Gordon Mcgregor

[KevH]

Has anyone got any information on Gordon please?

 

Particularly looking for his place/date of birth, but even his nationality would be good.

[mervjankefanclub]

almost certain 'the tash' was a scotsman kev i am sure someone will confirm this

[KevH]

almost certain 'the tash' was a scotsman kev i am sure someone will confirm this

Thanks for that MJFC, he certainly sounds Scottish.............can anyone please confirm?

[BOBBATH]

almost certain 'the tash' was a scotsman kev i am sure someone will confirm this

Gordon was definitely Scottish-had v. long career-Glasgow?, Oxford, Belle Vue, Doncaster-probably others. I recall him for Belle Vue in mid sixties think he was third heat leader with Soren Sjosten and Dick Fisher.

[Brian Hamilton]

Thanks for that MJFC, he certainly sounds Scottish.............can anyone please confirm?

Certainly was scottish and I spoke to him at Oxford many times when I was a lad. I used to go over to the Cowley Stadium in my school lunch hour and have a look round the pits and the first time that I did hee frightened me to death when he shouted at me to ask what i was doing!!

 

Later, I got Gordon and the then Team Manager Ted Flanagan to come to my Boys Club and present

our annual trophies.

 

Bit of useless info there, but fond memories for me.

[Namron]

Certainly was scottish and I spoke to him at Oxford many times when I was a lad. I used to go over to the Cowley Stadium in my school lunch hour and have a look round the pits and the first time that I did hee frightened me to death when he shouted at me to ask what i was doing!!

 

Later, I got Gordon and the then Team Manager Ted Flanagan to come to my Boys Club and present

our annual trophies.

 

Bit of useless info there, but fond memories for me.

 

Gordon passed away a few years back. After spending the latter years of his life in a North Oxford Nursing Home.

I know this as fact , as i was a taxi driver at the time and often took his wife from their home in Cowley to visit him.

The distinctive riding style he had when he rode for Oxford in the late 50's and early 60's still remain in my memory.

 

Regards

Norman Hall (Nobby)

 

[norbold]

Gordon McGregor was born in Dunfermline in 1921.

[Gemini]

Gordon was definitely Scottish-had v. long career-Glasgow?, Oxford, Belle Vue, Doncaster-probably others.

 

Include Leicester Hunters amongst the others. Gordon rode for us for two seasons - 1955 and 1956 - scoring over 800 points in 83 matches, but was loaned to Oxford in 1957 because he had secured work in that area.

[BOBBATH]

Interesting post-I last saw Gordon McGregor ride in Doncaster in 1970-so he was 49 then-that means he was still a heat leader in the BL at age 44- that's pretty amazing-according to my 1950 Stenners he was riding for Glasgow White City regularly in 1949-and since by then he waould have been 28 perhaps he rode earlier also.

[tigerowl]

Gordon is featured in my CD book.

 

McGREGOR, Gordon

 

Born: November 28, 1921, Linlithgow, Scotland.*

Died: October, 2001.

 

It is rare for a speedway rider to stay in the game for a quarter of a century but Gordon McGregor achieved this distinction, serving his chosen sport in four separate decades after starting out with Glasgow in 1947. He had had previous experience on the Hanomag track in post-war Germany whilst serving with the forces but was noted more for his luxurious facial hair, earning him the nickname of ‘The Tash’, rather than his point scoring ability in the fledgling years of his career. However, he started to progress on the track in 1949 and had soon forced his way into a heat leader berth at the White City Stadium before figuring in a cross country move to the newly formed Motherwell ‘Eagles’ in 1951.

 

Once at Motherwell he confirmed his status as a respected heat leader in the Second Division and during his time at Milton Street he established club records for appearances and point scoring that still stand today. After the sport in Scotland dwindled away, Gordon, like many fellow Scots, had to come south of the border to continue his career and in England he showed some of his finest form yet, initially in Division Two with Leicester, and then with Oxford with whom he spent six years without missing a single league or cup match for the club.

 

In 1963 he signed for the Belle Vue ‘Aces’ and helped the club to their first league title since the war with a superb average of 8.83, demonstrating his value to the team by clocking up a remarkable 41 bonus points in 28 league and cup matches. This proved to be the peak of his career and, as he neared his mid 40s, his scoring began to decline. He appeared to be finished as a force when leaving Hyde Road in 1966 but in 1970, at the age of 48, Gordon was offered the chance to return to full time racing to lead an inexperienced Doncaster side in their second and final season in the sport. Recording six full maximums and averaging over nine points per match, Gordon proved to be one of the top riders in Division Two that season and, apart from a couple of unsuccessful outings at Birmingham in 1971, it proved to be a fine end to a long and illustrious career. He was recognised at international level by England, taking part in three tours of Australia, and also gained a Great Britain cap in 1964 when he rode in the third and final test match at Belle Vue against the Soviet Union.

 

Year Club Division M R P BP TP CMA FM PM

1947 Glasgow NL2 6 16 10 5 15 3.75 - -

1948 Glasgow NL2 32 71 54 15 69 3.89 - -

1949 Glasgow NL2 46 182 260 30 290 6.37 2 1

1950 Glasgow NL2 32 133 229 23 252 7.58 - 1

1951 Motherwell NL2 31 128 257 19 276 8.63 2 1

1952 Motherwell NL2 46 187 348 31 379 8.11 4 5

1953 Motherwell NL2 38 161 298 45 343 8.52 - 5

1954 Motherwell NL2 21 80 118 10 128 6.40 - 1

1955 Leicester NL2 33 165 281 16 297 7.20 1 2

1956 Leicester NL2 31 166 328 17 345 8.31 2 2

1957 Oxford NL 20 97 144 21 165 6.80 - -

1958 Oxford NL 20 103 183 14 197 7.65 1 -

1959 Oxford NL 20 100 212 7 219 8.76 2 -

1960 Oxford NL 20 89 155 20 175 7.87 - -

1961 Oxford NL 20 80 116 16 132 6.60 - 1

1962 Oxford NL 28 109 148 15 163 5.98 - -

1963 Belle Vue NL 28 115 213 41 254 8.83 - 6

1964 Belle Vue NL 14 52 63 7 70 5.38 - 1

1965 Belle Vue BL 35 141 248 17 265 7.52 1 1

1966 Belle Vue BL 30 104 123 16 139 5.35 - 1

1967 Glasgow BL 3 12 11 3 14 4.67 - -

1967 Long Eaton BL 4 13 4 0 4 1.23 - -

1969 King’s Lynn II BL2 1 5 11 0 11 8.80 - -

1970 Doncaster BL2 29 118 267 9 276 9.36 6 -

1971 Birmingham BL2 2 3 1 0 1 1.33 - -

 

International Honours: England international – 19 caps, 83 points, Great Britain international - 1 cap, 2 points.

Team Honours: National League Championship winner 1963.

 

 

 

[Gemini]

Very impressive. Thanks.

I don't suppose they had testimonials in those days, but Gordon would have certainly deserved one.....or two.

[Puma23]

Some info about his rides in Australian and Scottish championship here:

 

http://www.lubusports.pl/mat05/zawodnik.ph...zwisko=McGregor