What Me Miss About 70s Speedway

[iris123]

I had a Jim McMillan one and a Charlie Monk one when i was a wean Although Charlie's photograph , whether on the front of the programme or on the rossette , would scare the weans .

I know what you mean about Charlie

Old Hurri-Ken was also a bit scary.I mean not only him,but there seemed to be a few back then that looked like they were 60 years old or something I wonder if the youngsters today think thesame about Buzz Burrows or Greg Hancock

[sandman]

I know what you mean about Charlie

Old Hurri-Ken was also a bit scary.I mean not only him,but there seemed to be a few back then that looked like they were 60 years old or something I wonder if the youngsters today think thesame about Buzz Burrows or Greg Hancock

 

naah.. Greg is a pup. nothing compares to seein Jack Millen sitting on his tool box just lookin for somebodys a** to kick, for fun. Usually the older tough ones used to send glares around the pits whilst smokin a fag, just lookin to see if anybody was lookin at them. that was all it took. howz about an angry Bruce Cribb, (absolutely a jewell of a man when not angered) or havin Arthur Browning coming after ya? enough to make ya wet yer pants for sure.

[sandman]

Plus maybe one or two of Tommy Jansson, I would think.

 

hey, welcome back JB!

[Jim Blanchard]

I know what you mean about Charlie

Old Hurri-Ken was also a bit scary.I mean not only him,but there seemed to be a few back then that looked like they were 60 years old or something I wonder if the youngsters today think thesame about Buzz Burrows or Greg Hancock

 

 

I know what you mean Doug. When I was a young sprogg going down to NX, I use to think that about Cyril Roger and Cyril Brine; what are these 'silly old duffers about'. Most likely - bless 'em - they were actually half the age I am now, and were still very fine riders.

 

One of my prize posessions is a Peter Craven, Belle Vue rosette, which I would not part with.

 

(Well, many thanks for that Sandman... )

 

 

 

[False dawn]

How I wish I had saved along with my old programmes!!

How I wish I hadn't! I've now got over 30 years worth of Bees programmes (home and away) plus other major meetings. They're all nicely boxed and happily sitting in my loft. What the devil do I do with them when I move house???

 

[Jim Blanchard]

How I wish I hadn't! I've now got over 30 years worth of Bees programmes (home and away) plus other major meetings. They're all nicely boxed and happily sitting in my loft. What the devil do I do with them when I move house???

 

Put them on Ebay?

 

 

 

[slickmick]

Tony my big brother for dragging me along to see speedway (firstly at New Cross in the 60s)

then at Wimbledon

 

Crayford tuesday

Wimbledon thursday Wednesdays was a 80s thing wasn't it, when plough lane became GRA h/o?

Hackney friday at 8

Canterbury saturday(rarely as I used to work saturdays)

Eastbourne Sunday afternoon

 

The spring classic and internationale at wimbledon

 

That daily mirror international series final at Wembley(my first speedway meeting at the twin towers)

The hotdogs at same meeting

 

the shock when I heard about Tommy Janssons death.

 

Roger Johns (wimbledon) Barry Thomas (hackney/crayford/hackney)

 

Bert(haggis) Harkins White boots and his kilts

 

The geek with a motor bike who took my then girlfriend to white city(I didn't drive then)

 

The future girlfriend now my Wife, I think I fell even deeper in love when she said she had been too 2 wembley world finals and used to support Canterbury crusaders, and she had a Triumph Herald(I still didn't drive then)

 

Taking ages to smooth a Wimbledon speedway sun visor across the screen of the triumph(think we had one on the rear screen as well).

 

The feeling of belonging the night we turned up slightly later then usual to find someone had saved our favourite seats for us.

 

The night going home from Crayford in the pouring rain, when we found we had a flat tyre , and the night of the road on his kawasaki ,who changed the tyre for us, as he said he was better attired in his leathers then we were, good old Bernie, every where we went after that he seem to be there, and we never told him where we would be going.

 

I could keep going for ages but it is beginning to become my life story.

Edited November 1, 2008 by slickmick

[czechhero]

A few more............

Going to Brum in a Reliant van

Going to Cradley in a Reliant van

Going to Stoke in a Reliant van

Going to Wolves in a Reliant van

Going To Cradley on the train.

Brummies riding for Birmingham

Riders from Brum actually riding speedway.

Proper end of season shennanigans (Donkey Derbies etc)

Angus Kix Glamour League in Speedway Star

Getting, er, excited (wrong choice of word?) when a girl I knew was in it, in a bikini!!! phwoarrr!!!!

[Guest sjl]

How I wish I hadn't! I've now got over 30 years worth of Bees programmes (home and away) plus other major meetings. They're all nicely boxed and happily sitting in my loft. What the devil do I do with them when I move house???

 

Don't move house?

 

[False dawn]

I did used to like the mechanics bringing the bikes onto the track prior to each race and seeing the riders walk out from the pits. It always had the sense of gladiators coming out to do battle.

[BOBBATH]

To falsedawn-how do I get to that planet you say you live on,because I clearly don't belong here!!

[False dawn]

To falsedawn-how do I get to that planet you say you live on,because I clearly don't belong here!!

Hey, I'm from Mars, same as you Bob!

 

P.S. Silly me, I now see to what you were referring. For the record, it's a quote from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy that I "borrowed".

Edited November 4, 2008 by False dawn

[Rebelfan]

 

* Some absolutely awful journeys (e.g. Oxford to Hyde Road in the back of a Mini)

* Big tracks

* True superstars - Mauger, Michanek, Collins

* Golden Helmet - could go seasons without seeing it

* Wills Internationale on the BBC

* Daily Mirror International Tournaments and the Grand Prix @ White City (Ole and the helmet colour!)

