norbold

Absolutely right, Jim. You feel as though he could get on a bike now and still win the World Championship! Like you I also feel it a privilege to know him. Apart from his "zest for life" he is such a gentleman, very kind, modest and thoughtful and always willing and ready to talk.

Thanks Jim. It's always good to hear from Ove.

All this just shows the nonsense of having seven of the riders decided by nomination and not by a proper competition. Bring back Andy Smith, I say.

I think it's almost certain Lee will be back next year. After this and the World Cup and the need to keep at least two British riders in the GP for revenue purposes, he'll be there.

Hans Nielsen. Second in 1984, 1985, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1996 Six times runner-up!

Congratulations, Tony. There is absolutley no doubt now that he has to figure in the perennial arguments about who was the greatest ever. He has dominated the mid 90s to mid 00s (so far!) in a way that only the true greats do - Fundin (mid 50s to mid 60s) and Mauger (late 60s to late 70s) for example. You've got to feel sorry for Jason though, coming up against someone like this. If there had been no Trick, then Crumpie would have started his domination by now. One first and four seconds! Keep going, Tony. Seven next year?

That's the point Bert. The yellow helmet looked like the white one on black and White TV, that's why the change to yellow and black. Speedway was televised at least from 1946, maybe pre-War, but it was certainly filmed regularly for Pathe News.

And I've got a few from Hackney and Rye House on my Webshots. Link in my sig.

Thanks dtd. Any luck with Mr Byers yet?

No, it doesn't mean that. It means that chose is the past tense of choose. Chose in the context you used it is wrong..... Incidentally, congratulations to the Poles. I think the GB team have a lot of serious thinking to do. We need to look more to grass roots and training up riders and when they get to International level to somehow instill in them that indefinable x factor we have spoken about on other threads. Perhaps our riders are too jolly nice to be ruthless enough like Gollob, Pedersen, Rickardsson, Crump for example to ever make it right to the top. Steady might just have it.....we'll see over the next couple of seasons.

I realise this might be a bit of a long shot but does anyone have the Wembley riders' averages (or %ages) for 1930 and 1932? Or know where I can get them. Also, I am on the look-out (for my next book) for photographs of pre-War Wembley riders such as Buster Frogley, Ginger Lees, Harry Whitfield, Frank Charles, Gordon Byers, George Greenwood, Norman Evans, etc. etc. Thank you.

Yes, they all rode for Great Britain in the old World Team Cup when Great Britain itself was too weak to compete at that level, so they lumped British Commonwealth riders in as Great Britain.

OK, I'll e-mail you a copy.

When did Ronnie Moore ride for England?

I have a portrait photograph of Gordon in White City colours, not actually riding. If you'd like it I can scan it in and e-mail it to you.

I've got a loft like that!

I've just done this one!

Yes, I remember seeing it but can't remember much about the actual event. Wasn't it a best pairs won by the Ipswich pair of Donkey and John Cook? Which was a bit strange for a World Games as it was a club event and won by an Englishman and an American riding together.

It was unusual for him to lose ANY leg, home or away! It just shows what a great rider Knutsson was. (That's a little aside for CHK)

Yes, it was on 1 September at Norwich. The first leg was on 22 August at Southampton. Knutsson won both legs 2-0.

Don't know about the leaflet, but it must have been 1961 as that's when Knutsson beat Fundin two legs to nil.The World Finalwas in Malmo that year. Wembley held the British Final on 2 September.

Fred Pawson started as a mechanic at Eastbourne in 1947. He then had a few practice outings at Rye House as a rider and was signed up by Harringay in 1948. He moved to Norwich in 1951, coming straight in with a near 6 point average. He remained with Norwich until 1954. I don't think he ever ride for New Cross.

Read the full account of this match in the forthcoming norbold/falcace masterpiece Speedway's Classic Meetings, which includes memories of the match from Dave Lanning, Malcolm Simmons and Reg Trott. Thank you for the opportunity to plug the book, tmc. I will add that I found VSM 50 to be an excellent issue. One of the best so far. Full of interest. Good balance between the different eras. If you haven't done so alreadyI would urge everyone to subscribe.

Yes, but see VSM for the explanation of this.

No Nazi bombers I'm afraid, but I'll see what I can do....