Birmingham Speedway

[PeterS]

I use to attend Perry Barr from 1976 to it closure in about 1982. I have just got back into speedway seriously and I am now a converted Wolves fan.

 

I do have a couple of questions though.

 

1. Is there no Birmingham web site. With the large fan base this surprises me a little.

 

2. I have read that CVS of Wolves is thinking of setting up a conference team. As he was associated with Birmingham in the past is there any evidence that it may be somewhere in Birminghama. Does Wheels still have a shale track?

[Guest The Spittal Kid]

I have just got back into speedway seriously and I am now a converted Wolves fan.

 

Oh PeterS, how could you..................Wolves, my god man, have you considered therapy?

 

By the way, as far as I know wheels does not have any shale, can't help with the other

[SCB]

1. Is there no Birmingham web site. With the large fan base this surprises me a little.

 

Well there's a simple answer to that one, why not try it yourself? All you have to do is start it, ask for help and I'm sure you'd get plenty of people wanted to put some sort of information on there. Worth a try and if it doesn't work wht have you lost? A few hours of your time where with any luck you would have had fun buiding the site and looking back at old memories.

 

 

I would imagine Speedway in Birmingham would be quite expensive, that why London is sruggling for clubs(one) and in other sports(Wimbeldon to MK, dog tracks closing etc etc...). I woulg guess London, Birmingham and Manchester are 3 of the more expensive places to set up(and run) tracks.

[Gemini]

2. I have read that CVS of Wolves is thinking of setting up a conference team.

CVS has been running a Wolves Conference League team this year at Monmore Green on Tuesday evenings, but I don't think it has been very successful because he is not doing it next year.

I see you are from Stafford which I am very familiar with as my Mum and Dad came from there and we still have relatives in the town.

So what are you doing converting to a Wolf when it must be nearer to go to Stoke?

[greyhoundp]

There are people actively seeking a new site in Birmingham,my money is on Perry Barr greyhound stadium,leased by the GRA,freehold held by the b,ham city council,Oxford,belle vue,wimbledon,are all combined greyhound speedway sites owned/leased by GRA,I feel sure that if some business man/Promoter came forward "The Brummies"could be added to that list,for those of you that don,t know the location it is across the walsall road, from the old stadium,and is the OLD alexandra athletics stadium,so come ON forward PROSPECTIVE promoters.

[Deano]

I understand planning permission still exists to operate speedway at Perry Barr dog track, but and its a big but, its only for Friday nights. Apparently a promoter came forward and a deal just needed a signature when the guy running the place decided (at the last minute) he wanted the greyhounds to run that day. So, until he is convinced (which he isn't, and he allegedly is not an amicable man) there is more money in speedway it just isn't going to happen I'm affraid. The only other opportunity is speedway going back to the wheels, not on the old circuit but a new one but, I think that has fallen through as well.

[lupus]

Oi - leave the guy alone...if he's seen the light and wants to support Wolves, then there's no problem!!!

 

With regards to CVS and the CL team - the trouble is that it hasn't been a great success mainly because I think two matches on consecutive days is too much for many people. It's only the die-hards that stuck with it.

 

There's also the issue - done to death elsewhere, I admit! - that Wolves fans are used to seeing EL speedway and CL just doesn't appeal to the majority. I attended almost all the CL meetings but for some people it was just too much effort and money to attend two days running.

 

CVS HAS said he's looking to run a CL team elsewhere but whether this is 'locally' has never really been made clear. I know he has had some dealings with the bid to bring speedway back to Middlesborough, so whether THIS is where he has in mind.....

 

I'd like to see the Dum....oops sorry, BRUMmies back. Without the 'Spoons' we have to go all the way to Brandon to give the local rivals some stick - I'd rather only have to go as far as Perry Barr!!!!!! 8) :twisted:

[howling gorgon]

Oi - leave the guy alone...if he's seen the light and wants to support Wolves, then there's no problem!!!

