peril of owners who often grasp the opportunity to have their retirement pot being hansomely supplemented by selling the stadiums. Rye House, Coventry and Newport speedway tracks along with others could of been part of a National training programme along with the likes Scunthorpe, Lydd, Northside and Sittingbourne as well as continuing to host League racing.

Good luck with the plans! While its obvious that spending a fortune reopening the stadium just for greyhounds and speedway wouldn't be financially viable, making full use of the facilities by having other events can make it just about pay? Detractors of the plans need to realise that most professional clubs in the Worlds most popular game football run at a loss but there existance is justified by the community values of them, job prospects and the money they generate for local businesses on matchdays. - Society need outlets, its not feasible to just cover the Country in swathes of cheaply built new housing without facilities for the communities. - a reopened, renovated Oxford Stadium would be a great community asset even if it didn't generate a fortune for the owners!

Like I've said before one of the best naturally talented speedway riders I've ever seen in my time! Yes he was made a scapegoat from 1984 onwards (the early 1984 incident at the King's Lynn V Poole meeting was blown out of all proportions!) but his lifestyle, attitude and punctuality particularly after his 1980 World title win were very poor which put him in a precarious position with officialdom and made him an easy target for disciplinary action. King's Lynn in the Cyril Crane era bent over backwards for Michael Lee until the end of 1982 by which time they were glad to sell him, their previous golden boy, to Poole. Michaels return to King's Lynn for short lived spells under the Martin Rogers promotion for stagnated parts of the 1985 and 86 seasons were again fraught by a complete lack of reliability due no doubt to an ever expanding drug problem. A lesser rider than Michael Lee would of not of been afforded the numerous chances Rogers gave him in 85 and 86, when even the laid back nature of the well spoken promotor was tested to the limit. A shame cause even at this stage in the mid 80's if Michael could of sorted himself out he looked still capable of returning to something near his previous best. I always wonder how Michael Lees career and indeed the history of Mildenhall speedway would of turned out if the plans for Mildenhall to step up in to the British league in 1983 with Michael as number 1 at his original training track stomping ground had gone through? - I believe King's Lynn objected cause Mildenhalls very close to Lynn and no doubt had it happened with Lee as the Fen Tigers No 1 quite a few Saddlebow Road regulars may of defected over to West Row. - Would this move have settled Michael down and possibly cemented Mildenhalls place as a top flight track? His last aborted comeback in 1991 saw Michael Lee as a pale shadow of his former self, while still competitive as a reserve, time and bad lifestyle choices had fully taken their toll by this stage. Even in 1991 his reputation went against him as he was picked for a random(!) alcohol and drugs test when he was a reserve in the 1991 Commonwealth final and was found to have traces of alcohol after apparently having a pint on route to the meeting when he thought he wouldn't be riding. Again like I said before, Michael Lees a nice bloke who went of the rails through drugs use and through having so much ability he didn't appreciate what he had, but its wrong to lay the blame entirely on officialdom for his downfall. Yes by 1984 onwards the authorities were out to get him but he had put himself in that position to be shot at.

Amazing rider and story! He was better at that stage than the similarly aged Hans Nielsen and look what Hans achieved! - Best 16 year old I've ever seen and probably ever will! Despite his dark, illicit side which indicate a loathsome persona Michaels actually a very nice down to earth person, one that was too easily led one assumes. He has long indicated he has no regrets but surely deep down he must know that he could of been up there with the likes of Mauger, Rikardsson and Fundin in terms of title wins!

I don't think crowds would drop by 50 % by not having "star" riders about because in reality not many of the Worlds top 30 riders compete in the UK anyway, haven't done for a number of years now and In real terms the smaller amount of fans (compared to years gone by) )that still go to British speedway meetings have long since gotten used to the idea. Also theirs probably not enough interest from current non speedway spectators to potentially come along just cause some foreign guy who finished in the top 10 of previous seasons GP has signed for their local club. Likewise I don't think that most fans nowadays necessarily view watching the highest level of speedway as the be all and end all. The better the rider, the less mistakes they make, the faster they become which both add up to overtaking become much harder and less likely which is a key element to good racing. This is why NL racing is often better entertainment. My local NL track Mildenhall have in my opinion made the correct decision in staying in the lower cost, mainly amateur 3rd tier of British speedway because moving up into the Championship (2nd tier) would increase outgoings on rider wages and travel costs massively but crowd levels wouldn't go up enough to cover these extra costs. This was proved in the 2006-08 spell when Mildenhall moved into the 2nd Division. Likewise 2nd Division clubs moving up to the top flight have found the same thing as well for years now! I do get your theme of British speedway being reborn cause I think sooner rather than later British speedway will have to evolve into a mainly part time, lower level status and clubs and riders will have to cut their respective cloths accordingly. This will involve not paying out big time wages if the crowds can't pay for it, less expensive overseas and/or top level riders and riding on racenights that suit the individual clubs not the F.I.M. While I can't see British speedway returning to the halcyon days of the 70's I do think theirs enough interest for it to be sustainable if run within its limitations and more locally based riders are found that would help to stimulate interest!

Certainly! As a matter of interest, how many open meetings did Poole have in their "non League" season? A poster mentions Middlesbrough on the "lost" list but Redcar is in all but name Middlesbrough speedway. I believe the Redcar name is used because the track is situated in Redcar just outside the Middlesbrough boundary and is a nod to the Redcar authorities who allowed the speedway facility there to be built. Certainly another track in Middlesbrough wouldn't be built in opposition to Redcar! Is Iwade speedway still open for practice sessions? My own personal viewpoint on the future of speedway in this Country is that eventually with land prices and poor crowds the sport will continue to decline until the professional League(s) will be down to about 10 teams at the most. Then any other tracks still about will all ride in an amateur, grassroots, low cost League and thats where seeds of growth can appear. Their is an urban myth among many that top level racing is the be all and end all but that isn't the case. Quite often lower level racing can provide more interest than the top level where riders make less mistakes and are too fast to overtake. Speedway in East Anglia is a prime example cause Mildenhall speedway in the 3rd Division more often than not provides better value for money than its two top neighbouring tracks King's Lynn and Ipswich. Indeed Lynn and Ipswich who have long traditions of staging top flight racing have had resurgences after dropping down into 2nd Division racing. Hopefully one day sports venues will have more protection from the government if those in power will ever recognise the importance of having outlets for the population. Venues like Exeter, Cradley, Coventry, Arena Essex to name but a few should have had preservation orders on them ensuring their survival as sports venues.

That's exactly what I meant, cause I knew the Pirates had a year out of the Leagues! Lets hope Poole speedway survives the present concerns about its future!

100%! I still live in hope that I may just be around long enough to speedway back in Norwich! Whilst speedway is seemingly on a one street to oblivion, I can still see a future for it cause at grassroots level it is just about sustainable cause theirs still much interest. The future may well be basic tracks in fields like Somerset/Scunthorpe/Buxton run by enthusiasts with facilities built up over time and riders being part time.