lucifer sam

I mentioned Jan O, because he was the one who could do it on a consistent basis. Carl Blackbird was a one-off. All the best Rob PS Troy Butler flew around Coventry. Even got 11 points there in a season he averaged less than 2.00. And, of course, he won the NLRC at Cov in 1988.

I'm thinking of coming up for this later on. What's the weather like? All the best Rob

Jan O. Pedersen was amazing around Oxford. I recall him passing Hans Nielsen from behind on a number of occasions. All the best Rob

It's definitely only one or the other (I'm sure that's how it reads as well, but I will change the wording of a couple of sentences just to make it absolutely clear). Either you had your full refund on the day, or you can now use the ticket to get into any single header this year. All the best Rob No problem, if you've read it that way, there's a chance that others may as well. I've now changed the wording so it definitely can't be read like that. All the best Rob

THE MANAGEMENT of the Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions have made a terrific goodwill gesture to supporters – by allowing them free re-admission to a future single-header meeting at the Eddie Wright Raceway this season on production of their re-admission tickets from Sunday’s abandoned clash with Rye House Rockets. The meeting was abandoned after just two races due to heavy rain, with the scores standing at 6-6. Some fans, in particular those from further afield, already collected a full refund on the day when leaving the stadium by surrendering their re-admission tickets. Those who didn’t collect this refund are now entitled to the re-admission offer. Standard re-admission policy in British Speedway sees fans paying per completed heat, with the rate of re-admission worked out on the number of races to go until Heat 10. But that will not be applied in this case. Promoter Rob Godfrey explains: “I believe it’s about looking after the fans, and I hope they will appreciate this gesture. “We were a bit embarrassed at Sunday’s events. The rain arrived slightly before we expected, and the supporters only got to see two rain-affected heats. I don’t feel I can charge them anything for that. “We did incur a number of costs by getting as far as we did. But Scunthorpe Speedway never have and never will be about ripping off the fans. “On the production of the re-admission ticket from Sunday’s abandoned meeting, supporters will be able to gain full admission to any single-header Scorpions’ meeting at the Eddie Wright Raceway this season.” Godfrey also praised Scunthorpe skipper Josh Auty for offering to forsake his earnings from his Heat 1 victory in the abandoned meeting. “It was a lovely offer from Josh Auty, it really was, not to take his earnings from his Heat 1 win. But it’s not something we are going to follow through; he will be paid for that race. “It’s proof that Josh is Scunthorpe through-and-through.” EDIT: Just to clarify, you either got a refund on the day or you are now entitled to full re-admission to a future single-header this season. It's not both. Effectively it's saving (adult) ticket holders £7, as opposed to if standard re-admission policy was applied, i.e. on the production and surrender of the Rye House re-admission ticket you get in free, rather than having to pay an additional £7.

Just double-checked - it works for me. If it's not working for some people, simply go to Scunny site: http://scunthorpescorpions.co/ It's the most recent news story. All the best Rob

GOODWILL GESTURE FROM SCORPIONS: Please see here: http://scunthorpescorpions.co/?p=5717

The meeting where Mick Horton invented a curfew which doesn't exist at his track? (Having seen racing completed at Brandon at 11.40pm in the past). All the best Rob

Max Grosskreutz is a fascinating figure, who hit a brilliant run of form, despite what was apparently a very unorthodox riding style. But for a fall while leading the key race, he would have won the 1935 Star Championship, and then he could have been the very first World Champion but for an injury in 1936. I believe he lent his bike to Bluey Wilkinson for the '36 final, and of course, Bluey collected a 15-point-maximum. Why did he then retire so suddenly? He was manager at Norwich in 1937. He still held that role in 1938, although he was irregular rider/manager that season, often top scoring for Stars when he chose to ride. And then made another comeback following the war. How good would Grosskreutz have been had he continued riding the whole time? All the best Rob PS Norbold, where are the pre-war averages stored? The fantastic Speedway Researcher site has the results, but I don't think it has averages for these years.

