steve roberts

Like most tracks Sid there were both good and poor meetings. Gordon really blossomed as a rider at Wood Lane and became a more complete rider having been brought up on small tracks. No one could ride ride the outside devoid of any real banking better than Marek Cieslak but it was sad to see Dag Lovaas struggling with the track. He was one of very few riders who stuck with the JAP and perhaps it wasn't the best engine for the vast City Bowl? One memorable race was the emerging Kai Niemi who on the last lap passed both Terry Betts and Michael Lee (one on the outside the other the inside) to cross the line first. Another race Gordon outwitting the team riding Ole Olsen and Alan Molyneux! Great memories!

Pleased to say I was a regular when the "Rebels" located to Wood Lane between 1976 and 1978. Continued to support the "Cheetahs" at Cowley during that period so experienced the best of both worlds! Great days!

I went looking for the site of New Cross some years ago and could vaguely make out where the track once was.

....nothing would surprise me about Osborne having endured him at Cowley when the SOS Committee stepped in to save the stadium from re-development.

Yes I was a Grammar School laddie and it was Union...not being of particular big build (still not!) used to get flattened by all the fat kids (and those who thought themselves 'hard' and got away with what most would consider bullying tactics) who 'excelled' at Rugby but who were hopeless at everything else sportwise!

...to be honest Rugby could re-invent itself numerous times and It still wouldn't grab my interest having being forced to play the wretched game at school!

Obviously enjoyed re-living Gordon's career and especially enjoyed reading Bobby's interview which I found to be very refreshing in outlook!

...even used to turn off the fairy lights strung up around the track at both Swindon & Poole!

Personally I used to prefer watching speedway under lights especially at Oxford where the lighting was second to none!

The same scenario existed during the Purchase tenure at Cowley.

West Ham, New Cross, Southampton, Norwich & Great Yarmouth.

I would have continued going to Oxford for as long as it was operating as it was only a short walk for me. Since re-locating to York I've not been to a speedway (nearest being Sheffield I would guess?) as I would expect more than just 15 heats of racing to entice me to spend petrol money and time spent travelling.

When I helped out just prior to the Wagstaff era and had access to the track I was surprised how banked it was as it wasn't always noticeable from the terraces. When Hans joined the "Cheetahs" he advised that the bends be brought in to allow for more lines. Personally I think if the bends were brought in any more you'd end up with a too tight track just like when Eastbourne messed around with the first and second bend and ruined the racing in my opinion with riders almost coming to a stop at the apex. When the Cowley track was prepared by Barry Strange and John White (I think that was their names?) the track was second to none with just the right amount of grip and opportunities to pass inside and out.

A lot would depend on who takes on the responsibility and finance of upgrading the stadium? It's very admirable those volunteers who are involved (as I would be if I lived close by) who are doing great things but money will have to be found making the buildings/structures safe and everything else when mananging a stadium. When I saw a photo inside the main grandstand it looked to be in a shocking state of disrepair. It may well be the plan to limit the public to areas where substancial upgrading is at a minimum certainly in the near future with plans to expand the project when things become more clearer?

I did the Wembley tour and I remember that there was no mention of speedway...it was all geared towards its football history.

If I ever re-visited the Island (I haven't been since the early nineties) I would certainly visit the speedway there...sounds a lot of fun to me!

Seem to recall that Arena Essex operated for one meeting only free entry for all and attracted a big crowd...however crowd levels returned to normal thereafter.

Oxford, White City, Eastbourne, Hackney, Swindon.

Thanks Sid...I can never remember!

...which is the very question I put the then stadium spokesperson via an email who strongly denied it. History has proved that I was correct in my assumption.

Thanks for that. Hans was desperate to be part of a winning team and the Oxford Promotion gave him that missing criteria that he so craved and I guess that was reflected in his bonus point tally. Yes he wasn't so dominant in his later years at Cowley as things started to tail off but perhaps one factor was that the heat formula decreed that there be a top scorers nominated heat? Without checking I wonder if maximums generally were on the downward turn due to the example I gave plus fixed gates (can never remember when they were introduced)?

How many paid maximums did Hans achieve Sid?

Ole Olsen was another who would team ride however the difference being he had to be first across the line!

Hans Nielsen was another rider that winning races was not always the most important thing when riding for Oxford...the number of times I witnessed him shepherding his team mate home are too numerous to mention. A great team man of his and any other era.

Nielsen, Rasmussen, Kennett, Lovaas Brothers. But the list would probably be different tomorrow?