liverpool chad

Retiring when you are at the very top of your sport is very appealing to most sportsmen, especially if they have made lots of money or have a cushy job to go into. Well Bruce had both the money and the cushy job to go into so you can't blame him really. Bruce Penhall didn't owe speedway anything, he went out every week risking his life to give people like you and i lots of pleasure! Cradley Heath on the other hand were short changed as Bruce left part way through the season and in mid contract. Your reply baffles me slightly as, you fail to explain why you think that someone is quote "a conman, gutless and overrated" when they do what many thousands of people do every day, and that is change their career for a better one closer to home. Admittedly he was somewhat unsuccessful in his acting career, so he then trys his hand at powerboat racing and guess what? he becomes world champion! So thats world champion at two very dangerous pastimes, so i think we can drop the word's gutless and overatted from your argument! And as for you thinking running a family business is an easy option, then think again, ive just spent 30 odd years doing just that and it's not easy! I notice you mentioned two tennis players as an example. Well cast your mind back to 1981 and one of the sports most consistent men Bjorn Borg quites the game while ranked world number 2 having been number 1 for many years and all this in the middle of the great rivalry with John McEnroe!

Tony, Having read Alan Wilkinsons book in which he states that he and Chris Pusey tried to get Jack Fernley to sign Bruce for Belle Vue. Could you ask him how he would of liked to ride in the same team has his friend Peter Collins. PS A message for "dirt" overrated, gutless and conman, are not words that you would associate with Bruce Penhall! Hang your head in shame

I will be in bydgoszcz for the gp and will buy 4 off you and i know a mate who will want at least 3. Where will you be stood on the Saturday night?

750 Fans at Belle Vue! Was it free to get in?

'HE'S A GEM" Have you been sniffing glue? At best he's exciting on a deep track when he's missed the gate, other than that he's ordinary at best. Seen him miss the gate at Brandon and he somtimes goes backwards fast! after forty odd years watching the sport he's no gem believe me!

What a load of rubbish! Peter Collins had a serious flaw in the fact that he could'nt gate, but he still became a world champion. Egon Muller had a flaw in the fact that he did'nt ride enough speedway each year to become world champion but lo and behold he becomes world champion. Michael Lee was told he was to tall to be a good speedway rider and that he did not have the temprement to win the big prize, but lo and behold he became world champion. And the best of the lot, i remember Peter Craven being told at Liverpool that he was to small to be any good at speedway, but lo and behold he becomes world champion!!!

Another so called Harris knocker here! Yes he did very well today and unfortunately just got outpaced in the final. But having one or two good GP's a season and six or seven poor ones is still a poor return from Englands so called number one! On the Gollob, Holta incident in the semi final, i thought the referee got this one right has Holto had lifted down the back straight and was not under complete control going into the bend. On the Crump, Jonsson incident in heat 13, i thought the referee got this one wrong as Crump did'nt look to be under power when Jonsson hit him and if anyone was going to be excluded it should of been Crump for causing the incident.

FRONT OF T-SHIRT :-King Kenny of Halifax, giving 500% every time REAR OF T-SHIRT :-100% England 100% Yorkshire 100% Kenny 200% Of pure box office theatre!

Cradley Heath- "Forging world champions since 1981" Ivan Mauger, Photographed in his youth-"The Man Who Would Be King" Peter Collins taking Malc Simmons from behind at Katowice-"The Finest Sight In The World" Peter Collins 1976 Wold Champion. Belle Vue- Picture of Craven, Sjostin and Collins "The Entertainers" Tommy Jansson, pictured with the golden helmet "Lest We Forget" I could probably think up one for every british league team from the 60's-70's. Even though you said the t-shirts should not be specific to one team, i think that if you made them stylish enough and kept the numbers low, people will buy them. I know there are a couple of lads from liverpool who do the same for football teams/fans and they sell like hotcakes! company called 80's casuals.

Top riders of the 1960's Too many to name but apart from the obvious superstars like Ove Fundin, Bjorn Knutsson, Barry Briggs and Igor Plechanov. Some of the British boys i remember were great to watch, the likes of Ron How, Peter & Brian Craven, Leo McAuliffe, Brian Brett and the Boocock brothers, not forgetting Charlie Monk and Ken McKinley.

[/so were is the green of the welsh flag in the union jack? and why do scots use a blue an white flag and not be proud of the union jack as us english are forced to do /when the anzacs no longer rode for GB it was changed to england because the team was english wots the differance now ! we have to use the union flag not our own. why does the scotish football team play in BLUE AND WHITE and not red white and blue and be proud to be british ?. the england team play in red white an blue?. why when the cross of st george is red and white?. do all scots and welsh call them selves british an be proud i think not !. call a scots man british or were a unionjackflag an go out clubin in glasgow an youd lose ya heed man !. if i painted my van in the union jack wrote england on it. then parked it outside a night club in glasgow would the scots be proud ov it.? or would i need a new paint job ect ect . eny way way were going all british flags will soon be changed to the union jackystan ov britan Can someone please translate the above paragraph into plain english so some of us can understand. The standard of education in Yorkshire has dropped immensely since my days at school!

