speedyguy

Any chance of fuller details please? The Waikaraka Park site just refuses to show recent results. Many thanks - if that's possible.

Did the solo meetings ever take place at Waikaraka Park? Were set for January 14 and January 21? Nothing on the track's website. Also the one set for Napier was called off - because it clashed with the restaging of the NZ Stockl Car Championship at Gisborne.

There hasn't been any solo racing at Western Springs for years - many years. The circuit is now designed to cater mainly for sprint cars and midgets cars, which are the real crowd pullers in NZ. I doubt if they will mean as much to the locals as names like Jerry Coons, Jonathan Allard, Dean Brindle and Ricky Logan for example.

What bigger and better things when he was earning 60,000 dollars a season in the USA? That was really big money in the 1970s. At today's rates that's £40,000 - what was it worth in real terms 40 years ago? Basically, the original world championship was designed to be a British dominated event. I remember all the kerfuffle when it was suggested that European countries could hold their own qualifying rounds rather than their riders qualify by competing in the UK. And the further row when some British riders then had to start going to European tracks for their qualifying rounds. Like it or lump it the GP system is the best - all motorsports have similar competitions - its only speedway that baulks at the system. As for Mike Bast - yes under the GP system if operating in the 1970s I believe he would have been a world champion.

The name of Fred Yates does come up on the Coventry site. But there does seem to be some sort of link problem because you can also get an 'invalid page' message and need to scramble around various guides on the site to find the riders listing. However when you do get to riders A-Z it would seem while riders are listed you cannot find individual points scoring.

This was all the long time ago - the 1954 Southern Area League had a lot of chracters riding in it. Remember, the 1950s were a much different era to the present time and some of the riders involved in it were what be described nowadays "as on the fringe of acceptable society" - perhaps the old phrase 'wide boy' would cover their off-track antics. But they were all bound by a love of speedway for all their possible antics and misdemeanours. For me it was a long and wonderful time knowing and travelling around with some of these riders. However, I am glad that I was able to be a part of what went on some 57 years ago. Lovely old track. REAL speedway. My first meeting there was the opening of the season in April 1946. A new sporting world opened for me that night.

This link gives some background to the history of Western Springs. http://www.speedwayclub.co.nz/history.php

That was an update as of December 14 2011. Bike speedway (and sidecars) are only recognised as a division of the listed sports - all of which are probably regarded as more important in New Zealand.

Here's a schedule for the New Zealand season. Try and spot the solo speedway events!! http://www.speedwayracing.co.nz/track-event-calendar/#.TueGWZhyElI

But how do speedway attendances in each country work out pro rata to the population? I bet it's much lower in the UK than in Sweden and Denmark.

I didn't bring Dave into the subject at all. That's developed since my original query about the 1947 captaincy situation at Southampton. I should have also asked then - was Vic Collins at anytime a captain of the original 1929 Southampton team? The other names given were possible successors to Collins after injury, a matter which has since been corrected by the names of Peter Robinson and Bob Oakley having roles as Saints' captains in 1947. I had a punchline for this thread at a later time that the 1931 Southampton team included Collins, Jack and Norman Parker. The link to 1947 was that they were all team skippers - besides Collins at Southampton. Jack Parker led Belle Vue and Norman Parker captained Wimbledon - a gap of 16 years. Something unique in speedway history?

I know of another motorcycle sport where all-time greats include people like Bluey Wilkinson, Jack Parker, Eric Langton, Jack Milne, Wilbur Lamoreaux to name a few. I wonder how they would have fared had they comcentrated on speedway?

When Southampton returned to speedway in 1947 in the National League Division Three, the first captain was Vic Collins. He was injured and succeeded by George Bason. I think that later in the season Bert # Name Removed # took over the captaincy. Can any member confirm this for me please?

Is there any evidence that Wal Morton competed in a few second-half races at Ipswich in 1965?

Does any member have more information on this happening please? Oldest pairing ever was Wal Morton (52) and Geoff Pymar (51) for Middlesbrough in the early 1960s. That's 103 years.

Who or what is KKS? And what's the problem?

This is supposed to be an American team - with riders paying their own fares to UK (??). I would be delighted if I was an American to be left out of the side for a 'shop window Brit'!!!

I think everyone is missing the point in this. oldtimespeedway discussion group did not claim that Johnnie Hoskins was/had been a speedway rider nor, as has been evidenced, did Johnnie Hoskins. All that has happened was that the initial post to this thread brought attention to a Danish website where a photo appeared saying that it was Johnnie Hoskins racing on speedway. Since then, there has been a further comment on ots that the rider seen in the poor quality newspaper photo and named as Johnnie Hoskins was/could have been a rider who used the name 'Johnnie Hoskins' when he rode on the continent (early 1930s meetings). To me, that seems a good answer - although no further information has come forward as to who that rider was.

Try here for a little info on London area tracks. http://londonspeedways.proboards.com

I think a problem with all these USA teams is that they are not selected teams but by and large invitational squads of those riders who are prepared to finance their own journey to the UK.

Joihnnie Hoskins captured in a photo racing on the speedway. That's the claim on http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/oldtimespeedway/message/11504

I can't say I was surprised to hear of the end of Newport Hornets. I read n the Speedway Star they has 50 spectators attend one meeting. That's a long way from my early spectating days when I was part of a 20,000 crowd at New Cross meetings in the 1940s.

Any idea what a complete set of the magazines in good condition might be worth? Anyone want to make me an offer - if so PM me. And apologies if I have broken a site rule by advertising. If that's the case, Mr Mod please delete this message.

Go to the Speedway Researcher website and find the various tracks and years from there. All should be revealed.