 

Seen the light? turned to the the Dark Side more like, does he realise he has to have a frontal lobotomy to fit in at Crufts?

[Guest big al]

Is the current tarmac stockcar track the exact location of where the old shale track was, or was that in a different part of the Wheels complex?

[lupus]

Oi - leave the guy alone...if he's seen the light and wants to support Wolves, then there's no problem!!!

 

Seen the light? turned to the the Dark Side more like, does he realise he has to have a frontal lobotomy to fit in at Crufts?

 

He's from BIRMINGHAM - nuff said !!!!

[shazzybird]

Oi - leave the guy alone...if he's seen the light and wants to support Wolves, then there's no problem!!!

 

Was wondering when you was going to reply Lupus, just wasn't prepared for it then lol

[howling gorgon]

Oi - leave the guy alone...if he's seen the light and wants to support Wolves, then there's no problem!!!

 

Seen the light? turned to the the Dark Side more like, does he realise he has to have a frontal lobotomy to fit in at Crufts?

 

He's from BIRMINGHAM - nuff said !!!!

 

Yes, Lupus, I can see your point, just imagine, if he attended that would give the crowd at Dog Towers a complete brain cell between them, progress indeed .

 

Just one other thing, as much as I would welcome more midlands teams, CH, Brummies etc, can you imagine a 4TT between Cov, CH Brum & you lot, we from Cov would not understand a word once you lot from the W Mids got going. (before you start I know Cov is officially now in the w mids, but it will always be in warwickshire in my eyes!!)

 

Turar for a bit bab, whur dyow cum frum? :x

[PeterS]

Thanks for all the constructive comments!!

 

Here some boring details, which I hope, answer most of your comments and bring back a few memories for some of you.

 

My family has supported the Brummies through 3 generations. My Grandfather use to watch Speedway as early as the Thirties at Hall Green and my mother watched it in the fifties at the old Birchfield stadium. Her favourite rider was Alan Hunt which I always found strange as most other Brummies fans of the Fifties only talk about Graham Warren.

 

I was always brought up that our big local rivals were Coventry and Cradley in that order. Although I always admired some of the riders of Cradley during in the 80’s especially Erik Gundersen.

 

My mother still lives in Solihull so we attended a few Coventry meetings during the 80’s and 90’s and mostly supported the away teams especially if Hans Nielsen was riding.

 

Like a lot of people with no track to attend or team to support my enthusiasm died off. I also was father to two young girls so from the early nineties for about 10 years I hardly attended a meeting.

 

Then with the coverage of Sky of the Grand Prix and the Elite League I slowly got back into it. The final clincher was when Wolves won the Elite League last year. I then decided to support Wolves and go down to Monmore Green each week.

 

So at the start of the season I took my two children down and have never looked back. Unfortunately my eldest daughter finds it boring and only comes down under protest but the youngest one who is 7 loves it and her favourite riders are Peter Karlsson, David Howe and Chris Neath.

 

I have always found that Speedway is something you get more out of if you are committed to one team or another. You can enjoy it as a neutral but I think you do miss something.

 

Why I support Wolves rather than Stoke. Well I suppose because I could go to Brandon and see Wolves win (no chance of that this year) and the fact I worked in Cannock, which is fairly close to Wolverhampton.

 

I attended most of Birmingham’s home matches from 1976 until 1980 when I went to Reading University (chosen because they had a speedway team). My memories that I can remember are

 

Favourite riders Ray Wilson, Jan Gravningen, Zdenek Kundra, Ari Koponen.

 

Memorable Moments in no order

 

1.Seeing Finn Jensen score a 15-point maximum at Sheffield in the KO cup

 

2.A great match against Cradley in about 1980 where we lost 37-41 but the racing was superb.

