RobMcCaffery Posted January 8, 2008 Report Share Posted January 8, 2008 and the memories flood back.... after taking on the other kids.. usually ending in some kind of arguement or fight down there... it was off upto the "posh" part of the grandstand, at he first bend end. this is where my auntie Denise, and granma used to sit and watch with Carole (Keith Whites wife) and Barbie (Thommo's wife). it used to amaze me that the glass never broke at the front of the grandstand... it took a hell of a battering from the riders wives!! ........ i hated waking up Saturday Morning... because it was another 6 days until FRIDAY !!! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> A pair of outstanding postings Sean, reviving such clear memories of an excellent speedway and its lifeblood, its people, especially your fine late grandfather Alan. Regards, Rob McCaffery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHALEWAY69 Posted January 8, 2008 Report Share Posted January 8, 2008 and the memories flood back.... after taking on the other kids.. usually ending in some kind of arguement or fight down there... it was off upto the "posh" part of the grandstand, at he first bend end. this is where my auntie Denise, and granma used to sit and watch with Carole (Keith Whites wife) and Barbie (Thommo's wife). it used to amaze me that the glass never broke at the front of the grandstand... it took a hell of a battering from the riders wives!! scrounge some pennies off my granma, and off down to Snowies hut to grab a riders picture, or a pack of old programmes to take home and add to my collection. by now it was about heat 6.. so up onto the grass banking on the first bend.. and watch a couple of races... or maybe off round the back straight to watch from there.. always amazed me how full it was round there. and looking back to the grandstand.. it was packed... where did all these people come from.... actually i think now... where have they all gone!! around heat 9 or 10.. it was back to the top of the granstand.. check in with granma and auntie for the score.. and along the top of the grandtsand to find mum. usual place front of the bar, to the left of the announcers box.. in line with the start... get my autograph book, and check with mum who was scoring what and how well my favourites were doing. back down to the pits... give grandad my autograph book, and get his car keys off him... back to the car by the programme hut, and get the rolls out of the boot. two carrier bags, one cheese, one ham. up the stairs.. back to granma, give her the keys, and off down to the pits with the riders munch bags. by now... it was heat 12.. and one more to go.. down to the pits.. get in and stand like a good boy next to grandad while heat 13 went on... and watch and see who was going onto the tractor... have a nose round the visiting riders no.1 machinery... some i remember very immaculate... Ipswich always came with good clean bikes regardless of the track conditions.. Belle Vue too, with Collins and Morton 's equiptment just perfect.. but there were three visitors i used to be in awe of... Ivan, Ole, and Scott Autrey. pure professionalism throughout. usually two bikes maybe three each... seemed to be one mechanic for each bike... and only these three riders would see me as the quiet, polite and goody goody twoshoes little boy. no body else mattered. then it was to work... helping Bo, Sean, Keith with soem of there stuff to the car( no vans in these days.. just a rack on the back of a bmw or squash two bikes into a citreon familiale ! then off into the changing rooms.... grab a roll and can of pop of grandad in there... find out who he had got signed in my book, and catch whoever he had missed.. then out to meet up with the rest of the family in the riders "lounge" in the pits.. where the riders all went to get paid, have a quick beer, and chat with the staff and supporters. i loved it in there... trying to understand all the different languages... Bo Petersen and Finn Thomsen rabbiting in Danish, Zenon and Toni Kasper and later Roman, passing Polish ditties between them and there mechanics.. Chalkie (with a deep midland accent) and Thommo sharing a joke, Sean Willmott's west country twang, .... who needed to take a language course at school...!! i remember Bo putting a coat hanger in the back of my coat one night and hanging this ten year old up on the rafters!! One by one they went into a room at the back to visit Mr Silver for there wages. depending on the evenings score and how they scored would determine how long they were in there!!! then it was off... back to the pits, maybe a kick around with a ball in the summer, usually a young Andrew Silver wanted to play.. but he was far too good for me.. so it was off out to the track .. and see if we could collect some tear offs, !! i remember some of them still had elastic on them so back into the club lounge with our findings, wearing our clear tear offs!! grab a can of pop.. and out again to see what we could find.. by about eleven pm... mum had had enough of us kids... granma was tired.. grandad was moaning he had to be up for work at 5 or 6 next morning... so pack into the Marina.. get yelled at by mum for the state of my clothes.... well.. i was a kid... and it was a track full of wet mud what did she expect!! back off home.... outta waterden road, straight over and upto Hackney Hospital. here we stopped at the chip shop opposite the hospital to get our fish supper... and into the car and off home... along past Clapton pond, onto Stoke Newington, right turn, dowm through Tottenham high street, to the Angel Edmonton, turn right, and along to Montagu and into bed at my nans. i hated waking up Saturday Morning... because it was another 6 days until FRIDAY !!! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Great memories, that is the best recollection of friday night at the Wick that i have read.I can picture the scenario, even down to the mud some of which I carried back to Braintree after a wet meeting. I used to pick up Andrew Silver from school on my way in from Essex. Arrived about 5.30 and set my sales van up on the pits bend, not always in the same position depended on the mood of Uncle Len at the time! Then it was time to pick up the mag from Arthur, books from Eddie by the front entrance then set up the dope and oil. There were divided loyalties when Berrys meerry men were in town as the previous night I would have been doing the same routine in the Witches pits. Saturday mornings were not a lay in for me as it was back down the M11 again for the training school. Ryehouse sunday day off monday take the missus shopping. Crayford tuesday, Mildenhall wednesdays sometimes Ipswich thursday and back at Hackney friday wot a life. Tony in Brisbane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHALEWAY69 Posted January 8, 2008 Report Share Posted January 8, 2008 Yes alive and well, and dreaming of a track return for the Black Country Boys. I'd love to be there for the opener. Do you go to local meetings Tony? Where are you from? Speaking of race riots, I'll never forget passing through Leicester on the way back from Kings Lynn in 80 or 81, the place was like a ghost town, everything was boarded up. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Hi 0riginally from Essex via Perth 1982-2004 to Brisbane...Sunnybank Hills. former speedway spares dealer 1969-1981 ...shaleway69! Do not get to Australian speedway much, save me bickies and make an annual pilgrimage to Cardiff. knew Erik G and Kristin Paestbro when they first came to uk what was it... Hommer them Cradley? Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigerblade Posted January 8, 2008 Report Share Posted January 8, 2008 there was a lady called Genevieve who ran the Jens Rasmussen fan club who in all of his races would shout "Go on Razza" on every lap!!! I wonder what she is doing now?? Must be over twenty years ago now, but I used to be penpals with her - never met her though. Sadly I never made it to Waterden Road so I'll leave this thread to you lot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevH Posted January 8, 2008 Report Share Posted January 8, 2008 Must be over twenty years ago now, but I used to be penpals with her - never met her though. Sadly I never made it to Waterden Road, so I'll leave this thread to you lot <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You and your penpals. I can remember standing on the terracing on the first bend early in 1991, watching BBC Radio London conducting interviews with all and sundry following the news that Derek Howes had pulled out. I don't think the BBC had paid any interest in the track before that, and it still leaves a nasty taste!! I know EL Tel and Ivan moved the Hammers into the east-end a few years later, but if we are honest, that sad, sad night in 1991 was the day the Hawks died. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shazzybird Posted January 9, 2008 Report Share Posted January 9, 2008 I met my wife in the Vic Harding Lounge. Still I have many happy memories of the place despite that. Rob McCaffery <{POST_SNAPBACK}> ROFLMAO best reply rmc that really made me chuckle Sean my Dad has just come in and I've read your memories to him geeeeeeeeez you have brought back some lovely thoughts to us, am trying to get mine together but by the timeI've read the replies I've forgotten what I was going to say Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyMac Posted January 9, 2008 Report Share Posted January 9, 2008 (edited) The best, and fairest, racetrack in the south of Britain (Hyde Road, Belle Vue was best of all)... ...The Magnificent Seven march-out tune... Plechy with his back wheel pinned to the safety fence for four laps on his arrival at the end of '75...in fact, not much changed with him after that either! ...Thommo blazing round a helpless Mauger AND Autrey to win the final heat v Exeter - and hand the league title to White City in '77. ...Banger feigning to go round his opponent on the pits bend, only to totally bamboozle them by chopping back to the line in the race to the flag... Dave Morton, only ever starting off gate 4 or 1, and then heading straight for the boards before surging past with his handlebars touching the wire fence... Chalky White holding the team together throughout an injury-ravaged '77... ...Big Dave Erskine... The Flying Cucumber, Steve Lomas, hugging the white line...and beating Anders Michanek in the end-of-season Champions Chase KO... ...Requring at least six biros to get through the Champions Chase programme... ...Ken Archer in the pits...'Jack' Jackson on the track...Bert Busch in the workshop...dapper Alf Weedon on the centre green...Rose