stevehone

obviously ... classic case of 'selective nationality when its a buddy' but happy to have a go at someone else when not knowing anything about them

more chins than a chinese phone book

how times change in a year ... obviously all about personal things rather than being patriotic after all ... maybe you should get a little more friendly with your Danish pals, then you'll be able to display a Danish avatar and we can all slag you off for supporting a team other than Team GB ... but oh no ... it's what you're doing anyway. awaiting an apology for last year

i was at the meeting ... remember being in the pits by the first aid room while Steve Ryder was interviewing all the riders at the time it was just really another meeting as the World Games meant nothing ... spose i feel the same now

i worked for Phil Pratt for a short time when he was one of the top tuners ... would have been about 1983

why shouldn't he? Ivan was almost 40 when he won his 6th individual title

didn't anyone hear the worst comment ever made by Millard ... 'Bjarne Pedersen will be out in the re-run IF HE'S STILL ALIVE' !!!! not quite the thing to say

Ivan is coming over again in August, and doubt very very much he'll be here in October as he will be sorting his Longtrack GP in NZ. if you want something sorted, arrange it for August

Mike Ferreira Roger Johns Steve Baker

Scott Autrey ... one of the genuine top Americans. Would also be good to hear Egon Muller's story on his world final win over 20 years ago ... track fixing etc etc and the use of the GM engine at the time.

well if you read Backtrack magazine you would ... Ivan has stated that rolling at the tapes was outlawed on the Continent but he STILL beat all the top riders out the starts to win big meetings, this being at a time when Ole Olsen, Peter Collins etc were riding abroad at weekends ... quality will always shine through. Fundin was a master in his era, Mauger a master in his, and Rickardsson a master in his. there is no 'game, set, match' about it ... it's about how they get on in their own surroundings, and has been mentioned earlier, Fundin and Mauger had far more quality to deal with than Rickardsson has now. another thing ... the 'upright/laydown' thing you mention, with TR having riden both ... with Ivan openly stating how easy they are to ride compared to what he was on, just how well do you think Mauger would have done on those? all you have to do is ask people that have seen Ivan ride a laydown just how good he looks (and still does when he jumps on a bike at the age of 65). the 'good old days' to me is when it was a cut-throat business and riders had to qualify for meetings and earn their places against tough opposition ... not a closed shop of coming last in one meeting but being able to still ride in the next round whatever happens. just what sort of incentive is there now for youngsters coming through? when riders start riding to become world champion but know they'll only get that chance if they have a long enough tongue and they are the right nationality.

Ivan made sure he qualified first and foremost, right down to finishing certain meetings in a certain position so he got a favourable draw in the next round. You have to remember that back then it wasn't a closed shop and it only took one bad meeting and you wouldn't qualify for the next round. As it is now, TR is basically in the world final every time because he doesn't have to qualify. Imagine if TR has a bad day at the office in a GP, he then goes on to the next one to get those points back ... in the earlier days if you had a bad day at the office you were out, simple as that. Ivan had that 'X factor' that so many didn't have and don't have now, the ability to up the performance to win when it mattered. If it was a GP system in Ivan's day, that 'X Factor' would have shown through in each GP round i can assure you of that.

what has Mike got to do with Jason Bunyan?? i can't see where he's ever mentioned him, so why bring that rider up? if it's because they share a surname, it doesn't mean Mike is a fan of Jason

this was 1987 and i believe Hackney were BL ... was a start of season challenge i think. maybe he was just coming round to lap me and i fell off? i think the truth of it was that he didn't like being beaten out of the gate by a number 7

Andy Galvin the 'angel' ... what happened HERE? taken from a Canterbury program

we can certainly hope

looks like 'Alan' somebody to me ....

and allowing rolling and tape touching would eliminate most of that. i used to like watching riders moving and rolling, it was all part of gamesmanship and it was certainly an art to getting it right ... the ref is the one with the button and it's up to him if he feels he should let the tapes go as someone rolls back. with the rules as they are now, i think if someone touches the tapes, then penalise him, but if they're not touched it's a fair start. anticipation is the modern day version of rolling ... sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but it's up to the rider if he wants to try it. what annoys me with the current rules is that someone will try 'jumping' the start and have to pull the clutch in (or not if you're Adam Allott ) so when the tapes do go they are the ones left at the back ... the ref then stops the race and gives them another chance!

so that GxJxN in your sig is not you?

first time was a 'behind closed doors' practise session for the New Zealand riders a week before the Overseas Final i think in 1984. Wimbledon had raced there the night before too so it was two birds with one stone that weekend. second time was an Ivan Mauger training academy i think in 1985.

i am taller

no you wouldn't

fantastic track, fantastic racing ... some of those BLRC's were fantastic ... and to go up there and see Wimbledon whooped erm...er ... not quite so fantastic. priveliged to be able to say i rode on the track a couple of times.

well done to Kelvin but you do wonder whether he should have taken a year out to make sure he gets back to full fitness ....

well at Canterbury i broke both wrists and an arm (all at the same time), but it didn't make me want to write with my feet