steve roberts

How's that?

I stopped attending speedway many years ago (well documented on this forum elsewhere) but regulations that constantly changed were a real bug-bear with me at the time. However the introduction of the 'Joker' was one of the silliest in my view. As a matter of interest is there any other 'professional' sport in this country that has a similar ruling? Two 'boring' sports (in my view) which would benefit from such an initiative would be snooker and Formula One!

Never liked the joker 'thingie' where points counted double. If I recall the rider chosen started 10 yards (?) back and if was successful and managed to win the race (with a little help from his team mate who would spend a best part of the race looking behind him...which I always thought was an excludable offence) allowing him thru' on the last bend to secure an 8-1 heat advantage. I saw it happen on at least a couple of occasions (Martin Dugard was involved in one) and always thought it a joke!

That takes me back days travelling pass the Hoover Building on Western Avenue on my way to White City! One of my favourite buildings as I do enjoy a bit of Art Deco.

Agree with the gate positional change...never liked the idea of 'fixed gates' in the first place as the formula that was in place when I used to go allowed an advantage to any one team who had successive inside/outside gates amongst other issues.

I have stacks of stuff...recommend that you contact Richard Simmons on june451947@aol.com

Always remember Colin shaking his head and waving his arms about at the start line when Hans Nielsen would get yet another fast start from the tapes beating his be-loved 'Heatherns' to the first bend!

Jan Simensen's a name I'd forgotten have to admit...saw him ride for Coventry.

Cassius' best year, statistically, was as a 'Rebel' in 1972. As a matter of interest he generally had the beating of Briggo that year but had problems with 'Crash!' Shame that he and Dave Lanning never really hit it off because I would have liked him to have continued the following season at Cowley together with Hasse Holmqvist...they would have made a great spearhead in my opinion! Middleton after his year at Coventry was never quite the same force again...there was talk that his business interests took over from speedway in his priorities.

I seem to recall that the main reason it was aborted was that some meetings became very one sided, and therefore boring to some, and there wasn't an opportunity to pull those points back by introducing a tactical. One part of being a fan was trying to pre-empt the Team Manager's next move and that essence became obsolete during that short trial period. Over the years the BSPA has tried all sorts of initiatives such as different heat and race formula, different numbering, six lap races etc but at the end of the day all the average fan wants to see is competitive racing on well prepared tracks with easy to follow rules that are consistent within each league...which hadn't always been the case (different number of heats for example) making it confusing to the average fan.

Great list there Sid! Saw them all ride bar Nordin and Harrefeldt.

Sounds great! Back when I used to follow 'The Cheetahs' Good Friday usually involved possible two meetings (home and away), away to Swindon on the Saturday and Reading on Easter Monday...that awful 3TT event. The worse race formula in speedway in my view!

...a bit like go-kart racing!

..which is where I believe he assisted Bettsy stressing the importance of clutch maintenance.

...as I said it's been tried before and if I recall the R/R/R was also dispensed with. Speedway seems to go round in circles re-introducing old initiatives that didn't succeed previously for various reasons. Blimey there'll be talk of banning guest riders next!

Remember when this was tried in Knock Out Cup fixtures only during the late seventies/early eighties...didn't last long!

In an interview with Colin in the 'Classic Speedway' magazine he mentions he did about a dozen private laps at Dudley Wood a year after the accident but after a trip to the re-nowned speedway medico, Dr Carlo Biagi, was warned that if he broke his vertebra again he would end up paralysed. Terry Betts (they were good mates) has always acknowledged how helpful Colin was during Terry's career after Colin's enforced retirement.

He was a solid team man and number one for both Hackney and at Cradley until cruelly injured in the Lokeren disaster...however he did survive unlike some who perished.

Good grief when I saw the heading I thought that Colin had died!

Yes I shall be adding them to my already vast library of DVDs!

Yes...terrific news! Apparently there's due some Oxford 'Rebels' footage as well!

Same with Cowley Stadium...constructed just before the war and no houses in sight.

There's a character from the past!

Trouble was Rob Martin could sometimes dish it out but found it hard to accept the situation when reversed...left me with some great memories however!

Simmons, Louis, Wilson, Ashby and Boocock.