britmet

Pork Sarnie ? (or "a piecie", as we used say before the Liverpudlian term for the same spread country-wide in the wake of the Mersey Sound.) - If you'd asked the previous seasons the answer would have been Yes, as they turned up at Monmore many times, particularly for specials. Quote from a past mtg preview "Traditional Cradley pork sandwiches will be available and there will be an auction of the top three race jackets in the bar immediately after the event." Whether they'll span the great divide from Black Country to Brummegum in the 2015 season, we'll have to wait and see. (But I guess there'll still be a hot pork sandwich shop in the likes of Quarry Bank, Cradley Heath and Dudley High streets somewhere.) George is on the Isle of Wight, - had a heart attack some years ago but taking it easy.

Just to square the circle on this subject, following my earlier post, and so linking those days, viz Cradley, Ivor Brown, George Major, which started with me as a schoolboy: . . In the '70s when Brum re-opened I served as George's dope&oil man for several years, and have yet more fond memories, of those later days, traveling with him around the newer BL.Div2 tracks.

. Video of that event: - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6Ndt1Icg50 .

. These shots of Howard Cole, aka Kid Bodie, have been on here many times over the years, but if you haven't seen them here's another of him: http://www.britishpathe.com/video/boy-motorcyclists/query/cole .

. Yes, I saw Jimmy O. at the Wimbledon Internationale too, - got his autograph, - can remember the mouthful of gold teeth, . BUT . . . "Japan, THE HOME OF MOTORCYCLE" , - ? - ? - ? - ? . You're obviously very young and haven't read any history. . It's the West Midlands, - Birmingham & Coventry ! . Triumph, BSA, Ariel, Norton, Velocette, Royal Enfield, (Warks.), AJS & Villiers (both Wolverhampton), . . etc, etc . Where do I stop ?

Whilst we might accept that if the NZ SGPs lost money and so wouldn't be staged in 2015 (and 2016, - ?), one might think that if a second SGP was being staged downunder that the overheads such as transport of bikes & equipment and travel costs of riders, staff and officials could be shared, (with concurrent staging dates of course,) and hence the figures for a NZ event be re-assessed whereby its viability was turned around. - ? . Can anyone re-assure me that this possibility was at least considered and worked thru by someone ? . .

. Thanks for that Martin. I do feel that little capital is made of this event, little coverage or mention made in mtg previews or match reports, which could otherwise benefit the sport (sic) - which it definitely needs! . . Witness this current thread, i.e. the difficulty in finding/following the championship! With several Bronze Helmet MRCs lost this season, both to weather, (when for match-by-match challenges will always be last race of the night,) and today's scourge, the Curfew, it demonstrates the counter-arguments to last season's discussions (2013, above.) Mr. M must surely consider re-introducing nominated challenges, monthly or twice-monthly, for 2015, when they'd be first on the programme. Then, unlike this season, promoters will know its coming, and therefore can hype it up for the benefit of their gate, (an aspect they've previously ignored.) British MRCs, - Gold, Silver, Bronze . .

2MinWg:. . . . You've a few that I haven't, and I a few you're missing. Put them together ( mine with @'s ) and I get this, - noting that there were several intended that were lost to curfews, eg July 11th & 14th. . 5.3 Devon S Lambert (Kent) beat L Smart (Devon) 6.4 Leicester S Lambert (Kent) beat J Serjeant (Leicester) 2.5 Coventry S Lambert (Kent) beat J Serjeant (Coventry) 3.5 Stoke B Wilson (Stoke) beat S Lambert (Kent) 4.5 Buxton B Wilson (Stoke) beat T Atkin (Buxton) 16.5 K. Lynn D Mallett (K Lynn) beat B Wilson (Stoke) 30.6 Kent B Morley (Kent) bt Marc Owen (K Lynn) 5.7 @Stoke: Ben Morley (Kent) bt. C.Widman (Stoke) 6.7 @Mldhll: Joe Jacobs(Mldhll) bt. Ben Morley (Kent) 7.7 Kent S Lambert (Kent) bt Josh Bates (Mildenhall) 4.8 @Kent: *J.Armstrong(Stoke) bt. Dave Mason (Kent) 16.8 Stoke L Chessell (Devon) bt Jon Armstrong (Stoke) 2.9 @ Crad/Wtn: Steve Worrall bt. Luke Chessell (Devon) 3.9 K Lynn S Worrall (Cradley) bt Marc Owen (K Lynn) 9.9 @ Crad/Wtn: S.Worrall (Cradley) bt. Jon Sargeant (Cov.II) 30.9 Cradley S Worrall (Cradley) bt Daniel Halsey (Mildenhall) . I can't reconcile a Starke v. Jacobs at Mildenhall in May, - ? ? . What might appear as anomalies, - where's Mallet's 'loss'? He was R/R'd in mtg of June 30th, - and Jacobs 'loss'? He was riding EL at W'ton on 7th July. . With these explanations the trail is continuous. . .

. Indeed no hotbed, but it did stage national Ice Race Championships in the '90s, see http://www.speedwaychampions.com/ice-champions.php .

. Re the proposed meeting for the end of the month, (Oct 25or 26, ?) at Lelystad - Will this include for the Open Nat'l Championship ? How likely does it look to be run ? . .

