moxey63

I recall the shock of discovering Tommy's death - in the Manchester Evening News (there was no social media then, of course, and you had to wait sometimes until the enxt day for news) on the Friday - its headline "Boocock Salutes Jansson" - hinted to me, as a 12 year old, that Belle VUe's boss was simply an admirer of the Wimbledon rider. However, as I read on, probably the first paragraph, I felt my blood run from its normal flow... a rider I had only witnessed a month before (finsihing on 12 points in the God Friday John Player's Classic at the zoo), had been my second speedway fatality (after Gary Peterson the previous October). It probably halted Sweden's next threat of world championship glory. Tommy could have been the forerunner to Bruce Penhall. He had the looks and style to go a long way, was enjoying his best campaign in the first few weeks of '76. We will never know how far he could have gone, but, that night in Sweden a real legend in the making was taken.

Perhaps a little down the pecking order, I would regard Mark "Buzz" Burrows as a "Legend" in his particular standard. Discuss...

What are we gonna do now, no speedway racing tonight (at least live) and, more importantly for some, there is no commentary to pull apart. How we gonna cope, as again we focus on the less important part of the occasion - the commentators - while ignoring the reason we are all gathered here today - the event, a speedway match, called off when the track didn't even look bad. Question: What's more important - commentary or getting the meeting on? For so long we have been willing to put up with second class preparartion from the so-called promoters, yet criticise anything else - like Sam Ermolenko and his mate Jack, the mic-men.

There are many ideas being put about, regarding what's wrong with speedway. We all know it isn't a quick fix, but we must begin by questioning why people who are still actually attending meetings... are on this website, asking what's wrong with speedway? Many things come to my mind. I know people change over the years, some things don't seem as important as they were back in the day, and speedway is like that to me. But I still have a great fondness for the sport, just that I cannot be bothered worrying about something, frustrated when things are changed in the sport that are out of my control, and therefore I have gradually (and unwittingly) distanced myself somewhat from it. I suppose it's a bit like a family member with, say... a drug problem, an alcohol issue. You spend so much time trying to watch out for them, hoping they will eventually come round to your way of thinking and stop being a god damn pain in the rear, that you eventually become less caring as time goes on and they get worse. They will carry on doing what they do; you are just helping them out of guilt or habit. Best thing, is to cut away and stop using wasted energy and time on something you cannot control and it is a pointless issue. I often think, the introduction of the GPs have taken the sport into the realms of Formula One racing, where it's the individual that is king and team racing secondary? Me, personally, I get the impression that league speedway has suffered by the introduction of the GPs, as it has with the needless use of riders racing for so many different clubs, and in so many countries. I read Phil Collins’ piece in the Star last week, and it is hard to believe he actually walked away from the sport in the mid-80s... because he was finding it more and more difficult to pass, his strong point. I recall there was talk about speedway getting by, using less and less dirt on tracks, and fans wanted dirt on circuits increased, allowing the chance of better racing. At the time, a quarter of a century on, I still remember how frustrated I was when promoters decided to ignore fans' call for better racing, more dirt, and instead chose to ditch the tried and tested 13 heat format and go to 15 heats, thinking a little polish of the format would bring better racing, more overtaking and halt the army of fans drifting away… Unfortunately, Phil Collins was one of the first to see the light, heading off to other climbs. Sadly, many terrace folk followed in his tyre-treads and, a bit like the tracks he left, terraces have become bare.