* The inter-league KO Cup, when there was the occasional upset, remember White City nearly losing to Mildenhall)

* Truly despising all that was Reading, especially the DJ/JD era

* Dag Lovaas (God!)

 

[BobC]

Canterbury Speedway....Being greeted by the Great Johnnie Hoskins.The GB U21 meetings.Dick and the mob press ganging you to buy programmes.

 

Announcers.....Ted Sear(Hackney),Jack Knott(Poole),Graham Hambly(Exeter)

 

Swindon....Yep,those cheese n onion rolls,Martin Ashby in full flight round the Abbey.

 

Poole....The Knott family.I never did appreciate how good they were,till they sold out to Fearman. Christer Lofqvist,still my favourite.

 

Weymouth....Training school meetings with Wolves and Eastbourne.In fact,passed my driving test on a Wednesday,and got my one and only(so far) speeding ticket driving to Eastie on the Sunday!

 

Belle Vue....Going to the BLRC and fair.I even beat Simmo and PC in one race on the Karts,both from the back too! Trying to beat Chris Pusey and those mad Poles on the horse racing.Oh,and 'the Bobs' switchback.

 

Racing with lights that covered the track only,as opposed to floodlights.

 

Great days......

[chunky]

The pork and stuffing sarnies -and the pork scratchings - at Cradley!!!

 

Steve

[sandman]

how about the fact it had to be bucketing down with rain to cancel a meeting. or, that song, which was a disco tune by some german fella, played over and over again at kings lynn. the words, were schpeedway, (bud dump a dump, ssshpeeday, bud a dump a dump.) or after the meetings runnin on the track lookin for bits of shattered perspex. or those little handles on the duck bills of the riders helmets, and all they had to do was hit them to allow another clean bit of perspex to come down. or ivan maugers experiment with a duckbill with two tiny mirrors, one on each corner so he could see what the competition behind was doin? steel shoes with a 3" curved lift at the front of em. crude bike covers on bikes on the back of cortinas, and last but not least, bank holiday local derby meetings? and, it has been mentioned numerous times, but... belle vue with its wooden fence & mickey mouse fun fair. all of this was during ted heaths and, to be fair harold wilsons rein. boarded up shops, and going back you can hear ghost town by the specials(?) going through your head. and i agree with an earlier post. riders smoking in the pits (hello barry thomas). mebbe, things are better now come to think of it.

[False dawn]

......or those little handles on the duck bills of the riders helmets, and all they had to do was hit them to allow another clean bit of perspex to come down.....

The Barry Briggs patented "Double Action Flicker" no less!

 

[Graham]

MJFC

 

You must have started going a little while before me but I felt exactly the same way about speedway as a youngster. There was something about Glasgow during the Blantyre era which really appealed to me and you've mentioned most of them.

 

I remember lots of people at Blantyre 1 wearing the club jacket which had the name "TIGERS" in red letters horizontally down a white panel on the arm. I'm sure you remember them too. In fact you still see one or two people wearing them at Ashfield. A bit tragic I suppose but at least they've got the use out of them.

 

the Angus Kix Glamour League at the back of the Speedway Star........PHWOOOAARRR!!!!

One of those little things which kind of sums up the 1970s. I think that Coatbridge won it one year.

 

To be honest most of the girls were pretty ordinary looking but I'm sure people kept reading just in case some 70s babe in a wet t-shirt turned up.

 

Speaking of t-shirts, remember the World Final t-shirts that came out every year and were usually advertised in the Speedway Star by a pouting female model?

 

Other things about 70s speedway;

 

Quirky, short-lived tracks e.g. Hevingham, Castleford, Ashington, Paisley, Newtongrange.

Results of winter meetings at Iwade in the Star

The Chopper Bike Champioships each November at Belle Vue.

Feisty articles in the Glasgow programme, particulalrly Ian Steel's visitors page.

 

 

 

[Phlipphlopp]

ending up on the track at exeter after a length of fence collapsed, and holding it up with god knows how many other fans for the last heat . am sure 'elf and safety would have been chuffed

Autrey beating Olsen after stalking him then selling him an outragious dummy on the second bend

the deaf and dumb guy was at Exeter too !

Super Simmo not turning up AGAIN !

Bob Kilby getting another flyer

jumping over the fence for tear-offs and even the odd piece of mudguard after a spill

Peter Prinsloo (aka rubber man ) falling off and getting back on his feet quicker than he fell !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mervjankefanclub]

I remember lots of people at Blantyre 1 wearing the club jacket which had the name "TIGERS" in red letters horizontally down a white panel on the arm. I'm sure you remember them too. In fact you still see one or two people wearing them at Ashfield. A bit tragic I suppose but at least they've got the use out of them.

 

Feisty articles in the Glasgow programme, particulalrly Ian Steel's visitors page.

 

I do remember them Graham and I have spotted one or two of them around Ashfield, but they were actually from 1983 and were the Wulf Sports jacket of their day with most teams having them in club colours. For some reason when I think of them all I can picture is Stuart Bamforth in his Aces one

 

Yes Ian Steels page was always interesting, particularly when Mildenhall came to town. I remember one particular piece not from the 70s though, where he claimed that Richard Knight was - "a rider I have never rated"......dont hold back Ian say what you really think

 

What I do remember from the 70s was me and my Dad walking it to Blantyre from Burnbank and every Friday we would walk past this couple who also came from Burnbank and every week they were decked out in red and white. Wether it was trousers, jumpers, hat, jacket etc, absolutely everything was either red or white. Being a youngster I thought they were a right couple of space cadets

Edited November 4, 2008 by mervjankefanclub