One pint please, Bob, - or make that 4, me being: i) a Prov.Lge follower, ii) a Cradley fan since childhood, (1940s), iii) a devoted Ivor Brown fan, (saw him off in Wymswold in 2005), iv) an attendee at all 5 PLRCs , '60- '64, - Cradley, Harringay & Belle Vue. You've been quiet the last few years. What's woken you up ? .

Probably all the fan base in the Long Track, Grass Track and Sand Track scenario, - which, given the ever-shrinking British speedway scenario, is definitely more in Germany alone than the UK base.

No, - Read carefully, "..young Risk .... " There ARE 2 of them, - and Erik is the one into Long Track.

That's why its called Board Track Racing ! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Board_track_racing

Anyone have the result of the Golden Helmet,? - or was the date changed. ? Should have been last w/end.

. Work on the archiving of Henry Long's speedway memorabilia from the heydays of South African speedway has been completed and can be seen on the Speedway-SA website. It includes press cuttings, photo slideshows and appendices tabling riders' scores from the Transvaal Lge and SA National Lge plus league results from 1948 to 1958. During the course of this exercise the health of 87-year old Henry has deteriorated and he has relocated from Johannesburg to the Western Cape to be near to family, - we wish him well in his new surroundings. .

The 2nd round of the South Africa National was raced at Walkerville near Jo'burg on Sunday, 27th. . Neil Pettit topped the solo speedway scorechart and leads the way to the championship, 7pts clear of 18yr old Lyle Kotze and last years champ Gio Nunes, one behind him. The final Rd.3 is at the end of the season. . In the Sidecar class Gordon Butler went thru unbeaten but still trails brother Edwin in the cumulative scoring: youngest brother Donovan Butler was 3rd. .

Just caught up with this topic. HENRY LONG celebrated his 87th on Saturday, (dob 26.7.1927) Still with impish humour over the phone, he had a few days in hospital earlier this month with a lung infection, but okay now. His mobility is a little dodgy, - the knees! (How many speedway rider who make it to this decade won't be?) He has been good enough to pass over his collection of South African memorabilia (and some from his Belle Vue time,) which is in the process of being archived onto the Speedway-SA website, . He was, of course, a team-mate of Ron Johnston in the latter's early years at Belle Vue.

Pity about the hub-caps !

. Is there an age limit to this championship? .

BEKKER RETURNS After knee damage that kept him out of action last season, South African Byron Bekker returned to his home track at Walkerville outside Johannesburg on Sunday for his first full meeting and went thru the card unchallenged to take the 'Boet Strydom Golden Boot' trophy. Full report and pics. Meanwhile at the George Oval in the Cape, the near-freezing SA winter evenings proved too cold for many on Friday, and turn-out of riders and spectators was minimal. Unless floodlit night events are swapped for Saturday afternoons action in the Cape could be threatened. Report. . .

It's no surprise folk are puzzled with these FIM & UEM (now 'FIM-Europe') categories, but the Youth Gold Trophy table on the Speedway Champions site might help in understanding how they came about. I've added the dates and venues for this season's other Classes, (though in previous years they have been known to change before the day, so don't criticise, please.) Changes are not unusual, - note that the 80cc Speedway class is now 85cc - , but the fact that at the senior level, the continentals group Grasbahn and Sandbahn together under the all-embracing term Langbahn, and for the UK our Grass Track slips in there: - it often looks to me that straights can be grass but the eroded bends have evolved to sand, so whats to distinguish - ? Longtrack and Speedway (together with Ice Racing,) have for many years fallen under FIM's 'Track Racing' grouping, and this seems to have been how/where the authorities are being clever, - or coping out, take your pick - , for the 'FIM-Europe' website has yesterday's Plzen meeting registered as the 'Youth Track Racing 125cc Cup'. Other senior events are still Grass Track or Speedway, but not this one! If you need to know what it actually was , these shots of the venue should clarify, but it does seem that, as stated above, the speedway and Grass meetings are inter-changable.

Norm, Technically, then the '61 & '64 Finals weren't either, nor was the title retro credited to Peter Craven. If you read the Col. Vernon C. Brook piece in the 1947 programme, in both the 1st & 3rd para he calls it the British Speedway Championship. As the Chairman of the SCB, he will have been the one person to know its status. He writes of that '47 championship, "To become British Speedway Champion is probably one of the highest honours ..." . .

Not withstanding Oldace's info above, there were also British Championships in earlier years when the World Final wasn't held. The post war Wembley Finals of 1946,'47 & '48 were British Championships, - the World Final wasn't resurrected until 1949 - , and prior to those Chmpshps, during the War it was Belle Vue that staged the "British Individual Championship". As per the programmes, the 1946 mtg was titled "British Riders Speedway Championship"; 1961 & '64 were titled "UK Final (of the World Chmpshp)", then from '65 on the mtg was the British Final of the World Chmpshp. You can see winners (and venues) of all these on the 'Speedway Champions' website, HERE. . .

Two dirt ovals in South Africa are featuring speedway bikes, including sidecars, on the programme for the first time this Saturday, May 17th. The Boshof Oval near Kimberley in Northern Cape has invited riders and crews from Gauteng to join this weekend's meeting, while riders from George in Western Cape cross to East London and the Amalinda circuit for solo racing there. More detail .