star ghost

If it is of any use to you the last official fixture ridden by the Crystal Palace team in 1939 was a Second Division League fixture at The Firs Stadium, Norwich on 1st July. Norwich won 50 - 34 and the Palace team was Keith Harvey 8, Ron Clarke & Bob Lovell 6, Vic Weir 4, Mick Mitchell & Les Trim 3, Charlie Appleby & Charlie Challis 2. Max Grosskreutz, in his programme notes on 8th August, said "Everyone agreed the Palace went down fighting. It is difficult to read riders minds when they go on the track knowing it is the last meeting for the team. We take our hats off to the riders, they played the game to the last and we hope they will soon be signed up for other tracks" Other riders I have found with Palace in 1939 are Eddie "Flash" Barker, George Dykes, George Gower, Austin Humphries, George Liddle, Alan Markham, Charlie Page & Ernie Pawson. Oddly enough the 8th August saw Stars ride Stoke and the Potters also folded after that match to surface as Belle Vue Seconds in a few weeks.

Hans Neilsen and Jan O Pedersen I would imagine

A new grandstand has just been opened at Caister Road Stadium and one of the guests at that opening was in fact Billy Bales. The local Mercury paper has a report and an interview on line about his appearance there

I would have said 1964 was mid-60s but never mind Teo crashed at West Ham and was unconcious for about 4 months before he finally passed away. I imagine the exact dates are on the Speedway Researcher Website

Les had the points he scored in heats 12 and 14 deducted as they were gained from replacement rides when no replacement should have been used. The rider in 4th place did not get a point awarded instead of Les as they (Charlie Dugard & Keith Harvey respectively) both packed up with motor trouble in these races. I have looked through the excellent Speedway Researcher site and found New Cross records for 1946. Les Webbon is listed in the Rangers line-up at Bradford on 27 July but in the team that rode at Belle Vue on 3 August his name does not appear. The New Cross British Championship Round was run at this time but Les is not listed at that meeting. Maybe his crash came in Practice somewhere that week?

I know Les Webbon had a few rides at Odsal in early 46 but then came down to New Cross as he was not doing any good up North. I suppose Les will be most remembered for the events in late May at Plough Lane, Wimbledon where he won a match for the Rangers in front of about 30,000 fans, "but didn't" due to a later hearing at the Control Board. Les was the second reserve in the Rangers team and didn't score in heat 8 as he fell. In heat 12 Ron Johnson fell and the race was rerun with Les in Rons place, Les finished third behind Lloyd Goffe and his partner Keith Harvey for a 3 - 3, Wimbledon 33 New Cross 38. In heat 13 Les took his other reserve ride and Geoff Pymar beat George Saunders and Cyril Brine with Les at the back for another 3 - 3 and Rangers were then in a stonewall winning position as they led 41 - 36. In heat 14 they only needed a finisher to take the match. Harvey and Mick Mitchell lined up for the Rangers but Mitchell crashed and brought down Dick Harris of the Dons. Mick was excluded from the rerun and again Les was put in as a replacement. Harveys bike spluttered to a halt in the rerun but whilst Harris and Mike Erskine came over the line in front Les chugged home in third place. New Cross had won 42 - 41 but they reckoned without Ronnie Greene who protested and Les had his two points deducted so Dons won 41 - 40. The Control Board then rewrote the rule to say that when a race is stopped then a Reserve cannot replace the rider causing the stoppage. Les was later injured and I do not recall him riding again.

There was a Charlie Page who rode at Hackney pre-war

Nigel Sparshott rode for Kings Lynn in the top division for some time and was a rider who might have done even better as I think he was held back by using inferior equipment. Richard Davey was a Kings Lynn trainee who rode numerous matches for Crayford. Peter Gay was, I think, a Coventry junior when he started out in Speedway along with Les Owen and Wee Bill McGregor. Jack Bibby was not the same rider who rode for Sheffield in the 40's. This Jack Bibby was in the same Anglian Junior League team as Nigel Sparshott for Crayford.

I think it was Red with Black pistols and a White edging round it ????

