norbold Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 Speaking of standards of literacy-Paul Parish's report of the U.K. Final of 1964 in the Speedway Star(4 Sept 1964) was very good -I just dug it out-I had remembered after all these years him starting off his article"The Beatles record of 'Things we said today'................." and how he was able to recreate the atmosphere for your imagination. I think you had to use your imagination more in those days-only black and white photos etc. That was a brilliant report, BOBBATH. I still remember it as being one of the outstanding pieces of journalism in the speedway press. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
star ghost Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 I can't follow this stuff-is speedyguy really John Hyam-enlighten the rest of us guys.  I have a vague recollection this is so and he used to report on the Southern Area League some 50+ years ago  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedyguy Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 I have a vague recollection this is so and he used to report on the Southern Area League some 50+ years ago   John Hyam also tried his hand on a bike - a "protege"!! of both Al Holliday and Jim Chalkley - among others... There's even a photo of him in the Johnnie O'Connor Photo Album on oldtimespeedway!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOBBATH Posted February 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 OK speedyguy as an SAL guy of 50+ years -do you(or anyone) know what happened to Ernie Lessiter-who just beat out Alby Golden(RIP) for the SAL Riders Championship in -was it 1953??I know Ernie later went on to ride for Swindon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedyguy Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 (edited) OK speedyguy as an SAL guy of 50+ years -do you(or anyone) know what happened to Ernie Lessiter-who just beat out Alby Golden(RIP) for the SAL Riders Championship in -was it 1953??I know Ernie later went on to ride for Swindon. Â Â It was 1954 in a final at Rye House. Didn't Ernie also have a spell with Oxford? He was a very good rider and excellent to watch in action. I'll check my records as to what happened to him. Edited February 21, 2009 by speedyguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Stewart Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 Robin (or Ross -never sure which) Martakies. Â Robin and Ross Martakies were brothers, both wrote about speedway. Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yesterdaysman Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 Ernie lived in Oxford but don't think he ever rode for them, prefering the bigger Swindon track. He did try a spell in the Provincial League with Wolverhampton but by then had started his own building firm so retired to concentrate on that. In later years I believe he took the position of Building Inspector with Oxford City Council, but kept an interest in Speedway attending meeting at Cowley regularly. Sadly passed away now but I can't remember the exact year off hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOBBATH Posted February 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 Yes Ernie rode for Swindon-Alby Golden always spoke very highly of him and often referred to the night he got beat out as SAL Riders Champion by Ernie-those were the days.!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted February 21, 2009 Report Share Posted February 21, 2009 Robin and Ross Martakies were brothers, both wrote about speedway. Bet you've never seen them together. They are the same person Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedyguy Posted February 21, 2009 Report Share Posted February 21, 2009 Bet you've never seen them together. They are the same person   And so were many others... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Hannibal Thomas Posted February 21, 2009 Report Share Posted February 21, 2009 Barry Wallace, say no more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted February 22, 2009 Report Share Posted February 22, 2009 Bet you've never seen them together. They are the same person   And so were many others...  I remember there being quite a few dual (or maybe even triple) identities for these journalists. Another example was the Star's Jock Andersen, who in real life was the Evening News' John Gibson.  What was the reason for this? I can see how Speedway Star could be made to look like a larger enterprise than it actually was by having a handful of guys trying to look like a cast of thousands, but why local reporters who weren't on the staff use pen-names?   Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedyguy Posted February 22, 2009 Report Share Posted February 22, 2009 I remember there being quite a few dual (or maybe even triple) identities for these journalists. Another example was the Star's Jock Andersen, who in real life was the Evening News' John Gibson. What was the reason for this? I can see how Speedway Star could be made to look like a larger enterprise than it actually was by having a handful of guys trying to look like a cast of thousands, but why local reporters who weren't on the staff use pen-names?    