lucifer sam

Now you're talking nonsense, young Sidney. Definite contact in 1986, but it came about because the already passed Knudsen cut back in. There's a camera angle from the Danish TV coverage which shows just how much Knudsen cut back across the track. An attempt to bolt the stable door after the horse had already bolted, with the inevitable consequences. Nielsen's exclusion in the 1993 final was correct, because he drifted across the track and hit Ermolenko. In '86, Hans kept it tight, only for TK to cut back in. All the best Rob

Yes, plus Olsen grabbing Nielsen by the hand at the beginning of the slow-down lap, and the crowd then celebrating. Kittilsen was conned by Ole on that occasion. All the best Rob

The contact I see is right at the end, on the exit of the turn and entry to the straight, when Carter’s front wheel brushes Penhall’s back wheel, as Carter is already on the way down. Are you seeing the knock of the handlebar at the point that Carter says there is contact? (although, as you mention, Carter’s description is somewhat misleading to say the least!). I’ve replayed several times (it’s around halfway around the second bend ) and can’t see a thing that suggests contact at that point, even when watching Carter's handlebar. It’s ironic, they bash into each other several times before that, the last being the entry to the first turn, but Carter comes off without any contact until he’s already on the way down. He really got himself into completely the wrong position. All the best Rob

I’m saying there’s no contact at that point that Kenny Carter says there is contact Watch the slow motion replay as Carter watches it. He says there is contact halfway around the second bend. There isn’t. It’s Carter imagination that there is contact at this point. But there is contact less a second later, on the exit of the bend, as Carter is already coming down. I think his front wheel brushes against Penhall’s back wheel. The referee was never going to exclude Penhall for that. It’s Carter’s decision to stay out there, rather than cut back. Just listen to Briggo – he doesn’t see it remotely as 50/50. What surprises me is that it’s still debated more than 33 years later, when I think there’s only one decision that could have been made. It makes me glad that we had an experienced referee who was handling his seventh or eighth World Final or something like that. The main blot on Tore Kittilsen's record was the 1979 World Paris Final... not the 1982 World Final. All the best Rob

If you're talking about the same bit of contact that I am (I assume so), then it happens when Carter has already charged into no man's land, instead of cutting back in. I think he's already on his way down at that point, even before he brushes Penhall's back wheel with his front wheel. He hits Penhall, rather than the other way around. Although 'hit' is hardly the word - they brush. Not that I think that causes Carter to fall; he's already put himself in the wrong place, and is on the way down. Penhall is a whole bike length in front at this point. Listen to Briggo's comments on the various replays. I don't think Briggo was in either camp, he'd call it the way he sees it anyway (Briggo was always very honest), and he know far more about speedway than either of us. He's of the opinion that Kenny Carter made a big mistake. All the best Rob

Muller was also class in the 1976 World Final. He scored 8 points, should have been 11, but fell off while leading Simmo in his final outing. Egon Muller would have definitely be a GP rider, had a series existed. Might have lacked the consistency to win a series, but would have won rounds. All the best Rob

As Carter falls off, he does brush against Penhall. But that's as he's already coming off. The previous contact is well, well before that. And the next contact is when an already falling Carter brushes into Penhall's back wheel. In no way does that cause Carter to call - he's already on his way down. As Briggo correctly calls (and he knows far more about speedway than either of us), Carter made a big error in giving Penhall the room on the inside. He tries to correct the situation too late, refuses to shut off, runs out of room and comes down, brushing into Penhall's back wheel on the way down. There is no contact from Penhall that causes Carter to fall. The mistake is Carter's. Barry Briggs: "(Carter) clips the back of Penhall's machine". All the best Rob

As evidenced the previous year with Jessup and Ross. The crowd didn't raise a murmur to the orchestrated Heat 20 from 1981. All the best Rob

No, you claimed to see contact, when several other people watching the same coverage, couldn't see any contact. You couldn't see any contact because there was no contact. Not at that point of the bend, in any case. All the best Rob

It's even more impressive than appears on paper. But for a fall while leading his final race in 1956, he would have contested a run-off for first place with Ove Fundin. All the best Rob

And what of Dave Jessup and Larry Ross at the same meeting 12 months previously? Or was that OK, because they were British and Commonwealth riders? Agreed - it was astonishing how much Penhall achieved in such a short period of time. All the best Rob

It wasn't in Backtrack. It's from the Kenny Carter book, "Tragedy". I did make that clear. And it's worth reading the whole quote (not just the bits that caught your eye!), including the first couple of paragraphs, which state that Bruce was uneasy talking about Kenny Carter in the first place. All the best Rob

Here's Bruce from the Kenny Carter book by Tony Mac: "I really don't want to say two words about Kenny Carter. In my eyes he was an absolute mental coward for the way he went and left his kids without parents. There are probably stronger words I could use, but that's what comes to my mind right now. "The only reason I agreed to talk about him for this book is that the book is going to make some money for his kids. So good luck with the book. I hope it goes well. "I am a true father, with four kids, and I couldn't, even on my worst day, imagine doing what he did, therefore I don't have one bit of respect for the kid." AND: "I've seen that incident (from the 1982 World Final) with Carter from hundreds of different angles, from footage from the people filming CHiPS, and it clearly shows from the back angle that I never hit Kenny when he fell. "But, you know what... the way I look at it now, after what he did to his wife and children, I wish I would've frickin' put him up in the middle of the grandstand." No controversial at all, in my eyes. Just saying how it is. Many people would agree with such sentiments. All the best Rob