Another fanatical englishman who finds it very difficult to spell certain words in his native language! Mod Note: just the same one under duplicate account - now locked

I've got both Collins and Knutsson in my all time list of greats. Two of the most exciting riders of all time IMHO and i would pay any amount of money to be transported back in time to see those two greats!

While i have no doubt you do not like to see a rider get injured, i must say that to cheer "loud and proud" as you put it when a rider falls and as such puts himself in a situation where he could become injured is very immature. I was at Meadowbank when the great Peter Cravan had his fatal accident, and although only young i knew it was bad, as a quite hush distended over the stadium. and if i remember correctly not a soul near me cheered when the accident happened. I was also at Belle Vue when Alan Wilkinson Slid off against Swindon, and as i recall, not one of the Swindon fans stood near me on the popular side cheered. I for one pay to see 4 riders ride 4 laps against each other and am always saddened when 4 riders do not complete the race, but then thats just me! But it sickens me to the pit of my stomach when fans cheer when a rider falls off. Have a little more respect for these men who week in week out risk their lives to bring a little pleasure to tiny minds like yourself!

Coventry!!! are you on glue?

AGREED. Back in the hotel now. The first 16-17 heat's were poor and only the score kept people interested around where i was stood. Too much dirt on the track early on made it tricky out wide. but all that matters is the RESULT !!! and what a RESULT !!! PS as for the best race track in the country! Never in the same class as Sheffield IMO.

Greatest 7 riders i have seen riding 1, Ivan Mauger 2, Ove Fundin 3, Hans Nielsen 4, Bjorn Knutsson 5, Peter Collins 6, Barry Briggs 7, Tony Ricardsson Track Res;- Igor Plechanov (personal favourite)

1, Peter Collins 2, Michael Lee 3, Dave Jessup 4, John Louis 5, Terry Betts 6, Martin Ashby 7, Ray Wilson 8, Malcolm Simmons 9, Nigal Boocock 10, Eric Boocock 11, Chris Pusey 12, Gordon Kennett 13, Alan Wilkinson 14, Jim McMillan 15, Eric Broadbelt 16, George Hunter 17, Bob Kilby 18, Bert Harkins 19, Steve Bastable 20, Arnold Haley

Mine have just arrived from DX couriers. :D happy days :D

RIP Tommy Jansson, 34 years on, but i can still remember it as if it were yesterday. Speedway was robbed of one of its brightest stars and speedway fans were robbed of seeing memorable battles between Tommy and the likes of Collins, Olsen, lee and Penhall as Tommy matured into a world class rider. And of course Tommy IMO was robbed of a world individual title that was coming his way in the late seventy's! As i have posted before, this rider was as save as house's on the track, a joy to watch and very affable and unassuming off the track. THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES TOMMY JANSSON

What i miss about speedway in the 1970's The crooked house outside Cradley, hot pork and crackling butties at Cradley. Peter Collins and his mechanic cutting the grip off the outside of his back tyres in the market squre at Kings lynn one bank holiday monday, and then going and hammering Michael Lee from the back. The smell's around certain tracks like Sheffield, Hackney and Newport-Newports almost square track and wondering how nobody ever ended up on the railway track. Fans with anoraks covered in sew on badges, Home made programme boards, Scarfs with rosettes of favorite riders pinned to them. The Daily Mirror Tournament, Lenningrad touring, Full blown test match series. Queuing down the street to get into Exeter for the first time Going to Belle Vue and visiting the zoo in the afternoon speedway in the evening and then a quick walk around the fair before going home, Watching the scenic railway and bobs inbetween races. Seeing Alan Wilkinson clatter Charlie Monk comming out of the last bend at Halifax and poor old Charlie being picked up outside the pit gate having kartwheeled the length of the home straight Seeing Alan Wilkinson slide off at Hyde Road against Swindon and never ride or walk again Watching the bank holiday fixtures up and down the country one track in the morning and the return in the evening. Trying to get to three tracks on a bank holiday monday! Watching speedway at Nelson and watching the cricket nextdoor inbetween heats. Big meetings at Wembley(empire stadium) Dag Lovas reveling in the rain Soldier Boy, the deaf and dumb man selling pens. Simmo missing lots of meetings with some unbelievable excuses! Taking two weeks off work in 1976 and traveling all over the country watching speedway and cricket, 14 days 14 meetings and from that time i have tried to get to at least 3 meetings every week up and down the country. Coventry vs Hull for the league title(what a crowd) Golden helmet Match race's- seeing Tommy Jansson winning the runoff at Cradley and then never seeing him again World of Sport covering speedway. These are just some of the memories that made the 1970's a greet time for me and speedway.

Without a shadow of a doubt. And to do it in the poles back yard made Ivan's win even more remarkable.

He had to bail out because Hans Andersen barged in front of Harris in an illegitimate move causing Harris to lose control of his bike. It's not rocket science! I can't believe it is even being debated.

Due to me injuring my back at work last week i have had to give up my ticket to this weekends GP and let my sister-in-law travel in my place on our trip with travel plus to Wroclaw/Lesznow. Also ive been advised that i could be laid up for 6-8 weeks so ive had to cancel further trips to Gothenborg and Prague . Not a happy camper so my first GP this year will now be Torun in june. Fingers crossed!!!