Team Man

The plague of MK Speedway at Elfield Park was the organized vandalism by some of the residents of an estate the other side of the A5, but the reason MK closed was not due to poor crowds or the Vandalism, it was the Control Board that pulled the plug on us by withholding the License untill we got the Stadium up to scratch on some of the things they said needed doing, but once you have no money coming in you can't do the things that need doing It was devastating that night the Control Board manager pulled the rug from under us

You mean you had to pee up the back wheel of a Bike

That's a nice idea, Hope to see you there

Cheetahhawk, The whole day is dedicated to the Museum fund so there will be plenty of opportunities to make a donation or there will lots of items for sale that will help the fund. The DVD I sell for the fund is not just the Swagman film, it starts with an interview with the rider who did the riding for Dirk Bogarde in the film and an interview with Bill Owen who plays Australian Lag Gibbon talking about incidents in making the film. It would be nice to meet as many forum members as possible, please come over and say hello, for those who have never been to High Beech before, Try and make the effort, it's a good day, and this year it's for the museum fund.

Norman, Don't foget to mention that this years High Beech is dedicated to raising funds for the Speedway museum. I shall be there selling DVD's and Video's of Once a jolly Swagman to raise funds for the museum. I'll see you there.

Crikey...with all that going on I can't wait!!

Look forward to seeing you again Shazz

See you all there........just come over and say..Hello Alan, what are you having.

Well I'm just not saying anything....so there

I still have a set of Swedish goat skin leathers, but had to have some pieces let into them a couple of years or so ago........think they must have shrunk.

the updates of the Speedway Muesum Project are available at the VSRA new site

Only just

Hi Bucket, It looks like you were right about the MK2. Alec Jackson designed and marketed the frame, it appears Rotrax was the manufacturer, at the start of the seventies the MK2 was designed, and it looks like the curved rear end was used, whether that was copying ESO's frame I don't know. The picture you showed was the same picture from the Rotrax pamphlet that I saw at the weekend. So I was wrong and you were right........by the way the Men in black were good, as usual, The leg trailing on the 1928 Duggie by Johnathan Clarke burning around the outside to overtake the rest brought cheers and whistles from the packed stand and terraces

Hi Bucket, very interesting on the ownership of the name Rotrax, maybe I can find out more this weekend, Certainly Rotrax were making there frames long before Barber started there frame service. At the end of the day its not going to alter the price of fish, but it is interesting. Cheers.

Sorry Bucket, I wasn't Trying to be high handed or pedantic, its just that I had never come across curved back ends on the Rotrax, certainly not on the bikes I have owned. I thought the curved rear end was ESO later Jawa. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/Tho...trax-Mark-1.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/Tho...trax-Mark-2.jpg These Pictures are from the Rotrax pamphlet, not pictures of ones I have owned PS I won't be at Bealieu but I will be at the BMF next weekend, and yes I am the same Team Man.

I think you may be wrong there Bucket, the MK2 Rotrax had sloping rear forks, I don't ever remember Rotrax producing curved rear forks. The MK1 took a 2.75x22 rear tyre and the MK2 took a 350x19 tyre, the rear exhaust bracket on the MK1 was about 11/2" from the end of the forks and the MK2 about 3" from the end. PS Looking at the photo's again it looks like it is a MK1 frame but the exhaust pipe looks like its off the MK2, if you look at the picture of the old unrestored JAP, that has the MK1 exhaust pipe. I've got Alec Jackson's pamphlets in front of me, its easy when you sit here comparing them.

David, It looked like a 5 stud motor in a MK2 Rotrax frame,.....am I right? Mine was a 4 stud in a MK2, but same clutch as yours, My primary chain cover was more like your Jawa, but exactly the same brown leather saddle. I think one of the things riders find disconcerting about the JAP is that the power comes in all of a sudden, but what a magnificent machine.

David, Enjoy those machines, they look wonderful. I had a JAP and a Jawa like those, unfortunately I ran short of money whilst running Skegness and had to sell the JAP as it was worth more than the Jawa. Still have the Jawa I'm glad to say, and still have a spin now and again.

Thank you Paul

MUSEUM PROJECT PROGRESS Of the first nineteen donations from VSRA members where the amount pledged totalled £1990 actual sum received was £3280. A very encouraging start. Mr. Tony Mole has been an inspiration indeed. BSPA office, and many tracks too have been very helpful and interested in our progress. It would be of great help if any supporter’s clubs could arrange with their promoters to take a collection(s) at a meeting at their home track and add a mention in their Fanzine. I thank all of you for your interest in this venture, and assure you that should we fail to meet our target all monies will be returned to source. For further information contact George Barclay on 020 8592 3361. Below some dates that may interest the interested. Saturday and Sunday 21st and 22nd May sees our fund raising activities at the British Motorcycle Federation meet at Peterborough Showground. Again with the Men in Black and again talking up speedway racing to all and sundry. Any ex riders or ex speedway personnel we come across will be introduced to a VSRA application form. Saturday and Sunday 18th and 19th June. VSRA Patron Lord Montagu has given us the offer of a free stand at Beaulieu for the fantastic Motorcycle World meeting. This is a two day meet. Again with the Men in Black and accompanied by Dave Russell who is making all equipment we require to present our project at his own cost as a donation to the fund. Saturday July 16th We are setting up a stall at the London City Airport open day in conjunction with Terry Stone and the Men in Black road show. An annual event, it has had Spitfire, Corsair, among the warbirds doing their displays plus quite the most skilful aerobatic aircraft performances one could hope to see over East London. An array of attractions and food stalls with fairground rides for the kids and all for free admission. Starts 12 noon. There we will be seeking donors to the fund and taking the opportunity to talk to visitors about their local Speedway tracks. Alan Hodkinson of Viking Video

It won't be Des O'conner, He will be in Skegness I think

Steve, is that the famous white helmet?

Thank you TMC, we can do with all the help we can get. Alan Hodkinson

Sounds like a film for me! Available from where? Regards Lejon <{POST_SNAPBACK}> The Video was produced by Action Video Services and was marketed by the Speedway Star Video section .....,Contact them. The History of Speedway was a good series.

I can understand the confusion with the early white and the yellow helmet covers on black and white photographs, that's probably why they quartered the yellow helment cover with black, or there again perhaps not, it was just a thought.