steve roberts

...even used to turn off the fairy lights strung up around the track at both Swindon & Poole!

Personally I used to prefer watching speedway under lights especially at Oxford where the lighting was second to none!

The same scenario existed during the Purchase tenure at Cowley.

West Ham, New Cross, Southampton, Norwich & Great Yarmouth.

I would have continued going to Oxford for as long as it was operating as it was only a short walk for me. Since re-locating to York I've not been to a speedway (nearest being Sheffield I would guess?) as I would expect more than just 15 heats of racing to entice me to spend petrol money and time spent travelling.

When I helped out just prior to the Wagstaff era and had access to the track I was surprised how banked it was as it wasn't always noticeable from the terraces. When Hans joined the "Cheetahs" he advised that the bends be brought in to allow for more lines. Personally I think if the bends were brought in any more you'd end up with a too tight track just like when Eastbourne messed around with the first and second bend and ruined the racing in my opinion with riders almost coming to a stop at the apex. When the Cowley track was prepared by Barry Strange and John White (I think that was their names?) the track was second to none with just the right amount of grip and opportunities to pass inside and out.

A lot would depend on who takes on the responsibility and finance of upgrading the stadium? It's very admirable those volunteers who are involved (as I would be if I lived close by) who are doing great things but money will have to be found making the buildings/structures safe and everything else when mananging a stadium. When I saw a photo inside the main grandstand it looked to be in a shocking state of disrepair. It may well be the plan to limit the public to areas where substancial upgrading is at a minimum certainly in the near future with plans to expand the project when things become more clearer?

I did the Wembley tour and I remember that there was no mention of speedway...it was all geared towards its football history.

If I ever re-visited the Island (I haven't been since the early nineties) I would certainly visit the speedway there...sounds a lot of fun to me!

Seem to recall that Arena Essex operated for one meeting only free entry for all and attracted a big crowd...however crowd levels returned to normal thereafter.

Oxford, White City, Eastbourne, Hackney, Swindon.

Thanks Sid...I can never remember!

...which is the very question I put the then stadium spokesperson via an email who strongly denied it. History has proved that I was correct in my assumption.

Thanks for that. Hans was desperate to be part of a winning team and the Oxford Promotion gave him that missing criteria that he so craved and I guess that was reflected in his bonus point tally. Yes he wasn't so dominant in his later years at Cowley as things started to tail off but perhaps one factor was that the heat formula decreed that there be a top scorers nominated heat? Without checking I wonder if maximums generally were on the downward turn due to the example I gave plus fixed gates (can never remember when they were introduced)?

How many paid maximums did Hans achieve Sid?

Ole Olsen was another who would team ride however the difference being he had to be first across the line!

Hans Nielsen was another rider that winning races was not always the most important thing when riding for Oxford...the number of times I witnessed him shepherding his team mate home are too numerous to mention. A great team man of his and any other era.

Nielsen, Rasmussen, Kennett, Lovaas Brothers. But the list would probably be different tomorrow?

I remember a "debate" on here some years ago when Bwitcher was claiming a rider's greatness was based on race wins? On the face of it that may be correct however one needs to look deeper and a truer picture tells a different story. Just reading in the latest "Backtrack" an interview with Bobby Schwartz who always thought of his team mate first (in particular Bernie Leigh at Smallmead) where he would purposely slow a race down allowing him to take the lead whilst covering him to achieve the best result for the team. Apparently Jan Andersson couldn't understand his ethic but, afteral, Jan wasn't the best exponent of team riding not until the twilight of his career anyway. Bobby also talks of tactical riding with his American team mates during succussful performance in World Pairs Finals where he took on the roll as covering allowing his team mate to take the flag. Ronnie Moore was also a great exponent of slowing races down finishing second to his team mate as indicated by his accumulation of bonus points over the years suggest. Okay on the Individual World front winning was all important but again if one looks deeper points were often dropped when riders wished not to win particular races so as to get a better draw in the next round. Like everything in life things are not always so straight forward and require deeper anlysis.

Yes it all seems so long ago now! If I was still living in Oxford I would be there helping out like a shot. I did get involved during the last "Save Our Stadium" campaign in 1976! Keep up the good work! I've seen many photos of the work being done and it's a great credit to you all! Take care!

Well done Matt! remember you from my Oxford days! Have you still got the Cheetahs Skol jacket I gave you?

I'm sure your right but catering and bar takings especially would amount to a very tidy sum but lost on the promoter.

...that's of course if the staging promoter receives the catering and bar takings? I recall a conversation with Steve Purchase who said that wasn't the case when he was promoter at Cowley. There'll always be an issue with revenue as long as stadiums are only let by the promoter. Very few, if any, are owned by the promoters which also proves a sticking point as regards facilities or the lack of them.

I thought they were granted a facility for him in 1977? I have his name printed in both a White City and Hull programme of that year.

1977 if I recall Sid the same year as White City and Hackney had the facility granted but very rarely referred to!