chunky

1) I went to White City once - for speedway - and there was a bloke jumping from a tower into a small bath of water. He was a "participating guest", so should I start another forum on here called "Stuntmen and Escapologists"? 2) Please note that this is the "BSF"; it is not the "BFTF" or the "ANZSF". "British Speedway" is four blokes on 500cc bikes running on methanol... Steve

I used to look forward to them too! Funny thing is, so many of the names you mention, I was close to including! Skretting, Bengtsson, Steman, Langli, Davidsson, Blondy, and Gudmunsson were all on my short-list. I'd totally forgotten about Deser and Klinge. Steve

I thought the same, but that appears to be his correct (or full) name. If you recall, last week, we were talking about Leonard Raba, and I said that the only legitimate point Raba scored was when he beat Franz Kreimoser in a challenge against Reading. That was Kreimoser's only meeting. I did think about Adi, but he was better. Steve

I'm not a financial expert by any means, but I followed everything from the initial post. That was the thing, you have access to "records", but without a detailed breakdown, it is very difficult to gauge each individual situation. Even without doing anything fraudulent - or even devious - it is usually possible to make the books read they way you want, based on a particular time-frame. With regard to Ray Stadia's comment about football, I am sure that many of the clubs (even smaller clubs) deal in much larger amounts than speedway when it comes to cash flow. They may be in the red right now, but they have 200 grand due in next week! Look at my own team, AFC Wimbledon. I was reading how, if we can just beat Millwall in the FA Cup at the weekend, that will earn us close to a million! Of course, that involves a number of factors, but for a small and poor League One team like us, one win against a team like Millwall can make us that sort of money? We know that speedway clubs can't be dealing in anywhere near those amounts... Steve

Now I'm really confused??? You claim your speedway memories are "reserved strictly" for Speedwayplus? Then why are you on a speedway (or BFTF) forum where we "share our memories"? More to the point, why do you think a SPEEDWAY forum is the place to share your memories of motorsports OTHER than speedway? Genuine questions... Steve

Really? You gotta be kidding me! What have I said that is offensive ? Just remind me how it is perfectly okay for you to say "f... You" on a public forum, yet I have made a speedway-related joke about suffering from wind (with no foul or inappropriate language) and you are beside yourself? Steve (or whoever you think I am...)

You know what, when I saw the name "gustix", it brought back memories of wind "gusts". That made me think of all the times I suffered from wind! Then - and this is the cool thing - wind led me to kites! There was a speedway rider called Alan Kite! Steve

... or almost forgettable, anyway! I know we have had similar threads posted before, but I think it's time to dig up some names for the newer BSF members. In the 70's and 80's, we had a number of poor-quality Europeans engaged in BL action for short periods of time. Some, like Claes Jensen and Gerhard Uhlenbrock often resurface, as do the mediocre Poles of 76 (Olkiewicz, Szczepanik etc) but others don't seem to. Just today, I dug up Bernd Odermatt. I was at Plough Lane when Austrian Walter Grubmuller came to visit, and honestly, he didn't look too bad. Jan Puk is still mentioned, but his Eastbourne team--mate Josef Kafel often isn't. Then again, a CMA of less than a point is a good reason for that. Jens-Krause Kjaer actually scored one point for Coventry in 1974. Another Pole at Arlington, Marek Kepa. He at least averaged a point a meeting. Four meetings, eight rides, and "nil points" (in a French accent) for Halifax for Norway's Jorn Haugvalstad (1980) One meeting, two rides, and nil points for Haliifax for Sweden's Stefan Johansson (1975). One of my faves, Norwegian Sigvart Pedersen (Wimbledon, Eastborne and Reading), but he too looked promising without doing anything to show it. An accomplished long-tracker, but Rauli Makinen didn't impress at Owlerton in 1978. Czech Jiri Hnidak checked out of King's Lynn after scoring just 12 points from 38 rides in 1982. Steve

Ain't that the truth...

He rode for Leicester and Hackney in 1980, although he didn't ride in any official fixtures for the 'Awks... Steve

Actually, it was "Bernd", although I have seen it spelled three different ways. We thought he was part-Irish, and called him "Bernd O'Doormat"!!! Steve

"It was important in regard to the midget car demonstration" So what you are saying it was a totally unrelated response to the post that iris123 made, it has nothing to do with "speedway", but it was important to you as you wanted to see midget cars at Wimbledon? You whine about me deviating??? Steve

You could say that about most Germans - Peter Schroeck and Bernt Odermatt excepted... Steve

That statement is relevant. Being at Plough Lane another week when midget cars disappointed you has no relevance whatsoever... Steve

I wish... I had really been looking forward to that, but I was laid up in bed with chicken pox! One of the biggest disappointments of my life. Steve

