steve roberts

Back in the 'Good Old Days' we used to go to Reading (occasionally) on the Monday, White City on Wednesdays, Oxford on Thursdays and more than occasionally Swindon on Saturdays.

...personally I always preferred race jackets and the choice of individual leathers. It made it easier identifying one rider from another.

Many thanks for that...it just looks very messy in my opinion whereby the idea of team suits was to make the sport look more 'professional' (although I disliked them personally) and now it appears that it's left to discretion of any one promotion as to which way to go...team suits or race jackets.

Having flicked thru' a recent edition of 'Speedway Star' I happened to notice that Poole on a recent visit to Belle Vue appeared to have dispensed with team suits adopting race jackets instead. Scanning further thru' the mag it seems that some teams are re-adopting race jackets whereas others have the club insignia on their team suits. Are team suits no longer compulsory and left to individual clubs to adopt whatever suits?

...having not bought a copy for a year or two having read the Ivan tributes I just flicked thru' the rest of the magazine and pictures of similarly styled riders looking the same didn't particularly inspire me. Individuality seems to be a thing of the past.

...an interesting insight regarding Ivan's change of approach to the 1979 World Final. The more I think of Ivan's passing the more apparent that a great part of the sport that I once knew no longer exists.

Saw a copy at Morrison's today with Ivan on the front and bought it purely for the articles on the great man.

Agree 100%...under the Grand Prix System Ivan would have reigned supreme during the seventies as Hans Nielsen would have done during the middle/late eighties.

Ivan's chosen records were Joseph Maori Girls Choir - Pokarekare Ana Herb Albert - Lonely Bull Jim Reeves - Distant Drums Dick Van Dyke - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Oliver - Consider Yourself Roger Whittaker - I Don't Believe In If Anymore Johnny Cash - Ring Of Fire Herb Albert - Tijuana Taxi Interesting selection and his luxury? Box of family photos. Speedway on Desert Island Discs? Wouldn't happen in a million years now...the roaring seventies speedway's last 'Golden Era!'

...another superb edition! To think that a speedway rider had a column in one of the dailies! The 1970's...speedway's last Golden Era! Glad that my formative years were spent following the sport during that time.

...hang on Sid! We're not talking Dave Younghusband here are we?

...or Cowley Stadium in 1975/76!

...now that doesn't surprise me! Wouldn't trust him as far as one could throw him.

Good post!

...thought I hadn't seen any publicity lately as I drive along the A59 towards Harrogate.

An obscure entry but Ivan won a meeting at York Stadium, Green Hammerton, near York in 1982. It was essentially a shale-surfaced trotting track and I recently visited to view Harness Racing which was quite interesting for a first visit!

...personally I rarely bother trawling thru' to see if there is a similar thread on any particular subject before starting one.

...I visited Brough Park three times in the distant past and was (B)rough to say the least!

...apparently it happened at Exeter when Ivan was riding for Newcastle and beat Jimmy Squibb during the Golden Sash match race.

...happened to a few riders who moved to Belle Vue during the Bamforth era when he used to throw money around hoping to buy success...Mark Courtenay, Andy Campbell and Carl Blackbird to name three who had shown varying degrees of success and/or potential prior to moving to 'The Aces' but moved on for various reasons when not truly fulfilling expectations...and not forgetting Mark Crang!

...have a feeling that was during the 50th Anniversary Meeting held at Kingsmead during the 1973 season? Was Briggo there also?

...seem to recall that he got married on the centre green at B(R)rough Park?

Sadly took his own life some years ago.

Purely the greatest...there'll never be another. RIP Ivan.

Very sad news indeed. Ivan was the best...the greatest rider of any generation. I was fortunate to watch him ride on many occasions and his dedication and professionalism was exceptional. Recall his visit to White City dressed in top hat and tails paraded whilst sat on the bonnet of Danny Dunton's Rolls Royce having earlier in the day been awarded his MBE. A great man and there'll never be another. RIP Ivan.