Poor old 'Budgies" featured in head to head with "The Rebels" and "Cheetahs". Must have been galling seeing their nearest and dearest rivals picking up so much silverware during the period covered!
Perhaps not the furthest to travel but just read in the latest "Backtrack" magazine that Steve McDermott and his great buddy Jack "The Villain" Millen would both catch the train from Crewe to Edinburgh and make the return trip on the sleeper after the meeting.
A rider I felt who never really did himself justice in Britain despite a fine international record (World under 21 Champion and a third in the World one year)
Damn! Caught out again...many thanks! It's very difficult finding riders who fell into that particular category? I'm obviously not looking at riders who did a couple of years (mainly overseas like Roman Jankowski for example) but who remained loyal to one particular club for, say, five years or more.
...and Mike Keen for California (?) and/or St. Austell (had to check that one!) but, hey, my memory's not what it was...although I'm sure I'm correct with Tony Davey and definately Rick Timmo!
There was a time when riders remained with one club and served their whole careers riding for same.
Some that instantly come to mind are Peter Collins, Erik Gundersen, Tommy Knudsen, Tony Davey, Rick Timmo, Mike Keen...plus many others.
Apologies but no malice was intended except that obviously the travel industry has suffered badly together with tourism and the lesiure industry generallly during the pandemic and was only making a sincere observation that hopefully things will be okay within TPT as it's a service I have personally used in the past and found it to be a superb organisation in all aspects and well respected within the speedway fraternity.
Yes I remember when the Golden Helmet was a match race between the holder and the highest scoring opposition rider...infact the very first meeting I attended Garry Middleton relieved holder Nigel Boocock of the tifter! Then, of course, it was decided to run a monthly challenge which caught the imagination at the time. I witnessed many memorable challenges over the years before it reverted back to the on-off and finally disappearing (together with the helmet!) altogether.