Weird thing is the only time I saw Gundersen at Hyde Road, he scored 4 points (1987 BLRC). Not sure what happened to Erik that day. Although he did better than Shawn Moran, who bizarrely failed to score. That was the one Morton chucked away. He gated on Nielsen, and held him off, despite Hans throwing the kitchen sink at him, but then dropped a couple of points in what looked an easy ride. Hans made no more mistakes and won the meeting. I agree that Hans wasn't necessarily a Hyde Road specialist (not in the same way he was a Monmore Green specialist or a Dudley Wood specialist, much to the utter dismay of the Cradley fans!), but I've seen the video of the 1986 BLRC and he destroyed the field that day, romping to a maximum. All the best Rob

Hi Norbold, yes it's all subjective. My dad reckoned Peter Craven was the best rider around Oxford in that era. He smashed the Oxford track record in 1963, when beating Fundin in the Golden Helmet and the record stood until they changed the length of the track in 1974. No-one went faster around Cowley until Dave Perks in 1981. Opinions are coloured by how they perform around your own track. It's probably why many Oxford fans of a certain age considered Craven to be the best of the lot. And it's probably why, many years before the Nielsen feud, many Oxford fans didn't rate Olsen, who couldn't stand the place, made excuses not to turn up at Cowley, and refused to come when allocated to Oxford by Rider Control in 1975. All the best Rob

I'm slightly less convinced. After Fundin dipped slightly following 1963, Briggo and Knutsson shared top billing in '64 and '65 (with Plechanov also right up there), and then it was Briggo in '66 and '67. At the time of his death, Craven was a two-time World Champion and so was Briggo. Who was the better of the two? There's an argument both ways - but it's possible that Craven would have taken a title or two from Briggo. All the best Rob

BL65, good stuff, and it shows how closely matched the top riders were. Although to be honest, I'm not sure if the Gold Cup and Laurels were on a par with the World Final or Internationale. The big two individual meetings... and both won by Fundin. In fact, Fundin's hat-trick of Internationale wins from 1961-63, plus his superior record in the Golden Helmet Match Race again suggest that while the competition were not far behind, he had the slight edge from '56 to '63. Interestingly, I stumbled across a 1964 interview with Fundin the other day, when it was mentioned he thought he had lost his edge that year. He was talking about retirement and, of course, he did semi-retire after the closure of Norwich, which made some of subsequent achievements even more amazing. All the best Rob

I didn't think it was 'freak' conditions last night - the track held out remarkably well. The selection for the World Cup needs to be done on a horses-for-courses basis, so I would go for: Tai Woffinden Craig Cook Robert Lambert Danny King For me, the first three are the automatic choices, while King showed last night he is better around the NSS than either Nicholls or Harris. All the best Rob

Incorrect. Mark Loram won two Grand Prix rounds - one in 1997 and one in 1999. There's plenty of World Champions who never won a Grand Prix, but Mark Loram is not one of them. All the best Rob

Phone 01708 734502 and you'll be able to order a copy from Susie McDonald. All the best Rob

Fundin would have also been a contender in 1955 - he started scoring good points the moment that he was allowed to sign for Norwich, registered an average over 10.00 on tracks he didn't know, and finished on double figures in the World Final. Moore & Young would have been favourites for 1955, but Fundin and Briggs would have featured too. And I think it might have been a clean sweep from 1956 to 1963 for Fundin. Briggo was going well in 1958, but as well as Fundin? That's the year that Ove scored a 11.60 NL average. Briggo was flying at the time of the World Final in September, but Fundin was more consistent across the whole season. All the best Rob

But Ivan would have probably won in '71 and '75. Mauger was the major force until 1975. The only 'definite' year for Olsen would have been 1978. All the best Rob

