steve roberts

...seem to recall Oxford had a similar pricing structure in 1972 but the programme cost 8p if I remember.

As Billy Connolly once quoted it's not whether things were better or worse it's just that one is trying to re-capture one's youth and how one remembers it.

Interesting interview with Zenon Plech (Backtrack 2012) who stated "Even with crowds of 10,000 for league matches, it doesn't cover all the money they are paying out to the riders. And if sponsors pull out..." Whether that still applies now I'll leave those familiar with knowledge of the present climate to comment.

...I must admit my heart was in my mouth awaiting the referee's decision! However my view (and it's biased of course) was that Tommy Knudsen was guilty of taking another 'square bend' as he was apt to to do and as he attempted to correct himself Hans had filled the gap. There was often tension between Nielsen and Knudsen when they met with their respective teams and both were guilty of taking each other to the fence so swings and roundabouts as far as I'm concerned.

Another good thread Sid! Best memories? 1. My very first meeting at Cowley (1972 vs. Coventry) 2. White City winning at Wolves in 1977 thereby winning the league. 3. Oxford vs. Ipswich (KOC Final Second Leg). Best ever meeting at Cowley during my time in my opinion. 4. Hans Nielsen winning the World Championship in 1986 at Katowice...I was there! 5. Oxford hammering the enemy (Swindon 'Budgies') at 'The Abbey' in 1986. Worse memories? 1. Any deaths at speedway (thankfully I was never present at any meeting when a rider was killed) but they all left a profound effect on me. 2. Travelling a great distance to be met with a postponement announcement. 3. The demise of the second half...used to have some great second halves at Cowley during 'The Rebels' era. 4. The closure of White City and Oxford as speedway venues. 5. Seeing the sport decline in popularity and I can't see it being reversed.

Thanks for that...I did wonder.

Sad news indeed. A rider who returned to the sport after a serious injury threatened to finish his career.

...however it attracted fans in their thousands so obviously something was right with the product. With all of today's state of the art media opportunities the same can not be said of today. We all have our own views and opinions for the reason why...well documented over and over but it appears that people are no longer excited by the thought of four motorbikes circumnavigating an oval track like they used to be.

Certainly wasn't rubbish. I went and for atmosphere it took some beating...which is one of the main ingredients for a speedway meeting. Certainly compared with Cardiff when I went some years back.

I remember there was talk of him making a comeback during the early seventies...had a feeling that he had a practice spin in the car park? RIP

Remember him well. RIP

Never implied that in my posts.

...with respect I go back to 1972 just prior to the four valve revolution which, in itself, caused suspicion but I saw the development of the silencers and all that caused with riders threatening to pull out of meetings and some not conforming with the requirements. I remember meetings at White City that were threatened due to protests flying around. I recall the 1981 Spring Classic Meeting at Wimbledon (it was televised if I remember?) when there was a dispute over Ole Olsen's either silencer or tyre and the result was changed and re-declared and then later again well into the season. Ellesmere Port had a result changed well into the off season (1985) after a meeting that had taken place much earlier in the year over a tyre issue. These are just two examples taken off the top of my head. The one tyre per meeting caused problems with accusations being made suggesting that some riders were swapping tyres (Mitch Shirra recounts a story in an interview) and referees being called down to the pits to intervene thus holding up proceedings. Thankfully common sense did begin to prevail but there were problems initially and supporters were left shaking their heads sometimes but I agree that most fans are only really interested in the non technical rules...I was just highlighting past issues that undermined the smooth running of some meetings during this period.

When I last saw a rule book...and that's years ago now...much of it was filled with technical rulings aimed at the machinery and what was deemed legal or what wasn't. Forgot the number of meetings I was present at when protests went in about tyres, size of carbs, engines and silencers for example which held up proceedings or even resulted in results being altered after the event. Personally I was never interested in the machinery/technical side of the sport only the racing and arguments over a 'used' or 'new' edge on a tyre grew tiresome. Obviously with any motorised sport there has to be rules governing the machinery whether two or four wheeled but as bikes became more sophisticated I guess more potential loopholes needed to be closed.

...however it could have gone down as one of the best if Ivan hadn't made a fundamental error and clipped Jerzy's rear wheel. He would have past him with ease but lost it due to a miscalculation but that's racing and in hindsight has left us with memories of what, to me anyway, was a World Final full of drama and twists.

...I grew tired when it seemed that most winters rules were changed and altered...points limits, number of heats per meeting varying between 13. 14. 15. 16 and even 18. It even got to the ridiculous stage where both leagues adopted different heat formula, number of riders per team (varying from six to eight), six lap races, numerous nominated heats during at least one season I recall, doubling up and down, constant changes to the T/S and R/R regulations etc etc.I even seem to recall that when fixed gates were introduced prior to the 1988 season a team that went behind six or more points were allowed to choose gates...the rule being quickly changed again after it was realised that it went against why the ruling had been first introduced. It's basically four bikes circumnavigating an oval track over four laps with a three, two, one scoring system.

...and looked oddly out of place as he was the only rider I remember who still rode with his foot forward rather than the 'lazy' leg that had become the norm!

As a matter of interest, and not aimed as a criticism, but which current clubs are deemed wealthier (presumably breaking even) compared to the rest based on whatever information is available?

I went to a couple of Banger meetings yonks ago and it didn't do anything for me...each to their own I suppose.

...was a rumour, and I stress a rumour, that a one time Oxford promotion was looking to re-locate there many years ago. I seem to remember a Faringdon raceway many, many years ago.

...blimey! Theres a few like that on here!

...that's right! Oxford were riding in the second meeting. If I recall both teams were to use a facility to replace the missing Phil Crump and Simon Wigg (they had been on international duty the day before) but Crumpie made it back and rode thus denying 'The Cheetahs' a facility for the absent Wigg (they had ridden i the same meeting)...Oxford still won however!

...especially when recently you gave an insight regarding the period when you worked for Screensport. I found it to be most enlightening. Merry Christmas.

...that's fine because I'm still awaiting examples based upon your claim that riders with no experience gained team places within weeks of first sitting on a bike during the seventies.

It's yonks since I've seen that race but what I remember is that Hans basically took the wrong line down the back (?) straight after exiting the bend and before he had a chance to correct himself Rickardsson zipped thru'.