steve roberts

Sad news indeed. He was recently featured in the "Classic Speedway" magazine. RIP

Mitch Shirra tells the story that Coventry riders were told to drop points with a view of being able to fit them in the following season.

...or loop the loops!

Henny Kroeze maybe another worth looking at...remember he was the first rider, I think, to score a 21 pont maximum?

...seem to recall this being a suggestion put forword some years ago? May have been from Olsen?

Yes having looked at it again I can see that I find it difficult differentiating between black and green...and I'm 'only' sixty!

Thanks again...I'm having some great nostalgic fun accessing the files.

Not sure when riders were expected to supply their own helmet colours...mid/late eighties I'm guessing? Prior to that it was the job of the residing colour marshall to administer the required item...I think? I remember Garry Middleton being called back on more than one occasion when he attempted to take his place in the starting line up with his 'Day-Glo' Orange helmet and was made to cover it with a red helmet colour.

It's funny how the memory play tricks and as one who was at the meeting I'm not sure if the drama was broadcasted to the fans at the time and only came to light on the TV broadcast?

As I say I've only just started using it (don't why it took me so long?) and it's a great resource...I've had problems today trying to open up some of the year options. I'll try again later.

Thanks for that!

I'm not able to access "Speedway Researcher" for some reason...only just started using it. A great source of information.

Hans was the same at Cowley and wore a white one away from home.

I seem to recall Trevor Geer doing that during the 1977 season at Poole?

You're coming up with right 'corkers' chunky. I'm going to check out Gordon Kennett's record during the 1977 season when at the commencement of the season he was often taking two Rider Replacement rides.

Good analysis.

Slightly off tangent but as much as I enjoy analysing rider's averages I've always believed there is much more to a rider's ability than just the statistical....that just tells part of the story. I always use John Davis and Gordon Kennett as parallel examples in that their averages for many years compared favourably with each other's but the way they went about accumulating their points was often very different. Two great talents but Gordon was the better all round rider in my opinion (and I did see a lot of them during theire fomative years at Cowley and elsewhere)

...whether it was moaning about wet tracks (he originally refused to ride at Wood Lane one year but then went out and got the track record) or tyres (recall the Spring Classic one year) or silencers...and he even used to moan to Ivan about Hans messing him up in one race or another. And, of course, he was never going to join the 'Rebels" which was great in hindsight as we got the majestic Dag Lovaas in his place! Even Anders was once quoted as saying of him that he was a miserable old so and so!

I guess when helmets became bigger with riders preferring the full face variety but helmet colours remained the same in design. I recall that there was a time when riders just placed the relevant colour under the goggle strap (remember, also, when riders wore colour identification on their right arm?) Eventually, of course, riders were required to invest in their own colours.

Olsen would moan about most things I remember if things didn't go his way.

Absolutely...recall it being televised also. Perhaps Speedway Researcher (which I've only recently accessed...a superb body of work) will confirm? Having checked it appears that Olsen wasn't excluded but retired from the race but was hoping for a re-instatement. Unfortunately I no longer have my programmes.

I was at that meeting...recall Olsen grinding to a halt and being excluded although he went to great pains wanting to get re-instated despite it being his own helmet colour that got caught up in his chain!

Recall King's Lynn winning at Hackney 57-20 in early 1980 and all appeared 'doom and gloom' only for the "Hawks" to turn their season round and nearly pulling off the championship.

John Dews was one of my favourites. It was John who kept Billy Sanders at the back in the last heat during the return fixture at Cowley thus earning the "Rebels" a win...payback time! Great memories!

...and, unfortunately, never likely to as long as Clark Osborne is involved.