I have to chuckle when people see conspiracy theories when there isn't one The quotes from Andreas in the Press Release were directly from his letter to the Scunthorpe promotion. Are you accusing the lad of being a liar? He never said he was quitting speedway; just that he had to quit the Scorpions, because he couldn't get the time off work to travel over to the UK. All the best Rob

Steve, no backlash since you're entitled to your opinion, and if you find the interview "fascinating", then I've done my job properly and not been too 'star struck' when speaking to one of my latter-day heroes. However, I would contest that Todd could be passed with ease. I remember him being anything but easy to pass, because of his trackcraft. For example, when they experimented with the six-lap Heat 15 (in 1999, I think it was), it came down to a last-heat decider and Todd kept Tony Rickardsson at bay for six laps, with Rickardsson up his exhaust pipe, but given no chance to get through. As The Doctor has mentioned, Oxford got the 'safety first' version of Todd, although that version in itself was still a tremendous rider. All the best Rob

RAIN OFF

Congratulations on spotting the deliberate mistake. Your prize for being a smart-ass is a fight with Sidney in the 4th bend bar at Blunsdon, since Orion has chickened out of it All the best Rob

Daniel Spiller in 2015. Germany to Eastbourne. All the best Rob EDIT: Renat Gafurov in 2005... Russia to Oxford. He only lasted one week, when Waggy realised it was going to cost him £1000 in airfares every week.

Wasn't he part of the great Edinburgh swindle of 2010, when they kept on replacing 7.00 riders with another one, so that Kalle could stay at reserve, in their dodgy-burger assisted Super team? All the best Rob

