Gemini Posted January 6, 2005 Report Share Posted January 6, 2005 I don't think there are any more from Birmingham, but I'll check tomorrow. (Can't at the moment because my husband is in bed asleep and the photos are in that room.) Have very happy memories of the Brummies v Lions meetings too. Such a shame to lose Speedway from two big cities like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemini Posted January 7, 2005 Report Share Posted January 7, 2005 (edited) Have found some more from Birmingham - not all that good, but if you are anything like me just to see the track and riders with Brummies jackets on is enough. Perhaps you could name these two riders walking out of the pits with red & blue helmet covers on? Any idea? My husband thinks Hans Nielsen is in red. http://community.webshots.com/scripts/edit...security=mnzmhF Have a look at "More Speedway Photos" as they are all in that album. Edited January 7, 2005 by Gemini Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stansolo Posted January 8, 2005 Report Share Posted January 8, 2005 Hubby is correct Gemini, Hans is red while the rider in blue is american Shawn McConnell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemini Posted January 9, 2005 Report Share Posted January 9, 2005 Thank you. I have now added the riders names. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog 77 / 78 Posted June 15, 2005 Report Share Posted June 15, 2005 Can we carry on the disscussion about Eastville, and the Bristol Bulldogs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
25yearfan Posted June 16, 2005 Report Share Posted June 16, 2005 Yes we can! Brisol Bulldogs speedway at Eastville in those 2 amazing sesons in 1977 and 78 is a quite remarkable story! It amazes me that the council shut the speedway down when it was so popular with huge crowds turning out every week even if the track which they shared with the dogs (another amazing story itself) was a bit iffy to say the least! Its a crazy world when you have speedway tracks in certain places that struggle to attract anyhere near viable crowds when you have got somewhere like Bristol without a track! Bristol I feel still remains to this day a huge untapped hotbed of the sport. I'm sure that a new track in Bristol would see bigger crowds than even the suprising success story that Workington was when it reopened in 1999. I heard on here that last year efforts were made to put a track on a nearby racecoure that were turned down. - Surely their must be a site somewhere in the Bristol vicinity. A muli purpose stadium featuring speedway, greyhounds, possibly Bristol Rovers and other events is much needed in the area. Though I do feel any new Bristol track would mean that Somerset Rebels would probably have to drop into the CL in order to keep going. Somerset would therefore make a very good feeder track a new Bristol set up. Lets all hope that one day will be talking about Bristol Bulldogs speedway team in the EL or PL dscussion pages on this forum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
25yearfan Posted June 16, 2005 Report Share Posted June 16, 2005 Yes we can! Brisol Bulldogs speedway at Eastville in those 2 amazing sesons in 1977 and 78 is a quite remarkable story! It amazes me that the council shut the speedway down when it was so popular with huge crowds turning out every week even if the track which they shared with the dogs (another amazing story itself) was a bit iffy to say the least! Its a crazy world when you have speedway tracks in certain places that struggle to attract anyhere near viable crowds when you have got somewhere like Bristol without a track! Bristol I feel still remains to this day a huge untapped hotbed of the sport. I'm sure that a new track in Bristol would see bigger crowds than even the suprising success story that Workington was when it reopened in 1999. I heard on here that last year efforts were made to put a track on a nearby racecoure that were turned down. - Surely their must be a site somewhere in the Bristol vicinity. A muli purpose stadium featuring speedway, greyhounds, possibly Bristol Rovers and other events is much needed in the area. Though I do feel any new Bristol track would mean that Somerset Rebels would probably have to drop into the CL in order to keep going. Somerset would therefore make a very good feeder track a new Bristol set up. Lets all hope that one day will be talking about Bristol Bulldogs speedway team in the EL or PL dscussion pages on this forum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog 77 / 78 Posted June 18, 2005 Report Share Posted June 18, 2005 Hello 25 yearfan, I agree fully with your comments. It was criminal how things turned out! The biggest crowds in speedway, deception and lies from the powers be....... We need speedway back here in BRISTOL or nearby! Whats needed is a new site to house a track, nothing to special, flat land, parking areas, accessability and a "sympathetic landowner". Planning permission is a must. Sports grounds eg Rugby , amateur football, looking for extra revenue are a possibility, or even farmers willing to lease some land (like at Somerset) What do you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
25yearfan Posted June 18, 2005 Report Share Posted June 18, 2005 From what I can gather the council at Bristol remain to this day very anti sports just like the late 70's. But where theres a will theres a way! I know that some places around the Country have areas set aside for sports that are deemed to be nuisance ones which speedway is appaently seen as one. Has Bristol got such an area? Is the old stock car track still in Bristol? Has it ever been sounded out as a possible home for the Bulldogs speedway team? Surely such an exrcise would of great benefit to all parties involved. - If someone could invest in the facilities there then it would crtainly be better than Bristol speedways homes since 1979! Bristol speedway: One day again we hope! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog 77 / 78 Posted June 18, 2005 Report Share Posted June 18, 2005 From what I can gather the council at Bristol remain to this day very anti sports just like the late 70's. But where theres a will theres a way! I know that some places around the Country have areas set aside for sports that are deemed to be nuisance ones which speedway is appaently seen as one. Has Bristol got such an area? Is the old stock car track still in Bristol? Has it ever been sounded out as a possible home for the Bulldogs speedway team? Surely such an exrcise would of great benefit to all parties involved. - If someone could invest in the facilities there then it would crtainly be better than Bristol speedways homes since 1979! Bristol speedway: One day again we hope! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog 77 / 78 Posted June 18, 2005 Report Share Posted June 18, 2005 From what I can gather the council at Bristol remain to this day very anti sports just like the late 70's. But where theres a will theres a way! I know that some places around the Country have areas set aside for sports that are deemed to be nuisance ones which speedway is appaently seen as one. Has Bristol got such an area? Is the old stock car track still in Bristol? Has it ever been sounded out as a possible home for the Bulldogs speedway team? Surely such an exrcise would of great benefit to all parties involved. - If someone could invest in the facilities there then it would crtainly be better than Bristol speedways homes since 1979! Bristol speedway: One day again we hope! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog 77 / 78 Posted June 18, 2005 Report Share Posted June 18, 2005 <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Hello again, as far as I know,there hasnt been a stock car track in Bristol,the nearest I know of is at Charterhouse on the Mendips. Bristol council does as you say have a major problem with this sport,so does BANES (Bath & north east Somerset) here where I live. Ive been approaching local land owners to find the general feasability and it is mixed,there is a worry of falling foul to planning regs etc, but we must keep trying mustnt we? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
25yearfan Posted June 18, 2005 Report Share Posted June 18, 2005 Hello again, as far as I know,there hasnt been a stock car track in Bristol,the nearest I know of is at Charterhouse on the Mendips. Bristol council does as you say have a major problem with this sport,so does BANES (Bath & north east Somerset) here where I live. Ive been approaching local land owners to find the general feasability and it is mixed,there is a worry of falling foul to planning regs etc, but we must keep trying mustnt we? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yes the stock car track in the Mendips area is exactly the place I'm on about! I know the place is a dump but with some investment then it could be turned into a venue suitable for the return of the Bristol Bulldogs! I'm from Norfolk and I knew ex Bulldogs rider Geoff Pymar who lived at Diss in the south of the County before he passed away about 4-5 years ago at the grand age of 90! His spell at Brisol was when the bulldogs raced at the now sadly departed Knowle stadium. I remember Geoffs racing career mainly during his spell at Norwich in the mid 50's after he left Bristol I believe and his season at Great Yarmouth in 1960 when he was number 1 when he as nearing or might of even been in his 50's! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog 77 / 78 Posted June 19, 2005 Report Share Posted June 19, 2005 Hello again, I suppose it could be used, Im sure Mendip Raceway wouldnt object to the extra revenue, Im sure the crowd numbers would at least treble! ! ! Somerset Rebels also run a namesake stock car track which is about 2 miles from the speedway track (near to the M5) Its worth a go, I will make some phone calls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philcrumpisgod Posted June 20, 2005 Report Share Posted June 20, 2005 In '74, '75 and '76, Phil was immense for Newport and carried that on whilst with the Bulldogs in '77 and '78 (even after breaking his thigh in a world championship qualifier) and then continued for a few years after that with Swindon. Poor though the surface was at Eastville, Gordon Kennett got 15 there for White City when they won the league in 1978. I remember that Tormod Langli had a great following at Eastville with a huge Norwegian flag being draped along the front of one of the stands and Egon Muller (world champion in 1983) was reportedly tempted with a contract to perform in the nightclub at the stadium after each home meeting, although that came to nothing. The opening meeting really was incredible, terrible track leading to numerous withdrawls and John Davis being badly injured but a huge crowd and the motorway slip road on bends 1 and 2 chocablock with traffic and people stopped, out of their cars and watching the racing over the armco-never seen anything like it before or since! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog 77 / 78 Posted June 21, 2005 Report Share Posted June 21, 2005 Hey nice user ID ! yeh phil was the bees knees, not many got the better of him at Eastville.....nor anywhere else come to think of it. An absolute legend - we need more like him in the sport. Two other Bristol riders worth a mention here are Steve Gresham and Tormod Langli, totaly different in style to Phil but when THESE two got together team riding they were like a tag team - If you got past them you didnt stay on your bike for long ha ha !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog 77 / 78 Posted June 21, 2005 Report Share Posted June 21, 2005 I remember john davis at Eastville too, but For a different reason, It was when Reading were visiting and John was racing Steve Gresham. Steve was excluded for some reason and the race was restarted .When John came around the bend Steve ran out from the pits and punched him clean off his bike - dangerous or what ! And the time Nigel Boococks silencer came off, bounced and hit a woman on the head ........never a dull moment ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philcrumpisgod Posted June 21, 2005 Report Share Posted June 21, 2005 Thanks bulldog 77/78. When Phil came to Somerton Park in 1974 he was like a whirlwind, after missing the '73 season with a broken wrist, and I along with many others was totally hooked on his fantastic racing skills. Mauger once commented in a paper that he was going around the boards at Newport when he was overtaken by Phil on the outside! There was tremendous anticipation before all of Phil's races, he piled up league points in the hundreds and won individual meetings all over the country (back when each track had their own yearly individual blockbuster filled with loads of the top riders of the day). To say that it was a bitter disappointment when the team moved to Bristol in 1977 would be a huge understatement but at least you had two great years and Little Boy Blue to entertain you as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog 77 / 78 Posted June 21, 2005 Report Share Posted June 21, 2005 What a team ! Im afraid your loss was our gain . Wally Mawdsly was quite a promoter,I wonder what hes doing now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spin king Posted June 22, 2005 Report Share Posted June 22, 2005 What a team ! Im afraid your loss was our gain . Wally Mawdsly was quite a promoter,I wonder what hes doing now? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I think he is retired, if you buy the last edition of the Backtrack magazine there was an article about him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
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.