steve roberts

It was a great evenig Sid...watching speedway in a vast stadium under floodlights after having been used to Cowley.

Well that moment of goodwill didn't last very long!

No I wasn't at that one Sid...probably getting confused!

Was the Southern Riders Championship held at Reading as I may have seen him in that?

I remember a photo of Tommy sat in the pits that evening Sid studying the programme...can't remember from where now?

What would be interesting would be an interview with Mark Courtenay who had so much talent and was a brilliant stylist but who had off track issues before making a dramatic comeback.

Great to see a rider gain success by riding the white line.

I was there Sid...Hans was caught out trying to move Erik Gundersen out and would have achieved the required pass except that Kelly Moran had filled the gap!

If I recall Sid that was the deal with the Golden Helmet Match Race in that the rider away rider was given an extra ride(s) in the second half to make the trip worthwhile?

I only saw Tommy on a few rare occasions (Wimbledon sharing the same race night as Oxford) but I did see him at Swindon in the Golden Helmet match race at Swindon in 1976...probably the last time I saw him ride. Also saw him ride at White City's opening meeting in 1976 when Gordon Kennett beat him twice from the back. Also saw him ride during the 1975 Geoff Curtis Memorial Meeting when he lost in a three way run off with John Davis and Dag Lovaas. I'm convinced that he would have been a very big player if he hadn't died so tragically. A very sad loss.

I have the DVD...great memories!

I thought that the Olsen, Mauger & Kennett encounter at Wembley in 1978 was developing into something special until Ivan fell. You could have thrown a blanket over the three of them (to quote a Dave Lanning phrase).

Good stuff!

Brilliant calculating ride!

Another decent race...when I pop into the "Mouseman" workshop in Kilburn I always try and grab a word with Ian Cartwright and have a chat about speedway. A very mild mannered person and a pleasure to talk to.

Brilliant race!

Many thanks for that...more great memories! He came from nowhere making up so much ground!

Can someone post the race during the 1981 WTF (Olching?) where Chris Morton came from nowhere to defeat, if I recall, Erik Gundersen or was it Egon Muller?

Great stuff again!

Cairo rings a bell? It was an event organised by Reg Fearman.

Sad to see Ivan a shadow of his former self...another great effort by Chris Morton.

Something Malc Simmons used to tell him. Davis would always be looking over his shoulder to see where his opponent was. Gordon Kennett would often wear him down and eventually pass him after having been outgated by John.

Another good race. Gardening at the start? Remember Garry Middleton getting up to all sorts of tricks before settling down at the commencement of a race in an effort to unsetttle his opponents and, of course, Ivan was a master at it! Enjoyed hearing Dave Lanning's commentary...no shouting or hysterics!

I would tend to agree although I remember that Todd Wiltshire used to adopt the style to a fashion.

Fascinating...thanks for that!