asturmer

I think at one stage in the 80,s Bo Petersen was almost at this level, but more part of a team like Denmark, than an individual winner! Not sure if he won any pairs or World team championship?

Hi Bryn, will check the Perth meetings not yet put together. A couple of prospect riders over here too, looking to progress! We are looking forward to the day you visit the most spectacular, colourful, friendly and sunniest State(WA) in Aus!

And what a star he is! I only watched him at the end of his career at Canterbury, he must have been 40 or thereabouts! The most spectacular of racers!

He did pick up a couple of injuries which as you said he would not have to put up with and continue racing with! The last time I saw him was at Brands Hatch where he was racing a Formula Ford, before returning to the U.S.

Andy Buck is a Police dog handler in the North East.

Had some correspondence with Roger Johns recently who implied that Eddy was a gentleman and great rider and team mate. It seems that he may have taken to the bottle on his return to Poland ,and a new lifestyle far removed from the glamour of being a popular speedway racer, probably contributed to his downfall! Many of us in this recession know what it feels like to have a great job one day, be unemployed the next and the depression that comes with it, though I have not taken to the bottle yet!!!

Czech rider Zdenek Kudrna who sadly lost his life in a grasstrack accident in Holland, having established himself as a popular rider at Birmingham!

Colin McKee lives just down the road from me and I often visit him for a coffee at his work shop! Colin has a magnificent collection of British bikes and speedway bikes including an ESO which was never started! I,m sure he will be very interested in the match report!

Yarmouth Speedway! Before Wally Higgs passed away last year, aged ninety one or two, he used to tell me stories about his one season there in 1950, the atmosphere at the track and how families used to invite him over for Sunday lunches which he enjoyed and always remembered! 1950 was still a hard time for many post 1945, and those families would still offer such hospitality! I think the Yarmouth fans would have been very loyal! I,m not sure if Yarmouth speedway was run in Norwich or Gt Yarmouth, can someone let me know?

Nigel Flatman, The Felixstowe flyer, now a successful businessman in Perth, and Bob Humphreys, still racing classic road bikes in WA.

I think you should limit the number of Australians entering the Premier League in order to develop further home grown (British)riders! Many Australians coming to the Premier League have British Passports as their parents came to Australia as children themselves, and so the handing on will continue over the coming generations allowing easy access to the Uk. I am convinced some British riders have missed out this year! I am a hypocrite in a sense as I recommend up and coming riders from W.A. to British Team Managers and will continue to do so until the system changes!!!!! If the situation was reversed I am 100% convinced that Motorcycling Australia(MA) would not allow English riders to come here, opting instead to develop home based Aussie riders ! My family paid thousands to get a permanent residency here in Australia, followed by Citizenship(from the UK) and that was with verbal sponsorship from the Education Department and a place as a teacher in a school for one family member! Make it harder for people to enter the UK, though that,s another topic altogether!

I have replied, did you receive all info? if not let me know!

Hi Barry, I am in weekly contact with Roger! He is still slim and works as a plumber/tiler. He seems very fit and active, He was asked to attend a recent speedway event for veterans races and or parade lap, which he declined as he did not want to injure himself.Once a racer, always a racer!I can put you in touch with him, he is friendly and responds to emails from fans.I think he may even live close to you, but far away from me in Perth! Andrew.

Shawn Moran John Cook Sam Ermolenko Not a Sheffield fan, but when I watched Shawn Moran at Hackney ,his racing alone was worth the gate money!

I remember Graham Banks about 6feet 2 inches and Graham Miles probably around 6 feet 4 inches. Barney Kennett seemed tall at the time, as did Danny Kennedy and Dave Piddock, and thats just Canterbury riders!!

Must have been 1976, can you check in yearbook?

Thanks for the info which confirms Reg was 42 when he rode in 78, making him one of the all time stayers, I think Mike Broadbanks was a similar age at Crayford, and of course Jimmy Squibb at Canterbury too!!

Me too, though my time as a supporter was the late 70,s early 80,s with Thommo , Simmons, Galvin, etc etc!

I recently purchased some Canterbury Crusaders photos from 1978. One is of Reg Luckhurst sitting on his bike with Lucky inscribed on the fuel tank, and he was wearing number 1 for the Crusaders. His two sons Jamie and Jeremy rode for the team shortly afterwards so it occurred to me that he would have been getting on a bit at that time for a speedwayrider!! Does anyone know how old Reg would have been around 78? I was told he ran a pub for a few years and sang to customers, and is now retired in Tenerife!

Canterbury Crusader fans from the 70,s may remember Bob Spelta. He is alive and well, living with wife Jane(from Canterbury), in Cairns QLD Aus and has recently purchased a Motor Home to tour Australia.He keeps in touch with Steve Koppe who also rode for Canterbury and occassionally Terry Casserly, both of whom live in Townsville. Bob also travels to speedway meetings on the East Coast, as a spectator. Canterbury fans will remember Bob breaking his neck in a track crash in 78! Well he broke it again recently, however all is well and he is fit and working! I have his email address if anyone wants to contact him as he is very jovial and happy to hear from all who knew him and followed Canterbury speedway.

If anyone has Hans Nielsen contact details, would be grateful if you could email me as I have one of his 86 Godden Max bikes in my garage, sold before he returned to Europe after a Winter tour Down Under. Thanks.

That,s a great story Jim, and best wishes to Eric for a speedy recovery from Perth, Western Aus!!

I have been in contact with Dennis Sigalos, remember him? He is alive and well, living in Orange County California and riding moto x bikes with his young son on a regular basis! I have posted this note about Dennis as a couple of people had told me he had perished in an accident, which of course is misinformation!!

Thanks for trying,Peter will be back here again next summer and he is very relaxed, when on holiday in Aus. I just did not get enough time to talk to him last January as I was doing the foreign news Perth Meeting Report for Speedway Star, and that takes a lot of concentration as you can not miss out on capturing every moment of the meeting!

Thanks Jim, I was chatting to Peter in Perth, Aus, earlier this year at the Western Big One Speedway Meeting on a hot evening(about 37 centigrade) He may remember talking to me about grasstrack mainly in Kent in the 70,s! I forgot to ask Peter who he felt is the hottest property in British speedway right now? Does he see anything done differently, or different attitudes etc at local speedway eg in Western Australia, that helps to create such talented and confident (arrogant sometimes) youngsters over here, from such a small population base? Also for Vaclav, how is Jan his brother doing these days? He(Jan) suffered quite a few bad injuries in his time and hope all is well? Thanks, Andrew