lucifer sam

The Curtis Sport website. Although don't look for Issue 2 quite yet - give it a week or so. Yeah, hopefully monthly!

Steve, just caught up on this one Yes, I was a fan. I think Todd was riding in a measured way for us, because he knew how much speedway could hurt, but at the same time we had his complete commitment. If we needed someone to beat Adams and Crump in Heat 15 to defeat King's Lynn, or hold out Rickardsson for the whole race in the year of the six-lap Heat 15, then Todd was the man. It's quite remarkable when you consider he had five years out of the sport, then returned in Germany in 1997 and the UK in 1998 and was the World No 8 by 2000! It makes you wonder what he would have achieved but for the injury - as he pointed out, he was ahead of Rickardsson, Hancock and Hamill, then found himself missing five years and playing catch-up. He was Oxford No 1 in 1999 and 2000, won numerous last-heat deciders which seemed to be his speciality, helped us win the league title in 2001 (ironically his weakest year for us, but again performed when we really needed him to), and then his return to the club in 2003 and 2006 simply cemented his status. And while he did set everything up to pop out the start and then control the race from there, he did show that he was more than a gater - wasn't there a 18-point-maximum against Peterborough where half of it was scored from behind? Todd is the one top rider we managed to keep hold of for more than a year or two (or 2.5 years in the case of Hancock) in the later days of Oxford. Plus he was good for team spirit and he's a nice guy.

He was signed to ride on a six-week contract, but Aaron Lanney cut it to four weeks and brought in Todd Wiltshire a couple of weeks earlier, because our team spirit was non-existent while Rickardsson was in the team. We only won one meeting under Rickardsson - when he deemed to finally show everyone his capabilities in a home match against Reading. Todd was a 7.50 rider in 2006, but brought together the side as a team and still had his uncanny habit of going out and getting the points when we really needed him to. We were woefully weak in 2006 - it was Todd who saved us from the wooden spoon. I'd quite liked Rickardsson up until the point he signed for us, but lost a lot of respect for him. Mind you, I don't think he cared what any of the fans thought, he was just in it for himself. On the other hand, Todd further cemented his place as a club legend.

Actually, three, because of the Gold Sash. Just put together the content for Issue 2 of the Oxford mag... but I think I might include a piece on Hans' BL record from 1984-1992 in the next issue. In some years they are staggering - the 11.83 in '86 and 11.73 in '87 (would have been 11.87 but for an e/f).

I can't see Cardiff being allowed to stage a SGP round as early as July 18th. Even if the lockdown is over by then, some degree of social distancing will still be required. That's possible at league meetings with a crowd of 500-1000, but not with 40,000 at Cardiff. I like the idea of a November staging to conclude the series - the UK hasn't held the final round since 1995. It would be a nice way to celebrate the 20th staging at the Principality Stadium.

No evidence on any number. It could have killed 2 million without a lockdown. We just don't know. We have to rely on the medical experts on how we deal with a virus for which we don't have a vaccine. None of us are experts. What I do understand is that it's R (the re-infection rate) which is the critical number. But we have to listen to medical and scientific advice. You're not an expert. Neither am I.

We have 'flu vaccines to try to aid with that - we don't have a Covid-19 vaccine. Surely you understand that key and absolutely massive difference? It's why it's not necessary to lock down every time we have a 'flu outbreak, but it is during the current outbreak of Covid-19. It's very different. Of course, the 'flu is mutating every single year and therefore sadly, there are still deaths, but many are prevented. That's not to say every death is not tragic - it is. But Covid-19 and 'flu are not the same thing, due to the current lack of vaccine for one of them.

Yes, any profits go to the fund.

