steve roberts

I recall a time that British riders were given a reduction in average to encourage declaring a team with a smattering of Brits?

Agree entirely.

Agree entirely especially when it comes to the middle order and/or reserve riders however I do also advocate some sort of continuity which unfortunately points limits doesn't particularly encourage by and large.

Trouble is riders are sometimes "declared" because their average fits rather than based on ability especially at the bottom end. Also the "assessed" average was/can cause issues and has in the past been open to "interpretation and/or confusion and/or manipulation" on occasions. Recall Mitch Shirra admitting that Coventry riders were under orders to throw points toward the back end of a particular season so as to lower their averages in readiness for the following season's declaration! I'm sure that this was common practice that was adopted by many teams...recall Malcom Simmons doing same so that he could drop down a league with a re-assessed average. Also middle order riders were the ones that tended to suffer when teams were declared. I well remember when one of my favourites, Jens Rasmussen, was "sacrificed" on two occasions because of his average and as we know he eventually went to Rye House which opened up a whole new can of worms!

One time Oxford Promoter Bernard Crapper had similar views I recall?

There was Rayleigh also.

Good news...good luck to them. Only visited the once and unfortunately the meeting was postponed due to rain but the track looked to be a good shape.

...I could comment but no doubt would raise the wrath of "Toady!"

...different, I know, but I recall a pensioner getting on my local bus who looked to be well off in appearance showing her bus pass to the driver who refused to accept it as it was before the time allocated (pre-9-00am). The time was 8-55am and she stood there arguing that by the time the bus got to the next stop it would be 9-00am...he gave up in the end and said "I can't be bothered arguing as I have a timetable to keep to so get on the bus." The fare at the time for a senior was 50p!

The old 13 heat formula was followed by a couple of scratch races involving juniors/assets plus four heats and a final involving those who took part in the main match so normally, although it varied from track to track, consisting of twenty heats. 4TT were run over sixteen heats. 3TT eighteen heats. Best Pairs 21 heats and Individual Meetings over 20 with run-off's if required. Test matches were run on behalf of the BSPA and were priced differently from what I remember.

15 minutes based upon fifteen heats (?) but I remember the days of Second Halves when either the "main players" took part with a smattering of assets/juniors (we had the likes of Eastbourne & Peterborough riders take part due to the promotional tie-up at Cowley/White City) and later Junior Matches plus, of course, the occasional Golden/Silver Helmet Match Race(s) thrown in plus Individual/4TT/3TT/Pairs/Test Matches which had a variety of race formulae. Meetings often had up to twenty races at times. It's often argued that many left after the main event and that was their prerogative but many stayed on to catch all the action and therefore got more for their money.

...I say to my aging mother that she and her like are a burden on society and cause tremendous financial strain despite her generation getting the country back on its feet after the Second World War. But seriously It makes me angry when some people condemn the aged and, yes, there are some who are very well off but there are many struggling with finances and life generally especially during these uncertain times.

...perhap's "Logan's Run" had some disturbing messaging? If I recall once you reached the age of forty (?) you were "eliminated" (can't remember the exact phrase used?)

As you say it's difficult, if nigh impossible, to compare different eras. All I know is that Mauger craved success at team level and each team he rode for he had a great say in how the team was put together. Came later in Olsen's career after carrying Wolves for many years and, of course, Nielsen was the main player at Oxford where he had great influence. By the time the nineties came along riders started looking towards Poland for big money reward but of course the likes of Mauger, Olsen, Briggs, Collins etc achieved financial gain by riding on the continent on sundays at longtrack/grasstrack events during the seventies and eighties as well as riding in Britain whereby meetings came thick and fast unlike today. Recall Peter Collins saying that on any given month he perhaps had three/four days when he wasn't competing otherwise it was all go.

...remember the days when a team had to declare a "junior" in their team. Noble initiative but it was never going to really work although some did swim rather than sink!

Makes a refreshing change. To think that when I was a regular line ups were often declared weeks, sometimes days, before the commencement of a new season.

...trouble is many tracks nowadays are run by wealthy "supporters" and not promoters in the truest sense and often end up getting their fingers burnt. Love him or hate him but Reg Fearman was of the old school (well worth reading his autobiography) and was a well respected promoter although Neil Middleditch may not agree!

...the speedway was apparently subsiding their other businesses. However most, if not all, clubs have traditionally paid out more than any revenue they manage to accumulate so there's nothing new there.

Northern Sports who owned and promoted speedway at Cowley were expecting Hans to take a pay cut and the difference would be made up by his impending testimonial which he dismissed. The losers were the fans and Hans moving to Coventry was helped by sponsorship...apparently.

...Northern Sports basically went bust due to their outside interests which affected the speedway at Cowley.

Remember a "pay restraint" was imposed on Hans prior to the 1993 season which led him to move to Coventry and the Oxford scene was never the same again. Unless I'm mistaken the governing body tried to introduce a pay structure but like most things in the sport went the way of many other initiatives in an attempt to curb spiralling costs. Funny, however, that Coventry managed to entice Hans when Oxford failed but outside influences dictated..

...should have given it to John Berry all those years ago!

...strewth! I remember that!

...which has been the case with the speedway rulebook for many years and open to all sorts of interpretation/abuse and finding loop holes of which Ian Thomas was a great advocate!

...absolutely agree!