chunky

I was there that night too! Worst thing about Crayford was that poxy drive around the south circular. Steve

Yep, I thought about mentioning that too, but you beat me to it! Steve

If we are going to digress, what about Hans Nielsen? Away from home, he was unbeaten for the entire 1986 league season! Steve

Aaahhhh... Thank you so much for that! I honestly don't recall that rule (it obviously wasn't used a great deal), but I was only 14 in 1976... Sounds a bit weird now (not that there are any other weird rules in speedway) but I would say that is preferable to filling a team with a bunch of guests... Steve

Yes, but you said Cradley were never behind! That is why I said, " seven rides, with no tac subs??? Steve

Good question! I just wonder how and why it was possible then - seven rides, with no tac subs??? Steve

While we are on the subject of seven ride performances, I seem to remember John Boulger picking up 20 points in one meeting - and the team (can't remember if it was Leicester or Cradley) won 40-38! I believe this is the only time one man has scored as many points as the rest of the team, and finished on the winning side. EDIT - Just found it. In 1976, Cradley beat Reading 40-38, with Boulger recording a 21 point max... Steve

Absolutely. I just figured that The Third Man was talking about the top five. I love weird stats like this, and I knew it had been done. So, this is a little more unlikely; I wonder if anyone has picked up a bonus point in every ride in a double-header??? Steve

Actually, it WASN'T impossible for that to happen after 1968; it was just impossible for the three heat leaders to achieve that. Riders listed at 2, 3, and 4 could all record 12-pointers... Steve

What I find as hilarious as anything is the one real link I have found. Just Google "toto franchitti" and the first thing to see is a Facebook post from him to F1 driver Mark Webber. The post looks like it was made by a four-year-old, rather than a successful businessman! What do you think? https://m.facebook.com/aussiegrit/posts/1000853456640177 Steve

I wonder why??? Steve

Again, this is one of those freak occurrences. Nigel didn't die as a result of injuries sustained in the crash, but from a blood clot that was likely to have been caused from being in bed. Steve

It has to be. Tony O'Donnell crashed on December 6, 1975, and died at the end of the month without regaining consciousness. Steve

I apologise for any offence caused, as there was none intended. The simple fact is that it does have a poor record, alongside several other tracks. As I said, I have never been there, so I cannot comment on design or other aspects that might make it more dangerous. That is why I asked. Hackney was generally considered a "dangerous" track, but I have never heard that said about Newcastle, which makes the number of fatalities there a little surprising. That is the point I am trying to make, that while there are factors that can increase/decrease the safety rating, it does basically come down to "chance". Steve

This is why I raised the issue of "dangerous" tracks, as it does seem to be something that is consistently ignored in discussions on the subject. Now, I cannot argue your point about a serious incident "more likely", but I still don't believe that whenever something happens, we can just blame it on "design". Sometimes things just happen, and in the case of a speedway fatality, I just think that it is a tragic combination of circumstances. I have never been to Newcastle, but what is the design there? Would you consider it "dangerous"? More dangerous than other tracks because of the design? Is it as dangerous as Hackney? Again, I will not argue your claim, but while I am a total anorak who loves stats, I don't allow myself to get too carried away by them. No, statistics do not lie in themselves, but the story behind them isn't always a reflection of the truth. You raise an excellent point about the chances of a fatality occurring at certain points in time when there are more untrained riders in action. It is interesting how we tend to forget things like this when we look for specific "reasons", but that is why it is important to look at various factors. Charlie Biddle and Cliff Mawson were both killed in 1928, but you raise another interesting point. Realistically, one would have expected more fatalities in the first year. Steve

Despite the fact there seem to be an alarming number of high-speed crashes - usually the result of picking up unwanted grip - these days, I certainly feel that speedway is much safer now than it used to be. One of the issues is that we look for reasons. Sadly, true "reasons" aren't always what they appear to be - or even what we want them to be. Of course, air fences have helped, but so has improved helmet design. One other factor to perhaps consider is dangerous "tracks", and I am not talking about track conditions. As I said, it is difficult to pinpoint specific reasons, but look at tracks like Newcastle and Hackney. Both have a terrible record as far as fatalities, but is it an accurate reflection of the track, or merely tragic coincidence? Of course, a major factor in Hackney's history was exposed lamp standards, but does that mean it was too dangerous? Does that mean that with Hackney's demise, British speedway automatically became a little safer? Sounds feasible, but I am not convinced... Without knowing the EXACT circumstances of each accident, it is hard to say. What if Vic Harding and Steve Weatherley had come together ten feet before/after the point they actually did? Those who died as a result of being hit by a machine; what if the bike went six inches to the left of where it actually hit them? While simple statistics like the amount of tracks operating, and the amount of meetings and races completed can APPEAR to lead to a definite conclusion, I don't go for that. I am of the mind that in each particular fatal crash, it was simply a case of a bunch of unique and coincidental circumstances coming together to provide a singularly tragic conclusion. Yes, it can make interesting - if macabre - reading, but I honestly don't think that there is any definitive reason for any individual fatality, or a seemingly connected series (ie at a specific track, or within a particular time frame) of fatalities. Steve

