chunky

In YOUR opinion. There are many sports where a "National League" is not the highest level of competition, or even an official competition. The definition of a "National League" should surely be a competition that is open to teams (or individual) on a nationwide basis. Is a "National" league really superior to a "British" league? Or a "Premier" league? Or an "Elite" League? Looking at the world's most popular sport, how many "National" leagues are there? The strongest domestic leagues include Premier League, Bundesliga (Federal League), the Ligue de Football Professionel, etc. Even those under the umbrella of a "National" league system (which usually consists of multiple levels), they are not usually called by the term "National League". Yet you maintain that a "genuine National League should typify the best teams available in the country."... Steve

In all fairness, I feel that the majority of the blame should fall on the authorities rather than independent magazines. Certainly as far as "official" meetings sanctioned by a governing body, and counting toward an "official" competition, then the said governing body should be the ones to provide official records. Unfortunately, we know we can't rely on that either... Steve

That's one of the things I was looking for! The only tracks I have found multiple appearances were Rye and Coventry; everywhere else seems to be a one-off, but without complete records, it's difficult to tell. There is one other item I found. It's a write-up in the Peterborough Advertiser from 17 June 1955, and references a line-up for a meeting. I can't access the complete article, but looking at some of the riders listed, it would suggest that it was at Norwich. Joe is listed with names such as Tip Mills, Ivor Brown, Malcolm Flood, Wal Morton, and Harold Sansby. Again, I am trying to find out more about that! Steve

Can't say I've heard of him before, and there isn't much to be found online. What I did find - and I assume it's the same guy - was that he went into sidecar speedway. There are records of him racing at Coventry in 1962 and at Norwich and Hednesford the following year. Unfortunately, even looking for more info with regard to the outfits doesn't lead anywhere. One interesting thing is that at Norwich, he apparently raced against Harry Denton, who also rode solos. Harry rode in the "Stars of Tomorrow" meeting at King's Lynn in 1965 (at the age of 49 or 50!), but tragically lost his life at Adelaide's Rowley Park in November 1967. Back to Joe Neath, and I wonder if he just dabbled in various forms of motorsport, without committing to any. I will keep looking... Steve

Exactly. It would be okay if there were enough teams to provide some variety, but there aren't.

The regular baseball season is 162 games. I would love to see how that would work in British speedway! Steve

I've said repeatedly that we should have a dozen or so races, and THEN start the meeting! Once a track has settled, it is so different... Steve

Certainly agree with your comment about "simple and striking", and that applies to most teams. Belle Vue, Southampton, West Ham, Doncaster (1969), New Cross, Newcastle, original Canterbury etc... All "simple and striking"! Early Wembley racejackets were the same as the Polish flag... Steve

Fabulous! However - and I hate to say this - but the sponsor was "Montine", not "Montime"... Steve

Well, the haters have nobody to hate now, so I'm sure they have no idea what to do... Steve

I'm interestING...

Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking! That was the year when they used the one-piece with the logo in the top corner. Never knew it was reversible, though! I will admit that I didn't actually go that much between 73 and 75; my parents had lost interest, and I wasn't old enough to go on my own. As I said, I went occasionally, most notably the week after Paul Dowdall beat Eric Boocock (1974), and the Laurels in 1975. That was the last time I saw Tommy... Steve

They first used a narrow yellow border on a red background in 1974, and that lasted until they went to the chevrons in 1977. There are some pics of the 1976 jackets on the Retro Speedway gallery Wimbledon page. You know those body-colour icons that many BSF users used for their avatars? I made those! I had a freeware icon designer, and although some people made some new icons, the vast majority were mine. That was tough trying to find exact designs and colours, and there are still a few I don't know. Of course, pre-1970, they didn't change the bloody things every year (except for teams like Nelson and Doncaster)... Steve

Great vid, but just wondering why you used a generic Dons jacket rather than the 1976 version with the yellow border? I love to see the old colours, but I'm amazed there is no central online resource with all teams and versions. So many of the really old ones are only seen in black and white photos, so we don't always know exact colours. Steve

Of course, attendances have been falling for years, but not to the embarrassing level they are at now. There are more people in the pits today than on the terraces... I've said this many times before, but speedway used to be a city-centre sport. I am sure (as iris says) that there were complaints from local residents, but not to the level - or voracity - they are these days. People used to be more tolerant - BSF members please note!!! When you think of the tracks that used to be right in the middle of residential area, it's incredible... Steve

Rremember that it was the introduction of the entertainment tax that was at the root of the problem back then, not a lack of support. Plus, back then, there was no shortage of venues - and many potential venues - available. The Great British NIMBY has ensured that isn't the case now, as well as the demise of greyhound racing. Steve

I think you are misunderstanding me slightly... A lot of people on here think the racing was better back then, and that racing today is crap. I'm not one of them. While the sport WAS better (well, British speedway, anyway!), a lot of that was due to the crowds and the atmosphere. What I am saying is that today, even good races don't seem that good when you have a crowd of 47 people and two dogs, and you have a better atmosphere in a morgue... I won't necessarily say the racing was "closer", but it was a lot more unpredictable. If you watch some of the stuff on YouTube, you will see that riders hit grip and speed up, or hit a rut and slow down; the gaps between riders would change suddenly. Now, with ultra-fast machinery on ultra-slick tracks, that doesn't happen. Back then, a big part of the enjoyment was watching the riders fight with their bikes in the dirt! Steve