The Firs Stadium at Norwich staged trotting events at times. This was in the 50's. On one evening a horse tried to jump the fence by the pit-gate and the "cart" and rider were left crumpled on the track. The Firs also staged Showjumping Events on nights when Junior Speedway was run during the 50's

I know that RocketBen1 It was a joke - hence the ha ha ha at the end

Wal was the Captain of Glasgow White City Tigers in 1946 but not the first ever captain of Glasgow due to there being Speedway in Glasgow way back before the War. Wal also rode regularly at Hackney for Norwich in the pre-war days. Wal said it was handy having short handlebars as he had short arms and deep pockets. He was wheelchair bound in his later days, still using short handles. When he passed away he was laid in an unmarked grave in a local churchyard but Mike Kemp, local supporters and the V S R A raised the funds for a stone to mark the spot.

Was this the first Championship Final race Or was it the first World Championship race which would have been a qualifying round somewhere ha ha ha

I haven't got that book but if it is the photo of George leg-trailing with his front wheel in the air it was on the front of the Stenners Annual dated 1950. It is also on the "Name the Rider" section of the excellent Newcastle History Website. The photo was actually taken at the Newcastle track I believe. George rode for New Cross, Crystal Palace, Fleetwood, Walthamstow and St Austell as far as I know. He held the Norwich Firs Stadium track record for some years before and after the War (74.0). He suffered from ill health for many years and the seasons he missed would have been his peak years. When he retired from riding he went on to become team-manager of the St Austell Gulls. Jim Blanchard and Norbold are New Cross fans and may be able to help with this request for a photo.

Here are the Czecho scorers for these matches 1977 - Jan Verner & Jiri Stancl 8, Vaclav Verner 7, Lubos Tomicek jnr 6, Jiri Svoboda 5, Zdenek Kudrna 0, Petr Ondrasik dnr/inj 1978 - Vaclav Verner 11, Jiri Stancl 10, Petr Ondrasik 8, Zdenek Kudrna 7, Milan Spinka & Jan Verner 3, Jiri Svoboda 1 1979 - Vaclav Verner 10, Petr Ondrasik 8, Jiri Stancl & Zdenek Kudrna 7, Milan Spinka 6, Jan Verner 4, Jiri Svoboda 3 1980 - Petr Ondrasik 11, Jan Verner 10, Petr Kucera 6, Jiri Svoboda 5, Antonin Kasper jnr 2, Zbysez Holy & Stanislav Urban 0 I hope these will be of use to you

I don't suppose they put that much thought into it then. After all the match rsults in Speedway magazines never used to quote the poor old 4th placed man. Wilf Jay once told me that the riders didn't worry if the 4th places they got were not recorded as there were no points money for them.

The late Lionel Crossley did a good book on the history of the Palace and Norman Jacobs covered them in his History of London Speedway. Both books are still around for purchase I think. Dont forget to contact Norman for peermission to quote his work. Any team that included Ron Johnson in its side was good.

I thought the Joker thing was started in the World Cup

Re the M K "Dons" I think it a travesty that they exist also There was a Milton Keynes F C but Winker man didnt bother to take over and earn his League place with them. And the F A, after saying they would never allow it to happen, then looked the other way.

If you contact Jim Blanchard who runs the Ove Fundin Tribute site he may be able to help. Also try the Club sites from the Links list on here.

Well done to the team behind this almighty exercise. Of course it may be that Edinburgh will hold a collection next season? No reason why they shouldnt, this project will be ongoing for evermore?

Sorry 25 year fan but the Stars never raced any "home" fixtures at Ipswich and that track was never a nursery track to us. If anywhere could be called a nursery track for the Stars it would have been Yarmouth Bloaters at Caister Road.

Opening meeting at Poole was on 26th April 1948. National Trophy - Poole v Gt. Yarmouth. First heat, first bend crash cost Reg Craven's life. What a start for a new track

Thanks for this info Speedyguy. My posting on these lines seems to have vanished. I think Keith Harvey was the "oldest active rider" in 1946 and 1947 whilst with New Cross. Maybe Norbold will be able to throw some light on these riders from his recent work for the Eastbourne book?

Alkmaar on August 30 1947. Jack had been a regular in the Hounds team and had topped 50 points in the League at that time. The meeting at Tamworth was on 22 October 1947 and the Hounds won 37-15.