Parsloes 1928 nearly

Of course I wsn't including you, Henry.. Happy New Year!!!!

But the truth is that Havvy did have a VERY good year in 1992 - winning all of the major rounds on the way to the Final and then the Final itself in Poland... I don't disagree with your defence of Muller, Rob, but in 1992 Gary Havelock was most certainly a fully-deserved World champ.... Again I note the rudeness of those who defend the GP system.. Let's get this straight once and for all, those who argue in favour of the one-off World Final are NOT harping back to the past ("living in a cave", "talking rubbish", "have no brain"...: all rude comments made on this thread alone... ) - we have a point of view that says that the EVENT would be far, far more exciting than the current rather insipid way of deciding the champion AND would test the mettle of riders facing the ultimate test of skill and extreme pressure to perform on the night in a way the current system simply doesn't.... I say it again, IF the GP system was so clearly better than the World Final then why do those who support it nearly always resort to insulting those with an alternative point of view....

Can anyone give details of the career of Tony Primmer..? Rode for a number of GB clubs...: was he an Aussie or perhaps from South Africa..??? Asking as Tony popped up this past weekend at the STUK Xmas Cracker meeting at Scunny.. Which doubtless gives the anoymous, over-zealous Mod out there an excuse to delete this thread!!!

No - the only way you get an "unfair result" in an indiv. meeting is the crazy idea of having a 'Final' after everyone has met each other across the 20 heats.. If the World Final was so unfair how come Ivan Mauger won it six times, Fundin 5 times; Briggo four times, Olsen, 3 times.. (and between them finished countless other times on the rostrum..): were these riders not the best in the world..??!!!

Thing is Hump., me & you (and others) can have a reasoned discussion on the merits or demerits of this (and other) subjects, but then there are people who respond to a thread with a comment "you should of (sic) asked for a brain for xmas"..!!!

And you need to learn how to read!!! Exactly why is it that you can claim universal right to saying that progress only lies with one idea (the GPs) whilst others are considered living in the past with another idea (a season-long competition of qualifiers, culminating in a one night Final )..? As I pointed out in my earlier thread, there are many examples of change in Speedway history (one being from the World Final to the GP) and many examples later of either changing back or changing to another idea or format. There's a kind of fascism among some supporters of the GP system which forbids any others an alternative view.. And it does you no credit....

You are absolutely spot on Rob. What makes me laugh are all those people who say, the GPs are here to stay/the play-offs are here to stay/the sudden-death races at the end of a top indiv. meeting are here to stay etc. If this laissez faire attitude really did exist then surely the old World Final would never have been replaced by the GPs in the first place... Things DO change. The sudden death final race was brought into the closest thing we have now to a proper World Championship, the U-21 World Final - delivered a largely-seen-as-unfair result and was scrapped. The Premier League title last year was NOT decided by a play-off and won't be again in '09; so that (also unfair) system has been scrapped in Britain's largest league. So tell me again, that these things when brought in are "here to stay"...!!!!! The sooner we end the closed shop that is the GP system and bring back excitement and meritocracy to a truly open World Championship then the sooner we halt the currently terminal decline in the sport... For it's those who merely repeat the mantra that the "GPs are here to stay" who have no vision for the future of the sport NOT those who support the return to a proper World Championship....

'Speedway' is, though, a 'trade name' as in "International Speedways", who promoted dirt track racing in some of the nations top stadia from 1928 onwards. IMHO, what happened at High Beech and Droylsden and Greenford was various types of dirt track motorcycle racing. It was only when floodlight, city centre stadia started staging the sport that it became "Speedway". Ironically, there are so few of such venues left that it may be that by the time we get to the 90th. anniversary of High Beech we will be more or less back to the "dirt track racing" model we stated with...

Such a "good location" indeed, that the world has decided to stage the Olympics there!!!! Methinx, though, that transport links for 2012 might just about be better than that walk via Ruckholt Rd. from Leyton tube!!!!

I agree.. Seems utterly crazy to me to have a High Beech anniversary event, er, NOT at High Beech..!! Went there last year (for the first time...) and there is something literally magical about a misty February morning and able to walk around some of the still visible lineaments of the track.. I am a big supporter of the Museum, though (from the days when I played my small part helping George & Linda with collections at a couple of tracks including one of the first at Wimbledon...) and can understand why the Committee would want a set piece event there... But 2009 is going to be the 80th. anniversary of the birth of League Racing in the UK isn't it.. So why not have an event to commemorate that milestone at Paradise Park..?? Not sure what date...: perhaps the anniversary of the first Southern League meeting...?? Am sure norbold would know the relevant date.. As for Feb. & High Beech...: surely that time-worn tradition of meeting up in the King's Oak shouldn't be scrapped...?!

Many thanx for the info. Peter!!

Jessica also made an appearance for the Scorpions didn't she.. Must've been 2005 and it was a Plough Lane, of all (famous...) places. Jessica had taken to riding second halves at Wimbledon at the time...: she's a good pal of Andre's I believe... Of course a more regular female second halfer at Plough Lane in the CL days was John Carpenter's daughter, Amy who also competed in the GB Under 15s championship... Talking of Wimbledon, there was a match up at Stoke (2004 or maybe '03..?) when a female rider was named as the Dons' number eight. Didn't get a ride but entered history as the only female named in a Wimbledon 1 to 8!! She must've been local to Stoke - anyone recall her name..??? Finally, need to mention Charley Kirtland. Was Charley not in fact the FIRST rider to appear for a League team (at Somerset for Ashfield in circa. 2000)..??