And I saw them both at the 1976 WTC Final at White City... Steve

Actually, no; iris123 was correct! I am currently reading Mr Jacobs' excellent Speedway in London, and I hope he won't mind me quoting him. This was at the end of 1953: "At the end of the campaign, Young asked for a move from West Ham because he felt the track was too big and more a test of speed than skill. As he was probably the most skilful rider around at the time, he wanted to ride at a track where he could use this to his advantage, In a desperate bid to hang on to his services, the West Ham management agreed to shorten the 440-yard circuit to 415 yards and Young agreed to stay." Steve

Although I never went to West Ham as much as you did, I do echo your sentiments. Funny you should mention Christer and Sverre, but they were great to watch there. I was at Christer's debut, which was also the night Sverre broke his arm... What I also remember is the cold wind that used to blow across from the river! Steve

You beat me to it! Incidentally, for those who thought it was Alan Cowland because of the white boots, I can tell you that most of the 1963 Exeter team wore white boots; the boots seemed to be a part of the team uniform. Steve

Well, it's about South Africans, rather than Zimbabweans... Steve

I certainly get what you are saying, and I will admit, a yellow star on a red background is my absolute fave symbol! Here in the US, we have a burger chain called Hardee's, and that is their symbol! Thing is, I can't get my head round the "team" claim, when it isn't a team. Of course, we will ALWAYS have our memories... As far as the grandstand lights being turned off, there are a hundred more things I could have listed! "With a 2-4-6-8..." Mrs Dorothy Charles Batson Dumping bags of sawdust on the track and riders donning overalls. Terry Mussett demolishing the entire 1st and 2nd bend fence. Decorating the coaches (that was one of my jobs). The St. John's Ambulance collection. Mick Hines smacking Steve Koppe. Those wonderful "bitter cherry" and "bitter orange" sweets (Trebor?) from the kiosk between the 1st and 2nd bends. Stella and Ernie Middleton, Vera and Ernie Day, and the entire Chaplin clan. Hanging over the pits wall. Johnsy beating PC twice on his way to a maximum. Trudging out of the stadium after the meeting being called off after six heats. Playing darts for Wimbledon 'B' during the close season. The two-minute klaxon. "Hedgehopper", "Slim Jim", and Mike "Zoomer" Coomber. Spending the night at Watford Gap (coming back from Belle Vue) because of a noise the coach was making. Steve Hickmott and a couple of others had stolen a road sign, and left it under the seat, and we had all forgotten about it! Steve

You know, I would just like to echo the sentiments of iris and cityrebel. I am a lifelong Dons fan. I was born into speedway (I am very much a speedway supporter in general), and I really was born into Wimbledon speedway. The fact that there is a team of individuals thrown together to "represent" my team sadly means nothing. If ever - and I know this will never happen - a WIMBLEDON team returns to the area, I will again become one of their biggest fans, even though I am 4000 miles away. Without a "team", and without somewhere to call "home", it is not WIMBLEDON. The Dons really were a huge part of my life, and the memories I have of a lifetime of support means that they still are. A nice gesture perhaps, but a one-off like this has no place in my memories of Wimbledon. Wimbledon is Huxley, Moore, Jansson, Wiltshire, and Burrows. Wimbledon is the Pit-Bend Loonies (I was one). Wimbledon is Ronnie Greene, Ken Tozer, Viv Harwood, Ken Archer, and the Lannings.. Wimbledon is parking down Blackshaw Rd. Wimbledon is the sounds and smells while walking through the car park. Wimbledon is Alan Graham and Epsom Coaches. Wimbledon is the Internationale and the London Cup. Wimbledon is eating Bowyer's steak and kidney pies in the grandstand. Wimbledon is "Blaze Away" and the torchlight parade (there's one for the old 'uns...) Wimbledon is all my scrapbooks, photos, and programmes. Wimbledon is following the Dons to Hackney, Hull, Belle Vue, and Berwick. Wimbledon is British League, National League, and Conference. Wimbledon is Alf Jarrett, Eddie Toogood, Dave Fairbrother, and Alan Bowman. Wimbledon is winning the KOC three years in a row, and giving up four 5-1's in the first four heats against Poole. Wimbledon is taking the "special" from Tooting Broadway, and checking the line-up in the Evening News. Wimbledon is the greatest thing that I knew, and the thing that now tears me apart. Wimbledon is no more... As I said, if a team comes back to the area, then yes, I will feel it is Wimbledon again, but as it stands at the moment - and has done for all these years... Steve

Thing is, while I find the team kevlars busy, that doesn't really cause me the confusion. In the old days, everyone looked the same in black, but it was easy enough to recognise most riders. Likewise the full face helmets. In the late 80's. there were a lot of riders wearing Bell Moto III's, and again, it wasn't difficult to identify everyone. I really think that it is down to the "generic" riding style that everyone seems to have adopted, and it's not just a case of the cornering; even the body positions on the straight all seem the same now. Also, speedway riders used to be a much wider variety of sizes and shapes than they are now. Compare some already mentioned here, like Broady and Schoie, and "Big Arthur". You had Les McGillivray, Eric Boothroyd, Andy Buck, Graham Miles, Peter Craven, Norman Strachan... Sigh... Steve

...and going to Church makes you religious, right? So that means that standing in a garage makes me a car then??? Steve