norbold

Eighty two years ago today, in the scratch race final at New Cross, Ron Johnson ran into the fence on the back straight and fell. With less than two yards separating him and second man, Tom Farndon, the latter had little time to take avoiding action, though those that were there that night say that Tom deliberately tried his best to turn away from his fallen skipper, choosing instead to plough into his machine. Tom and his bike were thrown into the air and flung a considerable distance before Tom landed on his head. Both riders were rushed to hospital. Sadly, Tom never recovered consciousness and died two days later. A sad and tragic end for the rider who, at the age of just 24, had achieved everything there was to achieve in speedway and who seemed unbelievably to be growing in stature and getting even better. Of course, we will never know what the future might have held in store for him - there are those who are certain that the way he was progressing he could well have won all three pre-War World Championships and come back for more afterwards - but already he had achieved enough to be counted amongst those who always find themselves listed amongst "the greatest ever". Was he as good as Vic Duggan, Jack Young, Ronnie Moore, Barry Briggs, Ove Fundin, Peter Craven, Ivan Mauger, Hans Nielsen, Tony Rickardsson, Greg Hancock? We will never know of course and everyone will have their own opinions but to take his place on that list at the age of just 24 is a major achievement in itself. R.I.P., Tom.

The Harringay leg was on 11 July; the return, the following night at Belle Vue on the 12th.

Thank you, r&r, I found that, but that's not the thread I was looking for. It was one where someone pointed out that the Stamford Bridge film couldn't have been responsible for the high attendance at the first High Beech meeting.

I believe that some time ago we had a discussion on here about the first speedway film showing Keith McKay and Billy Galloway racing at Stamford Bridge but can't find it. The reason I was looking for it was because I used to think that this Pathe film was shown in London before the first High Beech meeting and may have been responsible for the higher than expected attendance at that first meeting. However, I think someone cast doubt on that and came up with the dates the film was made and shown, showing that couldn't be correct. Can anyone confirm those dates please?

Terry is always at the Norwich WSRA lunch every year. Get your tickets now and come along and say hello. It's on 29 October this year.

I'm sure that is correct. However, given that, it is interesting that there do not seem to be any fatalities for 1928. Is it just that they weren't recorded?

Great piece of work compost. To make it a more meaningful comparison, it needs to be related to the number of riders and meetings held during those decades. Also 1 in the 90s and 00s is 1 in 20, not 1 in10 or 0.05 per year.

Absolutely BOBBATH. The Defunct Speedway website, Speedway Researcher and the Speedway A-Z site are always the first three to go to for reliable research and information. And just for an enjoyable browse when not looking for anything in particular.

Not sure it worked like that. Not sure it worked like that. Norwich's licence number was R366

The article also mentions that Norwich's licence at The Firs had a prefix R as well. I have looked at some of my National League pre-War programmes from the same era and they don't have an R in front of the Permit no., so perhaps dave's punt is right.

Thanks BL. I didn't see that match, so don't have the programme. Thanks for setting the record straight.

Bjorn was real class at West Ham, sadly only there for one year. Do you remember Bjorn's Bonanza? In the second half, Bjorn used to take on the top scorer from the away team in a match race. I think he won every time including against Ove Fundin and Barry Briggs. I also remember one occasion when he had a special match race against Briggo because Bjorn said the fastest way round Custom House was on the inside, while Briggo maintained it was round the outside. So they lined up with Bjorn off no.1 and Briggo, no.3. Bjorn gated first and promptly went to the outside leaving Briggo on the inside. Bjorn won, thus proving Briggo right! I also remember your text being read out. I was in the studio at the time having to respond to some of these texts!

Yes, I tend to agree, Sid. I guess first impressions always count for a lot and my first impressions were formed through my first two years at speedway in 1960 and 61. Fundin was almost unbeatable round New Cross (apart from the memorabe occasion when Split beat him three times in one night!) whereas Briggs and Craven never seemed to be able to fully get to grips with it. So I've always tended, probably unfairly, to downgrade Briggs and Craven when considering the "greatest ever" as against Fundin, who I still think is the greatest rider in my time. Interestingly, given the discussion above about Jack Young and West Ham, Youngie was another rider who rode New Cross really well and even though he was past his best by 1961, he still had the beating of Craven and Briggo at New Cross in individual meetings. It made me realise just what a good rider he must have been at his peak.

He certainly wasn't as good round small tracks. I think the year he rode for New Cross was just about his worst ever - well, since he had become a top clas rider in the mid 50s.

Yes, John Langfield rode for West Ham in 1969 but didn't return for the 1970 season. Ken McKinlay, for so long the backbone of the team, also left after the 1969 season as did Stan the Man. As has been said, although Sverre returned for 1970, he was just a pale shadow of his former self and then got injured again. Kasper was signed up but went walk about, arriving later in the season. Brian Leonard and Barry Crowson also left.

1971 was the Hammers last year. Clarke and Kasper weren't in the team. Newcomers that year included Preben Rosenkilde, Mick Handley, Allan Belham, Alan Sage and Barry Duke. They finished bottom of the league and then it was all over.

Yes, I seem to remember the story was that Johnnie Hoskins advertised races against cheetahs to bring the crowds in, but, on the night, he announced that the cheetah hadn't turned up. A heckler in the crowd shouted, "Yes he has and we know who the cheater is!" Or something like that.

I suppose it is the track I have visited most. A bit of a toss up between that and Hackney. It was a good track, though generally I preferred smaller tracks like New Cross. However, there was probably no better site in speedway than seeing riders like Sverre Harrfeldt and Christer Lofqvist blasting round the outside at Custom House.I think the problem was that if races got processional there was a long way to go till the end of the race!

Split, of course, is one of speedway's greatest characters and well-known for his sense of humour and loud rasping laugh. Stan Stevens once told me the story about how, just before the start of the 1961 World Championship round at New Cross, he saw Split cutting grooves into his tyres in the paddock, so he asked him if this improved them for racing. Split replied, "No, it doesn't do a blind bit of good, but it makes me feel better" and let out his famous laugh. When they met in the meeting itself, Stan outgated Split, but going down the back straight on the first lap, Split passed him and, as he did so, he just turned to look over at Stan and grinned at him. I am glad I actually got to meet Split many years later at a VSRA (as it then was) dinner, even if his after dinner speech wasn't exactly what everyone had expected!

Our oldest World Championship Finalist survivor, the great Split Waterman is 94 today. My first hero. Happy birthday Split. Only six to go to the century!

I was told the reason for the reduction from 440 yards to 415 yards was because at the end of the 1953 season, Jack Young asked for a transfer as he felt that Custom House was too long and was more a test of speed than skill and that being probably the most skilful rider around at the time, he thought it would be to his advantage to ride for a smaller track. Desperate to keep him, the West Ham management agreed to shorten the track.

You should have started a web site about it. I bet if you had it would still be going today. (The web site that is, not the track!)

Thanks, BL.

Thanks for the info, gustix. So, if it was late 50s, they wouldn't have been around in speedway days then.

Do you know when that would have been, gustix?