steve roberts

Some great images!

I guess it begs the question does one prefer watching a pure stylist or someone who rides all 'hair and teeth!'. John Berry had been quoted as suggesting that Billy Sanders had the perfect speedway style. Tommy Jansson, for me was just poetry in motion on a bike. Malcolm Simmons and Martin Ashby had classic styles...no thrills but which proved very successful. However throw in the likes of Collins, Morton, Sjosten, Lofqvist, Moran etc etc who added an extra element to speedway who can say which was best? I guess for pure entertainment the latter would get the most votes but for me, personally, the stylist attracted my admiration.

A good example Sid! I remember seeing him when he first came over to Britain in 1977 and saw his style develop over time...obviously by the time he came to Oxford he had an established 'throw out the back wheel' style whilst adopting a crouching stance which enabled him to create gaps where perhaps there wasn't one!

Thinking about when riders started to change styles and adopt a trailing leg rather than foot forward I guess that the new wave of Americans during the early eighties speeded up the progression (the likes of Penhall, Sigalos and Cook for example). I remember when I went to the 1987 World Final in Amsterdam and noticing how odd Henny Kroeze looked compared to the rest of the field when he rode very upright with his foot forward rather than adopting the new method. However I do recall someone saying that riders couldn't have adopted the 'new' style riding on the old JAPS as the bike would have just thrown you off! Not sure about the 2 valve Jawa but perhaps when bikes supposedly became easier to ride riders adopted a more cavalier style on tracks that were somewhat slicker than they once used to be. Certainly food for thought!

Always remember when I went on one of Olle Nygren's Training Schools at King's Lynn he told us "Now I don't want to see any of you trailing your leg head down like Gordon Kennett!"

Agree...nigh impossible to compare as track surfaces were very different and required a different technique. Nowadays riders tend to enter a bend with the left foot down momentarily before lifting it and relying on balance more than anything. When I gave speedway a go many moons ago boy did I make sure that I kept my left boot on the track...no way I was going to lift it at any point as I went round the bend!

Ivan Mauger suggested that Dickie Greer should change his style...how about Andrew Silver and Alun Rossiter?

When I first went to speedway (early seventies) the foot forward was the chosen style. The left leg trailing was rare (recall Richard Greer adopting same) but came along, I guess, during the late seventies/early eighties?

He knows not what he says!

That's sounding familiar!

Remember the late Nigel Sparshott who rode for a number of teams (including Oxford) during late seventies and eighties. He adopted very much a leg trailing style and proved to be quite spectacular. One of the best action shots ever, in my opinion, was one of Tommy Farndon leg trailing on the outside of a rider (whose name escapes me)...any idea Gustix?

That's the trouble with the green brigade now...always going to be a problem trying to introduce or re-introduce speedway where there are houses in the vicinity.

I remember some years ago when on holiday in Wales SKY were transmitting a match from Foxhall Heath between Ipswich and Oxford. The back straight was void of people and the racing bland to say the least. I eventually got up and went for a walk in the woods nearby because I found the experience quite dull and the commentators attempting to make something good out of mundane irritating. Speedway is far better viewed live trackside when you can have a banter with your mates etc.

American Football is far better highlighted in my view...what with all the stop/start that goes on and/or commercial breaks! Back in the eighties I attended two live games at Wembley and it tested my patience for sure!

I hope that you are right Rob but successive promotions at Cowley struggled with attendances and speedway's profile is at a low ebb at present and for the forceable future. I wish the initiative well, however, as Cowley was a big part of my life for 32 years. I'm driving around Yorkshire with a 'Save Oxford Stadium' in my car window hoping to draw attention!

I've always maintained this view. Far better to show the highlights without all the waffle...which seems to be the case with most sports shown on TV now with it's over abundant use of 'experts'.

...but if he had been rightly excluded he would have had to have won his last race to become outright champion and chose, instead, to play to the gallery. Would have been interesting if he had needed points but all is conjecture of course and one will never know what the outcome would have been in such a scenario. Andy Smith certainly was non too impressed with Sam's inclusion in the re-start of heat 15 judging by his actions after that particular race! PS However I'll change my initial observation and suggest that he was very lucky to have won rather than shouldn't have...but all water under the bridge now!

He should never have won that particular World Final as in a particular race he was allowed to take part in the re-run despite not being 'under power' during the initial running of the heat. If I recall he caused the stoppage thru' a broken chain when a rider ran into the back of him...but, then again, Frank Ebden was the referee!

Never subscribed to SKY and never will.

I'm sure that this will be the case to an extent but fans tend to drift away form the sport after their track closes.

I know he once chased John Louis wielding one...until John Berry rugby tackled him!

I would agree but Martin Ashby was also up there with the best in my opinion.

I remember reading somewhere that he realised that becoming World Champion was never going to happen so he decided to retire from Britain (think he continued in Aussie for a while) although his 1971 average was very healthy to say the least.

Great system...I like it!

Saw him the once when he returned for the 1973 Daily Mirror World Tournament at Cowley...a class act.