Parsloes 1928 nearly

No-one spot the deliberate (NOT!!) mistake!! Of course it should read, Brandon 8th. and Daniel 9th..!!

Ditto! Not only saved me doing it but gives me the times of the three heats I missed!!! Have just filled those times in now and guess wot...: finally the programme has dried out!!!!

I have them all except the first three heats. We got stuck behind a tractor and then in the mist so were a little late!! I'll post 'em later when I have time!!!!

Have you been sucking on that ice lolly too...??!!!

Ove Fundin's comments say it all..!! Though he could perhaps have enjoyed that ice lolly rather more!!!

Thanks for this Jeff. Fuuny enuff I was thinking of doing a similar comparison!! What is does show - contrary to some who've posted on here, though TBF, not yourself... - is that the idea that that one-off World Final produced maverick results and a string of random, undeserved World Champs simply wasn't the case. Indeed between 1950 and 1994 (effectively the 'modern' era of the WF), there were 22 champs (out of a potential 45) and more significantly, those 22 finished in other rostrum (ie 2nd. or 3rd.) positions a remarkable 44 times; with another six unlucky riders finishing on the rostrum more than once withiout claiming top spot. So as the figures show for both the indiv. WF AND the GPs our sport has been blessed with world championships where only the elite have really been able to excel. And sure, Greg is vey much among them... I do think though that a bit of a bigger turn-over of riders if one is to be 'stuck' with a fixed 16 each year would spice things up..!!

QUOTE (Robbie B @ Nov 1 2008, 10:24 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Cearns & Carol Hawkins in the back of my mind somewhere, just won't come too me. I was being a bit cheeky.. The connection is actually with the character that Carol Hawkins went onto play in Please Sir! The original 'Sharon' was played by Penny Wheeler - who after leaving the show was to marry Wimbledon General Manager (now at Stiingbourne's Central Park), Roger Cearns!! For men of a certain age (eg. me), the 'original' Sharon was one of first crushes...: and she was infinitely more sexy than Ms. Hawkins - the latter being far more suited to roles in Carry On movies, which she "graduated" into after Please Sir.. Check out http://www.televisionheaven.co.uk/pleasesir.htm for some px of the lovely Ms. Wheeler/Mrs. Cearns..!!

The Internationale was an FIM event too, though, wasn't it..????

Yes - just. Mauger won his final World title aged 39; the same age as Greg would have to be now if he is to win it again (ie cant now be any sooner than next year). Does anyone, though, seriously believe Greg will win it again..? Personally I'd be delighted if he could - he deserves without question to be a more-than-once world champion; but the sense of inevitability about the GPs suggests he'll remain top four without a sniff at first place.. Which says it all really...

Apologies.. I did, of course, mean the 'run-off' or whatever that 'last chance' meeting's called... Many predicted he would struggle to make any kind of impression in that but, as you say, he scored a creditable nine points..! I can't understand why GP apologists don't seem to want to see exciting new blood in the competition. Personally if I was forking out cash to go across Europe to see these meetings (and yes, I can see the attraction of that - I'm even considering Latvia in August meself...: if only 'er indoors would let me..!! ) I'd want to be seeing some different riders coming in, just for a change if nothing else..!! Watching Greg Hancock become the first pensioner still riding in the World Championship in 2028 doesn't really appeal to me!!!

Wot...: like he was in the World Cup Final... It's attitudes like this which as well as being plain wrong, hold bring the current World Championship into total disrepute... Ronnie Moore rode in a World Final at 17 - without embarrassment!!!

Here's an obscure question..: what's the connection between Carol Hawkins and the Cearns family who ran Wimbledon Speedway/Stadium for so many years..?? It's a little tenuous ..!!!

Surprised no-one has yet posted on either landmark ..: but these last couple of days have seen the 25th. anniversary of the last meetings at both Blackbird Rd., Leicester and London Rd., Crayford... Both were very special to me, as Crayford was my home track; and when I was away at University in '78-'81 it was in Leicester and I regularly attended Leicester Speedway in that period.. Amazing that the two Tuesday night tracks closed within one day of each other (so, obviously one WASN'T on a Tuesday that week ) on 25th. & 26th. October 1983.. My goodness, I do hope the Leicester revival can happen.. As for Speedway back in metropolitan Kent or indeed in any London Borough (Crayford is in LB Bexley..): well, it doesn't look too promising at the mo... Come on then, in this thread you got double value for ya money...: so what are your Crayford and Leicester memories!!?? I'll start with one which uniquely combines the two: an Alan Johns fall in heat 13 denying Crayford a famous win over top division Leicester on May 20th. 1976..: the same day as Tommy Jansson's death in Sweden..

Wot: you're saying Harris WAS top scorer going into the '07 British GP Final..?? You could be right...: but I don't think so!! And no-one said it was a conspiracy...: it's about how important the British (or any other of the early rounds are..) and the answer is, er, not very!!

I see from the photo adorning this week's issue of the Star, that the trophy held aloft by Nicki Pedersen calls the title the following: "FIM Individual Speedway Grand Prix World Championship". I'd not realised that the words 'Grand Prix' had now formally been added to the name of the championship.. My understanding was that when GPs replaced the old World Final this was the same championship but merely decided over a season long competition called 'GPs'. The title on that trophy suggests that, in fact, this is in effect a DIFFERENT championship: a GP World Championship.. Which begs the question, is there in fact room for another separate championship - exactly along the lines of the World U-21 but open to all age ranges, which would be entirely separate from the GP series..? Or is that rather cheap looking plaque on the base of the piece of silverware in Nicki's hands actually got it wrong..??

