Careers Ruined By Injury

[chunky]

Seeing the thread on Wayne Briggs prompted me to start this. Who do you think could have gone on to much greater things had it not been for injury. I'm not talking about career-ending tragedies, more along the lines of unlucky riders who often suffered niggling little injuries, enough hurt one's confidence, or maybe a broken limb or two at the wrong time, from which they didn't really seem to recover.

 

Wayne Briggs is a prime example, particularly with regard to his wrist injuries. Another would be Ronnie Genz. Although his injuries were often a little more serious, he still bounced back reasonably well. However, what would he have achieved had he stayed relatively injury free?

 

Even though he went on to enjoy some very successful international results toward the end of his career, I often wonder how good Toni Kasper might have been without that broken leg? Even Kevin Jolly, I feel, was never quite the rider he was before breaking his leg.

 

What do you think???

 

Steve

 

 

 

 

[Dave67]

Andy Hackett

 

Cracking little racer, who always appeared on the brink of stepping up from quality reserve to the team proper when some form injury would knock him back.

[BOBBATH]

To me the three champions of this thread must be 1)Torbjorn Harrysson-should have been World Champion 2) Arne Pander 3)Sverre Harrfeldt-I know these guys had great careers but I reckon they would have done even more-and while I'm on the subject -farther back -what about Graham Warren?? Yet again Norman Hunter who I thought was just about to achieve his potential in 1969.Thanx for making me think of this my Illinois friend!!

[Parsloes 1928 nearly]

I understand that Dave Kennett was a massive prospect before an injury early-ish in his career set him back.

 

He was, in the time I watched him ride (for Hackney and winning the BL title with White City ), a more than useful middle-order rider in the top division; but I believe a lot more had once been predicted for him..

[John Hannibal Thomas]

Malcolm Hogg, looked destined for greatness racing alongside Nicki Pederson - and look what Nicki learned from racing alongside Malcolm?!

[Guest Schumi]

Andy Galvin.

[Railway End]

 

Tim Bungay broke both legs’ riding for Newport at Exeter in 1966

He did ride again but I don’t think he fulfilled his early promise.

 

[chunky]

To me the three champions of this thread must be 1)Torbjorn Harrysson-should have been World Champion 2) Arne Pander 3)Sverre Harrfeldt-I know these guys had great careers but I reckon they would have done even more-and while I'm on the subject -farther back -what about Graham Warren?? Yet again Norman Hunter who I thought was just about to achieve his potential in 1969.Thanx for making me think of this my Illinois friend!!

 

See, already we've had some interesting replies... Arne Pander is a definite, although I'm not sure that injury really affected Sverre's career that much before he had really passed his peak. He was still a great rider, but I think that any real potential had gone. I was at West Ham when he broke his arm, and he never really recovered from that.

 

I was also at Wembley when Toby broke his leg. The thing is, did he ever really make a go of it after that? I considered that as one of those possibly career-ending injuries. It did take Norman a long time to recover, and it's true, he was going great guns in 1969, and never really recaptured that form.

 

Excellent choices, Bobbath.

 

Steve

Edited March 23, 2008 by chunky

[Wessex Wanderer]

Sverre Harrfeldt definitely.

 

Also: Tony George, Steve Taylor, Alan Emmett, Rob Lightfoot, Mac Woolford - all with excellent starts to careers ended much too early by injury. Sadly there must be a lot more in this category.

[chunky]

Andy Galvin.

 

...and while we're on the subject, what about Paul Whittaker?

 

Steve

[chunky]

Sverre Harrfeldt definitely.

 

Also: Tony George, Steve Taylor, Alan Emmett, Rob Lightfoot, Mac Woolford - all with excellent starts to careers ended much too early by injury. Sadly there must be a lot more in this category.

 

Yep, Rob Lightfoot was another than sprang to mind. More great choices.

 

Steve

[TonyMac]

I'm not sure that injury really affected Sverre's career that much before he had really passed his peak. He was still a great rider, but I think that any real potential had gone. I was at West Ham when he broke his arm, and he never really recovered from that.

Steve

 

 

Steve, the injury that really did for Sverre was the badly broken thigh he suffered in the 1968 European Final in Poland.

 

Speaking recently to Simmo (Sverre's former team-mate from West Ham), Malc reckons Harrfeldt would have gone on to be world champion but for that bad smash in Poland.