THE brand-new speedway season gets underway at Scunthorpe’s Eddie Wright Raceway on Saturday afternoon (2pm), with the highly-prestigious Ben Fund Bonanza, sponsored by the Sheffield Window Centre. The Bonanza raises funds for the vitally important Speedway Riders’ Benevolent Fund charity, which provides money for both short-term and long-term injured riders, as well as offering them other crucial support when needed. It is the first of two big individual meetings that kick off the 16th season of racing at the North Lincolnshire track, with the Josh Auty testimonial following on Sunday, March 22nd at 3pm. The Ben Fund Bonanza will have two very special guests. Sam Norris was fighting for his life on a life-support machine last June, after a serious accident at Glasgow left him in a coma. The Suffolk rider was just 15 at the time of his accident. He’s now back on a bike and is taking his GCSEs this year, while he will be making the presentations to the riders on Saturday. Ricky Ashworth is making his first return to the Eddie Wright Raceway, since his life-changing accident during a Scunthorpe v Berwick clash in August 2013 that left him a coma for 91 days. The Salford-born rider spent most of his career riding for Sheffield Tigers. It is bound to be an emotional return for Ricky on Saturday. The Ben Fund has not only provided vital help and support to both Sam and Ricky and other injured riders, but has also assisted the family of Danny Ayres, the tragic Scunthorpe Scorpion who lost his battle with mental health at the start of February. Organiser and Ben Fund secretary Paul Ackroyd said: “It’s more important than ever for people to support the Ben Fund meeting this season. “Sheffield Window Centre are the meeting sponsors, and Ian Hunter was telling me he’s in awe of the good work done by the fund. He loves speedway and tells me we’re one of the most credible aspects of the entire sport.” Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey is proud to be staging the Bonanza at Scunthorpe for a second time – Dane Hans Andersen won the 2011 event at the Eddie Wright Raceway. Godfrey, who is also the chairman for British Speedway, said: “This is such an important event for British Speedway and I’m delighted to be holding it at Scunthorpe. “People may think the Ben Fund just dish out a bit of money here and there to riders who have been injured and all they do is send out a few cheques now and again, but it is so much more than that. “There’s the incredible support that they gave to Ricky Ashworth after his crash in 2013, plus the same with young Sam Norris last year. “More recently, we’ve had the Danny Ayres tragedy, which knocked the whole of British Speedway for six, including us all at Scunthorpe Speedway. The Ben Fund were straight into contact with Danny’s family, to help out financially and to be there to offer ongoing support. “It doesn’t matter what age or what standard a rider is, or was, the Ben Fund is there to help.” An attractive line-up features former British Champion Danny King, plus a wealth of riders with international experience. A quartet of Scunthorpe Scorpions are on display: Josh Auty, Thomas Jorgensen, Tero Aarnio and Simon Lambert. Admission prices are £20 adults, £15 concessions, £10 for children aged 12-16 and under 12s go free. A souvenir programme is available for £4. 2020 BEN FUND BONANZA LINE-UP: Josh Auty, James Wright, Aaron Summers, Ben Barker, Steve Worrall, Danny King, Lewis Kerr, Tom Bacon, Paul Starke, Tero Aarnio, Thomas Jorgensen, Connor Mountain, Andreas Jensen, Anders Rowe, Simon Lambert, Kasper Andersen.

SCUNTHORPE promoter Rob Godfrey is urging supporters to attend the Ben Fund Bonanza at the Eddie Wright Raceway this Saturday (March 14th) at 2pm. Godfrey is also chairman of the British Speedway Promoters’ Association and he is fully aware of the good work that the Speedway Riders’ Benevolent Fund charity does in assisting both short-term and, in particular, long-term injured speedway riders. Godfrey says: “The Ben Fund Bonanza has played a pivotal role in fund-raising for the Speedway Riders’ Benevolent Fund for many years and we are delighted to be hosting the event for the second time on Saturday. “I will do everything to ensure that the riders will have a track surface on which they can provide some first-rate racing for everyone to enjoy. “In a way, however, that’s almost secondary to the real reason for the Bonanza – and that’s to raise as much money as we can to swell the coffers of the Ben Fund and assist Paul Ackroyd and his team with the fantastic work they do in helping injured riders and their families in their hour of need. “Personally, I don’t think the Ben Fund team sing their own praises enough and I can refer you all to a story that Paul told me recently that aptly sums up the good work they do. “At Christmas, Paul found himself arranging for a specialist bed to be delivered to an ex-rider who had found himself in difficulty”, Godfrey explains. “The hospital wouldn’t release him to go home because he didn’t have this particular type of bed, so Paul was straight on the phone, and he managed to source the correct bed and he got it delivered so the ex-rider, a former second-halver, could actually be home again in time for Christmas Day. “This story absolutely typifies the type of work the Ben Fund does, a lot of which seems to go under the radar of publicity. “You’ve got the disabled riders who occasionally need upgrades to their houses to make their lives more comfortable and the Ben Fund team – and we should say team, because it is a team – facilitates that and makes things happen. “More recently, and something especially close to our hearts at Scunthorpe, we’ve had the Danny Ayres tragedy. The Ben Fund were straight onto help Danny’s family with the funeral and to be there to offer support, and they continue to do that.” Saturday’s meeting will be the eleventh staging of the Ben Fund Bonanza and the second time the event has been held at Scunthorpe. Admission prices are £20 adults, £15 concessions, £10 for children aged 12-16 and under 12s go free.

