steve roberts

Personally I felt that Gordon made a mistake by moving back to Eastbourne after the closure of White City. Should have moved to Swindon! I seem to recall the Collins/Morton effort...used to go to Swindon often in those days. Had the best of both worlds speedway wise. Oxford in the National League and White City/Swindon in the British League!

Hi Sid! I was there on both occasions and I do recall being at Swindon when the late Toni Kasper (as you refer) rode very well but can't remember the number of points he scored...great days! Do you recall the occasion when Gordon Kennett scored a 21 point maximum and Kai Niemi scored 19 whilst riding for Eastbourne...and still finished on the losing side!

...not sure but I seem to recall that Roman Jankowski (Hackney) got a paid maximum on his first (?) visit to Swindon!

Blimey! Kevin Meynell...not a name I've seen on here for a long time!

Just watched the 1981 Overseas Final from White City. Interesting to see the infamous clash between Penhall and Carter after all these years. Just before they both came down there was some elbowing down the straight as Carter squeezed thru' a gap between Penhalll and the fence. Entering the bend Carter appeared to close down Penhall rather hard which, in my opinion, compromised Penhall and a coming together was the end result. Who was to blame? Difficult one to call (Penhall was excluding) but obviously a prelude of what was to come. Actually Penhall was attacking bends ruthlessly and made things very difficult for Dave Jessup in an attempt to move him over but Jessup held his nerve and went on to win the meeting...great stuff and in a superb stadium.

As a dad. I think that even 'Briggo' admits that he may well have been to pushy in Tony's career. Can't be easy being the son of a multi World Champion.

Saw Tony ride on a number of occasions and it was always going to be difficult for him having a such a dominating father!

Was it rumoured that he about to sign for 'The Dons' prior to the start of the 1975 season but it fell thru' for whatever the reason?

Andrew Silver's style didn't lend itself to big tracks and, yes, Ivan suggested that he should try and adapt but Andrew didn't take on that advice (in fact he openly ignored it) and hence his career really stood still once he moved up with the 'big boys' and he eventually retired (did make a brief come back) having lost his appetite for the sport.

I guess a lot has to do with where they first learnt their track skills. Gordon Kennett was one of the best small track riders having started his career at Eastbourne and then moving to Oxford (another small track). He initially used to struggle on some of the larger tracks in Division One but spending an off season in Australia (where the tracks, then, were generally larger) and his subsequent move to White City developed him in to a first class all rounder able to adapt to all circuits shapes and sizes. Raises the question is it easier to adapt to larger tracks having started one's early career at a small one or the other way round?

Yes it could be argued that when it was 'implicated' during the winter of 1992 it caused Oxford to move down a Division (the promoters couldn't agree terms with Hans Nielsen) although, to be fair, Northern Sports (who owned Oxford) were badly hit by the recession (another one under 'The Tories') and their other businesses were suffering losses. Funny, however, that Coventry were able to sign Nielsen on the pre-text that additional money thru' sponsorship would be made available. The idea, good in theory, was never and will never work in speedway although something needs to be done to curb the outgoings.

Actually I think, for once, MF has a fair point. It's about sustainability and speedway can not continue along the road that it's currently going. There's just not enough money coming in to justify the costs.

This was a nickname given to him after he had left 'The Cheetahs' by the presenter on SKY TV...Keith Heuwen or some such name!

Saw one of my early heroes, Hasse Holmqvist, helping out Per Serenius on YouTube a couple of years ago...great stuff!

Always enjoy watching this film...Sid James in a straight role for a change. Bonar Colleano who appeared in the film died when he crashed his sports car aged only 34.

'Speedy' Pete and 'Joe' Gooddy who often looked out for each other when riding for Oxford! One of my favourite nicknames was 'Hurriken' McKinlay.

...or "Feathers' Luckhurst!

What days! Remember chewing the fat with you on the third bend!

...or as John Davis and Neil Middleditch once did at Weymouth...pour petrol on the wet shale and burn it off so by drying the track!! (of course that wouldn't help if it's raining at the time)

I remember attending the World Final at Vojens in 1988 and Olsen assured the crowd that the meeting would go ahead (it did despite repeated showers...but that's Vojens) because he intended utilising covers which was just a publicity ploy...never happened. Also I recall Eric Boocock saying that they were used for a BLRC one year but proved ineffective as the track proved to be patchy due to leakages and water seeping underneath.

David Shields scored 9+2 from four rides at Newcastle in 1978 (don't know about the second half) and to the best of my belief never rode there again. Okay not a maximum but a good effort for a rider who turned up at Cowley in 1978 as an unknown and scored well wherever he went before disappearing at the end of that season. He re-appeared in 1982(?) for Cradley Heath riding as a reserve cum second string but his early potential wasn't really built upon in my view.

Remember seeing him in a race with Martin Dugard where he was attempting to pass up the inside and raised his front wheel and calmly moved it over Dugard's back mudguard to re-manourvre himself to the outside!

Wasn't the number of riders per team reduced during the late nineties and lasted only a couple of seasons? I've lost track the number of times speedway mucks about with the number of riders per team (6, 7 & 8) certainly within my speedway life time. Also the number of heat variations down the same number of years (13, 15, 16 & 18). Even a six lap race was introduced to try and bolster interest! Do other sports change such fundamental basics as often as speedway as regards number of players per team and the length of the match/meeting? No wonder the great, late, Bernard Crapper stated that he no longer understood the rules when he stepped aside from management duties.

Mick Bell, of course, started as a junior at Oxford and was loaned out to Reading where he spent a good part of his career. Had a quite productive year at Leicester (due to Reading's enforced closure) and ended his career at Coventry. Probably better known for his Team Managing duties where he won championships at both Reading and Coventry (also as a rider whilst at both). Spoke to him once when he was Team Manager at Oxford when I was trying to make a point about a substitution rider...he kind of brushed me off!

Was at Reading (Tilehurst) at an end of season meeting when Soldier Boy got covered in flour on the centre green (after a 'tug of war' contest which he was invited to take part in). Olsen was involved in that meeting but can't remember if he was the guilty party!