HENDERSON INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions entertain reigning Premier League champions, the Edinburgh Monarchs, in an intriguing looking clash at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Sunday (6.30pm). Scorpions are looking to return to winning ways, after three successive home defeats, and are boosted by the presence of new signing Lewis Kerr. Kerr will make his debut for the club a day earlier on Saturday, in the away meeting at Workington, which has a 6pm start-time due to the Euro 2016 football championships. Last year Edinburgh became the first team in over two decades to successfully defend a league title at second-tier level, but have found things harder going so far in 2016. Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey says: “The signing of Lewis Kerr gives us some cause for optimism. Obviously the last few weeks have been very tough for us, and results have been a long way from what we have desired. “We’ve now got a chance to change around our fortunes. Edinburgh Monarchs have been the kings in the Premier League over the last couple of seasons, but they are beatable this season. “They’ve got the better of us the last couple of years, so it would be satisfying if we could return to winning ways at home against them.” Godfrey is ‘delighted’ with the signing of 26-year-old Englishman Kerr, who replaces Dane Andreas Lyager. “The departure of Andreas came like a bolt out of the blue”, reveals Godfrey. “We didn’t see it coming at all – and neither did he. “He’s been doing an apprenticeship alongside his speedway career, and he suddenly received a letter from his employer, notifying him that he was no longer permitted the time off to come over to the UK. “It’s sad for Andreas, but we have already managed to sign a very good replacement in the shape of Lewis Kerr. He was very unlucky to lose his team place at Ipswich when the Witches signed Ben Barker from Glasgow last week. “Lewis is a quality young British rider, so naturally he was being chased by a number of Premier League clubs the moment that he became available. I’m delighted to say that he chose to sign for us.” Kerr has made two appearances at the Eddie Wright Raceway in 2016. In March, he scored 11 points for Ipswich in a League Cup encounter, defeating every Scorpion bar one (Ryan Douglas) along the way. He then scored a highly creditable seven points in the highly competitive British Semi-Final at the EWR in mid-May. Godfrey adds: “We know Lewis can ride our place, plus we know we’ve got a rider who is going to score points for us straight away. “It’s not like when you sign a European rider on a 7.00 average and have to wait for them to adjust and learn all the tracks. Lewis knows all that and he will score good points for us both at home and away. His welcome addition does add more strength to our side.” There are 24 heats of action in total on Sunday, with a nine-race second half including a six-heat Midland Development League match between Scunthorpe and Long Eaton. Admission prices for Sunday: Adult: £15.00 Student/OAP: £13.00 Child (10 – 17): £5.00 Child (0 – 9) Free (accompanied by paying adult) Family Ticket £35 (2 adults, 2 Children 10-17) Match Programme: £1.00 Expected teams for Sunday: Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions: 1. Josh Auty, 2. Lewis Kerr, 3. Michael Palm Toft, 4. Alex Davies, 5. Ryan Douglas, 6. Carl Wilkinson, 7. Josh Bailey. Edinburgh Monarchs: 1. Sam Masters, 2. Erik Riss, 3. Kevin Wolbert, 4. Mark Riss, 5. Ryan Fisher, 6. Max Clegg, 7. Dan Bewley. Midland Development League teams: Scunthorpe Stags: 1. TBA, 2. Lloyd Ditchburn, 3. Luke Whitehead, 4. Sam Chapman. Long Eaton Invaders: 1. Bradley Andrews, 2. Stephen Whitehouse, 3. Layne Cupitt, 4. Craig Osborne. Edinburgh Monarchs at EWR Ave Ave Name Lge M R Pts BP (no BP) (w BP) Best Performance Daniel Bewley DEBUT PL MEETING @ EWR Max Clegg PL 2 9 4 0 1.78 1.78 3 from 5 rides (2015) Ryan Fisher PL 7 35 75 2 8.57 8.80 17 from 6 rides (2015) Sam Masters PL 7 33 47 3 5.70 6.06 13 from 6 rides (inc 4 pts T/R) (2012) Erik Riss DEBUT PL MEETING @ EWR Mark Riss DEBUT PL MEETING @ EWR Kevin Wolbert PL 7 33 57 3 6.91 7.27 14 + 1 from 6 rides (2015) Other Notes Daniel Bewley Riding in his first season of British League racing. Rides for Belle Vue in the 2016 National League. Max Clegg Former Scunthorpe Saint. Member of Dudley's National League Championship and KO Cup Winning Teams in 2013. Member of Cradley's NL Championship, KO Cup, National Shield and Fours Winning Teams in 2014. Member of Edinburgh's Premier League Championship and League Cup Winning Teams in 2015. Ryan Fisher Has represented his Country in 13 World Cup meetings. Member of Edinburgh's Premier League Championship, Premier Trophy and Play-off Winning Teams in 2008. Member of Edinburgh's Premier League Play-offs Winning Team in 2009. Member of Edinburgh's Premier League Championship Winning Team in 2010. Sam Masters Has ridden in 1 Speedway Grand Prix. 2011 Premier League Riders Champion. 2012 New South Wales State Champion. 2014 Victorian State Champion Member of Poole's Elite Shield Winning Team in 2012. Member of Edinburgh's Premier League Championship, KO Cup League Cup and Pairs Winning Teams in 2014. Member of Edinburgh's Premier League Championship, League Cup and Fours Winning Teams in 2015. Erik Riss Member of Edinburgh's Premier League Championship, League Cup and Fours Winning Teams in 2015. Mark Riss Recently signed for Edinburgh and in his first year of British League racing. Elder brother of team-mate Erik. Kevin Wolbert Twice German National Champion (2008, 2011) Has rode in 6 World Cup events. Member of Edinburgh's Premier League Play-Off Winning Team in 2009. Member of Edinburgh's Premier League Championship Winning Team in 2010. Rode as a member of the Poole Pirates Team that won the Elite League and KO Cup in 2011. Member of Edinburgh's Premier League Championship and League Cup Winning Teams in 2015. Edinburgh Monarchs' PL Record at EWR Meetings Ridden: 11 Won: 5 Drawn: 0 Lost: 6 Biggest Win: 53 - 39 (26 May 2008) Heaviest Defeat: 59 - 34 (30 September 2012) Last Visit: 50 - 40 (W - 4 May 2015) (stats by John Eyre)