Well I know Simmo most certainly didn't look around in the deliberate fashion seen at Cardiff in 2007.. I've NEVER seen a rider do that - not at that level or any other..!! Don't know about the Neilsen/Rickardsson run-off as I've never sen that.. BUT the MASSIVE difference was that in the others the World title was a stake. You'll notice my very point was/is that IF this too had been a World Final, there's no way on God's earth Harris would've got past Greg.. And as I said before, witness the guffawing of the Sky commentary team this year when referring back to that incident of the year before.. BTW, did Harris score a maximum or finish top scorer in the heats preceding the Final..?? Surely if he was in the peerless form shazzy talks of, he would've..??

That's right... You used to see the same peanut seller at White City on a Wednesday, Wimbledon on a Thursday, Hackney on a Friday and then I'd see him on the Clock End at Highbury on every other Saturday (doubtless he was slumming it at White Hart Lane the alternate weekends! ). My goodness, what a lucrative trade - and one which was destroyed by the combo. of the Speedway tracks closing and all-seater stadia across London's senior Football clubs.. A shame...

Well, that's right.. The question is, "why".. And when WILL the next rider come through to become 'world class'.. As you say, hasn't happened lately... Personally (and readers won't be surprised to hear this!! ) I think it's related to the closed-nature of the world championship. I personally think that under the old system someone like Eddie Kennett (the more eagle-eyed of you will have picked up on the fact that Eddie's my favourite!!! ) would've been incentivised to push on and challenge for a place in the international elite.. But I concede that, that could be fanciful.. The fact is though as Rob says, there IS a dearth of young riders coming through at the necessary level and I'd have thought that the great & the good MIGHT want to look into why that's the case...

Was the '76 Final that poorly attended..?? I was there but can't recall it being that bad..? This was the very hot summer wasn't it; I remember a stunt man who was going to high-dive into a tank on the centre-green had to be cancelled coz of the 'drought', meaning they weren't allowed to fill the tank.. No rain in a Speedway season..?? Sure WAS a long time ago..!!

I think we have to be more ambitious... A World Cup/Series HAS to be held in one country to be credible as an event. Sure it was a long time ago, but there's no model better to refer to than the 1973 International Tornament (the one sponsored by the Daily Mirror). Unless we can be ambitious enuff to attempt to duplicate thast event, there's no point in going down this road. Spreading over several countries takes away any integrity that such an event would have: it would be less a 'tournament' more a series of linked international matches. My understanding of '73 was that some of the most well-remembered and popular matches were those involving the Eastern Europeans taking on each other: eg Poland vs. USSR etc. Right now, personally, I think a match between those two countries (Substitute Russia for the Soviet Union, obviously..!) held on a GB track would be a fantastic spectacle..: I'd certainly go!!!!

Okay, the 'scenario' I recklessly painted was based on young Emil missing out on a place in reality (which hopefully won't be happening) rather than as you say, some random musings on the subject on the BMF..!! One would sincerely hope and fully expect NO young riders are bothered to read all the old clap-trap the lot of us muse over on this Forum!!!

And with respect, do YOU know what actually young riders feel about a system which exludes them from competing in the GPs.. Eddie Kennett made his opinion pretty clear the other year when deciding against the long qualifying process, knowing that after all the effort, a paltry THREE places were up for grabs. Does anyone truly believe he'd have done that if, say, eight places in a penultimate round saw him through..: into either a WF or indeed a season's long competition. Becasuse when push comes to shove, we may well now be lumbered weith the latter but it DOESN'T have to be a such a closed-shop..!!

Steve: I think that is an absolutely brilliant plan.. As you say, the RU World Cup contains many early matches which are massacres and that' just the way it is... The idea of combining those obviously less appealing to the paying public matches with the big 'uns is a great one. On that model, though, the tournament could be expanded to several other nations (who, less would be more genuine whipping-boys) so that for once the full breadth of the Speedway racing world could be shown. Would be a great way of raising the global profile of the sport and the fact that more than anything else, Speedway IS a team sport...

Why is it? The Under 21 champion doesn't have the luxury of knowing consistent thirds and fourths in a season long series of meetings will get him the title. Among his peers, he has to beat the best and get thru' QRs, very tough semis and then a proper 20 heat Final. The trouble with those in favour of the GPs is you've blinded yourself to some basic facts. Okay, it may (arguably..) be a fair way to assess the world's best to have several rounds and the top aggregate points scorer claims the crown; but nothing can replace the sheer excitement of the one-off Final. To get through such a challenge is the mettle of a true champion.. It takes a lot to know that EVERY race matters totally in pursuit of that ultimate goal... Emil (no, I can't spell his surname... ) has proven twice he can win at that level and this is a huge achievement. It is demeaning then for people to suggest that somehow he's not "ready" for the GPs. To do that really does devalue the championship you obviously rate so highly. I also suspect, in part, it's because he is Russian..: can't believe anyone would be saying this of a Holder or a Tai if they'd won the World U21s two years running...

Er, didn't you hear the commentators at this year's British GP chuckling about it...: actually commenting that Greg might do it again with Scotty (who then broke the tapes to ruin that possibility.. ). Personally I was astonished when I first saw Hancock turn around, clock it was Harris (as opposed to say, Crumpie) and then appear not to take the action necessary to prevent him being passed.. EVERY person I've been with (and yes, non-Speedway people..) when the clip's been rerun on TV have commented, "why did he let him past"..?