TonyMac

Thanks to our stats man Doug Nicolson, NICOLSON'S NUMBERS does occasionally compile and print Guest Tables - one showing teams and how their respective guests have performed; the other an individual chart showing the best guests in terms of points and averages.

YOUR HALIFAX For my regular Backtracking column in Speedway Star I'm asking fans of different clubs – past and present – for their personal thoughts on what immediately springs to mind whenever your team is mentioned. This time we're talking...HALIFAX. Over the years which riders, meetings, incidents and people associated with this track stand out in your mind – and why? Which pubs did you drink in before and after meetings? It’s not only open to home fans – visitors’ recollections of The Shay are also welcome. You can mention as many different aspects as you like but please don’t simply type names – add some supporting comment explaining exactly what they mean to you. Best contributions will appear in print. Thank you for taking part. To help prompt you, here are several suggestions… Dukes reborn in 1965 - Long Eaton first visitors. The 1966 double-winners. The Aussies: Kentwell, Kingston, Gavros, Jameson, Sharpe, etc. Eric Boocock and his 1974 Testimonial - the first Sunday meeting ever held at The Shay. Eric and Bonnie Boothroyd. Dave Younghusband, Chris Pusey, Charlie Monk, Henny Kroeze, Mike Lohmann, Ian Cartwright, Kenny Carter, Merv Janke, Mick McKeon, John Louis, Neil Evitts, Steve Baker, Larry Ross, etc. Dews Trophy, Shaytona, Autumn Classic. Over to you.....

YOUR GLASGOW For my regular Backtracking column in Speedway Star I'm asking fans of different clubs – past and present – for their personal thoughts on what immediately springs to mind whenever your team is mentioned. This time we're talking...GLASGOW. Over the years which riders, meetings, incidents and people associated with this famous old club stand out in your mind – and why? It’s not only open to home fans – visitors’ recollections of various Tigers' home venues are also welcome. You can mention as many different aspects as you like but please don’t simply type names – add some supporting comment explaining exactly what they mean to you. Best contributions will appear in print. Thank you for taking part. To help prompt you, here are several suggestions and reminders… The White City, Hampden Park, Coatbridge (1973-77 - it still counts!), Blantyre 1 & 2, Shawfield, Ashfield. Ian Hoskins, Trevor Redmond, James Beaton, Danny Taylor, Les Whaley, Neil Macfarlane and other promoters and management. Tommy Miller, Junior Bainbridge, Ken McKinlay, Charlie Monk, Jimmy Mac, Oyvind S. Berg, Doug and Willie Templeton, George Hunter, Bobby Beaton, Brian Collins, Merv Janke, Steve Lawson, Andy Reid, the McKinna bros Charlie, Kenny and Martin, Jason Lyons, Shane Bowes, Robert Nagy, Chris Harris, etc. Tragic Svein Kaasa. Local derbies against Edinburgh. Thanks - now over to you...

Wasn't John Earrey the first announcer/presenter to use a roving mic at a British track? He was a master at it. Loved his signature 'sign-off line just before he stopped speaking': "So long as we know..." JB's acerbic programme notes (inc 'Slightly Sideways') were always well worth a read.

YOUR IPSWICH For my regular retro column in Speedway Star I'm asking fans of different clubs – past and present – for their personal thoughts on what immediately springs to mind whenever your team is mentioned. This time we're talking...IPSWICH. Over the years which riders, meetings, incidents and people associated with this track stand out – and why? It’s not only open to home fans – visitors’ recollections of Foxhall Heath are also welcome. You can mention as many different aspects as you like but please don’t simply type names – add some supporting comment explaining exactly what they mean to you. Best contributions will appear in print. Thank you for taking part. To help prompt you, here are several suggestions… * The 1975-76 and 1998 double-winning teams * Berry, Thurley, Bagley, * Harrhy, J Louis, Davey, Sanders, Nygren, Sigalos, Cook, Doncaster, Loram, Gollob, Rickardsson, C Louis, Nicholls, etc. * A Walk in the Black Forest * John Earrey: ‘So long as we know’ * The back straight bugler * Star of Anglia * The KO Cup finals

Thanks to all for taking the time and trouble to respond. Cheers, TMc

You are probably thinking of red-haired Terry Heath.

YOUR HACKNEY For my regular Backtracking column in Speedway Star I’m asking fans of different clubs – past and present – for their personal thoughts on what immediately springs to mind whenever their team or track is mentioned. Over the years which riders, meetings, incidents and people associated with this track stand out – and why? It’s not only open to home fans – visitors’ recollections are also welcome. You can mention as many different aspects as you like but please don’t simply type names – add some supporting comment explaining what they mean to you. Best contributions will appear in print. Thank you for taking part. To help prompt you, here are several suggestions… * ‘Make it a Date, Friday at Eight’ * Leaping Len, Pratty, Benga, Cass the Gas, Thommo, Mort, Plechy, Bo Pete, Pavitt, Russell, Loramski, Louis, Galvin, Moggo, etc * Hawks and Kestrels * The ‘lucky’ 50 pence piece * Snowie Beattie’s weekly fiddle * Hawkeye and Birdbrain, Bert Busch, Ken Archer, Alf and Keith Weedon, Big Arthur, Bryn Williams * Superama, Champions Chase KO, NL Best Pairs * Terry Ripo, Ted Sear * Sampson’s Coaches

Many thanks to all for your responses - some real crackers here.