making the tea in the pits... Hawkeye digging out Wimbledon (The 'Fickles') in his programme notes... ...waiting for Miroslav Verner to arrive at the start of '71...and I'm still waiting! ...Len explaining why the PZM had caused Zenon to miss another meeting... ...Dave Kennett locking up hard on the slick... Snoopy's/Cherry's nightclub... The steep steps between the pits and the terracing on the 4th bend, where the souvenir kiosk at the top... ...Snowy doing the interval draw with Len and a rider... The main stand bar(s) and watered down lager... A flooded track on Good Friday '77 for the return home clash with Ippo...even though it hadn't rained in East London all day! We still got stuffed, as usual. The stench from the nearby Oxo factory... The gipoe's who moved in (early 80s) down Waterden Road to test the security of parked cars... ...Garry Middleton testing the starting gate elastic... The dulcet tones of Ted Sear... ...Big Fred on the coach to away matches...and the Sampson coach breaking down at Cradley one night in '76... Must go ... got work to do! But feast your eyes on these pics by clicking the link below...there's hundreds more to be added yet... http://www.retro-speedway.com/extras/autog...iders%2FHackney Edited January 9, 2008 by tmc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Thumb Posted January 9, 2008 Report Share Posted January 9, 2008 (edited) the fabulous and famous Front of grandstand kids speedway races... two cans about 30 yards apart... one can on everyones left foot, and you was there... revving with your right hand, chucking an elbow out around the first can.. good nudge.. usually about ten kids in a race..!! about eight finisers, and two limping back to mum and dad with a nice grazed knee or elbow!!! absolutly brilliant! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> yep, i was one of them! never did get that 50p tho. ...Snowy doing the interval draw with Len and a rider... I once did the draw on the green with them whilst my brothers had their ride round sat on the frame of Bo and Jens bikes. I had ride on John Titmans bike a few weeks later no silly H & S rules in those days! oh happy days Edited January 9, 2008 by Tom Thumb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Hamilton Posted January 9, 2008 Report Share Posted January 9, 2008 yep, i too was one of them! never did get that 50p tho. ...Snowy doing the interval draw with Len and a rider... I once did the draw on the green with them whilst my brothers had their ride round sat on the frame of Bo and Jens bikes. I had ride on John Titmans bike a few weeks later no silly H & S rules in those days! oh happy days <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I recently saw some pictures of the site and it still had the stand there, but the site was overgrown. Is it still waiting for development or is it waiting for a new promoter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyMac Posted January 9, 2008 Report Share Posted January 9, 2008 (edited) Is it still waiting for development or is it waiting for a new promoter? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Think you'll find a new stadium, and the area around it, is going to be used for some kind of athletics thingy (which has already cost the government and, us, the tax payers, too many millions - no, make that billions) around 2012! After that, Leyton Orient FC reckon they'll most likely be moving into a scaled-down version of the new Olympic Stadium. While O's chairman and owner Barry Hearn, being the multi-sports entrepreneur that he is, might be persuaded to operate alongside speedway, where will the fans come from to support a shale revival? The demographics and culture of that part of East London have changed beyond all recognition since speedway closed at The Wick, although, as I cynically suggested to Uncle Len last year, if he reopened at Hackney with a team of Polish riders (instead of Plech-Jankowski-Huszcza), he might run to sell-out crowds. Always said Len was ahead of his time! (Before the PC brigade get all touchy, that's not racist, just an observation on how the 'local community' has alterered in those parts, from someone who regularly alights at Leyton tube for Orient home games!) Edited January 9, 2008 by tmc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryn Posted January 9, 2008 Report Share Posted January 9, 2008 ...just an observatyion on how the 'local community' has alterered in those parts, from someone who regularly alights at Leyton tube for Orient home games! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> And I always thought you were a Hammers fan! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedwaycrazy Posted January 9, 2008 Report Share Posted January 9, 2008 Sorry about the blank posting...pressed the wrong button Great to know there is a Cradley supporter alive and well in this neck of the woods. Your mention of the journeys back from Hackney and weaving theough the overspill from the pubs, revives memories, I remember when there was some sort of race riots on and the shops were boarded up. I never stopped the van for the usual fish and saveloy during that time. I have fond memories of Bo I helped in a very small way and also built his workshop for him when he first came over. It is a pity that he never got higher placed in the World championships. Thommo was a legend even if his preparation was at the other end of the scale to Bo, who can forget the night Thommo took Mauger and Autrey from the back in a swoop round the fence on the last bend. cannot recall the date, I wonder if anyone has that on video . Tony in Brisbane <{POST_SNAPBACK}> [size=14]If anyone is interested there are Old Hackney Speedway Dvd's available on EBAY....just type in SPEEDWAY DVD in the search box and up they come!