Probably because they were 'moon-lighting' - their full-time employers probably didn't approve of them writing elsewhere. Especially if they were submitting a re-hash of their full-time job's story which they had been commissioned to do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Hannibal Thomas Posted February 22, 2009 Report Share Posted February 22, 2009 I remember there being quite a few dual (or maybe even triple) identities for these journalists. Another example was the Star's Jock Andersen, who in real life was the Evening News' John Gibson. What was the reason for this? I can see how Speedway Star could be made to look like a larger enterprise than it actually was by having a handful of guys trying to look like a cast of thousands, but why local reporters who weren't on the staff use pen-names? The crazy rules exist to this day!  Have you seen some of the ridiculous names the Speedway Star scribes have?  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerowl Posted February 22, 2009 Report Share Posted February 22, 2009 I think the Star lacks the quality of the previous era due to the apparant fear factor in publishing any sort of opinion which might appear to be critical of the promoters. Â Whether that is because they are too matey with them or they fear that the magazine will be banned from sale at certain tracks I don't know. Â One example was the pathetic attempt at a survey about the tactical double rule. The Star promised the fans a voice then worded the question with the phrase '... in it's current form' at the end. The vote was 90 odd percent in favour of a change but the promoters just amended the rule slightly, stated that they had complied with the fan's wishes and nothing more was heard on the subject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedyguy Posted February 22, 2009 Report Share Posted February 22, 2009 (edited) Barry Wallace, say no more. Â Â Why's Barry Wallace mentioned? That's his real name...? Edited February 24, 2009 by speedyguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedyguy Posted February 22, 2009 Report Share Posted February 22, 2009 (edited) I think the Star lacks the quality of the previous era due to the apparant fear factor in publishing any sort of opinion which might appear to be critical of the promoters. Whether that is because they are too matey with them or they fear that the magazine will be banned from sale at certain tracks I don't know.  One example was the pathetic attempt at a survey about the tactical double rule. The Star promised the fans a voice then worded the question with the phrase '... in it's current form' at the end. The vote was 90 odd percent in favour of a change but the promoters just amended the rule slightly, stated that they had complied with the fan's wishes and nothing more was heard on the subject.   A bit off topic for 'Speedway Star Writers Of The Sixties'? Edited February 22, 2009 by speedyguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOBBATH Posted February 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2009 Back on topic-remember other local reporters like Frank Drake(Exeter reports), Peter Morrish(Midlands) Howard Jacobi(Midlands)-were these people all real-??also I think there was a real Dave Stevens but what about Danny Carter(Gossip 'n Gas)-??also I always liked the way they would put obviously made up comments as being spoken by the riders-Dave Lanning often did this, also the way Swedish riders were quoted in a sort of pidgin English.(Probably other "alsos" also!!!!!!!!!!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted February 23, 2009 Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 Back on topic-remember other local reporters like Frank Drake(Exeter reports), Peter Morrish(Midlands) Howard Jacobi(Midlands)-were these people all real-??also I think there was a real Dave Stevens but what about Danny Carter(Gossip 'n Gas)-??also I always liked the way they would put obviously made up comments as being spoken by the riders-Dave Lanning often did this, also the way Swedish riders were quoted in a sort of pidgin English.(Probably other "alsos" also!!!!!!!!!!) Â I think Peter Morrish and Howard Jacobi were real enough, but a thinly-disguised Sir Francis Drake in Devon? Highly unlikely! Â Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norbold Posted February 23, 2009 Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 Back on topic-remember other local reporters like Frank Drake(Exeter reports), Peter Morrish(Midlands) Howard Jacobi(Midlands)-were these people all real-??also I think there was a real Dave Stevens but what about Danny Carter(Gossip 'n Gas)-??also I always liked the way they would put obviously made up comments as being spoken by the riders-Dave Lanning often did this, also the way Swedish riders were quoted in a sort of pidgin English.(Probably other "alsos" also!!!!!!!!!!) Danny Carter was yet another of Eric Linden's pen names. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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