chunky

You really did miss a lot! Admittedly, a lot of them, I only saw them at the end of their careers, but I still managed to see them in action.

Probably in the bath!!!

But you just asked the name! If you Googled it correctly, you would have seen that it was Little Missenden. You want to get a life? Go play with some trains!

Um, go back and read what I said, Steve!!!

That is my point! The first couple of comments on this thread made it seem like Simmo was clearly the better of the two, but for me, it is nowhere as clear cut as some may feel. Bettsy did have a pretty impressive record...

i get that, but it depends on whether "returning" means visiting, or re-settling in the UK. Of course, the same applies to Dave Gifford. I believe Bob represented GB in the 1964 World Final, so I doubt he would have become naturalised that quickly. I can't find a date...

Yes, but he never returned from New Zealand...

We were too. Then we'd go to The Crown to see Ron, and play darts.

Fat better than having multiple posts all stemming from the same thing, eh?

You are correct... I've always maintained that domestically, Eric Boocock was just as good as Ivan or Barry, but he just never did it internationally.

But how many world championships involve teams going home after two minutes of action?

And Terry could well have achieved more on the international stage, but "Great Britain" was still full of Australasians for most of his peak...

When you put it like that...

Poxy autocorrect!!!

Let's look at averages.. Betts Simmo 1966 9.41 6.14 1967 9.74 7.09 1968 9.45 9.40 1969 9.35 8.14 1970 9.22 7.58 1971 9.62 9.22 1972 10.51 8.36 1973 9.95 10.26 1974 10.32 9.78 1975 8.87 10.41 1976 9.71 10.17 1977 9.78 10.27 1978 8.10 10.77 1979 7.75 9.04 The only other year Simmo averaged over 9 in BL was 1980 (9.40). Simmo's short peak was slightly better than Terry's, but his career as a true heat leader was nowhere near as long or consistent. The difference is nowhere near as pronounced as some may think. As far as World Team Cup, it is hard to judge a rider by team results, and again, it wasn't like they were racing against the world's best in most races.

Like I say, "Good Morning America! What are we offended by today?"

Cecil Forbes

He was also back at Plough Lane then, with another famous Mike Patrick photo showing Eric Dugard flying over him.

It's hard for me to join in with something like this, because it's something of a competition between "riders" and "friends" - and it's hard to distinguish between friends! So, as far as friends, I would say (in no particular order): Alan Mogridge Jim Tebby Steve Schofield Rodney Payne Maxine Hill As far as riders: Ronnie Moore Tommy Jansson Vaclav Verner Bruce Penhall Billy Sanders

Well, it is a preferred term here in the US - even though calling someone "coloured" is a complete no-no! Of course, despite not being able to use the term "coloured", the people are protected by the NAACP - the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People!

Wimbledon rider from the 1980's. A little history between Terry and John!

I thought Terry Mussett might have been one of your Top Five, John?

Exactly. When I was gowing up, British football was played by the British. Italian football was played by the Italians etc. Now, all leagues are populated by all nationalities. As far as black players, I remember the early ones like Bert Johanneson, Clyde Best, and Adi Coker. As ch958 says, diversity takes generations, which is why there are so many black English players now. Having said that, black people have NEVER really shown any great interest in motor sports in general, let alone speedway.

Well, seeing that that 3/4 of the players now are black...