Grachan

My 6 year old daughter pointed to the cover of this month's Backtrack this morning. Having recently lost a few of her own teeth, she pointed to the picture of Mitch Shirra on the cover and asked: "Are those children's teeth or grown up teeth?" When I said they were grown up teeth as he was a grown up, she said: "It looks like a child."

It's when people try to predict if it's going to rain or not. But that's not important right now.

Well, the 1982 World Final in the USA wasn't well attended. People were moved around the stadium to be in position for the TV camera's according to my parents, who went. Then there's the 1987(?) Amsterdam final, for which the attendence was embarrasingly bad. I know. I was one of the few there. Give me a choice between the 1981 world final and the GPs I'd take the World Final anytime. Give me a choice between Amsterdam World Final and I'd take the GP every time. I think that as soon as the World Final moved away from the Sweden, Britain, Poland roster then its days were numberd to be honest.

If the GP had been held in 1975 then, yes, it would have sold out Wembley. If the World final was held at Wembley today then, no, it would not sell out. That's down to the popularity of speedway at the time, not the method used to decide the championship. And the World Final will ALWAYS be remembered for the year when the World champion failed to win another meeting after winning it.* It's swings and roundabouts. Both systems have provided genuine "best in the world" champions regularly, and both have produced winners considered to be something of a fluke. (* - well, he might have done. I made that up.)

1967

Geoff Pymar riding at Bristol in 1960.

There's no logic to that at all. Whether a TR results in 8-1, 7-2 or 6-3 is irrelevant. It's the 6 points obtained from the double points that are the issue, and each scenario still gives a maximum 6 points score. I remember Trevor Swales on saying on Radio Swindon that Swindon messed up their TR because they only got a 6-3 from it. That is so wrong. If you get 6 points from the rider winning the race then you have achieved maximum points and, in the context of the match, the rest is immaterial.

Are you lot serious or is this just Coventry bias being taken to extremes? No way was Harris under power when the race was stopped. He was in a heap on the track and the race was stopped immediately Bachelor fell/laid his bike down.

That's what I was thinking. Probably too late this year as Nicki just needs to do what he did tonight and he'll be home, but if Leigh carry on like this next year then that elusive title could finally be his. I'm quite shocked Hans Andersen was allowed to ride after that crash actually. Someone could have had a lot to answer for there.

Theres an excellent website on the history of Newcastle Speedway here: http://www.newcastlespeedwayhistory.co.uk/ Two photos on there of the 1964 team. One has: Pete Kelly, Jack Winstanley, Mike Watkin, Goog Allen, Ivan Mauger, Ken Sharples, Russ Dent, Bill Andrews, Morrie Robinson. HERE The other has: Dent, Allen, Watkin, Sharples, Winstanley, Andrews, Mauger. HERE I'm not sure if Bill Andrews is the same as Bill Andrew. I do seem to remember reading these were two different riders, but might be wrong. Actually, it looks like there are quite a few pictures on there from 1964. Worth a look. 1964 is covered in the 1960s part two.

I do sympathise with Nicki on this actually. Not so much with Andersen taking him wide, because Nicki would have done the same and he still had just enough room to stay on. Where I feel he had a case was with the clutch lever. If you watch the replay you can see Hans' right leg lift up over Nicki's handlebars and knock the clutch lever in, which would have made him lose power. Nicki said about this on the phone, but it hasn't been brought up at all in the analysis by anyone on the TV. Even so, he was never going to get Hans excluded. I was watching Hans last night, and his leg does that even when he's out on his own, so I don't think it was deliberate, but it still happened.

Liverpool's not in Poland. I know it's not from a GP, but there should be an honourable mention for his waxing of the lyrical kind about us being able to see Swindon's new stadium being built while we were all being shown a lovely shot of the Blunsdon by-pass under construction. Why are there no protesters at site of the Blunsdon by-pass by the way? Whatever happened to Swampy and the gang?

There was contact. Watch good quality footage, concentrate on Carter's left handlebar grip, and you will see it. It's 100% certain. It is debateable whether or not Carter or Penhall were at fault, but what is indisputable is that there was contact. For me, Penhall's back wheel moved out into the line Carter was taking and swiped him.

When we had this discussion before there was a good quality clip of the incident posted. What happened was, Penhall's wheel flicked outwards coming out of the bend and took away Carter's handlebars. Penhall was at fault as it wasn't part of his natural broadside, but there's no way the ref would have seen the contact. Carter may well have been taking a bad line at the time as well, but definitely Bruce Penhall was the cause.

Definitely the same Kevin Young. Or "Best wishes Kevin Young" as he signed his autograph.

Unless this happened before I started going, I can only assume that you mean 1974 here, in which case there wasn't a ban on foreign riders competing in Britain. It was a ban on commuting Swedes - ie Swedish riders who were choosing to compete in Sweden as well at the cost of their British clubs. Even then there were still some Swedes, such as Soren Sjosten, who still rode in the British League. There were still plenty of foreign riders in the British League that season (Dag Lovaas, Ole Olsen and Ed Stangeland come immediately to mind), but there was also a much higher standard of British rider around at the time and a lot more British riders in the sides.

Well it is the "Speedway World Cup" section, so I guess that would explain it.

Good lord! You're right. I never realised that before. Another one in the eye for the so called "family sport" image then.

A think a lot of Australia's problem was the same as GB's. Equipment. Whether or not that is down to the manager is open to question. Playing your joker against Hans Andersen, however? That's down to the manager.

We get all this talk about speedway being a "family sport" but, personally, it's not somewhere I like to take my kids too often. There's too much bad language and aggressive shouting on the terraces for me to consider it my idea of a family sport. I agree on the page 3 types too. All a bit silly really. Much prefer proper start girls connected with the club like the ones at Swindon and Poole. They look a lot better and less cheap. And as for the adverts for the "Super7even" with a couple of shots of girls in their underwear. What the hell was all that about? I think one reason Swindon get pretty good crowds is because of the excellent coverage in the local paper. Back page headlines and colour photos for every match.

Was Halifax cinders? It was certainly darker than most tracks.

I wouldn't be surprised if the engines they rode in the final were designed to last for just one meeting and that meeting was the final.

It seems obvious to me that the Poles and, possibly the Danes, had super equipment that was by far superior to the machinery ridden by the British and the Aussies. Personally I'm not convinced this is down to individual riders but a case of someone getting on the case and sorting the sides out with that equipment. This, presumably, comes from the respective federations or sponsorship. No way could you expect riders like Ed Kennett and Simon Stead to turn up at the meeting with machinery to match the bikes the Poles were on. It was almost painful to watch Kennett gong down the back straight and looking to his right as two riders were able to cruise past as though he wasn't there. That machinery the Poles were on came due to someone making damn sure they had it, I wouldn't mind guessing. Nobody made sure the British team turned up with competitive bikes. You can blame the riders if you like, or the team manager, but it was probably down to financial input. The reason Leigh Adams is able to beat those riders week in and week out on that track normally is probably because normally they would be on similar equipment. Britain were, basically, like amateurs compared to the Poles and the Danes. They reminded me of those PL teams that turn up at Sheffield and get completely outclassed because they don't have "Sheffield" machinery because it's too expensive for just one meeting a year.

So what? Surely that's part of being a good team manager when picking the team. If you feel it is to the sides benefit to put your best rider at reserve then why shouldn't you? Seems fair enough to me. They should give freedom to use the reserve for up to 5 rides, or, at least, come in at ant time to replace another rider full time.

True. It was just a wild "clutching at straws" suggestion anyway. I do think that the right man can coax riders to ride above themselves, but I also think such managers are few and far between.