ZERO TO HERO is the subject of our next SOCIAL DEBATE feature in Speedway Star. Question is: Which rider at your club (past or present) didn't you rate, had little hope for when he first arrived . . . BUT he turned out to be, if not world class, then a much better rider than you could ever have expected? Please name the team, rider and your reasons. Best responses will appear in Speedway Star... Thank you. Ivan Mauger is probably the ultimate example but very few among us now would have seen him struggling as a novice at Wimbledon in 1957.

FIRST TIME TRIUMPHS AND DISASTERS OUR social media forum theme this week is all about ‘the first time’. Tell us about the most memorable rider debuts for your team (good or bad) and/or opening night meetings. Maybe a new signing romped to a thrilling maximum, or crashed, or had mechanical gremlins and didn’t score a point? I appreciate that the disastrous postponed Belle Vue NSS curtain-raiser in March 2016 will be readily recalled by many but please try and look beyond that – and the quirkier the better. An explanation (rather than just simply typing a rider's name or track name) would also be most helpful and much appreciated. Best responses will be included in my forthcoming Speedway Star feature. Thank you, Tony Mac

SPEEDWAY DRIVE-INS Does anyone have any funny or interesting stories relating to vehicles parked on the terracing at places like Stoke and Long Eaton, where you could watch racing from the comfort of your car? Were there other venues that allowed vehicles to park inside the stadium, providing a view of the racing (in UK or abroad)? In response to another online post, I received comments about car lights being flashed to signal a home win, about some passengers hiding in the boot (to avoid paying admission money!) and one needing a tow when his car tyres got stuck in mud. Another fan's dad owned a motorhome and would start cooking dinner when he parked up at Loomer Road! I think I'll write a piece about 'Speedway Drive-ins' in our next Round The Bend newsletter, so I hopefully look forward to hearing from you. Many thanks, TMc

Fletcher also sponsored Eric Boocock - he actually refers to him on our Memories of Halifax Speedway DVD.

The first Dane I saw was Ole Olsen starring for Wolves in the opening meeting of the 1971 season at Hackney. Within days I saw Preben Rosenkilde, who had low-key spells for both Hackney and West Ham in '71. Later, we had Finn Thomsen, Bo Petersen and Jens Rasmussen at The Wick. Finn was a class act and a good team-man - an excellent skipper always helping his team-mates and shrewd mechanically. But I always felt that he rode within himself in league and other domestic meetings, saving his best efforts for the World Championship. Maybe that is being a bit harsh on him, but that's how it appeared to me. Perhaps the broken thigh he suffered at Wolves in 1977, the year before he joined Hawks, was in the back of his mind? He did, though, always get fired up when competing against Billy Sanders. There was history there.

Unfortunately, we couldn't find any decent available footage of Klaus (or the others you mention), otherwise he would be on the DVD. Nice bloke - it was a pleasure to meet him in Denmark for an interview for our Memories of Halifax Speedway DVD.

Great point about Kristian.

