chunky

You beat me to it with Reg, and Ron Mountford was another who was known for racing against his team-mates! Oh, and apologies if this is in the wrong thread (I was too lazy to make separate posts), but I too have "Cracked Eggs and Chicken Soup" on the way... Steve

That is exactly the way I feel! There is nothing wrong with having team suits, but they just seem so damn busy now. It isn't just the names of the sponsors either... We had team leathers years ago, and teams like Leicester, Wolves, and particularly Rye, looked great. The thing was that the designs were simple, and striking. There is no reason we can't do that now... Again, there is nothing wrong with having a team suit AND a race jacket. Steve

The first paragraph above is so true. People think they know THE reason why British speedway is in such a mess, but the reality is that there are so many, and not all of them are speedway related. I've said it before, but I will say it again; one of the big problems is that speedway is no longer a city-centre sport. When we had tracks in urban areas, everybody was exposed to speedway, even if they didn't actually follow it. Now, thanks to the constant quest for industrial estates and housing developments, the demise of greyhound racing, the ever-growing NIMBY population, dereliction (let's not forget the age and condition of some of the older stadia) and several other factors beyond our control, we are being forced into rural locations away from the population. With 24-hour live television sport, obsession with computers and video games, and stuff like that, people don't want to leave the house, let alone drive out into the sticks. As far as your second point, it is a ridiculous state of affairs, and of course, much of that IS speedway-related. Living in Surrey, I wasn't always going to travel the country, but I ALWAYS had options. Even when Wimbledon changed from Thursday to Wednesday, it changed the specifics, but not the opportunities. Exeter was too far on a Monday, but Reading was easy to get to. Tuesday, Poole, and later MK and Crayford were doable. Wednesday was White City, later Poole and Long Eaton. Saturday was wonderful with all the choices. Even Sunday was great for choice. Those were the days... Steve

Going back to a couple of earlier posts, one thing that always concerned me with fixed race nights is the fact that so many of us used to frequent other tracks on nights when our own teams weren't in action. Apart from being a fixture at Plough Lane, I was a regular visitor to White City during their short BL period, and it wasn't unusual for me to go to Hackney, Rye, Arena, Crayford, Mildenhall, Milton Keynes, Lynn, Swindon, and Canterbury. Again, I would see the same people at a lot of the tracks, and fixed nights automatically reduce those numbers. The sad reality is that it was the crowds that generated atmosphere as much as - if not more than - the actual racing. As crowds dwindle, so does the atmosphere. That leads to more people staying home. Fewer meetings will only cause more to stay home... Steve

Pretty sure you can add Bradford Odsal to the list. There was a meeting on August 3, 1957, between Bradford Juniors and London Juniors. The results show one of the Londoners as "Ivan Maugham", but I figure that should read "Mauger". I don't know if this would count, but Ivan won the Golden Eagle Trophy on the 680 yard track at Motherwell in 1972. Steve

1st September, 2006. Yesterday would have been his 64th birthday... Very sad. Steve

Funny thing is, I was totally in awe the first time I saw Curoso. I know Americans were usually pretty good round Plough Lane, but 10+3 from the reserve berth on his first visit was very special. Going by his performance that night, I thought he could really go places. For some reason, it never happened. I couldn't wait for Hull to visit the following year, but this time, he only managed one point. Then, the switch to Poole didn't work out for him, and I was really disappointed that someone who appeared so talented was lost to British speedway. Steve

Reading drew 39-all at the Shay on 8 September, 1980. Kelly Moran guested and scored 10+1. The Racers also won there that year in the KOC 57-50. Steve

Only went there the once, and it was a wet day, so it was hard to judge. Plus, we were all p*ssed off at the abysmal efforts of the Dons that day. Having said that, it was cool to watch Kenny Carter's mastery of the track, and while Exeter was similar, the thing that struck me at the Shay was the banking; from the outside of the bends, it reminded me of a Wall-of-Death! Steve

