steve roberts

....I agree with most of your points however dinosaurs were hugely successful living in various guises for hundreds of million years before becoming extinct...which is more than the human race will achieve or, indeed, the sport of speedway!

That was obviously the case once upon a time but as you say things are very different now with people's expectations. Not sure how it can be changed, however, considering that many promotions only rent/lease their stadiums. I used to watch 'The Rebels' during their three seasons at Wood Lane and the stadium was magnificent...so was the racing sometimes...but it didn't offer the best view in many people's eyes. Trouble is that stadiums like White City, Wimbledon, Crayford, Oxford and now Coventry amongst many others have disappeared for differing reasons and the fan base is no longer there to be able to construct a stadium that compares with non-league/amateur football never mind premiership standard. Football received many incentives from successive Governments but, alas, speedway and/or greyhound stadiums were left to fend for themselves. I've not been to the new Belle Vue so can't comment but Hyde Road offered tremendous racing in a stadium that was beginning to show it's age and suffered thru' the Taylor Report amongst other things. Really chicken and egg scenario and I, for one, have no answers however basic facilities like toilets and catering are a must and I do remember on my visits around the country that these basic needs varied considerably!

I did exactly the same for thirty plus years travelling the country experiencing all sorts of racing in all sorts of stadia...the racing was more important to me than the surroundings.

A point I have often made in the past. The racing, surely, is the most important thing but unfortunately the public now expect more in the way of facilities and speedway will never be able to match football ground standards (with massive incentives from successive Governments) hence the problem the sport now faces.

Saw Ronnie ride twice during his last season in Britain (1972) and it was clear then what a class act he still was. I remember him scoring 14 points at Poole whilst riding for 'The Dons' and during an end of season challenge at Tilehurst (Reading).

I seem to recall that there was talk (and it may have been just that) of having someone hold a length of rope behind the bikes so as to stop them from moving back once the green light was activated.

...er yes I understand what you were implying with your initial post to which I added an observation that Ronnie could have chosen to ride for either his place of birth, and presumably parentage, Australia (which I understand he seriously considered way back when he started out on his long career) or New Zealand. I recall Mitch Shirra had a similar choice (and if I recall did actually turn out for Australia) before adopting New Zealand although, apparently, he could have ridden for Scotland as well! There's obviously a differential margin where one was born and where one was bred...some people chose either depending on the criteria under discussion whether it sport or other walks of life. PS Having visited Huddersfield I can well understand why your brother regards himself as a Kiwi!

Remember the 1972 World Final, in particular, whereby some riders were so far back from the tapes that they were getting enormous flyers and the referee letting it go much to the bemusement of some that were present.

Bernie (North) Leigh Keith Bloxham Arnold (Hailey) Haley Mark (Sutton Courtenay) Courtenay Nigel (Sparsholt) Sparshott Andrew Appleton Ian Westwell Carl (Brightwell) Baldwin Ray (Moreton) Morton

...Tasmania comes under the flag of Australia so Ronnie was actually born Australian and could have ridden for Australia but chose, instead, to ride for New Zealand...his adopted home.

During Nigel Wagstaff's tenue at Cowley he introduced a post meeting discussion with one or two riders in the bar after the meeting. It proved to be quite popular with the fans I seem to recall.

...because as I have often stated I personally no longer feel that speedway offers good value for money since the demise of second halves and after taking petrol and running costs into consideration a trip to Sheffield doesn't appeal. When I lived in Oxford the track was literally on my doorstop and I continued to attend because of the convenience of same...but during my last ten years attending I very rarely travelled to away matches only taking in Cowley.