Who were your favourite Danish speedway riders that rode for UK clubs in the pre-1995 upright era, and why? And what memories of watching Danish riders in British racing spring to mind? If you'd prefer to email me, send your comments to retroeditorial@gmail.com Best responses will be included in my Backtracking piece for Speedway Star. We have just launched our latest DVD, DANES IN BRITAIN RACING. * Double-disc, 4-hour set * Featuring 41 Danish riders * 140+ races * 30 UK tracks WELCOME to this nostalgic double-disc set spanning four hours in which we feature more than 40 Danes who graced British league racing from the 1970s up to the end of ‘The Upright Years’ in 1994. They include past world champions OLE OLSEN, ERIK GUNDERSEN, HANS NIELSEN and JAN O. PEDERSEN. World Team Cup winners TOMMY KNUDSEN, FINN THOMSEN, BO PETERSEN, PREBEN ERIKSEN, PETER RAVN, JOHN JORGENSEN, MIKE LOHMANN, KRISTIAN PRAESTBRO, BRIAN KARGER and GERT HANDBERG. Plus fellow former favourites BENT RASMUSSEN, ALF BUSK, FINN JENSEN, STEEN MASTRUP, JOHN ESKILDSEN, JENS RASMUSSEN, SAM NIKOLAJSEN, PER SORENSEN, KENT NOER, PETER GLANZ, FRANK ANDERSEN, KURT HANSEN, JAN STAECHMANN, ALLAN JOHANSEN, LARS MUNKEDAL, HENRIK KRISTENSEN, TOM KNUDSEN, FREDE SCHOTT, JESPER OLSEN, MORTEN ANDERSEN, JAN PEDERSEN, CARSTEN SCHOTT, RICHARD JUUL, BRIAN ANDERSEN, JAKOB OLSEN, RENE MADSEN, JAN ANDERSEN, etc. As well as thrilling action footage from a golden era, this evocative feast includes contemporary interviews with Ole Olsen, Erik Gundersen, Hans Nielsen, Tommy Knudsen, Jan O. Pedersen, Finn Thomsen, Bo Petersen, John Jorgensen, Peter Ravn, John Eskildsen, Brian Karger, Gert Handberg, Sam Nikolajsen, Peter Glanz, Jan Staechmann, Frede Schott, Morten Andersen, Brian Andersen, Jakob Olsen, Jan Pedersen, Jesper Olsen, Richard Juul and Rene Madsen. Action footage from 30 UK tracks: Arena-Essex, Belle Vue (Hyde Road & Kirky Lane), Birmingham (Perry Barr), Bradford, Coventry, Cradley Heath, Eastbourne, Edinburgh (Powderhall), Glasgow (Shawfield), Halifax, Hull (Boulevard), Ipswich, King’s Lynn, Leicester, Long Eaton, Milton Keynes (Elfield Park), Newcastle, Oxford, Peterborough, Poole, Reading (Smallmead), Rye House, Sheffield, Stoke, Swindon, Stoke, Wembley, Wimbledon, Wolverhampton. Also featuring as opponents (trailing Danes – it’s a long and illustrious list!): From ENGLAND – Kenny Carter, Simon Wigg, Jeremy Doncaster, Chris Morton, Kelvin Tatum, Phil Collins, Neil Collins, Simon Cross, Marvyn Cox, Carl Blackbird, Gary Havelock, Martin Dugard, Richard Knight, Andy Smith, Alan & Andy Grahame, Gordon Kennett, John Davis, Paul Thorp, Joe Screen, Mark Loram, Chris Louis, Dean Barker, Andrew Silver, Kevin Smith, Kevin Jolly, Rob Woffinden, etc. From the USA – Bruce Penhall, Sam Ermolenko, Shawn & Kelly Moran, John Cook, Lance King, Ronnie Correy, Rick Miller, Charles Ermolenko. From SWEDEN – Per Jonsson, Jimmy Nilsen, Jan Andersson, Tony Olsson, Peter Nahlin, Richard Hellsen, Henka Gustafsson, Tony Rickardsson. From AUSTRALIA – Phil Crump, Billy Sanders, Gary Guglielmi, Leigh Adams, Jason Crump, Shane Parker, Shane Bowes, Glenn Doyle. From NEW ZEALAND – Ivan Mauger, Mitch Shirra, Mark Thorpe. Plus . . . Kai Niemi & Olli Tyrvainen (Finland), Armando Castagna (Italy), Einar Kyllingstad (Norway), etc. To order this DVD for £18 + £2 UK P&P, simply visit us at www.retro-speedway.com Thank you for reading.

Thank you.

PC signing at Stafford Classic Bike Show PETER COLLINS will be on the Retro Speedway stand signing copies of his fast-selling, much-acclaimed autobiography at the Stafford Classic Bike Show next weekend. PC will be there on both Saturday/Sunday, April 22/23. The full address of the venue is: Staffordshire County Showground Weston Rd Stafford Staffordshire ST18 0BD For full event details and how to get there, please visit their site at www.staffscountyshowground.co.uk It’s a good opportunity for Midlands-based supporters. PC regularly attends this twice-yearly event and says it’s an oasis for motorbike enthusiasts. So if you can make it, please do come and say ‘hello’ to PC, Susie and Tony Mac and get your book for just £20. As well as signing your book, Peter will also be very happy to pose for selfies. Keeping It On The Tyres has sold rapidly and we expect it to sell out completely before long, so don’t miss out. You can still order a signed copy from us. To take advantage of our offer of a £5 saving on the RRP of £25 in the UK, go to www.retro-speedway.com or phone Susie on 01708 734 502. Peter will sign ‘Best Wishes’ in every copy ordered through Retro Speedway, which is another great reason to buy it for £20 directly from us instead of online giants Amazon and retailers Waterstones. Thank you.

Tough to take. Where did you initially set off from (your home base)?

What was the 'official' reason given by Poole for the cancellation?

YOUR WORST RAIN-OFF EXPERIENCES For an article I will soon be writing for Speedway Star, I'm asking fans to recall their worst rain-off experiences. After you had travelled many miles only to find the meeting washed out or postponed for some other reason (snow, even dust!), what were the most disappointing - and please explain the circumstances surrounding them? Maybe you had the misfortune to suffer TWO postponements (even three!) on the same very wet day? What is the furthest distance you've travelled to find the dreaded 'meeting off' signs awaiting you on arrival? I'm not talking about ABANDONED meetings that started. This is only about POSTPONEMENTS. You can either respond here, or email me at retroeditorial@gmail.com The best entries will be included in my piece for the Star. Many thanks. Tony Mac

But why them?

Yep, we have colour film of them all racing at Smallmead on the DVD.

On the DVD we show previously unseen 8mm cine clips of Gote passing Olle Nygren on his way to victory in the 1966 Internationale. Admittedly, the footage is grainy but his bolt upright style (and Olle's white painted boots) are unmistakable.