chunky

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

How about them????? Steve

And NO, you can't have Ed Pye and Ryszard Dolomisiewicz either...

Two letters different, one letter different, two letters different. Anyway, that's easy; we are talking about FULL names. If we kept it to just surnames, there would be many more. Steve

Following Mr. Plinge's tactic of rearranging letters, Aussie Mick Powell was preceded by Mike Powell, who rode one match for Newport in 1975. Steve

Couple more Aussies; Dave Wills (West Ham) and Dave Mills (Hull).

Thanks for the unintentional nudge; Chris Bass and Bristol's Chris Boss! Steve

And you have the temerity to claim that I deviated? Bill hooks!

That was another I thought of, but you beat me to it! Steve

Yeah, he's only represented GB in the under-21 SWC, and was runner-up in the British Under-21 Championship, so he's not that well-known. Oh, and a British grass-track champion... Sreve

Good call!