norbold

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.

Ove Fundin once told me he thought that Ivan Mauger was responsible for taking all the fun out of speedway!

Having seen them both over many years, I can't agree with the idea that Briggo was a better racer than Fundin. They were equally determined to win at all costs and ruthless, so I don't think there is any difference on that score, but I do think Fundin actually had more control of his bike and had a more astute racing brain than Briggo and that was why, during the time they were both at the top of their game, Fundin had a superior record to Briggo's, both in terms of titles won and in head to head clashes.

Having lived through all their eras and seen them all I would say, 1. Fundin 2. Mauger 3. Briggs 4. Rickardsson 5. Olsen. Though any one of them could beat all of the others and, of course, all of them trail in behind Tom Farndon!

Also Kazimierz Bentke, Coventry 1961.

Also Marian Kaiser for Leicester in 1959 and Stefan Kwoczala for Leicester in 1960.

Incidentally, sales at the end of June had reached 22,011 (and still rising).

Well, if he was the only one, I'd certainly go along with him being the best. Mind you, he was also the worst.

Yes, I was there that night as well (I don't remember seeing you though ). Timo Laine did indeed score two points. He managed to beat Dick Fisher and Neil Mortimer, who finished with zero points.

Actually, falcace, I have to say I am of an age where Antti Pajari and Timo Laine are not obscure to me. They were both good riders and I would probably count them in Finland's top five, though I agree Kai Niemi would be my choice as no.1.

I've got it. Each pair will be on the same bike. Tandem speedway bikes. Sounds good to me!

Apart from Arne Pander and just possibly Charlie Monk, I don't think any of the others you mention would ever have qualified for a Grand Prix series.

Sverre Harrfeldt has by far the best record of any Norwegian rider.

Whatever happened to Bobbi Hunter?

Eastbourne finished 12th out of 15 that year, Averages: Kennett, 9.72; Moran 9.62; Preston 9.19; Woods 6.62; David Kennett 3.55; Lillebror Johansson 3.55; Lars Hammarberg 3.37; Borje Ring 3.36; Keith Pritchard 3.27. Part of the reason for their poor finish was due to Moran's rather wayward beahviour during the season. He was fined £1000 for failing to arrive at the match against Ipswich. He was then ruled unfit to ride by the track doctor in the match against Belle Vue. He was fined £10 and reported to the Control Board. Moran and the Eastbourne management put the fact he was unfit to ride down to the fact that he had been celebrating after qualifying for the World Final the previous night in Sweden and had then had to get to Eastbourne and that he was just tired. Though Moran did admit to being a "llittle hungover". In total he only rode in 35 out of a possible 48 matches that season and, with the tail being so weak, it didn't help that he was absent so much.

Still trying to defend your utter nonsense then, Philip? Either get a bigger spade to keep digging or, alternatively, get a life.

The problem is Philip, that you can't just lump the Czech Republic and Slovakia together and say oh, well, they used to be one country. There is a reason why they are two countries now and that is because Slovakia voted to be independent. I really don't think they would take too kindly to some outside body coming along and telling them that as far as they are concerned this vote never happened. It would be like telling the Irish that they are British really.