Grachan

Great race isn't it Falcace. I'll do some more some time, though not sure they'll be that good! RE your question - see here: http://www.speedway-forum.co.uk/forum/view...opic.php?t=5230

I remember Rudy Mutts being signed by Swindon at one stage, but never actually riding for the Robins. I think it was a classic bad Swindon transfer move with Rudy & Alf Busk coming and Steve Bastable moving on. Maybe someone (Frigbo?) can remember more details than me. There are some pictures of Rudy Mutts in the 70s section of the Wimbledon website. And Larry Ross! http://www.wimbledonspeedway.co.uk/1970's_...s__part_two.htm

If there's going to be a points limit, the logical figure is 42 NOT including bonus points. A points limit of 40 is just ridiculous. It looks like nothing more than strugling teams looking for a chance to get up the league a bit without making much effort. Also, a 40 limit (including bonus points presumably) is going to put riders out of work because they can't be fitted into the teams. Then, when all the averages go up the following year, more riders will be out of work. A side effect of this will also be more 'old hands' going into the Conference League because they can't get a team place, thus causing youngsters to struggle for places in that league. Given a choice of the two it has to be 45.

Cheers Sir L - or, Kanpai, as they say in Japan. OK - Take 2. You should be able to get the whole race now. (Well, I've got to do something while the missus is asleep).

I think what happened is the website host I was using didn't actually FTP uploading of files and doesn't accept video, so, having done it once it has blocked it. I've upgraded to one that allows it so, hopefully, I can get it to work, but it takes a day or so for the upgrade to come into effect. On top of that my wife is having our baby induced this afternoon (just another small matter that might slow matters down!!) The file is 13,290KB. Zip file is 13,048KB. Hardly worth the effort was it!

'Get out of my way son, I'm coming through'... lol

That's the thing - you didn't. The end is the best bit! To be continued........

Thanks Markone. I think the end got chopped off by the website host. Back to the drawing board!

Could anyone who downloaded the race let me know if you saw all of it or just one minute. Cheers!

No, it's not that one. This looks like Wembley.

Yeah, but you get a good close up of the Russian at that exact moment!

I hope I'm allowed to do this - if not feel free to delete me! I've just bought myself a Video Capture card for my PC so I thought I'd try this out. If you want to see a good race from the 1973 World Team Cup final, click here, or, better still, right click the link and 'Save Target As'.

Pointless Trivia 1) Wild Angels is the name of a motorcycle movie from the late sixties. It starred Nancy Sinatra, who was also in an Elvis Presley film called Speedway. Pointless Trivia 2) The inventor of Tippex was actually the mother of Mike Nesmith from The Monkees.

Me too. The sport was, how to say, dragged kicking and screaming into the modern age and I started to go to meetings after a (shortish but significant) break from the sport. I really think it works well, and while there may be a bit of a problem with gate positions, it can hardly be called an unfair system as it goes on form over a whole season.

I totally agree. I don't. How can Nicki Pedersen be a cheat who holds on to the bike for his life yet win the World title over a whole season. I feel a bit of team bias going on here, but fair enough. I'd use it too if I could, but I don't think Jason Crump is more on the wane than Tony Rickardsson. If anything he's (slightly) on the up and Tony is on the wane, having dropped to 3rd, though I do think there's at least one more title in TR. On Falcace's comments it's certainly a valid point about Nicki winning rather than Tony. I predicted Jason Crump would be World Champ within two years. That was 2 years ago. He wasn't. I could say 'oh well, I actually meant 3 years', but I won't. Oh, sod it, yes I will. Jason Crump - World Champion 2004, as I predicted.

Reg Fearman tells a story on the History of Speedway video of how Tyburn Gallows made the national press and caused a bit of of a fuss by hanging an effigy of a Cradley rider on the centre green during a match against Cradley Heath, just at the time the anit-hanging lobby was in full swing.

Don't know why, but I'm getting extrememely wound up by this topic. Most strange. I really think this is such a bad move. Maybe I'm just a negative kind of guy, but it seems to me a few Speedway purists will wallow in the glory of a return to the old system, the crowds will drop in the GPs due to the rather uneventful nature of them, Sky will pull out, even less people will go, War will be declared, the World will end. And a few guys will study their programmes, work out the finer details of the qualification, and barely notice the GP's return to Coventry and care even less about the carnage around them. God help us all! Or maybe I'm over reacting!

Personally I don't think it's a good idea to revert to the old formula. The current system is much easier for people watching and every race has meaning. I actually think it could prove a costly mistake if they do this. The cut and thrust of the GP is what has made it such an attraction. It may be what some fans have been asking for but I don't think it's likely to be as attractive to the casual spectator. There is still going to be semi finals and a final, so in effect you will get 20 qualifying heats, some of the later ones of which have no relevence whatsoever, with just 3 meaningful races at the end. If they are going to do it, though, I agree that the first 2 should be seeded direct to the final. Thinking back to Leigh Admas Testimonial meeting, Jason Crump scored a 15 point maximum, then failed to qualify from his semi, which seemed a bit unfair to me. Anyway. Bad idea all round. I think the KO system is what makes the GP what it is - unique.

What strange logic you have and an amazing ability not to be able to compare like with like. Those meetings were run on a fair format, everyone met everyone else once and once only, everyone had to have at least one race off each gate position. None of those riders beat the champion twice. None met twice. its crazy to use a format where one rider can score 3,3,3 but then be knocked out by a sudden death semi-final after being given a poor gate on a poor slick track by the toss of a coin, whilst an opponent can score 0,2,2,R,2,2 and then be handed the best semi-final gate on the toss of a coin. There's no criticism of Nicki Pedersen whatsoever. He and his team perfectly exploited a flawed system and well done to them. Its a great achievement for an 8 point rider to lift the title ahead of better riders. What you seem to be forgetting is that this was decided over a whole season, not just on this one meeting. If a rider is consitently good over the year then he will be World Champion, as is the case with Nicki Pedersen. It's as simple as that. If it were still a one-off final then maybe you'd have a point. But it isn't. So you haven't. Wonder what would have happened in 1978 if Dave Jessup had been given a second chance instead of his hopes being wiped out by ef. Who's to say which way is the fairer?

Well done to Nicki Pedersen. Does this mean Jason will never be World Champ? He'll probably never have a better chance.

So is that guy on the right wearing a Fleetwood Mac? Ho ho ho!

Please

Bugger Frigbo! I've just remembered!

No it's not Tiddler, but you have got the right surname grachan. ( I remember a Turner at Ellesmere Port in the 70s, but not sure of his first name. I keep thinking 'Steve' but I'm probably getting confused.

20 - almost certainly Alun Rossiter. It's definitely not Martin Yeates.