 

We'll have to interview 'Hearthrob' soon to find out his view, though.

 

Dave Kennett's career suffered a serious setback the night (April 1973) he and Hackney team-mate Allan Emmett piled into the fence on the pits turn at Waterden Road, while leading Leicester's Ray Wilson. Although that incident affected Emmett even worse. and he was probably more talented than Dave. Kennett always struggled from the gate in top flight racing.

[BOBBATH]

Was interested to see the name Tony George-I saw him ride as ,I think ,reserve for Exeter at Swindon in BL in 1968-the last meeting I saw at Swindon before I emigrated.He looked really promising-didn't he then ride for Plymouth in Div 2-sort of lost track of him after that-didn't even know he had an accident-when was that then??

[BOBBATH]

Do you think Les Owen of Coventry figures in this list-"Muscles "was doing well in 62-63 then he had a terrible smash up.Wondered if this in fact affected him in later life and contributed to his tragic death.

[chunky]

Steve, the injury that really did for Sverre was the badly broken thigh he suffered in the 1968 European Final in Poland. Speaking recently to Simmo (Sverre's former team-mate from West Ham), Malc reckons Harrfeldt would have gone on to be world champion but for that bad smash in Poland.

 

I do realise that, Tony, and obviously, Simmo probably knew more than we did! I wasn't actually saying that it was only the arm injury that affected him, but at that point - and after what he had been through already - that pretty much seemed to be the end of Sverre.

 

My dad was actually good friends with Sverre, and helped him out quite a bit.

 

Although that incident affected Emmett even worse. and he was probably more talented than Dave. Kennett always struggled from the gate in top flight racing.

 

I do agree with your assessment of Alan Emmett.

 

Steve

Edited March 24, 2008 by chunky

[chunky]

Was interested to see the name Tony George-I saw him ride as ,I think ,reserve for Exeter at Swindon in BL in 1968-the last meeting I saw at Swindon before I emigrated.He looked really promising-didn't he then ride for Plymouth in Div 2-sort of lost track of him after that-didn't even know he had an accident-when was that then??

 

Tony broke his kneecap riding for Romford AT Plymouth in 1969, after he had spent the previous season at Pennycross. He did make five appearances for Romford in 1970, but made little impact.

 

Also Bobbath, with regard to Les Owen, he actually had a couple of really bad smashes, including his last which left him partially paralysed. I saw Les at the 2000 British GP at Coventry (not too long before his tragic death, I think), and was shocked and saddened to see how bad he looked.

 

Steve

Edited March 24, 2008 by chunky

[norbold]

I do think that Sverre could have gone further, although already reaching no. 2 in the world is not bad!!!

 

Another who had already reached no. 3 but whose career was badly affected by injury was/is Chris Louis.

[shippy22]

 

Agree re Allen Emmett, he did try to ride again after his injury, but struggled in second half races at Rye House.

 

Steve Clarke was another rider who was extremely promising, but 2 bad crashes, both resulting in serious head injuries, finished his career.

 

Andy Fines also had a run of bad injuries, after a very promising start.

[Barcroftlad]

I'll throw in a wild card here,simply because he was making his mark in 1954/55/56, before most on here were watching speedway. He is my old school mate Johnny Greenwood.He appeared for Liverpool and Exeter. He also rode for Edinburgh. In my scrap book I have an article from the Speedway Gazette Oct 16 1954 about Johnny and which concludes that "Johnny Greenwood was the last great rider to happen at the finest circuit in Scotland". I'm guessing that not many of you have heard of Johnny as I have never seen a reference to him on the various boards. I left UK in 1954 for Australia but we kept in touch and when he was offered a contract in 1956, by Fred Tracey, former rider and then promoter at Maribyrnong track in Melbourne, I was at the wharf to meet him. Johnny did very well in Melbourne and was invited to race in South Australia against the great Jack Young on his home track.As I recall, he was going for a maximum in his last race,had a bad start,tried too hard and crashed,losing the use of his right arm for life. Who knows what he was capable of. He was a tearaway with absolutely no fear. We are still in regular contact and meet up when I visit UK. He goes to most of the GP events, and is a member of the speedway vets ass, I believe.Cheers.

[AndyM]

Obviously Alan Wilkinson, though he would never have been a world champ. However, I definitely think Andy Smith and Joe Screen, for all their achievements, never really fulfilled their full potential thanks to injury. Shame.