 

3 Seeing us beat Coventry 41-37 in 1977(?) when Ole Olsen looped at the gate and we started with a 5-1.

 

4. Lots of last bend overtakes on the outside from Ari Koponen

 

Worst Moments

 

1,Not seeing us beat Ipswich in 1976 when Gary Middleton top scored and we beat the reigning champions

 

2. Losing to Wolves in about 1977, 25-53 I think. We were terrible but we did see a very young Hans Nielsen.

[Gemini]

Seeing Finn Jensen score a 15-point maximum at Sheffield in the KO cup

Good grief! Knowing how unpredictable Jensen was at Leicester, I bet he didn't score at all in his next match.

Jan Gravningen....

You've lost me on that one. Have you got any more info. about him?

By the way, welcome to the forum. As you have just found out we are full of "constructive" comments on here.

[frigbo]

Jan Gravningen was a Norwegian who rode for Halifax in '73 and the Brummies for two seasons 76,77 i believe..5-6 point bloke.

 

Oh, and he had a crackin 'tache!!

[Grachan]

I went to Perry Barr once and I shall remember it mainly as the first time I saw Shawn McConnell ride. I think Hans Neilsen was in the Brummies side at that time as well.

[Dekker]

It appears that the GRA purchased Perry Barr Stadium last week, maybe something will happen?

[PeterS]

Seeing Finn Jensen score a 15-point maximum at Sheffield in the KO cup

Good grief! Knowing how unpredictable Jensen was at Leicester, I bet he didn't score at all in his next match.

 

That night he just made 5 perfect gates and was never headed. Got rid of all my records from back then so there is no way I could ever check what he did in the next but you are probably right.

 

I will always remember him for not even been consistent within a meeting, a great race win followed by a poor last. Lots of ability and fast motors but just something missing. I remember a quote for Hans Nielsen in 1977 saying Finn was every bit as good as him. Unfortunately Finn never quite got to that level.

 

 

Jan Gravningen....

You've lost me on that one. Have you got any more info. about him?

By the way, welcome to the forum. As you have just found out we are full of "constructive" comments on here.

 

I will always remember one great meeting from Jan in 1977 against Bristol which we won where he had 4 great races with Tormod Langli from Bristol (Another Norwegian). Jan was as hard as nails and would not let him past.

[Deano]

Is the current tarmac stockcar track the exact location of where the old shale track was, or was that in a different part of the Wheels complex?

The stock car circuit is the one Dan McCormick had built for the speedway when they moved from Perry Barr. They only raced for two years in the National League and closed down. Incarace bought the track from the wheels consortium in the early nineties and refuse point blank to share it with speedway. So another plot was sort within the complex and this has dragged on for a couple of years now. Ever since the speedway closed down like many other towns and cities there has always been a small amount of people drumming at the council to find land. Surprise surprise (sounding familiar) nothing happens, you find land, you can't get permission, you find land its not big enough, you find land its too expensive.

 

We will come back one day, just like Cradley and Leicester will (clutching straws I know but I have faith).

[mIcK50]

So, Karl Marx was right. History does repeat itself! Reading this thread, with people reminiscing about things speedway from twenty years ago, got me reminiscing about things speedway that I read thirty years ago, after it was written by some one reminiscing about things speedway from FORTY years ago!

 

Richard Bott, writing in the 1970 edition of The Champions Book of Speedway said,

 

"I remember 'Tiger' Hart and Doug Ellis opening the doors at Perry Barr, Birmingham again --- alas, briefly. What a waste of a great track and all because of niggling obstacles which no promoter could hope to surmount.

 

But what a first night, with Graham Warren, idol of Brum a few years earlier, going like the clappers when he could hardly hold down the reserve spot at Coventry. That was before he found a new lease of life at Wolverhampton."

 

So, what goes around, comes around and if the interest is there, perhaps a track will come around there too.

 

Incidently, Graham Warren lives in retirement on Queensland's Gold Coast and occassionly gets to the speedway at nearby Labrador as does another bloke who could ride a bit in his day. Ivan something, I think his name is!