It's a pity that Mr. & Mrs. Jacobs didn't call you 'Parker' rather than Norman... Then you could have been my chauffeur and not t'other way round...!!!!

"Wimbledon...: the enemy.."??!! Remind me - should it ever re-open there - never to offer you a lift home from Plough Lane again!!!!

Only three dog tracks left within Greater London anyhow ...: the aforementioned Wimbledon, Romford and the re-built Crayford..!!!

Gee thanx..! Well, I'm guessing now that my excuse for missing this (surely unique) Saturday Night at the, er, Moving Bikes.. was that my birthday is 19 May and I must've been out that next night in some celebration event.. And of course as it was 1978 we're talkin' about the particular birthday in question was my 18th..!! (yes, that's right Mr. Peasley!! ) so a first legal drink clearly beckoned..! What a shame it wasn't in the well-stocked bars of the erstwhile 'Ladbrokes Stadium'..!!

I cannot agree with your assessment of Alan Sage!! Sagey was, on the contrary, not just a supreme stylist but also a very exciting rider, often fighting from the back to win races at London Rd., where in the early years he was supreme!!!! As for it being on a Saturday night..: well, that indeed would've been highly unusual..! I certainly never went to a Saturday night meeting at Crayford..: but then fair play I didn't see Weymouth there that year in 1978 so that would explain that.. I wonder if it was late season..: in which case that would explain why I missed it (away at Uni..!) and maybe also why it was on a Saturday..?? Quite why/how the ever-present Dogs on a Saturday would've stepped aside to allow Speedway in their slot would be a question I'd ask though..??!!! Come on Bryn or the rather reticent 1st. Bend Kestrel...: do you remember this Saturday night!! And no, 1BK...: Saturday Night is NOT for fighting!!!!

Some diversion...: from Coventry to Crayford..!!! Tom Owen actually won the Kentish Times Trophy FIVE times in a row: 100% of the occasions this individual event was staged..!!! But I have to say I don't really understand some of the rather barbed comments about Crayford in this thread. There's almost an implication (eg. "it was a different experience".. etc.) that the place was some kind of a wasteland in Hicksville or something..! It wasn't...: it was an excellent stadium. Indeed IF it was still staging Speedway today (in a world where the likes of Arena Essex, Somerset, Plymouth, Buxton & Iwade stage League Speedway) it would be regarded, I'm sure, as one of BEST actual stadiums in the UK..!! Fully enclosed with glass fronted grandstands on both straights, it wasn't known as "the mini Plough Lane" for nothing..! Only problem was...: how much it used to bloody rain on a Tuesday!! In the middle of my time as a Crayford fan I went to University...: to Leicester, another - as has been pointed out.. - Tuesday night track...: and do you know wot..?? It rained every Tuesday in Leicester too..!!!!

Okay - I stand corrected... But as you say, the editors in both versions chose to 'hide away' the GB U-15s meetings under the indiv. track sections. Let's hope this year (ie in next year's Yearbook) the U15s can have what they deserve: their own section (won't take up any more space really...) so that the reference book includes proper, er, reference of this important national championships..!

Er, can't let THIS pass by without a severe dose of: :mad: :mad:

Or, and here's another novel idea, they could have some kind of world championship...!!!! As long as people support the fundamentally flawed idea of picking riders rather than have them qualify then they'll be controversy like this. Hans Andersen was left out the other year...: if he'd have been in it there's ample evidence to show he may well have won the title that year. He'll perhaps never have a better year and therefore a better chance.. Are people going to change their minds about the daft selection process now then..?? Coz if not, can't really see how you can then quibble over the random decisions made in an inherently random system..!!!

I started to go to Speedway in 1972 so just too late for West Ham.. For the whole of my adult, working life I've lived and worked in the East End/East London so meet people all the time who remember Custom House so fondly. In fact for people of a certain age around here, it's extremely rare for them NOT to have been regulars at West Ham Speedway.. Feel really left out that I never saw the place.. Would particularly have loved to have seen my good pal George Barclay ride there.. And of course, with my East London connection a similar thing applies with Romford, which I also only just missed out on... It's so sad that two awesome stadiums like Custom House & Brooklands are no longer with us... How East London misses and all the poorer for their loss...

I always did so you spoke perfect sense, Roberto!!! I notice that all the usual apologists for the GPs are rather quiet today..!! Surely today marks the official end of the once-proud World Speedway Championship...: after a lingering sickness which came on suddenly in 1995!!!!!

What is disappointing that the Methanol-produced Yearbook for this year didn't make any mention of the 2007 GB Under 15s championship.. The previous Tempus version always had full details; why it even included the STRA in 2006..!!! Let's hope if Methanol continue with producing the Yearbook that this year they acknowledge under 15s racing by including details of the '08 GB championship (both classes..)!

Ben certainly would've brought a new dimension to the expression, "wild card"!!