lucifer sam

The reasoning behind this is that it was an individual meeting up until 2013, but crowds started to ebb away. At Leicester last year, it was changed to England vs Rest Of The World (still with an individual event in the second half) and resulted in the second highest attendance for a Ben Fun Bonanza, after Rye House in 2010. This year, there’s another slight tweak in format to a 4TT, plus an individual at the end. So there’s something for many speedway fans who like to watch team speedway, plus still something for those who prefer individual meetings. But really this is all insignificant to raising money for the Ben Fund. Very first meeting of the season, plus money being raised for a very worthy cause. That’s what it’s all about, really. EDIT: Plus Mike Hunter always puts together a top class programme that even you buy. All the best Rob

Well looking at that criteria, I can see a way that he could get a work permit. Let's wait and see, shall we? All the best Rob

Seems about the right punishment. Maybe time to lock this thread and move on.... All the best Rob

Bryn, Briggo's Golden Greats meeting was at Coventry in 1988. Pretty sure Fundin was riding as well. All the best Rob

While I've always considered that the way you win a speedway meeting is to beat 31 opponents rather than score 46 points, I can't help feeling a scoring system implemented on opponents beaten would further alienate speedway from the general public. 3-2-1-0 is dead simple. To say sometimes it's 2-2-0-0 and other times 2-1-1-0 is not so simple. Speedway should be marketed to the general public, not the statto geeks. Even if I'm one of those myself All the best Rob

Yes, the Olsen debacle certainly went a long to hasten the end of rider control as well. Ole Olsen was actually originally allocated to the 1975 Oxford Rebels, but the Rebels realised they couldn't afford to agree to his terms and asked to be allocated another rider. Then the Rider Control Committee decided to allocate Dag Lovaas to Oxford and Ole Olsen to Hull. I think Ian Thomas managed to get £12,000 or something like that for the sale of Olsen from Hull to Coventry; he tells the tale in his autobiography. Rider control lasted the one more season, with John Berry voicing his displeasure at having to offload a home grown talent, Mick Hines, who was allocated from Ipswich to Wimbledon in 1976. And then there was a weird prototype points-limit in 1977, which allowed Ipswich to keep the same team under a 52-point limit, but forced Reading to release Boleslaw Proch, because as a team making a change, the Racers were subject to a 48-point-limit. All the best Rob

Big hoo-hah over Rider Control. Belle Vue were reluctant to let any riders go, especially as the majority of them were home grown. But at the same time, the 1972 Aces were one of the strongest-ever teams and someone had to go. In the end, it was Ivan. The row was still going on as the 1973 season started, and Ivan went as far as to threaten to retire if he was left without a British team. I think Mauger's debut for Exeter was on Easter Monday, which fell in the latter half of April that year. There was a similar spate a few years later with the home grown Ipswich Witches, at which point the rider control system fell apart and was replaced with a weird two-tier points limit for 1977 (Reading fell victim to it and arguably it cost them the league title). It was then replaced by a flat 50-point-limit in 1979 - although an oddity was that, at this point, it wasn't possible to replace a rider with a lower-averaged rider, if you were still above the limit. Cradley found this out after sacking Steve Bastable and not being able to bring in Ila Teromaa. The points limit was reduced to 48 in 1984 and 45 in 1986. All the best Rob

http://scunthorpescorpions.co/?p=2429 All the best Rob

He has to be in the top three. All the best Rob

Phil Collins = namesake of the other Phil Collins (Genesis). All the best Rob

As someone who watched Nielsen regularly during his time, I would say Nielsen 87 shades Nielsen 86. The stats may say otherwise, but stats can lie a little. In 1987, Nielsen would have achieved a 11.87 BL average (surpassing the '86 BL average of 11.83), but for a seized engine causing a fall at Hackney in October. Nielsen in 1987 was just supremely confident. He was World Champion throughout the whole season, rather just the end of it, as in '86. His World Team Cup form, form for Denmark in the test series, in individuals, he just seemed to dominate every single meeting he was in. And talking of unbelievable team riding, Nielsen from this era was mind-bogglingly good. He could team-ride Jens Rasmussen to a 5-1.... over Erik Gundersen!! All the best Rob PS If Sam had continued his '93 form for another couple of seasons, he'd definitely be a contender for a place in the all-time top ten.