That backs up what was has been said on other threads. People are always arguing that the racing was a lot better back then than it is now, but even brilliant races today don't seem as good, and it's not just the racing itself; small crowds and non-existent atmospheres really affect our perception of things... Steve

Ah, I wondered! Yeah, they opened in 1976, won the league the following year, and then closed at the end of 78. My first time there was the GP Final in 76, and I was a frequent visitor for the next 2 1/2 years. Like cityrebel, I generally enjoyed the racing at Wood Lane, particularly under floodlights. Even big wins don't necessarily mean poor racing, and I can't say I was ever really disappointed there. I loved small tracks too , but it was nice to go to White City, West Ham, Belle Vue etc just for the variety. Steve

I was 4000 miles away when Craven Park opened, and I really don't know anything about the place. I only went to The Boulevard once (Royal Wedding Day in 1981), but you can see from vids on YouTube it wasn't the widest track! Yeah, I forgot about Workington. Only went there the once, but I was very impressed with the racing. Steve

You beat me to it! I always enjoyed my trips to Kingsmead, but as you say, it was a little on the narrow side. I don't know if ch958 was keeping it just to football (well, association football to be precise), but there were also tracks with rugby pitches, like Exeter and Hull (Boulevard). I think they would be very similar. Oh, and how about another rugger venue - Odsal? The one observation I can make is that some of these were pretty narrow, with Hull being one. One I never went to was Love Street, home of Paisley. Anyone here have any memories of that? Steve

Two very legitimate reasons to fall out of love with the sport. Of course, they were the main reasons I loved the sport. It was hard - very hard - losing my team, but I still love it as a neutral. Having said that, I can't deny that, had I still been attending as a "biased" team fan, I would certainly be disillusioned at the deterioration of the team aspect... Steve

I will admit that the use of guests now is ridiculous. Thing is, back in the day, riders riding in Britain weren't usually riding elsewhere several times a week. Of course, there is the situation of "priority", particularly when matches are rescheduled, but also, riders are getting injured more because they are riding more. Back in the day, the guest facility was used for heat leaders only (and only in certain circumstances) and I think it should still be that way. There is no reason at all to need a guest for a four-point second string... I know people complain about doubling-up, but of course, many BL teams had an association with an NL team. You would often get two or three riders who were part of your "squad", so you didn't have any need for guests for second-strings and reserves. Now, it really seems a case of the tail wagging the dog... Steve

BECAUSE PEOPLE WEREN'T WORRIED ABOUT IT! In the old days, there was no desire for "credibility". Or political correctness, equality, diversity, or whatever. I'm not just talking about speedway either... You either enjoyed something or you didnt. If you did, great. If you didn't, you went and did something else. If the latter, you didn't feel compelled to justify your opinions, or to ridicule those who didn't share your views. Look at the BSF... There are multitudes queuing up to tell you how bad, stupid, and worthless sports like football and F1 are. There are endless comparisons and false accusations in an effort to justify that opinion. Why? Speedway is - and always was - my favorite sport. I have have a lengthy and successful career in darts, but as much as I love darts, speedway was still Number One. I am a footy fan. I am an F1 fan. So? Does that make me stupid or inferior? As far as speedway, why is it that difficult to watch, and enjoy? Sure, it doesn't matter what you enjoy, there will always be things that you think are bad or stupid. Oh well... I went to speedway because : 1) I loved watching the racing. 2) I had a passion for my Wimbledon team. Is that not enough? Some nights, the fare was poor. And? Sh!t happens... Was rider control "credible"? Of course not. Did it drive the fans away? And you can't keep claiming that PC put "thousands" on the gate at Hyde Rd. Great rider, and great to watch. BUT, fans flocked to Hyde Rd in their thousands before PC. Fans flocked to speedway in their thousands before television coverage. Fans flocked to speedway in their thousands when we had guest riders in the 60's and 70's. There are many reasons why speedway - certainly British speedway - isn't as popular as it once was, but not every reason is speedway-related. More importantly, it has little or nothing to do with credibility... Steve

Sorry, but I have to disagree... League racing DID receive a lot of coverage back, just not live coverage on cable channels that a lot of people don't have. League results (with top scorers) were listed given in the national newspapers. There were regular articles (several times a week) about league racing featured in the national newspapers. The team lineups for meetings in London were published in the London Evening News. League matches were often shown on Regional TV stations (Anglia TV is the one that springs to mind). League results were given on several radio stations - LBC and Radio Luxembourg are the ones I remember... Okay, these may seem antiquated now, but it was all we had back then. And EVERYONE was exposed to speedway as a result. And EVERYONE knew what speedway was. And EVERYONE knew that they were driving past a "speedway" stadium. Today, the only way you will drive past a speedway stadium is if you are actually going there... Let's not forget that other sports only had the same coverage as speedway did. We didn't have multiple live football matches shown every day in the 60's and 70's, and crowds weren't any lower back then. Plus, I think it is ridiculous to claim that crowds "went to watch their local teams on the back of the sport being beamed into their living rooms"; if anything, it was the other way round. We had the fanbase long before ITV's World of Sport came along, and the television coverage was the result of having an exciting and successful sport already in place. TV coverage was a natural progression from successful domestic speedway, and not the other way round. Steve