Graham

MJFC You must have started going a little while before me but I felt exactly the same way about speedway as a youngster. There was something about Glasgow during the Blantyre era which really appealed to me and you've mentioned most of them. I remember lots of people at Blantyre 1 wearing the club jacket which had the name "TIGERS" in red letters horizontally down a white panel on the arm. I'm sure you remember them too. In fact you still see one or two people wearing them at Ashfield. A bit tragic I suppose but at least they've got the use out of them. One of those little things which kind of sums up the 1970s. I think that Coatbridge won it one year. To be honest most of the girls were pretty ordinary looking but I'm sure people kept reading just in case some 70s babe in a wet t-shirt turned up. Speaking of t-shirts, remember the World Final t-shirts that came out every year and were usually advertised in the Speedway Star by a pouting female model? Other things about 70s speedway; Quirky, short-lived tracks e.g. Hevingham, Castleford, Ashington, Paisley, Newtongrange. Results of winter meetings at Iwade in the Star The Chopper Bike Champioships each November at Belle Vue. Feisty articles in the Glasgow programme, particulalrly Ian Steel's visitors page.

I suppose you could refer to one of the threads about long careers, but Nigel Boocock rode in the 1950s, 60s, 70s & 80s. Neil and Les Collins spanned the 1970s, 80s, 90s and 00s as did Bobby Schwartz. In fact if Boogaloo can hang on in there for another couple of years in the US he'll have ridden competitively in five different decades. While never an established league rider, the late George Wells rode in the 1960s, 70s, 80s, 90s & 00s.

There was an interview with Buttigieg in the now-defunct Automobile Sport magazine back in 1983. I've still got it somewhere and I'm sure he mentioned injuries as the reason he quit speedway. A bit like Barry Lee in that he's an ex-speedway rider who found success in another form of motorsport. Won the European Superkart title four times. Graham.

Hi there Can anyone give me details of the meetings held at Ashington in 1972? I believe that was the only season of racing there and they only staged two meetings. Thanks in advance, Graham.

Not a league meeting, but didn't Exeter thrash a Russian touring side 78-18 early in the 1990 season?

Although I was only there once, the old Belle Vue made a real impression on me. I was taken by the decaying splendour of the place - the old stands, the big pacy track and the mural over the entrance overlooking the second bend. Also the surrounding area which in the 1980s was in serious decline - the old exhibition halls out the back and derelict pubs on Hyde Road itself. It just had something. Thank god I visited it before it closed. I feel genuinely privileged having done so, and it's something no-one under twenty years of age will have experienced. If British speedway had a "mecca" then Hyde Road was surely it. I remember the first think I looked for when I got into the stand was the drains on the inside of the kerb. I'd read that one of them had seriously injured Peter Collins a few years earlier when he rode over it. Sure enough they were still there, but neat and tidy and well away from the edge of the track. What'e there now? A crappy car auction and a boring multiplex. This is progress? Graham.

I'm a bit surprised that no-one so far has mentioned either Les Collins (1975-2003) or Neil Collins (1978-2006) both of whom had league careers of over 25 consecutive seasons. I'm also sure that Nigel Boocock used to appear in the Guinness Book of Records for the longevity of his career (1955-1980). Graham.

Drinking beer out of those wobbly plastic pint glasses. David Walsh scoring 20 points for Glasgow there in 1994. Weird crossword-style racecards in the programme. Not a great stadium but a decent racers track. A sad loss for British speedway. Graham.

In this article Drury claims to have been the second-highest points scorer in the 1977 British League behind Gordon Kennett of White City. It's incorrect. Although it was a fine season for him there wee a few riders who scored more points than him - Dave Jessup, Billy Sanders and Michael Lee as well as Kennett. Mind you Drury is second to Kennett in terms of the number of rides taken. Graham.

Jim, Your brother did indeed set the lap record for that category, averaging 77.40mph on 30 August 1965. However it was broken several times before the circuit's closure in October 1972. The last 350cc record was set at 80.50mph by B Ditchburn on a Yamaha on 3 April 1972. Flicking through the book again I'd forgotten how good it was. A real labour of love by Mr Parfitt. For the record I got my copy in Motor Books in Headington, Oxford. I believe they also have branches in Swindon and London. They have a website too: http://www.motorbooks.co.uk/ Graham.

I've got an excellent book called Racing at Crystal Palace by Philip Parfitt. Published in the early 1990s, it concentrates mainly on motor racing and motorcycle road racing, but it does have a full chapter devoted to speedway. Might be worth looking on Amazon for it if you're interested. It's a first class motorsport book. Graham.

Hi there Does anyone remember this meeting? I'm looking for some information about it, namely (1) Venue (Sheffield or Coventry?) (2) Exact date (3) Scorers (4) Was the meeting televised? It was quite common for British Finals in the 70s to be featured on the BBCs Sportsnight programme. Can anyone recall if this was one of them? Thanks in advance, Graham.

These weren't, strictly-speaking, neutral track meetings. Like Glasgow in 1987 the track may have been distant from the town in question but the team still wore the red and blue helmet colours and the venue was still designated "home" even though it was associated with another team. A minor error - Berwick's meetings at Glasgow were in fact at the Blantyre Greyhound track and not Craighead Park which didn't open until the following season. Any advance on 1971 for the most recent meeting held at a neutral track? Graham.

