steve roberts

...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.

I'd agree to a certain extent (my mother, however, couldn't navigate a computer/ipod etc and I'm sure that there are plenty like her of a certain age) and although I have a very basic phone I do use the internet but where I draw the line is having to pay a booking fee when ordering tickets etc. I use "contactless'" all the time and have no issue with that facility but I do carry cash on me because there are still businesses out there who only accept cash.

Remember watching Norman at Swindon when admittedly he was passed his best but still a useful rider and bolstered the very long tail of the "Budgies" at the time. I haven't watched the video for a couple of years now but he came across as quite a character.

Just re-reading Reg Fearman's book and he covers extensively his time as a rider/promoter at Sun Street.

...seems to have got overlooked?

...if I lived on the doorstep I'd be round there like a shot!

A true legend...brilliant stuff!

I've always felt it odd that the Netherlands national football team are known as Holland?

From memory I seem to recall that the 1974 Test Series held in the UK some programmes labelled them as Russia whilst others the USSR/Soviet Union?

I've lost count the number of people I used to take or introduce to the sport but most lost interest or moved on to other things over time.