If there were more riders like Buzz in today's speedway... there would be more bodies on the terraces. The man was a bread and butter rider, no messing about with this guy. I remember seeing him scare the life out of newcomer (to British racing) Tomasz Gollob at Belle Vue in the late-90s, actually leading the Pole for a period and Gollob looking a little shell shocked, to say the least. Burrows dragged a lot of his make up from the 60s, 70s and 80s form of speedway, where it wasn't important what a guy turned out like... no fancy-dan leathers or gleaming machine. He was more inclined to turn up with the tools he had to hand and blame the person on the straddle for a poor evening's work, not the equipment. A no-nonsense guy that speedway really needs more of... and I put him up there with the likes of Millen, Middleton, Gresham etc. During Belle Vue's first meet with the wooden spoon in many a long year - the 1994 campaign - Burrows was introduced to the side as a make-weight in a move to help introduce Gustafsson's scoring power, to help encourage the Aces to better results. Gustafsson's input did work... but it was Buzz, a rider I had never actually noticed much about before, who really caught the eye and admiration. Though not a big scorer as such, what he lacked on the old final match tally he more than made up for with effort, determination and gusto. With Buzz, a one pont return didn't tell the whole truth. But I had a feeling, as long a she thought he had done his best, all was well. And I gather most terrace fans felt the same... it's not what you score, it's what you put in. Buzz was worth double figures, by effort alone.

Unearthed this on Matt Jackson's page: http://www.speedwayatoz.co.uk/standewhurst.html

Yes, that's correct... and quite a feat. But didn't he adopt some of his haul from the crazy double points ploy?

To me, as sad as I may seem, I feel speedway doesn't have a trivai and fact (stats) book containing everything you require to know - a sort of Anorak's Guide To The Strange World Of Speedway. Personally loved Bryan Seery's stats and facts way back in the day, the Oakes yearbooks and such, but speedway does need a publication detailing those ONLY IN SPEEDWAY occasions AND OTHER INTERESTING FACTS. Any serious sport should have a genuine and serious publication as such... Here's a fact I always remember.... Les McGillivray, Hackney, went something like seven seasons without missing a single official match between 1965 and 71. NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL AMAZING!

Here's another "Only In Speedway" moment. Belle Vue reached the 1990 KOC Final, beating Reading in the semis, but were then kicked out of the showdown days later, Reading protesting that Peter Ravn's name (the Dane withholding his services for the Aces) wasn't printed in the line-up in the programme, in which Aces used Rider Replacement. The only crime... Ravn not lised in the line-up,just a blank spot. Oh, how we laughed, days later... having cheered the Aces to the Final, then read they had been kicked out by some rule-book loophole unearthed by Tim Sugar, Reading boss at the time.

Also remember a story, about Ken Sharples and son (Paul) when they rode for Sunderland in the same team, 1964, and they actually had to share the one bike! Things were togh in them there days. How times have changed, nowadays even the untried youngster insists he has a shed-load of machines before turning out of bed, then spends the rest of the day tweeting how well he's gonna do!.

659 from 43 matches, is what Sudden Sam bagged for Wolverhampton. While on the Gordon Kennett subject, he ended his career at Monmore Green - 17 years after helping White City to the league! Kennett and Ermolenko were both together in the Wolves' line-up in 1993 and 94.

Nice bit of trivia, about the Rempala brigade. The Collins boys, if I recall, rode as a team at Crayford in a 1980 4TT and also lined-up in the same quartet when Peter Collins held his testimonial, also 1980. Steven was too young to race competitively then but was listed as reserve. Speedway doesn't have enough trivia-type questions and facts, in my opinion. I recall the Guiness Book Of Record has(had) Hans Nielsen as being highest scorer of league points in a season - but, again I may be wrong, Sam Ermolenko took the honour during his often six and seven rides a season, 1993. Anyone else know of any Bryan Seery-type facts?

Great stats, Matt. Interesting reading... Please continue.

Posted a message to you through FB.

For some bizarre reason, I still get Speedway Star but rarely do anything ohter than flick through the pages and, as the old joke goes, look at the pictures (I can read though). Looking at this year's line-ups, I am shocked at how many riders I don't actually know! I didn't know this rider was riding for that team, he was back there, or said rider was trebling up and down and down once more. I never thought it, but today's domestic speedway is akin to the schoolday PE lessons, the chilly playing field in Salford when teacher allowed the best two players (Poole and A NOTHER) to choose their strongest sides and the two most hopleess players were left till last (Belle Vue and...) . It is like a scenario of whoever is available is slotted in. There is no team ethic as such, just a bunch of expression-less faces for an eve-of-season photo-shoot that will be as much out of date next week as last month's bank statement. Never-the-less, I cling on to the sport, hoping the the long run that it isn't IT.. it is ME... I am the one that's wrong. I live in hope.