Which is relevant to a speedway discussion how? Steve

That's what BWitcher was saying months ago, and everyone was offended by it! That is why people say that the "top boys" aren't as good as they used to be. Not a bit of it; it just means is that there are more at the same approximate level. Oh, and you can add Tai to that list, too... Steve

You mean standing at Blunsdon on a wet and windy October night isn't glamorous??? Seriously though, I agree about the perception... Non-speedway folks always perceived it as being "blokes riding around in circles:, and "first out of the gate always wins". Oh yeah, we are are so quick to dismiss them as idiots. However, us speedway folks cannot be absolved from blame, particularly looking at some of the stuff on here these days. Perception, eh? "It's not as good as good as it used to be!" Why not? Or the ridiculous statement that 90% of riders in the 60's were better than the world's best today? You think you can really quantify that? I am one of those who believe that the racing WASN'T noticeably better back in the good ol' days. There were aspects pf the sport - quite a few in fact - that were better, but when it comes down to it, it is justa case of us looking through rose-tinted specs. As a young lad, I was enthralled by the sight of strapping he-men and gladiators called Norman, Jack, and Harry, wrestling these powerful steeds through waist=high cinders! As a 56-year-old, I see little tattooed kids riding around on bikes that sound like lawnmowers on helium... Yes, tracks have changed. Machinery has changed. PEOPLE have changed.The reality is that speedway was - and still is - a case of four men racing 500cc bikes (with no brakes and no gears) on shale ovals. Despite the change in sounds and smells, that's exactly what it is. What we have to do is be realistic, and accept that WE are just as much at fault. It's not just speedway either, but when we convince ourselves that our biased - and inevitably negative - views of everything (based on how it USED to be), there is always going to be a problem, Of course, the administration of the sport (particularly in Britain) has been questionable for a number of years, but speedway racing is still speedway racing. Steve

You're not upsetting me, but I just don't agree. One of the reasons that British speedway has gone stale - or at least, the paying public feels it has gone stale - is a lack of variety. Being in a league with just eight or ten teams - and the same handful of riders - leads to tedium when you are watching them five or six times a year. Back when we had eighteen or nineteen teams, you only got to see most teams just the once - maybe twice if you met them in the cup; that gave us something to look forward to, even if you hated Mauger, Olsen or whoever! Sure, at Plough Lane, we saw Hackney three or four times, but as our arch-enemies, that was okay. We had variety of formats, with best pairs, four team tournaments, individual events, and even three-team tournaments. As far as individual events, most tracks would have at least two, and you tended to get pretty different line-ups for each. There was also a variety of track sizes, shapes, and surfaces (and banking). They didn't always provide the closest meetings (like Wimbledon against Halifax, or Crayford against Exeter), but you got to see some of the lesser lights shining because they were more of a small-track or large-track rider. That's why we at Wimbledon always looked forward to seeing new Americans; even if they weren't THAT good, they usually were when they visited South London! Steve

Funny thing is that I'd never heard of the Charlton dog track until now! I did manage to find one aerial view of the stadium; it was where Makro is now. It's crazy when you look at how many different sports stadia there were, and how close to each other they were... Steve

Yeah, looking at the line-up, pretty sure that was the one; thanks! I remember that Silver rode well, but now, seeing Alan Grahame winning, that does ring a bell. I have a pretty good memory - sometimes - but when I think about that being 33 years ago, that is scary! Steve

That surprises me? I wouldn't say I was a regular there, but I found it a very quick and easy run down the M4. Probably the last time I went there was a World Championship round, and if my memory serves me correctly, it was won by Andrew Silver. Can't remember what year, but it was on a Sunday. Grachan may be able to help me there! Regarding Silver, I never really took to him for some reason. I don't know if was all the hype or what. Very talented rider, but very much an under-achiever, I feel. Steve

That's what I have been trying to find out, and that really wouldn't surprise me! I can't comment on Cayre as that was after I emigrated, and I don't know anything about him, except that he didn't score a point in nine rides. Of course, there are those who witnessed Timmy Joe Sheppard's appearance at Hackney in 1975, and still claim that he was the worst... Steve

Oh, I know he has a much worse points-scoring record! Just one from 29 rides, but I don't have a complete breakdown of his rides... Jensen is probably the worst rider is have seen at a truly competitive level (if you can in fact call him competitive). I was talking about the record of Raba scoring four paid points from beating only one rider! I'm sure that hasn't happened too often! Steve

Come on, frigbo, at least tell the whole story! Against Reading, he score his point in the only race he finished (two falls and an EF), and beat the mighty Franz Kreimoser. At Bristol, he scored his point in one of only two races he finished (two more falls), and it came at the expense of Phil Crump - who didn't finish... At home to Bristol, he actually beat Soren Sjosten - and he managed to finish all three races he started. So, in those challenge matches, he rode eleven times. He suffered four falls and an EF. In the six races he finished, he scored four (paid) points, yet only "beat" one rider... That could be a record in itself? Steve