Bavarian

I wonder what that third one was? I only know of two tracks in Argentina, both in Buenos Aires, Huracan and River Plate, and of course one other track at Montevideo in Uruguay.

The Aussie Championship meeting at Kurri Kurri has been abandoned due to unsafe track conditions ! The Jeff Gittus Sidecar Memeorial at Pinjar Park International Speedway in Perth is a beauty to watch on the livestream. I love the variety of different solo and sidecar classes in this meeting.

Cool, Tai Woofinden as passenger with Trent Headland in the 1000cc sidecars. Good that they don't exclude for tape touching, but instead send the offender back to the 15yard penalty startline ! Provides us with a bit of handicap racing, with Headland / Woffinden off the 15m start going from 4th to second place. Love that ! Great TV quality coverage from Pinjar Park this is worth watching, folks !

You can watch it live here http://www.speedway-forum.de/index.php?thread/18164-speedway-live-stream-s/&postID=344426#post344426

very poor meeting at Kurri Kurri tonight, certainly not a good advert for solo speedway in Australia Better to watch Tai Woffinden in a1000cc sidecar at the Pinjar Park Speedway over in Perth, Western Australia https://www.facebook.com/PinjarPark/photos/a.10152390793038027/10156852547463027/?type=3&theater

Very interesting, and that's quite the same story that Max Grosskreutz told the press. But it just can't have been so in 1933, because only Hitler's 50th birthday, which was April 20, 1939, was a public holiday. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Führergeburtstag

and still some more - The Crocker Story https://thevintagent.com/2017/04/15/the-crocker-story/ I wonder if that's Fay Taylour posing on a Crocker speedway machine in one of those pictures?

Here is another interesting LINK to an article in the Motorcyclist of 1933 about the first appearances of the Crocker speedway machines ridden by the Milne Brothers at the Emeryville Speedway in Oakland, Northern California, in November of 1933.

here https://www.bikermetric.com/vintage-bike-of-the-day-1934-crocker-speedway/

I have this 1934 advert for the Crocker dirt track bike, and on the four corners are small pictures of race events. Bottom left reads Mexico City 1933. The others are Los Angeles 1931 (top left), San Diego 1932 (top right), and Oakland 1933 (bottom right)

the Californians went there and ran several meetings in Mexico City ca.1933/34 but it was a one-off tour and as far as I know rhe sport did not catch on in Mexico.

Fay Taylour first came to Australia at the end of 1928, and she made her racing debut in front of a record crowd at the Claremont Speedway in Perth on January 5, 1929. She made a brilliant first appearance, defeating Frank Brown (N.S.W.) in a match race in a very fast time. Her attempt to break the three-lap record at the next meeting on January 12, unfortunately ended due to bike problems with only a few laps of the opening lap covered. She did not appear again during the evening, and it was announced that she would make her attempt at the next meeting. A considerable stir was caused by the announcement of W.A. Speedways Ltd. that she would not appear at the next meeting on January 19. The following official statement was issued by W.A. Speedways: "After her first ride on her first appearance here, we looked forward to seeing some wonderful racing put up by Miss Taylour. Nevertheless, we were disappointed that she did not fulfill the engagements billed for that night, but we were more disappointed still that she did not complete her ride on the second occasion for which she was billed. This, we understand, was due to mechanical trouble. We think, however, that a person who has been billed to make a record attempt and has brought two machines to the State, would have both in readiness. Apparently Miss Taylour placed all her faith in the one machine. It was announced last Saturday night that Miss Taylour would make her record attempt next Saturday night. At this coming meeting, however, Miss Taylour will not ride." Fay Taylour replied vigorously to the Statement of the W.A.Speedways director (Mr. E. Baker): "His statement is quite unfair, and he has taken the liberty of cutting me out of the programme because he will not agree to put up special prize money ($50) for an international match race between myself and Sig. Schlam. "Mr. Baker has said in his Statement that I did not fulfill my engagements. That is not true because actually I did not have any engagements. Before my arrival at Perth, Mr.Baker, without my consent, advertised me to appear in no fewer than three events, in addition to the usual preliminaries. That is too much to ask of any rider after 40 days' journey aboard ship and taking into account that the riding conditions and the ground were both strange. I told him that on the day I arrived. "Unfortunately I am not under contract with W.A.Speedways. I came to Australia and brought my two machines from England, entirely at my own expense. It was most unfortunate last Saturday that the armature shaft in my magneto broke. I am sure that I was more disappointed than the people who had come to see the racing. I am anxious to appear, but Mr. Baker has cut me out next Saturday. As far as I can see, it is only a childish whim. He knows that I am prepared to ride next Saturday under the same conditions as last Saturday." This is Mr. Baker's reply: "Her complaint that she was entered in three events on her first appearance on Janaury 5 without her authority, was ridiculous. She was entered for the match race, scratch race, and A-grade handicap. These being the three principal events and those which every visiting rider competed in, thus giving them the opportunity of winning the maximum amount of prize money." Mr. Baker said that although he met Miss Taylour on arrival a few days before her first appearance, and saw her frequently after, she did not ask for the nominations to be withdrawn. It was not until she had won her match race with Frank Brown, that she told him she had been advised not to start in the other two events. "Regarding Miss Taylour's statement that she had not been allowed to ride because she had asked for a $50 prize for her match race with Schlam", said Mr. Baker, "this is only partly correct. Miss Taylour demanded a substancial sum as appearance money, and on top of this the substancial prize of $50 for the match race. The management was unable to acede to these extravagant demand, feeling it would be unfair to put her in a position so very different from the other professional riders. She has caused the public great disappointment as she was expected to appear in five events, three on January 5, and two on January 12, but only finished in one. Last week her performance was particularly disappointing. She was advertised to attempt to break a track record and also to ride in a match race with Alf Chick. Her machine broke down, and although she had two machines in the State, she had only taken one to the ground. All experienced riders, who can afford to have two machines, always have both in readiness. When engaged in attempting to break a track record, which is considered a special attraction, a competitor should take every precaution to see that the engagement may be fulfilled." Fay Taylour did not ride in the Claremont Speedway meeting on January 19, but would make another appearance at the track and meet Sig Schlam in a match race in a special association carnival meeting on the following Saturday, January 26. It was in this meeting that Taylour did beat Schlam in the Special International Match Race. In fairness to Schlam, it must be stated that his machine did not function properly. Miss Taylour had the inside and both riders were together for half a lap when the lady shot to the front. She increased her lead to win comfortably by thirty yards. Miss Taylour also made a brilliant, yet unsuccessful attempt to lower the three-lap track record held by Alf Chick. Her time was 1.17 1-5. This was absolutely her last appearance on the Claremont track, as she left for Adelaide by the express on Sunday night. I wonder if Fay Taylour was the very first British dirt track rider ever to race in Australia, or has any other British rider been racing in Australia before her?

