Chris Julian

[BOBBATH]

In the thread on Chris Blewett, a number of people mentioned Chris Julian-I recall him with Glasgow and CH-wasn't there some story about him trying to build a helicopter? Where else did Chris ride and when did he pass away?How old was he?

[SHALEWAY69]

In the thread on Chris Blewett, a number of people mentioned Chris Julian-I recall him with Glasgow and CH-wasn't there some story about him trying to build a helicopter? Where else did Chris ride and when did he pass away?How old was he?

 

Sadly Chris was killed in a gyro copter crash a few years back. he had a scrap metal yard in Cornwall. I remember him at Mildenhall in the later stages of his career. can remember his strong cornish accent John Mills ex Long Eaton and Kings Lynn was killed in a similar GYRO- COPTER accident here in Queensland in 2003. Speedway aviators could be another thread ,I will start one.

 

[TigerTom]

My lasting memory of Chris was when he clouted the fence on the home straight at Sheffield. He was carried off on a stretcher.

 

I was very young at the time and rushed to the pits area where they were taking him to the Anbulance room. He was gasping for air nd covrsd in blood. I hought he ws going to die and it scaed me to death. He had internal injuries and a punctured lung (if I remember rightly) He was a tough old bird. But many iders were.

 

He seemed to be a fairly good middle order man if my memory serves me correctly.

 

Tiger Tom....

[BOBBATH]

Hi Tom what was the year do you think of that accident??. Anyone know how old Chris was when he died? Also Tom you say he was a " tough old bird" I hate to tell you but he was then much younger than we are now(well me anyway)!!

[britmet]

Chris Julian is remembered at Cradley for the 4 years spent there between 1965 and '68, after which he moved to Newport. He'd come to Cradley from Glasgow to cut down on the travelling. - he had previously driven every week from Cornwall to Scotland and back ( remember, the M5 was only 26mls long then, - and the M6 no more than a few town-centre bypasses !) but Cradley was a mere 500mls round trip ! Arriving early on Saturday afternoons in a 10 year-old A50 Austin Cambridge, (sometimes tied together with string he was a scrap metal man; what would you expect. He found it in his yard, he'd say,) he'd spend much time chatting with fans, and had a good line in jovial self-deprecation. On the track anything could happen, he was a 4-lap trier, but when needed could deliver that 3rd heat-leader role.

Chris started as a junior circa '58/59 in open meetings in the West Country, (St Austell, Plymouth and Exeter,) and got a place in the 1960 Prov'l Lge Bristol team alongside Trevor Redmond, transferring to Plymouth with the Bulldogs for the '61 season. When TR moved into league promotion at Neath in 1962 - as well as running St Austell and Newton Abbott (stocks only) - , Chris joined his mentor, and later transferred with him to St. Austell for '63, then Glasgow White City for the '64 season.

He got nearer to home in '69, (Newport) before getting 'home' to the West Country, Exeter, (just 95 mls away from Redruth !) following the departure of Chris Blewett, - it wasn't considered wise to have these 2 Cornishmen in the same team together . He gave loyal service with the Falcons until 1975, when his average slipped. For 10yrs in the senior league he averaged a steady 5 to 7 pts each year, his best being at Cradley in 1967, - 7.04. But distance didn't apparently deter Chris: loaned out by Exeter during '75, (12 matches for ave. of 3.44) his next track was ? - Mildenhall ! He rode 27 matches for the Fens Tigers, ave. 6.73. But maybe it did. He next appears making 9 appearances for Weymouth in 1977, and there the scorebook seems to close. (?)

Edited November 4, 2008 by britmet

[BOBBATH]

Thanx Colin -what a career-the sort of guy who makes speedway such an interesting sport.

[Tracy Bird]

lived at fraddon cornwall,was one of the nicest blokes around off track but on tracktook no prisoners.

remember his spell at weymouth, if he gated nobody could pass him,lets say he used all of the track.

sadly was killed a few weeks before st austells revival in 1997.remember reading his obitary in the speedway star how he was looking forward to his local track appearing again,a sight he sadly didn,t see.

[SHALEWAY69]

Chris actually worked as a youngster, for Bruce Semmens another speedway aviator. Chris drove a cattle truck during Bruces time as a farmer. It was Bruce who introduced Chris to speedway thru his contacts with Sheffield and Frank Varey

 

He rode for 10 teams in a 20 year career. appeared in 3 British Semi Finals of the world championships won the Silver Sash and a league winners medal with Exeter in 1974.

Tony

[Phlipphlopp]

If my memoey serves me correctly , Chris was once involved in one of the greatest rulebook manipulations ever seen in speedway. Ivan Mauger was having bike probs , so the manager , Wally Maudsley brought out Chris for a reserve ride , using up the full 2 minutes and more , and then rode through the tapes at the start . By this time , and after another 2 minutes , Mauger had sorted his bike probs out and took his place in the re-run , amid all kinds of complaints by the other team , but Maudsley knew the rule book inside out and had just exploited a loop-hole no-one else had known about before !