When Were Tape Breaking Exclusions Introduced?

[Grachan]

Looking at some old sixties magazines I noticed that riders weren't being excluded for breaking the tapes. There was a race in 1967 at Edinburgh, for example, that needed re-running three times due to the tapes being broken, and yet all four riders were in each re-run.

 

So does anyone know when the tape exclusion rule was brough in? Must have been between 1968 and 1974, as they definitely had it in 1974. Unless, of course, the ref at Edinburgh had been eating funny mushrooms or something.

Edited June 18, 2008 by Grachan

[star ghost]

Tape breaking exclusions were not a British League "invention".

It was the norm in the early post-war years for a rider to be excluded for the offence.

In some seasons a reserve was not allowed as a replacement for the offender either.

Maybe it might have been the case for before the War in the 30s also.

[Grachan]

Thanks. They were definitely slack at excluding people in 1967 though if that's the case.

[Chris Tregidgo]

Stetching the memory, leads me to the opinion that tape breaking was an excludable offence in pre-war days and was probably so since the rolling start was replaced by gate starting. A provision in the rules allowed all riders to restart if the referee could not decide who was first to go through. In recent years the rules seem to have been mucked about with quite a lot so what the current state of affairs is, I would not know.

[norbold]

Touching the tapes was an excludable offence right from the start. After the successful experiment with starting tapes at Crystal Palace in 1933 the Control Board announced that starting gates were to be installed at all tracks for the purpose of clutch-start racing. The only difference to the Crystal Palace experiment was that riders were to line up two feet behind the gate instead of one foot. Any rider touching the tapes would be sent back and, if they repeated the offence, they would be excluded from the race.

 

This rule meant that the tapes were only lowered as the riders were at the line. Most starters were anxious to avoid broken tapes so they were raising the tape almost as soon as they were lowered. Knowing this, riders were now edging forward as soon as the tapes came down, letting in the clutch a split second later. In one race in the Crystal Palace versus Wembley match, all four riders shot forward before the tapes had risen and had to duck underneath. To get round this, the Control Board introduced a new rule which said that the tapes were to be lowered before the riders reached the line. However there didn't seem to be any consistency regarding exclusion as, reading reports of different matches, some referees excluded riders for the offence and others didn't.

[Dons67]

If memory serves me right(??). Exclusions re-introduced in 69.

In 67 & 68 riders were only fined. Thats the reason for so many re-runs

in your magazine.

[Ian]

Looking at some old sixties magazines I noticed that riders weren't being excluded for breaking the tapes. There was a race in 1967 at Edinburgh, for example, that needed re-running three times due to the tapes being broken, and yet all four riders were in each re-run.

 

So does anyone know when the tape exclusion rule was brough in? Must have been between 1968 and 1974, as they definitely had it in 1974. Unless, of course, the ref at Edinburgh had been eating funny mushrooms or something.

 

I can't be certain about 1967 Grachan, but I can tell you that in the old Provincial Leage (1960-64, RIP) riders were fined the princely sum of £1 for breaking the tapes. I remember this vividly because George Hunter was usually fined close to once per meeting, although I think the fine was usually paid for him either by Ian Hoskins or the supporters.

 

Incidentally, the pay rates in those days were frugal. £1 per start and £1 per point. A 12-point maximum therefore earned the rider £16.

 

 

 

 

[Grachan]

I also read that in 1967 Norman Hunter staged a one-man protest about the constantly bad starts by deliberately breaking the tapes. I've just tried to find it, but can't.

 

Maybe he was protesting about the scrapping of exclusions for tape-breaking?

[TwoMinuteWarning]

Incidentally, the pay rates in those days were frugal. £1 per start and £1 per point. A 12-point maximum therefore earned the rider £16.

 

Ah, but weren't league footballers paid about £24 a week in those days?

 

Mind you those Provincial League riders really earned their money on some of the rough, rutted, pot-holed tracks they had to ride on!

 

By the way, I have a 1934 Speedway News in front of me, and tape exclusions were fairly common - more often, it seems, for touching the tapes rather than breaking them.

[Ian]

I also read that in 1967 Norman Hunter staged a one-man protest about the constantly bad starts by deliberately breaking the tapes. I've just tried to find it, but can't.

 

Maybe he was protesting about the scrapping of exclusions for tape-breaking?

 

Well of course we had proper protests in those days. Who could ever forget the sit-down strike at the 1963 Provincial League Riders Championship?