It's less than 1 in 100,000 or less than 0.001%. At the moment. So yes, still less than seasonal 'flu at the current time.

Not factual, unless the UK now has a population of over 456 million.

Special guests... SAM NORRIS and RICKY ASHWORTH. Come and give them your support!

He was excluded from Heat 3 for 2 mins and replaced by Brian Collins. He was excluded from Heat 7 for 2 mins and replaced by Roger Lambert. He was simply replaced by Brian Collins in Heat 13.

True. I remember the immediate impact that Todd Wiltshire - returning after a two-year retirement - had on the Oxford team a month into the 2006 season. The very first meeting he rode for Cheetahs, there was an improvement and the team started to look more like a team rather than seven individuals. I recall that we beat Coventry in that meeting and eventually avoided the wooden spoon that we had been odds-on to collect. Crumpie will make such a difference to the rest of the Ipswich lads. I’m excited to see how a young Australian such as Jake Allen will progress riding alongside Crumpie. It will be a fantastic thing for young Drew Kemp as well.

Yes, which means it went from official to unofficial and then seemingly back to official again! I think it's only a few years ago that they decided that 1969 was official after all! Like Steve, I'm sure I saw it somewhere - would be interesting to know where! Mauger always included it in his tally - as far as he was concerned, he had the medal so it counted!

I think Steve Roberts is correct - I'm sure the FIM declared that the 1969 World Pairs championship was official a few years ago. It would be nice to find a source for that. I don't think the 1968 event has ever been considered official. It had no semi-finals, only six teams in the final, including two West German teams, and many of the top nations were not present. In '69, there were two semi-finals and a final, with seven teams in the final. The only difference to 1970 was that there were six teams in the semi-finals in '69 and seven in '70.

Glasgow are also Fridays.

Iris, don't believe everything you read in the papers. Especially when it comes from the animal rights brigade. I've been a part-owner of a greyhound, which was treated very well by the trainer and then looked after he retired by one of the other families involved. Plus there's a whole Greyhound Trust in the UK which doesn't exist in e.g. Ireland.

Well said. The animal rights brigade seem determined that all animals should not be allowed to enjoy themselves.

All discussed at the three-hour-plus Local Plan hearing. The value of the site is its current value.

That's pretty much it. Plus with a planning inspectorate decision behind them, the council will use a CPO if necessary to get the stadium into the hands of someone who would follow the Local Plan.

I thought you were the supposed King's Lynn "fan" who always attacks his own team - which does make you a troll. Always out for a reaction. Apologies if I've mixed you up with someone else, although I don't think so. Well, congratulations, because you did get a reaction from me, although you'll be going on ignore from now on.

Well said.

The main-money will come from the 100 homes included as part of the plans, that's for sure. But if it's used to leverage speedway and greyhounds back, that can only be positive. Both sports are much missed in Oxford, and have been well represented in any public meeting. On the other hand, the hypocritical PETA could not even get a single supporter to the Local Plan Hearing. I wonder why? Anyway, please go and troll another section on this forum. That's all you ever seem to do.