Hot Shoe

nah - there's no dents, rust or shale clogging up the engine fins. Can't see any rips in the seat either, this bike needs restoring badly Seriously, nice machines, wish my bank manager was more understanding !! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> CP, I'll have to send you a pic of my old Weslake complete with bent forks, tank dents, ripped seat, bent handlebars, shale deposits and i'm sure some of my DNA is still on it from a "get off" some years ago. Now that's what i call a speedway bike!

There was always a link between Speedway and Ice Hockey in the U.K. over the years wasn't there i.e. The few pages of Ice Hockey news in the Speedway Star and a lot of Speedway fans favouring Ice Hockey as THE winter sport over Football. The German sporting public really have taken to Ice Hockey but it is still struggling in the U.K. and has never really taken off (despite peaks in popularity in the 1930s, 50's and again in the late 80s and early 90s) although it has a very loyal and knowledgable following - Similar to Speedway with the dates re-arranged a bit!

The Matchless engine was based on the G85 - There is a lot of info and photos on Chris Byles excellent website. There is a link for his website on one of his posts on the "1st ESO/JAWA..." thread. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thank you Hot Shoe - you must have read every page To make life easier, the Matchless Page is at http://speedwaybikes.fortunecity.net/match.htm <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thanks Chris, your website is a thing of beauty and i point everyone towards it at every opportunity. I keep looking at the Weslake pages hoping to restore my Wessie one day to it's former glory! Seriously though, the website is excellent - Keep up the good work.

The Matchless engine was based on the G85 - There is a lot of info and photos on Chris Byles excellent website. There is a link for his website on one of his posts on the "1st ESO/JAWA..." thread.

Blimey, I thought all the JAP motors had been put out to grass (as in Grasstrack Racing) by that time!

Moved all the machine History across to the Workshop Pages which covers the biggest part of machine History http://speedwaybikes.fortunecity.net/ <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thanks Chris, Great website. Do you know if the ESO was more expensive than the JAP motor at that time? I know a lot of riders didn't take to the (high revving?) ESO as opposed to the favoured JAP but was it down to economics and the fact that their wasn't an importer at that time? The 1955 ESO doesn't look that different to an early 1960s model. Any idea why it took six years for one to arrive on the U.K. Speedway scene?

Does that mean i'll have to do the kit that day...........

Don't know,but wasn't Briggo riding for the factory before Mauger? Maybe Ove Fundin was the first.Briggo mentions him as riding one before he got a contract <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yes, Briggo rode an ESO in 1966 and was the 1st World Champ on a JAWA. Mauger wasn't a JAWA works rider until 1969.

Anyone know who was the first rider to use an ESO or JAWA in British League Speedway? It must has caused a bit of a ripple when one of these machines was wheeled out for the first time. Anyone remember when, where and who. Yeah, i know i'm asking a lot but you never know:)

I thought all JAPs had disappeared from the Speedway scene by the mid-late 70s. I'd love someone to confirm that there was still one about in the 80s......I'll have to sit down and think about this! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I thought it was even earlier than that. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> There was a JAP motor used regularly in the British League in 1976 (mid-70s?). Any advance on 1976?

I thought all JAPs had disappeared from the Speedway scene by the mid-late 70s. I'd love someone to confirm that there was still one about in the 80s......I'll have to sit down and think about this!

Thanks for the info - Seems that Dag Lovaas must have been about the last rider to stick with JAPs. That is of course if anyone knows otherwise!

Anyone know what rider was the last to regularly use a JAP engined machine in the British or National League? Even better, who was the last rider to WIN a BL or NL race on a JAP engined machine! There seemed to be a lot of loyalty by some riders to keep using the JAP engine when it was fast becoming out dated by the Jawas and ESOs and even when Weslakes and Jawas with Briggo and Street 4 valve conversions were becoming popular there were still a few JAPs out there. I seem to remember seeing a JAP (4B?) in the pits at the White City the first time i ever saw a Weslake (Richard Greer's?) in the 70s.

Belated thanks Malcolm for the link to those excellent photos - The current speedway "Laydowns" don't look half as revolutionary after seeing pics of those HD/Aermacchis of 30 plus years ago!

I haven't got any photos but there is an interesting two-page article by Peter Arnold on Tom in "The Speedway Annual" 1969 - Tom towing his bikes around the country in his MGB GT and wanting to be 250 British Motocross Champion - Ah, those were the days! I have a programme from a Moto X meeting in Farnham, Surrey in the early 1970s that i went to and remember speaking to Tom during races while he was preparing his Maicos.

Thanks for the info on the Briggo bike Malcolm - It must have been great to see the contrasts in style of Grasser/Flattracker in the same race. The links to your photos reminded me of some photos i had (long lost i'm afraid) of me riding my 250 Husqvarna motocrosser in some Grasstrack races here in the U.K. in the early 1970s - The contrast in styles is similar - the difference being i am the one with the wheels in line! Also reminded of going to a Speedway school with some other Moto X riders where the instructor said "oh blimey, you're the lot that always wanna stick your foot in the front wheel!". Different styles indeed.

Thanks for the info David. I agree with sandman that Briggo's Yamaha was probably supplied by a sponsor but he must have had some input into the design of it (as must Ivan Mauger with the Kawasaki he rode). Both bikes were very different to the normal U.S. Short Track bikes at the time and caused a bit of a stir. As sandman said Mauger's Kawasaki looked more like a Grass track bike than a conventional Short Tracker. Another Briggo/Yamaha connection i have read about was that in the 1960s Briggo brought over from the U.S. a Yamaha TR2 Road Racer for U.K. Road Racer John Cooper.

Sad news indeed. Don Smith was a brilliant Trials rider (Twice European Trials Champion) and all-rounder. I would loved to have seen the Greeves 2-Stroke engined Speedway machine he was developing some years ago.

Thanks miro - Strange that such an obviously talented rider didn't make it over here. I saw him ride at Plough Lane(?) in that short time he spent over here. The next time i saw him ride was at the 1976 World Ice Racing Final at Assen where he came 3rd and if i remember correctly got a bigger cheer for finishing 3rd than either 1st or 2nd placed Sergei Tarabanko and Milan Spinka - I can still remember "CONNY, CONNY, CONNY..." echoing around a chilly and then very exposed and open to the elements Assen.

Thanks for that Sandman - I was sure i didn't dream it! Seem to remember Briggo's bike was a Yamaha engined "Grasshopper" (presumably the frame maker). I wonder if either of those Briggs or Mauger machines survived? Oh well, off to dream about Astro Bultacos now!!!

Anyone remember when Barry Briggs and Ivan Mauger rode in some 250cc(?) Short Track events in the U.S. - I think it was at the end of the 1960s and Briggo rode a Yamaha with Mauger riding a Kawasaki both bikes having a more Speedway appearance than the usual Short Track machines ridden at the time in the U.S.

Anyone remember Conny Samuelsson? I remember seeing him a few times as a speedway rider (for Oxford?) but best of all on Ice. I understand he was still riding at 50 - Is this true? Any info appreciated.

....nearly forgot - Martin Hagon - Motocross Sidecar.

Forgot all about Malcolm Ballard - Excellent all-round rider - Saw him many times in action - Seem to remember drooling over a couple of his Moto X bikes for sale in Comerfords in the early 70s!

Just reading the post about Tom Leadbitter reminded me of John Louis and Arthur Brownings Motocross days. Anyone remember any other Speedway riders who were good Motocross riders? I don't mean anyone who "had a go". I mean were GOOD!