gary o'hare Posted October 23, 2008 Report Share Posted October 23, 2008 peter collins. enough said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOBBATH Posted October 24, 2008 Report Share Posted October 24, 2008 what's this mean?????????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary o'hare Posted October 24, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2008 what's this mean??????????sorry i meant to post in things i miss about the 70s. and thats what i miss. top man dont you agree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iris123 Posted October 24, 2008 Report Share Posted October 24, 2008 Oh i agree.Absolutely fantastic on his day.And that seemed to be most days.Although he was superb at Hyde Road,he still seemed to be just as good and very exciting at the much different Plough Lane.He was just so exciting to watch.At least in the period i saw him regularly 73-77.I sort of drifted away for a while what with exams and taking a degree.When i got back into speedway again he was still going well(84).I remember going to Hyde Road and seeing him Mort and a young Andy Smith demolish the oppo.But what happened to him in that 78-84 period?.I would have expected him to maybe add a title or so to his collection.At least be on the rostrum a few times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff. Posted October 24, 2008 Report Share Posted October 24, 2008 Oh i agree.Absolutely fantastic on his day.And that seemed to be most days.Although he was superb at Hyde Road,he still seemed to be just as good and very exciting at the much different Plough Lane.He was just so exciting to watch.At least in the period i saw him regularly 73-77.I sort of drifted away for a while what with exams and taking a degree.When i got back into speedway again he was still going well(84).I remember going to Hyde Road and seeing him Mort and a young Andy Smith demolish the oppo.But what happened to him in that 78-84 period?.I would have expected him to maybe add a title or so to his collection.At least be on the rostrum a few times. Peter Collins' best years were 1973 to 1977, altough still right at the top of the averages he wasn't the same PC in the years 1978 to 1980, maybe just because he had learned to gate a bit by then. Right at the end of 1980 in the KO Cup at Cradley he badly damaged his left shoulder/arm and announced his retirement from the sport. Coming back at the end of 1981 he was an 8 point plus man gradually declining to only 6+ before retiring for good at the end of 86 As regards world finals, 1978 was the sugar in the tank year at the British Final and he didn't make Wembley, 1979 at Katowice he went int the meeting as favourite but flopped badly, similar story in 1980, top of the national averages but a poor world final. In 1981 he was barred from competing in the World Title chase, but was back in 1982 at LA were but for leading the infamous heat 14 for 3 laps he had a pretty miserable final. That was it as far as speedway individual finals went although he was still a contender on the long tracks for another 5 or so years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iris123 Posted October 24, 2008 Report Share Posted October 24, 2008 Thanks for that Peter.So i was lucky enough to see PC's best years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyM Posted October 24, 2008 Report Share Posted October 24, 2008 Indeed so - he was never quite the same after the shoulder injury, though he was always a joy to watch. At his best he was without equal, so it's a great shame that circumstances conspired to rob him of at least one more world title to add to Katowice 76. My teenage hero! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norbold Posted October 24, 2008 Report Share Posted October 24, 2008 I thought your teenage idol was Sprouts Elder... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyM Posted October 24, 2008 Report Share Posted October 24, 2008 I thought your teenage idol was Sprouts Elder... Yes, I'm old.... but not quite as old as you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatums Left Nut Posted November 13, 2008 Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 MegaVideo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shazzybird Posted November 13, 2008 Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 I love your name Tatums Left Nut ..... always makes me laugh as did someone else in the chatroom called Hunglikeamouse pmsl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asturmer Posted November 13, 2008 Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 Thanks for that Peter.So i was lucky enough to see PC's best years Last year at the Ron Johnson International Meeting in Perth, Peter did a few laps on a modern lay down and was running at the same lap times as the International riders! Racing conditions would of course be different on such a small track as Pinjar Park! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandman Posted November 14, 2008 Report Share Posted November 14, 2008 Last year at the Ron Johnson International Meeting in Perth, Peter did a few laps on a modern lay down and was running at the same lap times as the International riders! Racing conditions would of course be different on such a small track as Pinjar Park! the extra pounds that come with age gave him an advantage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liverpool chad Posted December 2, 2009 Report Share Posted December 2, 2009 Peter Collins was truly great to watch in the 1970's and IMO was largly responsable for making speedway popular on itv in the mid seventys, with his dashing moves from the back. I was fortunate enough to see Collins from his days at Rochdale to his retirement in the mid eightys and i can honestly say whilst not a Belle Vue supporter he was the main reason for me going to see the aces more than any other side throughout those years. The night he snapped his handlebar in two and still won the race, his run off with Michanek in the KO cup final, Katowice '76, Ullevi '77, are just some of the first memories that come flooding back. For me PC was the most naturally gifted rider of that era or any since and no english rider has come anywhere near replacing him! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaiser Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 Sadly i only started going to BV in 1982, when PC was coming to the later stages of his career (still brilliant at hyde road though). So i never watched him at his peak, my dad watched him in the early 70s and said he was just unbelievable passing top riders for fun. For me Mort was my hero around BV, as between 82-87 he was probably at his peak, i just wish id been around too have seen PC in full flight in the 70s. You only have to watch the 76 world final to realise he was a fantastic rider, his natural abillity deserved more than 1 world title, although im pretty sure if it hadnt been for a broken leg in 77 he would have won another(well thats what my dad says and thats good enough for me!!!). PC still looked pretty good when he did a few laps at the 80th anniversary last year, we even joked he could have done a job at reserve in the current team!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parsloes 1928 nearly Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 Oh i agree.Absolutely fantastic on his day.And that seemed to be most days.Although he was superb at Hyde Road,he still seemed to be just as good and very exciting at the much different Plough Lane.He was just so exciting to watch.At least in the period i saw him regularly 73-77.I sort of drifted away for a while what with exams and taking a degree.When i got back into speedway again he was still going well(84).I remember going to Hyde Road and seeing him Mort and a young Andy Smith demolish the oppo.But what happened to him in that 78-84 period?.I would have expected him to maybe add a title or so to his collection.At least be on the rostrum a few times. Absolutely.. My first ever visit to Plough Lane was in '73 to see PC win the Wills Internationale... What a meeting... And what a rider... Another Plough Lane memory (less good...) was climbing aboard the Tee Mill coach in the Wimbledon Stadium car park in '77 for the long drive (including ferry crossings) to Gothenberg for the WF, to open the Star and read of Peter's freak accident with the drain cover. It was a cruel, cruel blow as he was nailed on to retain his world crown. But blimey, in the shocking rain at Ullevi he so nearly did anyway.. What a rider. Exactly like you iris, I was taking my degree in '78 to '81 and saw less of the sport, though recall seeing PC riding for the Aces at what became for those years my 'home' track, Blackbird Road... And went on the Leicester Supporters club coach to Coventry to see PC in what I think was his only British Final win.. Am puzzled by one thing though, this comment: In 1981 he was barred from competing in the World Title chase, What's that about..? I certainly don't recall any such ban..?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sotonian Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 Wasn't that the year he chose to opt out of British league racing after his injury at the end of the previous season? The BSPA rather unfairly decreed 'no league racing, no world championship entry' and barred him from the qualifiers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucifer sam Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 What's that about..? I certainly don't recall any such ban..?! Parsloes, I thought were PC's No. 1 fan? He was not allowed to ride in the 1981 British Championship by the British speedway authorities as he had opted to spend the year riding on the continent whilst he recovered from the shoulder injury he sustained at a rain soaked Cradley Heath in the cup final at the end of the 1980 season. Hence he also missed out on the World Championship that year. I believe he still was in the World Longtrack Championship in 1981. All the best Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waihekerich Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 Peter Collins' best years were 1973 to 1977, altough still right at the top of the averages he wasn't the same PC in the years 1978 to 1980, maybe just because he had learned to gate a bit by then. Right at the end of 1980 in the KO Cup at Cradley he badly damaged his left shoulder/arm and announced his retirement from the sport. Coming back at the end of 1981 he was an 8 point plus man gradually declining to only 6+ before retiring for good at the end of 86 As regards world finals, 1978 was the sugar in the tank year at the British Final and he didn't make Wembley, 1979 at Katowice he went int the meeting as favourite but flopped badly, similar story in 1980, top of the national averages but a poor world final. In 1981 he was barred from competing in the World Title chase, but was back in 1982 at LA were but for leading the infamous heat 14 for 3 laps he had a pretty miserable final. That was it as far as speedway individual finals went although he was still a contender on the long tracks for another 5 or so years I think you're underselling PC's performances after returning, as he was a genuine heat leader from 82-85. He averaged around 9 in 82 and 83, over 10 in 84 and over 8 in 85. It was only 86, when an old injury was aggravated after Kenny Carter knocked him off, that his average declined to around 6.5. Obviously, nowhere near the performances of his glory days, but he was still a fantastic sight around Hyde Rd. He also picked up the world pairs titles back to back in 83,84 as well as being runner up in 82, and finished on the rostrum at the BLRC in 85. I feel priviledged to have seen him and Mort riding together so many times in heat 13 around the greatest racetrack in speedway History (and watching him and smudger ride together in 84 was always pretty exciting too!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Butler Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 Indeed so - he was never quite the same after the shoulder injury, though he was always a joy to watch. At his best he was without equal, so it's a great shame that circumstances conspired to rob him of at least one more world title to add to Katowice 76. My teenage hero! I thought your teenage idol was Sprouts Elder... Yes, I'm old.... but not quite as old as you! Stop fighting and arguing, children! You're distressing Grandfather Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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