norbold

Thank you, BOBBATH. You're a gentleman and I agree with you! Me too.

Do you know something we don't?

There was a viable track in place in 1968. Jimmy Gooch had leased it in 1967 to run a training school and resuscitated the track. It was this track that was used at the 40th anniversary meeting in 1968. Many former riders gave demonstrations on the track including Roger Frogley, Wal Phillips, Jack Barnett and Syd Edmonds. So I did see speedway at the track, albeit not a match or individual trophy. The last time High Beech was used for matches was 1939. It was used as a training track in1947, 49 and 50 and then that was it till 1967.

The meeting I went to at High Beech was actually in 1968, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the first meeting. In fact the last meeting at High Beech was later than the last meetings at New Cross and Harringay. P.S. And Southampton!

I didn't venture much out of London but just looking at the tracks I went to there and are not around any more is enough to make you cry!!! New Cross Harringay Hackney West Ham Wimbledon White City Wembley Romford and (just outside) High Beech Rayleigh. I did get to some others like Cradley Heath and Hyde Road, but just looking at London tracks is bad enough!

That's not an easy answer at all. Of course, records will go on being broken, though you haven't mentioned Don Bradman's Test match record, however, as you say yourself about boxing, football and rugby for example, the fitness levels and training are much greater today. Transpose those old champions to today's regimes and what would they achieve? That's the point of the question.

All heat leaders, apart from the Big 5, were on 10 yards.

The only thing I know is that Peter Craven beat Ove Fundin more times in all encounters than Moore or Briggs did, but Fundin won the most. I would be fairly certain that Fundin would be the dominant rider in that selection. Certainly Fundin was by far the most dominant in the Golden Helmet.

I can't help thinking the greats of any period would be great in any other. It's something about them as individuals, their skill, their dedication, their ruthlessness, their determination, whatever the track preparation or equipment or technical advances.

Who knows, chr, who knows?

Now that would be a story!

I don't know but why has Darcy Ward tweeted that he is out of the 2015 Melbourne GP?Darcy Ward has just tweeted, "@D_Dublu_racing: Reading highest placed non gp rider is Aussie tittle gets wild card" (sic)

Given the length of time it's taking to hold the hearing and the possible ramifications if he is cleared, I would have thought the FIM must be quite confident they will win the case

Er....no...His name is Ken Taylor.

Ah, right, sorry, sidney. My mistake. Yes West Ham was used in the 1960s, but it moved around a bit. 64 was Wembley; 65 West Ham; 66 Wimbledon; 67 West Ham; 68 Wimbledon; 69 West Ham; 70 West Ham; 71 Coventry

King's Lynn's not defunct.

West Ham closed in 1972.

Not necessarily. I know someone who was at the first meeting at High Beech in 1928 and he's still going strong. Mind you, he was only 4 months old at the time.

Now I'm feeling my age, moxey. I was brought up in the 1960s with Ove Fundin, Ronnie Moore, Peter Craven, Barry Briggs, Bjorn Knutson...sigh....

I don't know what period you are talking about, Gustix, but when I started going in 1960, the early rounds were held on all the Provincial League tracks for Provincial League riders and National League reserves. Every rider in the National League was entered into the World Championship. Also in 1960 continental rounds were held in Yugoslavia, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria and Germany and there were certainly Hungarian riders taking part. And of course there were rounds in all four Scandinavian countries. It sounds pretty comprehensive to me.

Indeed, WK. It is one of the very best sites on the web. I think John has done some amazing work on this site and we should all be grateful for all the time and effort he has put in. Now let's see if I can help out with all those strange letters.....

Bangs head against wall.

You do an amazing job, steve as does everyone else who compiles figures and records for previous seasons and I for one fully appreciate all the difficulties and effort you go to to try and make them accurate. I agree with everything that has been said about the poor record keeping in the past as I know from painful experience in trying to compile the year by year records for my various books.Although he did a great job with his book, "British Speedway Leagues 1946-1964", it is a shame that Peter Morrish only published the number of points each rider obtained and not the number of rides or even the number of meetings. Still, I suppose he had the same problem everyone here has found.

The stadium is still thriving, Bobbath. And what's more they still have hot rod and banger racing there, so the old speedway track is still there as well, though now sadly covered with tarmac.

And I was trying to draw attention to the fact that that doesn't make it right and therefore is a completely irrelevant comment.