steve roberts

Okay this is personal request based on my last visit to a speedway in 2004 (for reasons I have often cited on here) but I'd be interested to know who was riding during my last year and still riding today? Scott Nicholls and Nikki Pedersen are an obvious examples but are there many others out there? Any names would be greatly appreciated.

When I first attended speedway I was 12 years old and gained entry without an accompanying adult.

I'm sure I'm right in saying that Sir Authur was quoted to say that as long as he was alive there would always be a place for Speedway at Wembley? If I recall he died whilst on a cruise?

In the "Good Old Days" speedway was the main sport at Wembley when I think I'm right in saying that other than the FA Cup Final and a couple of internationals Football was very much in the minority? Didn't the England national football team often play their games at other grounds?

Old mutton chops...now there was a character!

I know that the late John Berry had some interesting views as regards "assets" which he went at lengths to outline an alternative system in his autobiography some years back. Basically, from what I recall, it was based on a "pool " system and that riders weren't owned by any one particular team?

The question of "Loan Fees" has always been contentious...there have been may examples of riders being "signed" by a particular track and immediately "loaned" out to another team without ever turning a wheel in anger for their parent team.

I remember Melvyn Taylor was once excluded to turning round at the tapes before a race waiting for the others to appear as his goggles were misting up and he was wanting to clear them.

Remember Paul when he first turned out at Arlington and later bacame a "Rebel"...retired far too early in my opinion. Martin was an early advocate of the full-face but I recall that he reverted back to a standard helmet (1974/5?) as "chunky" referred. Garry Middleton was another who wore a full face before adopting a standard helmet during his last two years riding in the UK.

...consider it done!

We now accept and expect riders to wear full face helmets nowadays but who was the first to make them popular I wonder? Barry Briggs comes instantly to mind but they didn't really catch on until the early seventies. I recall seeing an image of Malcolm Simmons wearing one before reverting back to a standard helmet. There was a picture of Ivan Mauger wearing one (with mirrors!) in his autobiography "Triple Crown Plus" but I never recall him wearing one during his glory years? Terry Betts was another early advocate.

I followed White City during its three year existence as a BL team...great days and memories!

Leif Enercrona.

I like these sort of threads as it really tests the old brain cells!

Russell Osborne and Alan Witt(?) but I guess that was the 70's?

Crumbs that's some memory?

Good post and and I agree with all of that 100%. I remember being in awe when I presented Dag Lovaas with a bottle of Champagne during the "Rebels" last meeting at Cowley. You don't forget occasions like that.

I guess nowadays fans are just interested in the main match which does raise the question is the admission fee just too much on top of everything else? We've been here many times on the BSF discussing this very point and there's no easy answer except cutting the overheads which would require running a semi-amateur sport requiring riders to take signifcant cuts but that's very unlikely to happen.

You're probably right but I certainly wouldn't entertain paying petrol money to travel to my nearest track (Sheffield/Scunthorpe/Redcar) from near Beverely for the sake of 15 races.

...or value for money? Do many, if any, tracks run a second half of sorts?

Barry Duke.

Bjorn Knuttson or had he retired by then?

I once had the programme from Prestatyn but as with all my others I passed it on much to my regret.

Absolutely! Eastbourne had a conveyor belt of riders ready to fill in any gaps...and, of course, the old Second Half encouraged riders in that they often mixed with the established riders. Even at Oxford when we entered the old National League we had riders waiting in the wings to be given a chance.

If I had my way it would be a guest for a missing Number One, R/R for either heat leader missing and a junior/team asset (although this is open to abuse) for second strings and reserves.