chunky

That was one of my favourite features in the 1978 progs! I still have the master list of all those teams that Derek Holder gave me. On the subject, anyone know if Derek is still around? Steve

Well, seeing that Stenlund and Milan Spinka were the only ice-racing champs to ride in Britain, that does narrow it down! Steve

I certainly get your points, and I cannot disagree with the fact that could have added more world titles, but the fact is - he didn't... It's always tough when careers are cut short, particularly at an early stage, and whether it is Per, Tommy, Cegielski, Ward, or whoever, comparing potential against achievement is very difficult. I think Kenny Carter is a prime example; as good as he was, he never fulfilled his potential. There are other riders - Bengt Jansson and Soren Sjosten, for example - who, although not succeeding in winning the title, produced a number of excellent performances over a lengthy career. Steve

I never rated Hasse quite as highly as the others that have been mentioned, although he rode well at Wembley in '69. I think another one who could rate alongside Hasse was Leif Enecrona, but I never really saw much of him... Steve

I certainly agree about Bengt Jansson. A pretty impressive World Final record, and several good years in the BL. I know he never became Swedish Champion, but he was up against Fundin, Nordin, Michanek, Sjosten, Harrysson, Persson, Tommy Jansson etc; there were a fair number of world class Swedes at that time... Steve

I was just providing a quick list for people to compare and I did actually intend to include him! Henka could be a fabulous rider sometimes, but he definitely SHOULD have done better. Still a world-class rider, I do think he was one of the great under-achievers... As far as the others I listed, personally I wouldn't have included a couple of them on a short-list for the fifth spot, but I did so because others had mentioned them - or were likely to mention them. I did wonder about including the World Junior/U21, but when you look at the history of that event - and then what they actually made of themselves - it doesn't make good reading! That certainly applies to the runners-up, particularly in the early years; Owen, Jolly, Faizulin, Briggs, Courtney, Bargh etc; all capable riders, but not a World Final appearance between them! Of course, it was Henka's fellow Swede Peter Nahlin who pipped him to the title, but while he had a decent career himself, it wasn't really what he had promised... Steve

Personally, I feel that four basically pick themselves; Rickardsson, Fundin, Knutson, and Michanek. Okay, not everyone will agree there, but... There are many contenders for the fifth spot, but let's compare some stats for the major ones. As moved as I loved Tommy Jansson, I honestly couldn't put him in the list here, and the same applies to Christer Lofqvist, Torbjorn Harrysson, Per-Olof Soderman, and Jimmy Nilsen. Bengt Jansson World Finals - 5 / 54 points (2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th) Swedish Championships - 0 (2nd x2, 3rd x1) Soren Sjosten World Finals - 6 / 56 points (3rd x2, 4th, 7th. 8th, 9th) Swedish Championships - 0 (2nd x1, 3rd x1) Olle Nygren World Finals - 5 / 54 points (3rd, 4th x2, 7th, 8th) Swedish Championships - 1 (2nd x2, 3rd x1) Gote Nordin World Finals - 4 / 40 points (3rd, 5th, 6th, 8th) Swedish Championships - 2 (2nd x3) Rune Sormander World Finals 7 / 45 points (5th, 8th, 11th x3, 12th, 13th) Swedish Championships - 3 (2nd x1, 3rd x2) Per Jonsson World Finals 6 / 58 points (1987 pts halved) (1st, 2nd, 5th x2, 9th x2) Swedish Championships - 4 (2nd x1, 3 x3) Jan Andersson World Finals - 6 / 43 points (4th, 8th x2, 10th x2, 14th) Swedish Championships - 4 (2nd x3, 3rd x2) Bernt Persson World Finals - 7 / 40 points (2nd, 6th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 16th x2) Swedish Championships - 1 (2nd x2, 3rd x3) Steve

Of course, but Polish citizenship gives him every right to represent Poland. Same with Tadeusz Teodorowicz, Bill Landels, Bob Andrews, and even Ronnie Moore... See the idiots are out in force again... You really think I'm Tai when I haven't said "f*ck" once??? Steve

Thanks for making me feel stupid! I WAS THERE IN AMSTERDAM! I remember that Riss incident - the German fans weren't happy with that decision. Yep, that answers that... Steve

Slight difference; Rune Holta is a Polish citizen... Steve

Iris mentioned Wiggy above... Steve

Thank you for mentioning that. Same with Andy Smith. Because they were riding on a German license, they were considered German when riding in international events. Oh, and did they complain about Mark Loram representing GB despite the fact that he was born in Malta? Finally, there was a comment above about Tai being British "when it suits his own needs". Well, surely the same applies to his critics, who class him as Australian when it suits THEIR needs! Steve

Again, it's not a case of how many World Finalists appeared for them during the season, but whether they actually field a full team of World Finalists on a particular occasion. UPDATE Just checking through the matches, the six you mentioned appeared together on several occasions, but were joined by either Johnny Fitzpatrick or Bobby Croombs. Steve

So, it wasn't just me that picked up on that, then??? Steve

Well, using your logic, that means that a guy choosing to have a tattoo of a girl indicates that he would want to be one... Steve

I've always considered myself a pretty intelligent person, but it's amazing just how much I have learned just from spending a few years on the BSF! Not just about speedway, either... Two of the most important things I have learned are : Winning two World Championships and finishing runner-up in another (which no other British rider has ever achieved) does not even make you ONE of the best British World Champions. Being born in Britain, to British parents, means nothing; just because you spent a few years in Australia because your parents moved there, means you are automatically Australian. Oh, and something else I have learned: Every poster on the BSF is right... Steve