nothing on YouTube, but there is a book about him

Should be Enrique Moyano, who rode for the Huracan Speedway in Buenos Aires in 1930/31

From what I remmeber, 1933 was the year when speedway racing (Class C) really got going in the USA (East Coast and West Coast). That was the time when one of the local Mafia bosses in New York City got the idea that there was money to be made with this speedway thing. Hoskins had a meeting in one of the Skyscrapers in down town Manhattan with that man, and afterwards decided that this was not for him and got out of New York pretty quick.

Thanks, that is a great photograph of that opening meeting of the 1933 season at Hamburg I can add an aerial picture of the Dirt-Track-Bahn at Hamburg-Lokstedt

The fatal crash of German rider Walter Diener on Sunday, August 17, 1986 happend in an international grass-track meeting at Schwarme.

Just discovered the same with another German rider Herbert Bauer, who lost his life at Pfarrkirchen on September 7, 1968. He is listed twice, the second time as Herbert Farmer, which of course is only the English translation of the German word "Bauer".

Seems that THIS is the place in Patagonia, where Armando Castanga feels an SGP could take place in the near future. He is already over in Argentna to talk to some influential people in Bahia Blanca and Neuquen. Lot's of work to do at both places. https://translate.google.de/translate?sl=es&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lanueva.com%2Fnota%2F2019-12-23-21-27-0-speedway-armando-castagna-se-llevo-una-gran-impresion-tras-conocer-la-nueva-pista and https://translate.google.de/translate?sl=es&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fneuquendeportes.com%2Fel-referente-maximo-del-speedway-estuvo-en-la-zona%2F

Right, that was the lovely Nanae Okamoto back in 1964 - and here are some motion pictures of her riding on an Australian speedway track ! https://www.britishpathe.com/video/VLVACC3RI6JBIDVE9J2LVYSV237CM-JAPANS-SPEEDWAY-GIRL-IN-AUSTRALIA/query/PRETTY

Örnskoldvik look the tougher of the two qualifiers.

Does anybody know if there will be any ice speedway in Switzerland this winter ?

This week's Speedway Star has an interesting 4-page feature story about the future of sports & speedway on television.

Castagna says he will soon go to Argentina to take a look at a potential new track for SGP there, in the remotest of provinces - Patagonia ! Local speedway enthusiasts, including the former rider Claudio Schmit and current rider Mariano Diaz, had built their own track down there about ten years ago. It is located near a small village called Cervantes, several miles east of the town of General Roca, and about 100km east of the region's major city called Neuquén, which has an urban population of 225,000. The city and surrounding area have a population of more than 340,000 making it the largest in Patagonia. See Wikipedia for more information about the City of Neuquén https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuqu%C3%A9n See Google maps for the exact location of the speedway at Cervantes https://www.google.de/maps/@-38.9760665,-67.7428178,34373m/data=!3m1!1e3 The speedway track at Cervantes (Rio Negro Province) is not much more than a dirt oval track with hardly any facilities, and they have not even held any Argentinean national champioship meetings so far. But since Neuquén has hosted a few FIM Motocross World Championship meetings in recent years, Castagna thinks they might want to host a Speedway Grand Prix there, too. That's why he is travelling there to have talks with local polititians. Another nice trip for Castagna, shortly after he and SGP race director Phil Morris had been in Australia. I quote a short passage of what Castagna said in the Speedway Star interview: " [...] In Australia I have been based in Adelaide for three days. We had meetings there and ran an FIM Oceania training school. Phil Morrris and Leigh Adams ran it. I was just there supervising and having meetings. Soon I am going to Argentina and I will visit a completely new Stadium. I am also visiting Bahia Blanca, but I am going to visit a new track very far from Buenos Aires, which is in a state called Neuquén. They are already staging other FIM World Championships there. I am going to have a meeting with the polititians there looking toward the future. My dream is to have a GP there in 2023 or 2024 [...]" The complete interview with Castagna in this week's SS makes interesting reading. Here is a link to the Rio Negro Speedway facebook page https://www.facebook.com/FOXMOTOSCIPOLLETTI/ And this is a YouTube Video of the speedway track at Cervantes how it was five years ago in 2014. They are currently completely re-building their speedway track, so we will have to wait and see what they come up with. But will we ever see a SGP in Patagonia? With the F.I.M. and Castagna You never know!

German rider Gerhard Kamm, who was killed in a long-track race at Pfarrkirchen on Sept. 29, 1974, is listed TWICE on this website. Firstly under his correct name of "Kamm", but also under the name of "Comb" which in fact is simply the English translation of his name ("Kamm" in German means "comb" in English)!