I said this right back at the start of SKY transmissions when everyone was getting excited about live TV transmissions...it's fine if the world and his wife are watching from home but it's those who attend their local tracks that count but I was 'shouted down' at the time. I knew of someone who would watch a featured live match from Cowley and preferred to do that rather than walk the half mile to watch it live from the terraces and pay his £15 or whatever the admission was back then. I could sort of understand his logic (saving £15) but if everyone had decided to do that then there would be no speedway to view anyway. Bit like the Play-Offs which apparently attract huge attendances whereby the run of the mill league meetings appear to struggle attracting reasonable crowds?

Dave Clinkard at Oxford. Remember when we took the Oxford coach to the 1988 World Final held in Denmark Dave took an Aunt Sally set with him...should have seen the look on the Danes' faces at the hotel when it was decided to have a game!

...I was of the same view when I used to watch SKY televised matches at a friend's house. Call me old fashioned (and plenty do!) but I personally find it irritating when a woman presenter fronts a motor sport event but I'm not naive enough not to know reasons why!

Ivan Mauger suggested this many decades ago when he stated that those from the other side of the world gave up a lot (like home comforts) in an attempt to make a success of it in Britain. Generally they were more hungry (even in it's recognised sense) unlike many British riders who had a warm bed and hot meal to go back home to.

Conny Samuelsson...there was an enigma! Put in superlative performances at both Coventry and Swindon (?) but just couldn't master Cowley. Surprised he wasn't given another chance but perhaps his heart was in Ice Racing in which he excelled! (Fred)Rick Timmo married Tom Pricket's (Oxford Start Marshall) daughter during his time at Oxford...hence why Spencer is British born.

Thanks for the confirmation Sid regarding Rafal...I had relocated by then and ceased going to Cowley. Oxford used the R/R/R for Has during 1975...he rode in one official match against Hull plus a couple of challenge matches...one of my favourites! The Lomas/Kilby was a complexed issue. Garry Middleton no longer wanted to ride for Oxford (more's the pity in my view) and a swap was agreed with Coventry although Tony Lomas wasn't keen on a move to Cowley. When Ivan Mauger turned up at Exeter that unsettled Bob Kilby so a swap was involved between Oxford and Exeter. That wasn't the end of the affair, however, and it still gripes with me. Oxford paid a transfer fee for Middleton and when Kilby affectively replaced him he was seen as an Oxford asset but when Bob went back to Swindon in 1975 they refused to pay a fee claiming him to be one of theirs...which he technically was...but, as usual, speedway being speedway Oxford got a bum deal!

I know that Gene Woods rode for Birmingham and, I think, Wimbledon for a short while. Sid just beat me to it as I was typing this! Oxford tried to tempt Jeff Sexton to ride (whether it was just talk of not) during 1974 (?) but nothing came of it. Did he not ride for Oxford or am I thinking of someone else? I seem to recall that Wimbledon were discussing the possibility of Mike Bast riding for them in 1975 but, again, nothing came of it.

I think that Arena Essex (as they were then known) tried this on one occasion whereby admission was free for the one meeting. Apparently at the next meeting the attendance was back to it's usual level...which I guess suggests that potential punters didn't see the appeal in returning when it meant paying for the privilege.

Jerzy Sczakiel

Disliked those race card thingies...I think that Swindon ran with one one season?

I used to collect programmes from all over the UK and abroad and had quite an impressive selection...and than I sold them when I re-located and have regretted it ever since! I have a very small selection now that I have purchased either thru' ebay or visiting antique centres of all places! Haven't a clue what today's programmes offer in the way of content and/or quality. During my years following the sport they varied considerably and no doubt many wouldn't be acceptable today due to poor paper/editorial/content quality. However some my favourites (from memory!) would have included the following (seventies and eighties) 1. Ipswich...if only for John Berry's column which was often near the knuckle. 2. Birmingham...was a quality production during the middle seventies. 3. Eastbourne...Dave Lanning's editorial. 4. Wimbledon...quality paper. 5. King's Lynn. Plus many others if I really put my mind to it.

There was a Rod Fox (Oxford) who would write in the Oxford Programme...never found out who he really was?

...Johnson.