speedyguy

Easy to see why the name speedway was adopted for solo bikes and other types of motor sports using the small dirt track ovals. Speedway is a name that rightly conjures up something fast and exciting.

The word speedway was in fact a description for a venue where motorcycles and cars could race, origins in the USA. The word was adopted sometime in the late 1920s to describe the motorcycle sport although elsewhere in the world, especially USA, Australia and New Zealand it embraces other small oval motorsports besides solo motorcycles.

Darrel Mason is a south Londoner now resident in Majorca. One-time printer and also the South London Press speedway reporter at the start of the 1970s. He was well-known around Wimbledon Speedway - something of a cult figure in fact at one time. A really great chap.

Any news or details from last weekend's meeting at Rosebank? Thanks.

The good old perpetuating myth raises its head again. It doesn't matter how many times an item is corrected, the original statement is always accepted. That's because often researchers and others do not know the original item is wrong nor that a subsequent correction may have been made - often months or even years later, frequently not at the original source. Oh, by the way Norbold, IT IS APRIL 1!!!!

Any further update on the Rosebank meeting? When is the final meeting of the season? Thanks.

Could you be more specific?

More suitable for the sprint cars and midget cars or the speedway bikes? And restore it for the cars after any Speedway GP - that could be expensive.

Unlikely. The bikes tested at Western Springs a few weeks ago. They had intended to race but the surface was not suitable so they did a few demo runs. These days Western Springs is a leading car circuit - clay/dirt surface - and has its main formulas as sprint cars and midget cars.

At one time, either late 1960s or early 1970s, Al Sparrey's son was a speedway novice.

No joy there. Any idea if the solos did race at Kihikihi over February 27-28 weekend. Only stock car details on their site.

Al Sparrey died some years ago. There was some extensive coverage of him on another site about six or seven months ago. Sparrey also had some involvement with Yarmouth in the 1950s.

Nationwide, the USA has about 14 tracks catering for motorcycle speedway. It is claimed on many American sites that for small oval car racing (not Nascar) but other car formulas including midget cars and sprint cars there are 300-plus venues. Why the big difference - why do Americans find midgets and sprint cars more exciting than speedway bikes. What is the real attraction of the two car formulas. One word perhaps - spectacle. The same attitude also seems to be applying increasingly in New Zealand (especially) and Australia.

On speedway or supertstocks, I do know.

It looks as though the format is going to be qualifiers, last chance, semi-finals and the final.

Very good. This is a non-wing sprint (the thing on top!) and I think there are also non-wing midgets? Both these formulas can really broadside on the bends, something that speedway lost a great deal of when the tracks were no longer suitable for the old-time legtrailers. And that played a big part in the eventual decline in popularity going into the 1950s.

Look especially at the last youtube item for some fairly good action stuff.

I have just found this Argentine site featuring moder midget car racing. You'll have to scroll down to get the youtube items to play. They give a different perspective on the sport to that submitted by the first poster who probably doesn't know the difference between a midget car and a sprint car. http://www.taringa.net/posts/autos-motos/2...-es-Midget.html Give it time to load down. Get right down to the youtube stuff at the bottom.

I don't think this was an actual midget car meeting by the look of it but rather a reunion day for midget cars of previous years. They all appear to be pre- and very early post-war midgets to me.

An interesting query. Now a bigger one - what happened to the 'great take off' for speedway in Malaysia? A handful of results some years ago then - well a big void!

Re: Speedway Museum vintage day 2010 BY STUART TOWNER: (FRIENDS OF SPEEDWAY:: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: For the second year in succession the Annual High Beech Speedway Reunion was hosted by Paradise Wildlife Park at Broxbourne in Hertfordshire on Sunday February 21 2010. This is the home of the National Speedway Museum with far better facilities than those at Kings Oak, High Beech the home of the very first speedway (or Dirt Track) meeting as it was known then in the UK. With Saturday being a very pleasant day hopes were high for a good reunion on the Sunday. This was not to be unfortunately as the day dawned wet and very cold with sleet precipitating down on us. But low and behold folk started to arrive with most people huddled under umbrellas, but the sun made a brief appearance later. There were lots to see in the book fare and collectors market and the museum was bustling all day long. Despite the weather enthusiasts bought out their gleaming speedway bikes and various ones were started during the day which was a treat to hear an un-silenced bike again. Friends of Speedway did a roaring trade at their stall selling memorabilia to the fans and with the JAWA bike fitted with a reaction tester to check how quick you would have been getting out of the tapes. They are proud to be sponsoring the Under-15s Championship again this coming season as they did last year too. There was a demonstration of Cycle Speedway this and this drew quite a crowd despite the rain. There were many riders from yesteryear in attendance including Barry Briggs, Alf Hagon, Terry Stone, Jim Gregory, Freddie Williams and many more. All too soon it was time to pack up and head for home and thaw out. Stuart Towner

There was an extensive article on Jimmy Gooch in a recent edition of 'Classic Speedway.' I am sure back numbers are available for those interested. Just click on the advert top right of this page to contact them.

Is this Rosebank February 14 or Gisborne February 20?

I guess you are right about no Andrew Bargh being at Gisborne for the NZGP. Now what about Rosebank Sunday February 14...what went on there...PLEASE!

GETTING THERE!!! GISBORNE HERALD newspaper. Duel at the raceway Bevan Chapman THE duel between Andrew Bargh and Jade Mudgway could be worth the admission price alone when the two-wheelers take over Eastland Group Raceway for the New Zealand solo bikes grand prix tomorrow. Up to a dozen bikes are expected to turn on a stunning show in the D&D Motorcycles Clean Cut Services GP. Former New Zealand champion and reigning grand prix champion Bargh, of Hawke’s Bay, will start as the man to watch. He won the GP when it was last held in Gisborne in 2007. Standing in his way is Palmerston North’s Mudgway, who has established himself as one of the country’s top prospects. The local challenge will be led by Paul Habib and Lonnie Larby, who have been the standouts this season. It will be interesting to see how much advantage their experience on Gisborne’s unique banked track will give them.