It's not a case of whether Simon Cross rode that year - we know he did - but if he replaced Peter Ravn on any specific occasion. That could certainly have given them a team (on the night) full of World Finalists. Steve

Thanks for the input guys! I did wonder about Cradley 1983, and obviously, they seem the closest - so far - with six World Finalists and a non-riding reserve. Unfortunately, the info for that season isn't available on Speedway Researcher, and the Cradley website only lists lineups for the cup matches. Peter Ravn and Simon Cross appeared together several times (in Cup action), but I don't know if Simon took his place in any meetings. Seems like there are several teams who are missing just one, but with some more research, maybe we can dig up a complete team of finalists! Steve

Okay, here's one for my fellow anoraks - at least the older ones... I had a weird thought the other day when I saw a pic of the Swindon team from 1962, The team was Tadeusz Teodorowicz, Ian Williams, Arne Carlsson, Mike Broadbank, Martin Ashby, Brian Brett, and Neil Street. It hit me that Streety was the only one who never qualified for an Individual World Final (and I know Teo was a non-riding reserve). Of course, there was quite a span between the finals, and not all six had previously appeared in a final (Brett and Ashby were still to appear in a final. So, I did some quick research, and found these : Wimbledon 1959 Ronnie Moore, Cyril Brine, Ron How, Gerry Jackson, Peter Moore, Bob Andrews, Cyril Maidment. Six of the seven rode in World Finals, with Jacko being the odd one out, Wembley 1952 Tommy Price, George Wilks, Bob Oakley, Eric Williams, Freddie Williams, Jimmy Gooch, Trevor Redmond, Bill Kitchen. An impressive seven out of eight, with only Wilks missing out. So, do we know if a team has ever taken to the track with a complete line-up of riders who - at some point in their careers - appeared in a World Final (either before or after)? I'm not just talking about members of a team who rode in the same season, but actually appeared in the same official fixture? Steve

I know that has happened with other teams on occasion, but it does make you wonder how they managed to get the others - which hadn't been used before! Steve

Yeah, I never thought about it! I know that the first action photo of Eddie I bought had the "The Dons" body colour, and then we switched fairly early in the season. Of course, the new design was the basis of the following season's Golden Jubilee jacket, using a gold star instead of yellow. All my progs are in storage, but we used the new design on the cover, although I don't know if we used it from the first meeting... Interesting question... Steve

69 - Mauger 78 - Olsen 81 - Penhall 82 - Penhall 83 - Muller 85 - Gundersen 87 - Nielsen 95 - Nielsen Steve

Okay, here goes... Belle Vue: What can I say? The fairground, the zoo, and what a track. I dropped my hot dog in the car park there, at the 1970 KOC Final. One of our group, Steve Hickmott, got injured on the go-karts one year. Another time, we ended up spending the night at Watford Gap because Hickmott and his cronies stole a road sign on the way up there. They stuck it under one of the seats, and we all forgot about it. Coming home, we heard this dreadful knocking noise, and thought that the coach was about to fall apart. So, we stopped at the services while they sent another coach up there for us! Canterbury: A semi-regular stop for me. Home of the hottest cuppa on the planet, and home to two of the great speedway characters of all time: Dick Jarvis and Les Drury! Cradley: Only went there the once, but as most of you know, the pork and stuffing sarnies - and the pork scratchings - were worth the drive from Surrey. Coventry: Used to go up there for the British Final, and 1982 is the one that stands out for me. Not just a superb performance but Andy Grahame, but queuing up before we went in, Denny Pyeatt came over and was talking to us for a while. Just six weeks before his tragic accident, and what a lovely guy. Crayford: Loved watching teams like Exeter all at sea on the tight circuit, but what a poxy drive around the South Circular. Exeter: Not sure why, but I always enjoyed tracks in the middle of the city. There was one Falcons fan I will NEVER forget. Saw him a few times, both at home and at the County Ground, but it was this older weird fella, and after we had beaten them one night at Plough Lane, he marched over to and was yelling that we were too strong. Then - and this is what haunts me to this day - he said, "Nothing personal, but I hope all your riders crash and get killed..." Terrible that someone could say that. Glasgow (Shawfield): The only British track I flew to. Went up there to see the Dons win in '88, and I have to say, perhaps the greatest and friendliest bunch of supporters I have ever met. Hackney: Another fun drive - particular going there in rush hour - but on the way home, I learned to judge the traffic lights down Whitechapel Rd, and I could get all the way from the Green Man (Carpenters Rd) to London Bridge without stopping! Not the best stadium, but watching Thommo round the third and fourth bends was great fun. Remember dear old Snowy... Mildenhall: Another semi-regular stop for me. Great food, but the single biggest highlight for me was watching an Avro Vulcan from the airbase doing its thing. Totally magical! Peterborough: Thought the Grand Slam/ NL-4TT was fantastic! They had some Honda trikes up there, and a few of the riders were showing us mere mortals how to ride them. I was brave enough, and I am proud to say that I was actually lapping at full throttle - God's honest truth - and mixing it with Sean Courtney, Rob Grant, and Mark Fiora! Until Grant t-boned me, that is... White City: Used to ride over there with Ken Archer and Esther; they would pick me up at Tooting Bec station. Thanks to Jim Tebby (a long-time family friend) being Clerk of the Course, he would let me watch the second-half from the centre-green! Steve

Yeah, I came up to Groveway one night to watch you in that junior championship won by John Bostin from Nathan Simpson! Steve

Yeah. It was to get all the idiots on the BSF into a tizzy! Seems to have worked, as 29 pages - so far - is massive! Steve