norbold

Talking of Sverre at West Ham, Christer Lofqvist was another amazing character at Custom House. Their swoops round the outside were the highlights of many a meeting.

Jason Doyle Bartosz Zmarzlik Tai Woffinden Freddie Lindgren Emil Sayfutdinov Patryk Dudek Maciej Janowski Matej Zagar Nicki Pedersen Martin Vaculik Greg Hancock Arden Laguta Peez Pawlicki Chris Holder Craig Cook

" guys who would put you into the fence as soon as look at you!!" I think that category includes Briggo and Ove Fundin - and to their own partners too if they got in the way! As for characters in general, Reg Luckhurst, the famous pop star, was a bit of a character and, of course, the character amongst characters, Split Waterman, was still around in the early 60s.

Just published today - the prequel to Pie 'n' Mash, "Cracked Eggs & Chicken Soup." "Cracked Eggs and Chicken Soup" is about growing up in the East End of London, around the Whitechapel and Bethnal Green areas, between the Wars. It is the memoir of my father, who came from a large family and talks about what it was like growing up in poverty during that period. But as well as being a family story, it is also a social and political history of its time. There is much about the shops and stalls of Petticoat Lane, Brick Lane and surrounding streets, their owners and stallholders. The itinerant street vendors and street entertainers. Also the rise of the Blackshirts and the fear amongst the community, culminating with an eye witness account of the Battle of Cable Street that turned the tide. But in spite of the difficult times, it is also a story of the love and community spirit of the East End and above all, the book records with affection the area and its people as well as now-vanished aspects of everyday life. The story is full of hardships but also of the hope and pride that defined the working class families in the slums and Buildings of the East End. There is even the odd mention of pre-War speedway too!

I was at the West Ham meeting on 26 August. I have written in my programme, "Exc broke tapes start." (He was replaced by Steve Waplington).

I'm not particularly opposed to having umbrella girls but to use as an excuse that that is their only role in speedway and without it they'd have none is more degrading than them actually parading up and down. Their role in the sport could be as administrators, as referees, as mechanics or, Heaven forbid, as riders. That's what should be encouraged.

Stewie St George is no.34 n the J A Pattreiouex set of 50 Dirt Track Riders. The info on the back starts off, "Born in Auckland, N.Z...."

I think the Jack Parker photo shows him speaking to the Daily/Sunday Mirror Journalist, Don Clarke.

Wally Loak at the 2017 Celebration of Speedway: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1432244900383031/search/?query=Wally Loak

In the last Olympic Games, I think there were something like 20 players born in China playing table tennis, with only six of those actually representing China!

Well at least England's got them surrounded, Rob.

The enquiry was from someone called Andy.

It's always done like that. What do you think they do?

I have just received this email. I have never heard of Ronald Crozier Hillary. Can anyone shed any light on him? "Dear Norman, I'm looking to understand more about my grandfather, who is alleged to have ridden speedway for Wembley Lions in the pre-war years. We understand that he lived in London during the 1930s, and believe he was at the opening of the Wembley (Empire) swimming pool next to the stadium in 1934, (and apparently was thrown into the water when it opened), so some time around that era. In family folklore, there may have also been a connection with Belle Vue speedway - but know little more than that. We knew him as Ronald (Ronny or Ron) Crozier Hillary, who hailed from the north east of England, in County Durham. Any help in proving or disproving where and when he rode, would be most helpful."

If it was asked a year ago I would have said yes, but, sadly, the person I knew died last year.....

Going back to 1947.....Vic Duggan won 85 out of 96 races in the National League plus nine second places, recording an average of 11.46. He also won 23 out of 24 races in the London Cup and National Trophy. 12 wins out of 18 in Test matches, scoring a paid 47 out a possible 54. He won the London Riders' Championship with a 15 point maximum. This latter was the climax to a five week period to the end of May when he scored 254 out of a possible 261. This period was followed by winning 55 races out of 59 in June. He also took the Match Race title from the Match Race king, Jack Parker (he of Parker's Pension), successfully defended it against Bill Kitchen before relinquishing it unbeaten. In addition to all of this, he qualified for the British Riders' Championship final with a maximum 60 out of 60 points. It was an incredible year, marred sadly only by his failure to win the British Riders' Championship, falling in his fourth ride and not taking part in his fifth.

Yes, it was Steve Ribbons and David Entwistle who revived the Rye House name over the winter of 1998/9 with the express intention of bringing racing back to Rye House itself. Unfortunately that wasn't possible immediately as the track had been tarmacked over. John Stoneman, who had been elected Chairman of the Supporters' Club approached Len Silver and asked if he'd be prepared to contribute £50 towards reviving the club. Len offered to do more than that and agreed to sponsor the team. He then arranged with his old friend, Dingle Brown, to use Mildenhall as their "home" track. Once they had proved they could run a team, Steve Ribbons approached Rye House stadium itself at the end of the season to discuss the possibility of their return. Len was involved in the discussions and agreed to take over full financial responsibility for the club. Eddie Leslie, who owned Rye House, agreed that speedway could return on the understanding that the club lay the shale surface before every match and lift it after each match. Amazingly, Len agreed to this condition and then spent thousands of pounds renovating the stadium and clearing it all up. Rye House was back in business.

Not really a nomadic team. They were a second Dagenham team that entered the Amateur Dirt Track League in 1938.

Rye House operated every year during the War except 1944.

Good 1. The West Ham v. Wimbledon 1965 Cup Quarter Final Replay. The night Malcolm Simmons became an overnight star…after three years! Best meeting I have ever seen. 2. West Ham winning the League in 1965 at Cradley Heath and the coach journey back to London afterwards! 3. My first meeting on 11 May 1960. New Cross v. Norwich and seeing Ove Fundin and Aub Lawson in full flow, but especially Jimmy Gooch beating Aub! 4. Ove Fundin winning the 1967 World Final. I had gone with a group of friends from college in Norwich, who knew nothing about speedway and, although I didn’t hold out much hope, I persuaded them all to support Mr Norwich. 5. Ove Fundin beating Briggo 2-0 at New Cross in 1960 to win the Golden Helmet, breaking the track record in both races. Bad 1. As everyone says, riders getting killed, especially the couple I actually witnessed 2. New Cross closing down 3. West Ham closing down 4. Having to put up with double points, jokers, silly helmets, etc. 5. The demise of the Golden Helmet in its original form.

A very special happy birthday to Lenny Read. 100 years old today. And still in good health and fighting fit.

Not that close, BOBBATH! Still a long way to go yet.

So Ove Fundin moves into the top 16. R.I.P. George White.

Very sorry to hear that. He was in England's first WTC team in 1960.

I'm not sure it works like that, Grachan. You could say that Rickardsson took Mauger's high standards of professionalism to an even higher level. Would that mean that only riders since Rickardsson's day can be called the greatest ever? You have to look at the conditions in the era of each of the riders and what marks them out during that era. I think the idea that putting a great rider from any era into another era, with all that goes with that era, and they would still rise to the top is almost a truism. Frank Arthur and Vic Huxley were probably the first of the "greats", but they were leg trailers, so if they came back today riding exactly as they did then (and on the machinery they had then) and rode against the likes of Jason Doyle and Greg Hancock, they'd stand no chance. But that's not how you have to make comparisons between eras.