Hi everyone How many speedway matches (not including shared events) have been held at neutral tracks? Regarding my own club I can think of four examples: Glasgow v Sheffield (1948, Edinburgh) Glasgow v Edinburgh (1949, Ashfield) Glasgow v Edinburgh (1953, Motherwell) Glasgow v Cradley Heath (1971, Belle Vue) I'm sure there must be lots of other examples from the past so let's hear about them. I'd also be interested as to the reasons why the neutral venue was chosen. I'm also struggling to remember the last time a neutral track was used for a challenge match. Any suggestions? Cheers, Graham.

The Blue Peter book from 1985 has an article on the demolition of the London one, and it also mentions the plethora of white-painted buildings in the area at the time. Hence the name. I've always been slightly curious as to why the name was copied at other stadiums around the country in the first half of the 20th century. Graham.

Hi everyone Did any of you ever see this team in action? I've always been slightly curious about this short-lived team, which seems almost to have been forgotten about. Why wasn't the "Long Eaton" name used at the time? Why was this venture an apparent failure and why was the original name revived a couple of years later? Similarly if you've got any random memories of Nottingham, let's hear them. Graham.

Stephen also rode at Coatbridge early in 1977. There's a brief profile and small photo of him in one of the programmes. Was apparently a cabinet-maker at that time. What's he up to these days? Graham.

Friday 7th April 1978. The score was as you say but Bert Harkins was the one who blew the perfect score. He was excluded for bringing down Keith Bloxsome in heat 12. I notice that a lot of people are talking about seeing meetings which finished 65-12, 64-14, 65-0, 75-15 etc. Has there ever been a speedway match which finished with the exact score of 65-13? Graham.

Regarding last week's Eastbourne v Poole challenge match where a new scoring sytem was tried out, was this a revival of the system Boston used a couple of times during the 1979 season or was it something different? Looking at the 1980 yearbook I noticed the Barracudas won one match (v Peterborough) 3-2 and drew another (v Nottingham) 2-2. One of Cyril Crane's ideas perhaps? Would be grateful for any memories or information about these two meetings. Graham.

That's the thing though. It hasn't saved them a penny. When the rule change was announced at the end of 2003, you can be sure that every EL and PL rider of any stature got his calculator out and worked out how much he would lose through not having "traditional" t/s rides available to him the following season. This loss would undoubtedly have been factored into pay negotiations for 2004. So there you have it. A silly rule which has also proven to be a false economy. Graham.

Why does averyone who advocates a return to the old t/s rule suggest a ban on them in heat 8? Do not give me any rubbish about protecting young defenceless riders from big, bad, nasty heat leaders. They learn far more from racing these guys than they do against fellow reserves who they've already met earlier in the match. Besides it was always very satisfying to see tac subs come a cropper in heat 8 or 14. Heat 8 tac subs? Bring them on I say. Graham.

Belle Vue were away touring in Russia and, as someone rightly mentioned, there was therefore a blank date at Hyde Road. Glasgow and Cradley Heath were invited to take part in a neutral-track challenge as they were considered to be the two best visiting sides to Belle Vue in 1971. For the record Glasgow won 47-31. There were two "star" guests, Ivan Mauger riding for the Tigers and Ole Olsen for the Heathens. This was probably a reasonably successful venture. Younger fans probably don't appreciate just how much of a night out Saturday at Belle Vue was prior to the 1980s. There was so much to do there quite apart from the speedway and thousands flocked to the area at the weekend. Changed days. This wasn't a unique occurence at Hyde Road. On June 4 1977 the Aces were away (at Cradley I think) and the stadium was used for the National League Pairs championship. Bizarrely Glasgow's remaining riders (i.e. minus Collins and Dawson) were winning 40-38 in a challenge match at Berwick the very same night. The meetings at Berwick and Cradley must have had some impact on the attendance at Belle Vue and for me shows how complacent the authorities were at that time. It wouldn't be allowed nowadays.

You are correct. Bike racing was first staged at Crystal Palace (on the paths) back in 1926. Proper circuit racing arrived at CP in 1935 and lasted until 1972. Gerry Marshall (who sadly died just a couple of months ago) won the last ever car race there on September 23 1972. A kart meeting was held at Crystal Palace on October 21 1972 but that was the last time the circuit was used. Parts of the track were used occasionally for autotests and rally stages but I believe the circuit is now in danger of disappearing altogether. For photos and information about Crystal Palace, try here: http://www.racingcircuits.net/archives/Cry...alace/mm04.html Incidentally the book you refer to was possibly Racing at Crystal Palace by Phillip Parfitt, published in 1991. I've got a copy and it really is superb, one of the best motorsport books I've read in actual fact. Graham.

Hi everyone. I'm looking for information about the above track at Haldon racecourse, near Exeter. I believe that it may, like Chasewater, have been used just once for a longtrack meeting in the seventies. Would be grateful for any information or memories of this venue. Cheers, Graham.

As a child I can remember coming in from school and just catching the end of this on Channel 4. It was unusual to see Speedway on daytime telly (and still is). It seemed a rather strange event and obviously the World Games (which featured non-0lympic sports) didn't really catch on. I'm quite curious about this and wondered if any of you had details or memories of this meeting. Cheers, Graham.