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyMac Posted January 9, 2008 Report Share Posted January 9, 2008 And I always thought you were a Hammers fan! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Bryn, get back to work old son! I don't do West Ham aways, only homes - prefer the real ale at the O's to the motorway grind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chunky Posted January 9, 2008 Report Share Posted January 9, 2008 ...Ken Archer in the pits... Anyone out there know how Ken's doing these days? We lost touch a few years ago, when Ken and Esther moved out to the Caterham area somewhere. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobMcCaffery Posted January 9, 2008 Report Share Posted January 9, 2008 Bryn, get back to work old son! I don't do West Ham aways, only homes - prefer the real ale at the O's to the motorway grind. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> This must be a reaction to being driven to a BLRC at Belle Vue via Oldham v West Ham back in the eighties. That was cold enough to drive anyone to drink in Brisbane Road ;-) (I'm not sure if Tony and his friends ever realised that the 'best pint of lager' they'd ever had after the meeting was in fact Boddingtons Bitter - well it wasn't nationally-known, or certainly in the uncivilised south then). Rob McCaffery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincent Vega Posted January 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2008 It has been great reading everyones different memories of the old place. What was the best meeting everyone remembers at the Wick? I would have to go for the Ko Cup Semi Final vs Ellesmere Port 1985 I think when the Kestrels had to pull back a massive deficit from the first leg and nearly did it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehone Posted January 9, 2008 Report Share Posted January 9, 2008 Anyone out there know how Ken's doing these days? We lost touch a few years ago, when Ken and Esther moved out to the Caterham area somewhere. Steve <{POST_SNAPBACK}> he's a regular at the WSRA annual dinner Steve ... Ken Archer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Posted January 9, 2008 Report Share Posted January 9, 2008 and just to add to my memories.. a few special moments.. those great "birthday treat" nights, riding with riders round the track .. Keith White, Bo petersen and Sean Willmott where all lucky enough (?) to take yours truly for a birthday lap. The Supporters Club Hut...Snowie full of kindness and always helpful, Vi (?) can't remember her surname but had red hair and was always packets of sweets in her pocket for me! Big Don...scared the heck outta me... wore a leather waistcoat i seem to remember.. Terry Heath, Speedway Oracle.. Thommo's Testimonial meeting... taking a penalty on the centre Green at The Orient goalkeeper in a specially erected goal, and scoring... only to miss in the second round badly... blasting over the top That magical 50th anniversary meeting... sitting in Sloopy's disco under the grandstand coz it was far too cold to go outside..wrapped in a blanket and thinking.. "this is a summer sport!" creating the Vic harding Lounge.. i remember the first time we stepped into the derelict room and thining .. wow.. what we could do with this. My step Dad helped out with the re fitting and installed and maintained the pool table... i spent a whole saturday, 10 hours playing pool while we tried to get the table level !! getting taken out of school at lunchtime for away matches all over the country.. wouldn't be allowed nowadays.. christmas parties for the kids in sloopy's under the grandstand.. and the dinner and dances... fan club disco's, and the general "closed season" social life. supporters club winter social activities.. a football team that trained at Chingford somewhere. darts nights played along the speedway match lines against other London clubs.. Terry Heath Legendary Badge, programme collections and general speedway knowledge the list goes on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHALEWAY69 Posted January 9, 2008 Report Share Posted January 9, 2008 [size=14]If anyone is interested there are Old Hackney Speedway Dvd's available on EBAY....just type in SPEEDWAY DVD in the search box and up they come!!! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> For those that may not know just key in Hackney Speedway on YouTube Long eaton v Hackney 1984 2005 Reunion 1981 Last heat from the thames sport meeting bobby g, simmo penhall Only a few minutes but what memories tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shazzybird Posted January 9, 2008 Report Share Posted January 9, 2008 2005 Reunion <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Sean!!! remember this one ...... what an excellent night that was huh!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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