norbold

From my memory of those years I would go along with that, BL. The dedicated Ove Fundin fan and great speedway statistician and historian, the late Keith Farman, compiled a complete record of every race Ove had ever ridden in this country. He found that Ove Fundin beat the other Big Four more times than they beat him, but that of those, Peter Craven beat him more times than any of the others.

Indeed he did. This could go on for some time. Perhaps people should be more specific with their questions!

Jack Milne also never won a GP but became world champion.

Lionel Van Praag never won a GP but became World Champion.

I do agree with you really, Rob, that Ove would most likely have made a clean sweep of it from 1956 - 1963; it;s just that it seems such a statistical unlikelihood that I threw in a couple of years where he might not have won it! I started going to speedway in 1960 and my memory of the early 60s is that Ove was so dominant you expected him to win everything - though of course he didn't! But over a season.... If he was like that from 1956-59, which statistics and memories seem to show he was, then 1956-63 it is. There is one other rider to mention in the latter part of this period though and that is Bjorn Knutson. He was notorious for being nervous on World Final night; maybe over a season he might have done better? Certainly I think he could have won the World Title in 1964 in a Grand Prix style event, thereby removing one of Briggo's titles. I also agree that 1955 was most likely to have been Moore or Young.

It's normally the last Sunday in October.

Ove Fundin is an interesting one. I think he could well have won every year from 1956 to 1963, though Briggo would have been a good bet maybe for 1958. Similarly Peter Craven for 1962. He would almost certainly not have won in 1967. So he actually won five, but could have won eight on the trot, though two doubtful, making six more likely, so, yes, one more than he did win at least.

I hate to be too pedantic, but Brian Crutcher retired in 1960 in the same week that I saw my first meeting. I thought it was something I'd done!

Ooops sorry, yes, compost, I missed that before. July 3rd is a Midlands v. South Cup: Plymouth 41 Southampton 54 in Stenners. Incidentally, moxey, where did you get North v. South Cup from as it seems to be Midlands v. South Cup? Is that a mistake on the Speedway Researcher site or is there other evidence for it being called that?

According to Stenners, it was called the Midlands v. South Cup. The match on 15 October was a "home" cup tie for Eastbourne but was raced at Exeter. They had raced their last match at Arlington on 4 October, their last league match against Cradley Heath. Charlie Dugard was losing money on the venue and moved operations to Hastings in 1948. I guess he decided to cut his losses once the league season was done. 15 October was a Wednesday. I can't see any record of a Plymouth v. Southampton Cup match in Stenners. They raced three times, two league matches and one challenge.

There was a thread on this a few years ago. I think it came to a definitive conclusion. Perhaps a little research back in Speedway Forum archives might help. Here it is: http://www.speedway-forum.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=39407&hl=travelled

Yes, that's why I added Ove Fundin!

I think Ove Fundin should have won more world titles.....

One rider whose results didn't quite match his ability I always thought was Reidar Eide. He always rode West Ham really well and beat some of the best there. He was usually well into the 9/10 point averages but only made one World Final and only finished thirteenth in that.

Good shout, Daytripper. Couldn' t agree more.

Except that Bluey Wilkinson did win the World Championship..... Just to be helpful, Sidney...: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tom-Farndon-Greatest-Speedway-Rider/dp/0752451405?ie=UTF8&ref_=asap_bc

Savalas Clouting, Eddie Kennett. Not sure I agree about Sverre Harrfeldt, chr. He was, of course, a brilliant rider, especially round Custome House, but I was pleasantly surprised when he made no. 2 in the world. I don't think he was quite as good as the likes of Fundin and Briggo. I agree about Gote Nordin though. He did have the real potential to win the World Championship.

Started at New Cross, then West Ham then Hackney....but fortunately my jinx run came to an end in 1979 when I moved and started following Ipswich, still here 37 years later fortunately!

I've just discovered that planning permission for a "dirt track racing circuit" in Clacton-on-Sea was turned down in 1933. It's all a bit vague at the moment but I am following this up as I have never seen or heard any mention of dirt track racing or speedway in Clacton before.

I have spoken to a number of people who were there that night. They say that all four riders started off scratch and that George Hunter got away first. The only real controversy over this seems to be that some people think that Peter Craven deliberately let George gate first so that he could make a race of it; others swear that George, who, as BL65 says, was a fast gater, got out first on merit. We may never know about that, but it is certain that they were all off scratch.

No, in that particular race he went off scratch along with the other three riders.

Any of the many meetings held before Maitland December 1923, so I could video it and bring back a programme!

1928.

The Researcher site gives the date of every meeting and who rode in it, doesn't it? http://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/docs/bristol/1960.pdf

I'm not quite clear about what info you need. If you got the info from the Speedway Researcher site, surely that has the dates of the meetings he rode in.