He said that, as a father, he could never forgive Kenny Carter for what he had done - leaving two young kids without their mother. All the best Rob

The Overseas Final crowds at White City were highly hypocritical. The previous year (1981) one of the final races had featured Ivan Mauger, Michael Lee, Dave Jessup and Larry Ross. Mauger and Lee were in desperate need of points and received them finishing in a co-ordinated 1-2 finish that moved both onto eight points, DJ needed a single point to clinch the title and took it, Larry Ross had already qualified, had only a faint chance of winning (he needed to win the race, with DJ last to get a run-off) and was happy to cruise around in forth place. Poor Les Collins was the victim, as Lee and Mauger's extra points put him out of the World Championship. Did the "sporting Brits" boo Dave Jessup and Larry Ross? Not a sausage. Was it obvious what was happening? Well, no-one was going around pulling wheelies, but even as an 8-year-old at the meeting, I realised what was happening. It was very obvious. The following year I was an extremely annoyed 9-year-old in the White City crowd after Bruce - my hero - was jeered. I really couldn't see any difference between what he'd done and what DJ and Larry Ross had done 12 months previously. All the best Rob

Interestingly, Rickardsson never once reached an 11.00 average. The three most recent riders to do that were Jason Crump, Sam Ermolenko and Hans Nielsen. Rickardsson didn't seem to possess the same determination to totally dominate every single meeting across a season in the same manner as Fundin, Mauger or Nielsen. All the best Rob

If you consider the upcoming destruction of one of the most historic and famous speedway stadiums in the UK as "exciting", then maybe you're on the wrong forum. Dreadful news. All the best Rob

Sid, so Briggo had Ove's measure because he won six British titles and six BLRC titles, even though Ove wasn't in these meetings?? I think the figures speak for themselves. Briggo was a fabulous rider, but Ove was just a little bit better. Ronnie Moore was the best rider in the world, and overtaken by Fundin. Briggo hit a real purple patch around 1958, but slipped back after missing most of the 1959 season. From 1960 up until Craven's death, Craven was a little ahead of Briggo. Briggo was the best rider in the world for around a 3-4 year spell, after Fundin slipped into semi-retirement after the closure of Norwich. The 1967 World Final is notable. Fundin had only done a handful of meetings all year but still won it. All the best Rob

Although he was a vital part of their 1977 championship winning side.... his name was in every programme All the best Rob PS Steve, I can thoroughly recommend the Bank Holiday double-headers at Scunthorpe.

More based on what my dad used to tell me. He was very relieved when Oxford turned down Ole Olsen in 1975 and ended up with Dag Lovaas instead. All the best Rob

Olsen bothered turning up at Oxford for once? An unusual occurrence then I think Cowley was his 'Exeter' All the best Rob

Three times from the back as well! I can think of riders who beat Hans twice in the same night at Cowley (rare as that was), but I think Carl Blackbird was the only one who completed a hat-trick. The 1986 season was weird. Oxford spent the first month of the season unable to win at home, and then clicked into gear and become almost completely unbeatable everywhere!! I think we're still the only team to have two riders on a BL average of more than 11.00 in a season (Hans 11.83, Wiggy 11.01). All the best Rob

Steve, I'm not sure if I agree with that sentiment. I quite liked the fact there was so many instalments to the story each season. For example, there was September 1984. Erik became World Champion, and was nominated to face Hans (the holder) in the Golden Helmet. Erik came, saw and conquered, with a 2-0 win at Cowley, breaking the track record in the process. It was in the days of the proper Golden Helmet, when it preceded the main meeting, and that was all we saw of Erik that night. The following week he was back again... this time for Cradley. Everyone was wondering if Erik could whip Hans around Oxford for the second week running. Instead Erik's scorechart read something like TX, EF, F, 0, 2. And then there was October '85. At the start of month, Hans scored a 15-point max at Cowley, beating Erik three times, including once from behind. That was a delight to watch, especially as these two knew each other so well, they rarely passed each other. The Midland Cup final promised a rematch. Instead both riders had a nightmare. Hans had his only genuinely bad meeting of the year for the Cheetahs and it ended with his bike seizing solid and Hans stepping off the bike onto the centre green before the bike careered straight into the fence and was written off. Erik had a better evening, until he met a determined Jens Rasmussen. The two tangled and Jens accidentally rode over Erik's head. Lord knows how Erik escaped with just bruising. There were so many instalments to this story, and I think it benefitted from regular rematches. And of course occasionally another rider stole the thunder from Hans or Erik. Cue Cocker passing Erik from behind in the Golden Helmet at Oxford in 1986!! All the best Rob

I'm intrigued in Max Grosskreutz, who apparently had a very unconventional style. He might he been the first-ever World Champion as well, but for an injury in 1936. All the best Rob

Really it was Fundin, Craven, Briggs and Moore. Knutsson was younger than others. He first reached the World Final in 1961, by which time the other four had seven World Championships between them. Knutsson was very similar in age to Mauger, but retired early. But yes I'd have loved to see these riders competing against each other. All the best Rob