FAST GATER

Doyle's own fault IMO if he had done that to the likes of Hancock he may have backed off but a young "buck " is not intimidated in the same way if you live by the sword as they say .Doyle was a worthy Champ last year but I think that most riders are aware of his robust style now and deal with it which IMO has lead to his poor position this season in the GP'S .

You have the "world champ "in your team as well !

Have we finally put FRN " to bed " they will not help the sport in this country , just "KILL" it off more quickly IMO more weekend meetings would be the answer but we have the GP circus to thank for that not happening !

Have always thought FRN will do nothing to bring back the so called big names reduce R/R or Guests and may even inflict further damage to the sport in this country ,the best way is with MONEY which is sadly in short supply as well !

The very first speedway race I ever saw had Cyril in at Ellesmere Port May 1972 against Berwick ( if my memory sevres me right replacing Ken Moss in the team ) he was my first s/way hero and even though he was nearly at the end of his career .I spent quite a bit of time talking to him and he had rubbed shoulders with all the greats of the 60's but was extremely modest about his own achievements yet I believe that he was a team rider through and through . RIP Cyril and my condolences to his family .

RIP to me he was IMO the greatest rider of all time and changed the way riders went about their trade .a true trailbazer who has left his mark on our sport for ever .I hope that there will be some form of lasting recognition for him for future generations to remember the great man by .

Remember seeing him at the start of his career at Elle Port (sporting orange leathers )knew he was the real deal then great little racer never stopped trying . I for one hope he comes back to the sport and it should embrace him with open arms ,we would not have the National Stadium had it not been for his efforts .saw him at Cardiff (working his socks off) selling bricks to get the thing built ,I have nothing but admiration for him as a former rider , promoter and the founder of one of the finest stadium for our sport to be raced at .

Just wondered if Paul Hurry had retired from s/way again or might come in if there are injuries during the season ?

Tony Atkin turning out yet again must be the oldest active league rider by now ,what role model to all those youngsters

It was always a pleasure for me to watch a rider who performed at the highest level and made it look easy , he was making a living at one of the most dangerous sport in the world at the same time as well.

IMO he was the biggest influence on the sport from any one rider he had it all and was the complete package ,no other rider has struck me like that although may have been exceptional riders in certain ways it was had to fault him in any department as it were.

Mauger Briggo/Fundin Olsen/Ricko Mauger gets top place IMO he changed the sport from many points of view making it more professional and setting high standards with consistent performances at team level particularly day in day out. For sheer style and skill on a bike he was a dream to watch ( Hans is the nearest I ever saw to match him on a bike IMO ) but with all the above there is very little to choose between them and there is the issue of different eras of course . I do think out of five of them Ivan could and would have succeeded at anytime in speedway because he was able to adapt to any situation ,the only time I can remamber him capitulating under pressure was of course the 1973 w/final ,the one that did get away from him without a doubt .

He also rode for Crewe if my memory serves me correctly ,he would only be in his early 60's I would have thought nice enough and friendly chap to talk to .

I can only wish you the best of luck and hope that you come to "tapes" in 2018 ,talking of the past i used to love the Diamond's visits to Elle Port in the 70's the Owens against Jacko and Finch were great times in our sport at NL level IMO. Graham Thomas always seemed half a step ahead of the ruling body and his fellow promoters but that was his cunning and guile approach to the sport OH how we(and the sport) miss him !!!!

Dean makes some very good points we used to buy new Jawas in the 70's and the riders ripped them apart ,new guards ,handle bars ,seats ,levers ,fuel tanks and wheels .This made the bikes look better and that was about all it did ,this has now escalated to engines .The excuse used for stripping the bike was weight loss but as I have said Briggo used any guards etc he could lay his hands on and was not as light weight or small as the likes of Ivan but was no slouch on a bike . IMO it's the fellow twisting the throttle that makes the diffence if they are even matched from a mechanical point of view every time and should never be the one with the deepest pockets .

Please do not misunderstand what I was saying ,I meant that most riders do not earn enough from their speedway careers to retire from work there after . With regards sponsorship Dean is spot on we sponsored 4 riders in the 70's and non of them ever said thanks for the help which ran into thousands of pounds a year and was ultimately the reason we stopped .

A simple question Dean did you retire from the sport wealthier than you started from your on track performances ,did you make a living or was it always a paying hobby as it were ?. IMO unless you are an exceptional rider with most if not all of your costs met by sponsorship etc you merely make a living wage ,I base this on the fact that the vast majority of riders retire and enter into ( not that there is anything wrong in this) average jobs .

It is sad that the GTR has not taken off as it was hoped but it is no real surprise in this sport ,all riders seem interested in is speed and how their machinery looks .I was once at a meeting in the 70's when I saw a Jawa that looked like it was ready for the "bin" ,the rider went on to score max and happened to be one Barry Briggs who reputedly spent as little as possible on his machinery even using other riders cast offs . My point being that if riders were to accept don't need to spend huge sums on tuning etc and concentrate on setting bikes up to suit conditions to gain an edge the whole GTR or similiar type of engines might just catch on .

IMO looking at the total sum raised from the sale it was not a huge amount ( no one can argue that Ivan was one of if not the greatest riders this sport has seen) in comparison to most other m/sports and I for one am sad that the collection has had to be sold .The value to the family I am sure was priceless and parting with it was more than a little heartbreaking under circumstances,I hope that it is able to help Ivan enjoy what time he has left in the most comfortable manner possible .

I think it was down to Alan's riding style which was quite distinctive from memory .

He retired from riding to become promoter of Bradford where he had ridden as captain and their number one ,had a very unusual arrangement with his handlebars as I remember .They were set off centre (50/70 mm) to the right i assume to help him in the corners ,they really looked strange but he was a top rider in the old NL .

IMO the best league/team rider I have ever seen I will miss him but I am also glad he has left fit and at the top of his game all the best PK

Well looks like Doyle's to lose now and fair play he has done the business and come back well after last year.Not my favourite rider but it would be churlish to argue that he will not be a worthy champion and has won the title fair and square. IMO it is sad not to see Grin race a full season as W/C and NP injured as I think that we have seen the last of both of them on the GP stage , we now have a changing of the guard and ironically Doyle bridges the generational gap .

I agree with that totally !

So you do all this and then what happens if these TOP riders decide not to come back ,on the Doyle thread he is moaning about the state of tracks in this country .Make no mistake which ever riders you are dealing with MONEY is the most important element of the whole negotiation every time ,which is quite right as they are self employed guns for hire to the highest bidder !!!!