As was mentioned earlier in the thread, there was another Andy Buck (a little younger, I believe), and he rode for 'Boro in 1987 and 88. Steve

It was the same Andy Buck who rode for Scunny (1984-85) and Eastbourne (1985-90). Steve

We are talking about Anders Eriksson, not Michanek. Mich never rode for Wimbledon... Steve

Not sure where you would have seen that, but Anders passed away from cancer in 2002. Steve

Um, "mishap"??? That's one way of putting it! Cutting a long story short, I was chasing someone down the steps at full speed, and I jumped... I hit the concrete head first (right below the EXIT sign), and was unconscious for 6 1/2 hours! What really irked me was that Larry won, and Roger was second - and as I was carted off on the stretcher during the interval, I missed the only Dons' success of the year! The only time I ever made it up to the Boulevard was in 1981, on Royal Wedding Day. Simmo and Anders got a last-heat 5-1 over Joe Owen and Billy Sanders to a draw. It has only just hit me as I was writing this, but three of those are no longer with us, and the other is in a wheelchair. That is really depressing to think of that... Steve

Yes, I can see my spot too! And I can also see - right under that EXIT sign above the steps - the spot where I tried to kill myself during the 1980 Laurels... Steve

This really is some terrible news. Hard as nails, and a little scary at times, but the kind of rider every manager and every fan would welcome in their team. A 100% trier, a loyal team man, a nice guy, and someone I will remember very fondly. R.I.P. Vaclav Steve

Sorry Tony, I really can't remember who that would have been, and I have been looking for the last couple of days without success. As I said, the fact doesn't even ring a bell with me... Steve

That was of course, the OTHER Steve Brown, and not me! However, I was in attendance at that Levi's for Feet meeting. Yeah, I remember all the Wally Loak cassettes, although I never did buy any. Digressing slightly - but only slightly - I do have the LP of the 1974 World Final. Steve

We actually went through this a few years ago (2003 in fact) on here, from a Stewart Smith, Ronald's grandson. Looking at the wording here, it looks like it might be the same person enquiring? I haven't linked to that thread, because nobody was able to come up with anything. Steve

I'm sad that you called me "socially inept", and you don't even know me, or know anything about me. Other than the fact I don't disrespect others like you do; I'm sure you know that... Of course, that in itself is a statistic, so maybe not! Steve

With all due respect, that was a little different. New Cross simply fielded a "representative" side in a handful of non-official fixtures. If you count their appearances for the Rangers as "official" representation of a team, then Peter Craven was a New Cross rider... Steve

Yeah, I believe he was around the 60 mark. I wouldn't say I knew him "well", but we always used to stop and have a chinwag, and as has been said, you never knew where you were going to run into him. R.I.P mate... Steve

Glenn Ratcliffe and Geoff Radcliffe both rode for a Gunners junior team against Barrow on 21st June, 1985. Steve

Kylmakorpi didn't appear until after I had left the UK, but I was around for Niemi's entire British career. I was there the first time he rode at Plough Lane in 1976 (in the second half) and I saw him on a regular basis except for 1990 and 1991. He was never a "world-beater" but could mix it with - and often beat - the best of them. As has been said, the BL was the world's strongest league back then, and he was a remarkably consistent performer, even at international level. In view of iris123's breakdown, I will revise my original statement, and place Kylmakorpi above Teromaa. In addition to the figures provided, I think Joonas's durability gives him the edge. Teromaa was only around for a relatively short period, and was never the same after he left Leicester. Steve

I don't want to rub it in, but I am a few years younger than you, norbold! Having said that, the pair are not obscure to me either. In fact, as a kid, I remember my parents telling me about Antti Pajari! Although both were better on the long-tracks, I think Timo Laine was the better of the two, Pajari being a little on the hairy side. Kai Niemi is a definite No 1, with Ila Teromaa a clear second. The remaining three - in no particular order - I would give to Kylmakorpi, Laine, and Kaj Laukkanen, Honorable mentions for Tyrvainen and Kokko. Steve