Everytime a discussion starts on this site there is a pattern that someone or other turns into a Sheldon Cooper character from The Big Bang Theory TV sitcom.

Speedway runs from March to October, has done very much in Britain since its birth. It is the period we expect bikes to roar, small gatherings to cheer... not turn up and be disappointed, on a lovely sunny day, that the meeting of five months' planning, is off. The track is dangerous! If supporters really did wish to waste time and finances, as they did on Sunday, they would demand stadiums were opened up in close season... when work hasn't been carried out on the racing surface either. Usually, supporters only turn up to watch speedway racing. Simple. Promoters, please, serve the word with some purpose... make the effort.

Comparing other sporting disasters with speedway's is a calming down measure, 24 hours after we all launched our toys from our prams. The sport is run by too many part timers who haven't the time to present the sport how the paying customers deserve it to be. Speedway has too many freak incidents that they aren't freak incidents any longer. Hands up... how many were surprised when they read initial reports that yesterday was postponed? How many are prepared to travel with confidence to their nearest venue - never mind hundreds of miles away - in the hope that "promoters" can be arsed with doing their job and getting the show on? Their "They'll be back" attitude has brought the sport its death, with empty terraces. Even cycle speedway is more professional than professional speedway... and more serious to be serious about. Assisted suicide is going ahead, right in front of our very eyes, but the few who visit the ill patient still think he's on the right road to recovery.

Not bothered about any pre-meeting entertainment, inbetween heat attractions or somebody coming round at the interval with icecreams. Why don't we just get back to decent speedway, concrete rules and knowing who's racing for which team, not like it's the war years... when promoters used whoever turned up. Never met a man that went to speedway just for the pre-match entertainment... or because a particular ditty was played every time a rider with a nickname that matched the record's title was played. To resort to any other attraction than decent staged speedway, well, it's like trying to disguise the taste of burnt chips by a dollop of tomatoe sauce on top.

Normally record and keep (for my own use) any decent speedway that's on the box, but missed this one (didn't know it was on). Anyone know if it's on again (the 2 hour version) or may have also recorded it. I would like a copy, if poss, and will of course pay any costs etc.

This thread'll probably last longer...

That's why it's never in the news... even Speedway Star struggles to fill its pages and resorts to vintage write-ups (best thing in the mag) to fill pages... when it's not acting as a insert for James Easter's travel mag. Only joking, Mr Raising.

No body is really bothered about the same fixture - The season curtain-raiser - in football, apart from the teams involved. Why, in a time of poor weather and probably fixture backlogs come July, should thie same type of date be put aside for a meaningless speedway comp? Get on with the real stuff, save the blank dates - if there are any come August, September.. - for this kind of yawn.

Somebody has posted about paying £300 to watch a boxing match where the champion knocks-out his opponent in an early round. That is a risk people will take, I'm afraid, when watching boxing... and the figures it attracts at ringside and often live on TV supports this. On the other hand, speedway's value-for-money discussion at £17... well, I would argue that promoters aren't exactly placing "House Full" signs up to avoid the rush on racenight You could charge a pound ahead to have someone watch speedway, but the exercise would be all about the demand. Would people still pick and choose matches, having something else to do? It is all about attraction... Maybe so-called promoters could fine-tune admission prices... charge a few quid extra for decent opposition and a few quid less for the least attractive. Or maybe knock off a few quid some weeks, advertise the fact it's cheaper, and see what happens. It would equal a loss of one paying punter for each eight that attended, but that punter may decide to attend a match he didn't quite fancy at full price or may attract a few extra, thinkiing they are getting a bargain.

Does Malcolm Vasey's books cover these seasons? May be worth enquiring...