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Ian Williams, back row 7th from the left.

Good news for all vintage enthusiasts, there is now a new site. Speedway History Forum here Please feel free to re-join and continue the banter. If you enjoy talking about the 'old days' have stories or interest in speedway history, old bikes etc. then please come and join us, new members will be most welcome. Ross, there were problems with the old board and i think the info may have been lost. Cheers Kev.

Anyone know what has happened to Jim Blanchards site? Would be a shame if it is gone for good.

Remember reading about Split Waterman in 'Nipper' Reads autobiography (he who nicked the Krays) aparently he made a brief case for someone, that had a false compartment for a gun. I ain't saying no more as I have an affliction to concrete boots!!!!

I think the other 'Briggo' rider was Wimbledon's Kiwi, Graeme Stapleton. As pictured near the bottom of the page HERE racing with Tommy Jansson against Simmo.

Jim, I reckon the rider 4th down, left pic is Dave Jessup.

Yes yes yes . I am the champion, and he went on and on and on......................

Jon Cook ain't that old! Must be Trevor Geer then?

Is it Neil Middleditch then?

Aces rider, is it Russ Hodgson? Eastbourne rider, could it be Roger Johns? he used to ride a JAP.

So is Uncle Eddie also Daniels uncle??!!! No doubt about it being Broady riding for Hackney it was only for one season I think, he was at the recent Hackney re-union, pictures can be found HERE Broady must have been the only rider still using a JAP in the British League at that time .

So Helge Langli Brother of Tormod I assume? Uncle Eddie, what of our superstar Jonas? Never heard of him. Good pics by the way. Ah, the good old days!

I reckon the 3rd pic is Martin Ashby although it doesn't look like his style. There are a couple of traits of his in the photo, If you look closely at his left hand he's holding the handlebars quite a long way from the end, he also has a plate on the engine, covering the oil pipe. A mate of mine has an ex Ashby 2valve engine with a plate just like that. He tells me it's to cover another spark plug!

Grachen, in the pic 'Mauger action' , are the Swindon riders Jan Andersson and Bobby McNeil?

There is a listing of serial numbers for 2v Jawa engines at the bottom of this page here I would also be interested in JAP engine numbers etc. As for max. revs of JAP engines, in Chris Mortons book 'until the can ran out' he talks about a conrod breaking in a JAP he was testing and the flywheels doing about 8000 rpm when it happened. 2v jawa's max. rev at 8000rpm.

As I tell my wife, size doesn't matter to the overall performance and she points out the bigger the better

There is a pic here of a Fred Pawson 4th from the bottom, riding for Harringay, i also believe he rode for Poole as well. Too young to remember him! Danny Dunton is now president of the VSRA here I can't tell you any more than that, but i'm sure Norbold will be able to help you. You could also try asking here on the Vintage speedway forum.

As Norbold say's check out the VSM for the answer. But between you and me, Broadbank is the family name!

Don't you mean Carl Wilkinson's style looks similar to Broady's? And yes I would agree, if you compare this particular pic. of Broady, it could be Wilkinson.

I believe the final chequered flag fell upon him sometime in the last couple of years.

Well Team Man it looks like we are both now more knowledgeable about Rotrax frame production! The JAP I have came with a North frame and apart from the oil going into a dual fuel/oil tank and not in the frame, it's also much the same as a Jawa frame. I guess the Jawa frame must have been a good design, although I remember once reading that the grade of tubing they were made from, wouldn't have even been suitable for pushchairs in this country. Good to hear the M.I.B put on a good show, I haven't seen them for along time. unfortunately Swindon seem to have no interest in the vintage scene, unless you put the Mad Welly in this category.

No problems Team Man, like I said I based my assumptions of a MK2 frame on this leaflet here, Maybe Barber's own the name Rotrax and the mk2 is their own design.

Fair play Team Man, I based my mk2 frame on a leaflet 4 or 5 years old for Barber replica frames, they advertise a Rotrax mk1 frame that has a 22" rear wheel and a mk2 with a 19" wheel and a frame that looks similar to a Jawa one. So when they changed to a 19" wheel did they alter the frame dimensions as surely the footrest and bottom of bike would have dropped closer to the track? I have to ask as being a young chap of 39 this was all before my time and I'm ignorant of these things! Looking through Jeff Clews book- JAP: the end of an era, he features a picture of one of his JAPS housed in an Erskine frame that also looks like the Barber mk2 Rotrax, so now i'm confused! One thing is for sure if it is a 1953 Rotrax frame then it must be one of early ones as according to the book 'The Stadium' Southampton by C.R. Bradley Rotrax made speedway frames between 1953 and 1960. Here ends my book review!!!! Do I take it you're the same Team Man that's put a couple of posts on the vintage speedway forum? I'll try to get along to Beaulieu in June, I went about 5 years ago and had a great day. The men in black put on a great display, do they not have a website to show off their machines and exhibition races?

I don't think the frame is a mk2 rotrax, as that was similar to a Jawa frame with the backend being one piece and curved instead of being built up from 3 seperate parts. Both of your bikes look fantastic, but Just to be pedantic, as the JAP is 1953 shouldn't it have a 22" back wheel? Glad you like the website, as we only had 2 practice sessions last year, most of it is a load of old tosh, but it keeps us ammused!!!

So, do I take it JAP's are hard to master? I purchased a 4b JAP in a North frame back in 1984. Following a minor accident when I rode it through the fence at the bottom of my Mums garden I took it apart to renovate it and that's how it's remained, stored in the attic awaiting restoration. Maybe this year i'll get around to sorting it out 2v Jawas are fairly easy to ride as long as you keep the revs up. Went to Reading t/t twice last year and gave my brothers Jawa a 'blast', unfortunately I forgot that vital piece of info and found myself running the handlebars down the back straight fence with my little finger between the two, just as well nails grow back! all good fun though!!!