Jump to content
British Speedway Forum

Crashes and Smashes


Canadian Star

Recommended Posts

win in British League history:

 

Hackney 22 Wimbledon 56 (May 1979, if I recall correctly)

 

I bet you were waiting for that one...........

Nah - I'm too young to remember! ;):D

 

Tigerblade - if the Simon Green crash is the one I'm thinking of I still remember getting the phone call from Maureen - a horrendous few days.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 47
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Darren Mallett at Buxton was shocking to watch, really shook me up.

 

Also Steve Clarke and Michael Mitchell at Sheffield last month. Both riders together going down the back straight and MM I think got ahead of SC and they just tangled up. No one's fault mind you, just one of those things. I knew that it was a bad one when you see bike, rider, bike, rider etc cartwheeling along. If you read the speedway star recently with SC's analysis of his injuries etc, he was a very very lucky lad. Hope he's recovering well.

 

I also remember seeing David Howe at Peterborough once come off on the pits bend and he literally slid along the top of the fence with his chin, got a nasty cut if I remember too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest secondsigning

On a lighter note, I remember the after effects of a pile up at Coventry back in the early 60's (or late 50's) There had been an incident in which the late Tad Teodorowicz (TEO for short) was injured on the second bend and as he was being carried across the centre green the music being played was "one finger, one thumb keep moving" Not the most apt of tunes following a smash, but we on the terraces saw the funny side of it.

Talking of this era, the sight of dear Les Owen rolling the length of the home straight after collecting the fence coming off the fourth bend is still a vivid recollection

 

Rest in peace to both of these popular riders, along with all ex riders who I am sure are probably having recollections of their own at the gatherings at the big track in the sky.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cannot remember the year but remember Reg Wilson and Gary Gugliemi going through the fence on the third turn at Sheffield in the old second half meeting.

     I f I remember Reg walk away with bruising, but Gugliemi broke his arm.

1982 - how either of them wasn't injured further still amazes me to this day.

 

We've had a few shockers - Carl Blackbird/Simon Green in 1991 and Roman Matousek/Robert Nagy in 1996 are both notorious.

Cheers TigerBlade.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Richard Greens bike going out of control on its back wheeland chasing anything and everything that moved after he came off.

I remember that one. For some reason Greeny's cut-out never seemed to work. As I recall, he was planted on his bum on the track when the bike came after him looking for revenge. He was soon up and away then. :D

 

I also recall Mark Simmonds (who seems to be the crash king according to this thread) sliding across the top of the third bend fence with one leg either side. He travelled for a fair few metres sending a red light flying with sparks spraying everywhere.

 

Amazingly he walked away. Even more amazingly he still managed to father a child. :blink:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

how about john davis at poole on the old track knocking down a light standard and walking away. of course he had the smash at bristol where his arm got caught over the fence, but i guess that doesnt fit with this thread because he sustained very serious injuries. lucky not to cut his arm off.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Sir Lunchalot

Strangest one I have seen (not in person but I do have a clip of an amateur video if anyone wants it) was Brendan Mackay at Gillman in Adelaide. One moment he was blasting down the back straight miles in front and then next moment he was in the air flying over the fence. No idea how he did it but it looked spectacular and I believe he wasn't badly hurt.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sir L, I've seen the video of that and believe me, it's a slight trip in comparason with the Bird/Simmonds incident. That said, it was nasty and I think he broke his collarbone, a few week later he come over to the UK and signed for Reading ad claimed that the crash was the reason for his low scores, sadly (for him) on his return, the following season he crashed in his 2nd meeting and was replaced in the team and has ony rode in the odd CL meting since.

 

Anyone know what Brendon is up to these days? Is he here or in Oz? Is he riding anywhere? Or has he quit?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Other than the incident i mentioned when starting this thread, as far as Kings Lynn goes where i watched most of my speedway, the most memorable crash was back in the early seventies when a second half rider called Brian Emery reared coming out of the second bend and completely jumped the fence. Anyone else on here there that night ? It was remarkable you think he was at the Horse of the Year show he just jumped right over the fence think he suffered a broken leg and i believe that someone in the crowd was slightly injured. Anyone remember that one ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

May 1973 Coventry v Cradley Utd. Les Owen and John Harrhy. Les was very badly injured and on life support, ended up never riding again. John broke a bone in his neck, and was never the same on track again.

 

Booey took a few knocks in some spectacular crashes too... Recall fracturing his skull at Leicester in a smash with John Boulger and Roger Hill.

 

The last really bad smash I recall was Erik Gundersens at Bradford.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Does anyone remember a few years back at Cov when Shane Bowes had a tumble over the first bend safety fence, minus his helmet?? :blink: I think the riders bunched up going into the bend, and he just went straight on instead of turning, the tangle ripped of his helmet and then he was over the fence and on the dog track. we thought he'd be out for the rest of the season but he was at brandon the following week, i think with black eyes and maybe a broken nose saying it wasn't really that bad!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The worst one i saw was the crash poor dave mullet had at reading when andre compton went inside him on the first bend,straightened up and dave rode thru the safety fence and wound up on the hare rail of the dog track,it was a truly horrible incident because everybody knew the accident was a bad one and nobody could do anything about it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest dontforgetoturnleft!!

Ipswich v Brum - second part of a double header - 1981. Kevin Jolly comes out of the fourth bend, clips somebodies back wheel and flies superman fashion, landing at the pit gate (for those who cannot picture this - it involved vaulting the collapsable safety fence and then projectilling across the tarmac stock car track - about 10-12 feet I would guess). He then got up, brushed himself down and took place in his next heat!!.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Trelawny v Newcastle, Clay Country Motor Parc 2003

Ht 14 Trelawny seemingly out of the meeting 10 points down. Mark Phillips puts Chris Harris in off 15 metres for double points. At the end of lap 1 Harris is closing on Lawson when suddenly Lawson loses drive giving Harris nowhere to go but through the back of Lawson's bike. Chris finished up several yards gone the track but both riders walked away. Not a nice one to watch right in front of you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

A couple that spring to mind are Marvyn Cox at the first bend at Oxford, his forks or frame collapsed I think, and he went straight into the fence, got up with the bike in a few pieces around him. The commentator Peter York went up to him to get his reaction in went something like "****ing hell, my bike!!!".

 

I also remember Jens Rasmussen having some big crashes one in particular at Oxford was a day meeting (Possibly pairs or 4TT). Looked pretty bad, carried off I think, then the bike a revvin emerges from the pits to a huge roar. He was one tough rider!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wasn't at Liecester that night but know several who were, they said it was the worst accident they had seen at that time. Howard had been going terrifically well up until then beating just about everyone, sadly he was never quite the same after that crash, he suffered a punctured lung and was over a year before he rode again. He was one of my favourite riders, his bike was always immaculate and that white shirt he wore was always clean at the start of the evening and depending on how successful he was, would often still be clean at the end!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

At the end of lap 1 Harris is closing on Lawson when suddenly Lawson loses drive giving Harris nowhere to go but through the back of Lawson's bike.

Snapped a chain if I remember rightly, it all happened in slow motion. Harris did well to walk away unhurt!!

Edited by Markone
Link to comment
Share on other sites

One of the worst crashes I've witnessed was in the last ever meeting at Leicester when Mike Lanham was so badly injured. If I recall he suffered something like 14 bone fractures & lost the use of one arm. I was also unfortunate enough to be riding in a meeting where a rider was killed right in front of me. I was one of the first to see the result of his injuries close up & it's something you never forget. Speedways a fantastic sport, but sometimes it can also kick you in the guts without warning.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.




×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. Privacy Policy