chunky

He needs to win at least 10 more World Championships to break into the top 50. Still, it is so easy to win the GP series - but only for Woffinden, and not everybody else...

Not according to some of the experts on the BSF, apparently... And we haven't even included the 50's and 60's yet!!!

And at least another 30 from the 1970's... Steve

Whoooooooosh..........

I have said it before, but there really is something unique and incredible about Tai's style. It seems like he is riding on rails, even when switching lines. He may not have a style like Collins, Craven, or Moran, but I have never understood those who label him "boring"... Steve

Probably 1975, Bob - the top four from the British Final qualified for Wembley. Bob started out with two second places, but only finished with five. Steve

You did... Actually, iris123 mentioned him in the very first reply on thread. Funny, you can't really say somebody is forgotten when they have such a funky name! Steve

Have to agree there. This thread really concentrated on those who are easily forgotten, either because their British careers were almost over before they started (one or two matches), or they just weren't any good! No, their British careers weren't that long, but Wasserman and Hack were both very accomplished riders, and like Glucklich, both had decent international careers, include World Final qualification. Angermuller maybe wasn't quite as impressive in the UK, but again he had a fair reputation in mainland Europe. Steve

Even at the time of the 1949 final, several of the finalists on show were in their late 30's, and both Parkers, Lamoreaux, and Kitchen were in their 40's. Steve

You never disappoint! Just surprised it took you that long to comment... Seriously though, as was already mentioned, with the World Final only a year away, only a fool (of course, we have a few on here) would ever think that Tom wouldn't have been a multi-world finalist. Of course, it's hard to say if he would have still been around post-war, but I think he was young enough to have had a long and successful career. Steve

We have actually covered this subject on the BSF before, and for me, Schwartz is the one who stands out. Steve

Of course, with subjects like this, people tend to go for the most recent eras, particularly when they saw never some of the contenders. However, I do feel that Vic Duggan is usually - and very unfairly - overlooked when it comes to the true greats of the sport. He certainly had a spell where he was clearly a class above everybody else. Steve

An' you try tellin' that t' young people o' today, and they won't believe you... Steve

Think about it; you have a lot more work to do when there is actually dirt on the track... Steve

How dare you compare it to the "good ol' days"!!! Your sort just won't admit it was absolutely perfect back then! Immaculate starting procedures with nobody ever needing a 2-minute warning, the noise, the smell, capacity crowds every night, incredible racing with 20+ passes on every lap, riders staying with the same teams for 30 years, and every British rider was so much better than that Aussie Tia Wofflebottom (or whatever his ruddy name is)... Steve

What I find hilarious is that if any of the experts on the BSF had the balls to get out on a speedway track and race, you tell me that they wouldn't be looking to get the most out of the track in order to get a good start??? "Oh no, I'll just sit here doing nothing, and just hope everyone else misses the gate! I don't want to p*ss off anybody on the BSF..." Steve

You and me both... I still remember being at school; last lesson on Thursday was physics, and all I wanted to was to get out of there, and head down to Plough Lane! On a Wednesday, I'd get the tube to Tooting Bec, where Ken Archer would pick me up to take me to White City... A few years later, I remember the poxy drive through Stockwell, the Elephant, and up Mile End Rd to get to Waterden Rd on a Friday. Coming home, I had figured out the traffic lights, and I could get from the Green Man all the way back to London Bridge without catching a light. Making my way round the South Circular in rush hour to Crayford wasn't much better, although coming home was okay. Going to Rye on a Sunday was usually pretty easy, but you never knew which was best to get to Arena - going through London or round the M25. God, I miss those days... Steve

You know, I am anything but a Pedersen fan, but quite honestly, I was expecting a lot worse than that. I have seen MANY other riders make a similar move, running an opponent wide, and most of the time, the guy on the outside just ends up shutting off as he starts to run out of room. Nope, I really don't think that was anything to rant about... Steve

You're really sounding like me now... I thought it was a very well-written and fair piece, which cannot be said of much of the garbage I have read from so-called neutrals over the years. Even though it IS different now to what it used to be, I still love watching it on the box, but the UK stuff seems so stale and antiquated. I've been to junior matches at Hackney during the winter that had more life than some of the those I have seen in recent years. As has been said before, it is not the fault of the racing, but the presentation, atmosphere, and audience - or lack thereof... Steve

As I have said many times, and as was also stated in the article, with what tracks we do have being forced out of the urban areas, people aren't exposed to the sport now. Even if they are, they can't just hop on a bus or train like we did... Steve

Again Steve, the number of existing fans is still so insignificant compared to what we had years ago, that even if we all went regularly now, it wouldn't make a difference. As far as the distances needed for even a "local" team now, I was really spoiled in having two teams in London, plus. Arena, Crayford, Rye, Milton Keynes, Eastbourne, Reading, Oxford, and Canterbury all very doable. From having at least ten tracks from which to choose, only ONE of those survives now. THAT is what hurts. Steve

Okay, perhaps some of you do have your head in the sand - or at least can't comprehend what I said. Maybe that was a little harsh of me, but... How many actual speedway "supporters" are there left in Britain? I'm not talking about "ex-supporters". I'm not talking about new ones or potential ones? Even if every real, existing supporter in the UK attended live speedway, they alone would not be able to save British speedway. Look at the BSF... I am a real supporter with a life-long love of the sport, but I am one of several on here who physically CAN'T attend. There are a number on here who CAN attend, but WON'T. I am reluctant to include those as real supporters (they support speedway as it was 20 or 30 years ago - not the modern game), but being the nice guy that I am, I will include those as real and existing supporters. How many of those are there? If every one of those clubbed together and bought a minibus (that's how few of them there really are), and went to speedway in the UK at EVERY AVAILABLE OPPORTUNITY, they wouldn't be able to save ONE track, let alone the sport as a whole. Look at the TV viewing figures that were mentioned in the article? If every one of those were a weekly speedway-goer, they couldn't save the sport alone. The sad fact is that there are not enough current speedway supporters in the UK to keep the sport afloat without a major reconstruction, major cash injection, and most importantly, a massive influx of NEW supporters. Which is why I said that "we supporters" can do nothing to stop the rot. And that is the sad reality... Steve

How - and why - is it worrying? There is nothing written there that we didn't already know. It's been covered to death on the BSF. I don't think the head-in-the-sand attitude comes from the supporters; we all know British speedway is in trouble. The apathy from supporters stems from the fact that realistically, there is bugger all that we supporters can do to stop the rot... Steve

Then there was Max Schreck, who starred as the original Nosferatu... He would probably have scored more points for us - certainly a team spot would have been something to get his teeth into... Steve

It was The Crown in Little Missenden, Steve. We used to go there and play darts with Jim Tebby. Ron was the manager before buying the pub, and as far as I know, it is still run by his son Trevor. Steve