I think Olsen is probably amongst the best 10 riders of all-time - I included him as the ninth rider in my list. He was actually a victim of his own success. Suddenly every Danish youngster wanted to be the next speedway superstar, and two of them (Nielsen and Gundersen) ended up not only emulating but surpassing Olsen's achievements. All the best Rob

Good team, although I can't work out the top one A e e o Or maybe it's a capital I A e e o

Bggr m, wld nvr bldy swr!!! Ll th bst Rb

No, dear old Bernard Crapper has to be the team manager. All the best Rob

George Major. All the best Rob

Dn't strt tht gn. Ll th bst Rb

How about Ron How? Short first name and short surname, a multiple World Finalist, and a NL champion with both Wimbledon and Oxford. And he's got Mike Lee at No 1. A few tapes exclusions and Lee storming out of the meeting, me thinks. All the best Rob

Er, but my list of riders from 1981 was taken from riders who could have graced the World Final THAT year. I missed out a whole load of riders who were beyond their best and yet to rise - e.g. Anders Michanek, Malcolm Simmons, Ivan Mauger, Simon Wigg, etc. Whether you like it or not, the level of speedway rider has dropped. Unfortunately, talented youngsters are more likely to take up another sport these days. One which is better paid. Speedway used to me fairly near the top of the totem tree. It's not any more. Some of the third heat-leaders in those years were better than the No 1's are now. Forget averages, because everyone knows it's a different format these days. Instead it has to be judged on ability. These days, we have a top division full of also-rans. Not just the reserves, but often the second strings as well. The standard has fallen. Sad but true, and no matter how long you try to argue black is white. All the best Rob

Best Swindon side.... There isn't one All the best Rob

That's nonsense. I was at Wembley. Gundersen broke the track record, then suffered an engine failure while leading his third ride. He was good enough to be World Champion that year. You're tying yourself in knots, trying to prove something that is true as untrue. The standard of speedway rider in the early eighties was higher than it is now. All the best Rob

1981: Bruce Penhall Ole Olsen Tommy Knudsen Erik Gundersen Kenny Carter Jan Andersson Egon Muller Dave Jessup Hans Nielsen Michael Lee Chris Morton Larry Ross Dennis Sigalos Kelly Moran Bo Petersen Bobby Schwartz Billy Sanders Phil Crump Les Collins Gordon Kennett John Davis Edward Jancarz Zenon Plech Shawn Moran Peter Collins All the best Rob

Dunno. It's really hard though. Just been trying to do it for the Cheetahs: Oxford “all-time”: Hans Nielsen Tony Rickardsson Jason Crump Greg Hancock Nicki Pedersen Billy Hamill Simon Wigg Oxford “while riding for club”: Hans Nielsen Simon Wigg Arne Pander Ron How Greg Hancock Leigh Adams Marvyn Cox Blimey, how tricky is this? For the latter list, no room for Todd Wiltshire, Jimmy Gooch, Ronnie Genz, Dag Lovaas, Hasse Holmqvist, Martin Dugard, etc, etc. Actually Todd really should be in there. But who on earth should I take out of the side? All the best Rob

Wilkinson and Jack Young are definitely the top two. Shouldn't Tiger Stevenson and Arthur Atkinson also feature? And what about Wally Green? Simmo never seems to be gone above third heat-leader at Custom House, although he was very young. But isn't about how well the riders did at the club, rather than future achievements. Simmo was nearing his best at King's Lynn, and at his brilliant peak at Poole. My West Ham knowledge isn't strong enough to give a 1-7, but interested to see what Norbold comes up with. All the best Rob

But who has said Hancock is as good as Rickardsson? And as pointed out, Hancock would have had a great chance in '92 but for the incompetence of the AMA. He was flying that year, and beat the man who would be champ in a run-off in the World Pairs... All the best Rob