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i seem to remember in the first season bristol tried to use a dual surface for the dogs and bikes. i'm not sure when they started to lift and relay the track for every meeting. when i was a wee nipper on holiday in 1969 i went to see speedway at plymouth's old track at pennycross. the track there was a sand surface laid on tarmac which i recall was very dusty on a summers evening!

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Just reading these posts make me smile ,does anyone remember ole olsen walking out complaining about the state of the track (how ironic). Also I think terry betts's career was ended at eastville after hitting the fence. Such wonderful memories for me. Just have to mention visiting hyde rd belle vue now there was a speedway track.

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Yes the initial meetings were on a 'dual' surface but that didnt work out so they then started laying the sand down.

 

I cant remember how long they persisted with the initial idea.

 

Both didnt really work very well. I can remember several riders walking out in protest at difefrent times, Dave Jessup, John Davis and Malcolm Simmoms I recall.

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Fantastic memories.

 

Eastville is now a bloody IKEA superstore.

 

Bulldogs on a Friday night, and the Gas (Rovers) on a saturday. What a weekend, best days of my childhood, I was 14 or 15.

 

Rovers are now up the road at the Memorial ground (hopefully soon to be at the new UWE stadium)

 

Going to Rovers at the same ground allowed me to get a feel for attendances and I can tell you that most weeks it was at least 8,000 and often 10,000 in attendance.

 

Can tell you too that the petition to keep the sport on got 100,000 signatures (yes, one hundred thousend) and they still didnt allow it. Dont get me started, but it was all down to politics.

 

The councillor helping drive this is a top man, he also supported the recent planning application by sainsbury which should allow the Memorial Ground to be develpoped which is key to the new UWE stadium for Rovers.

 

More memories:

 

The start marshall was Lee Harris.

 

Steve Gresham and Tormod Langli together were a terrfifying combination. Such memories, it was so well promoted, remember the wheelie contests, the interviews, the Bulldog breed club - there was always something going on on what was a real lesson on how to promote speedway. terible track though, but I didnt use to care at the time!

 

Totally agree, you would think that nowdays with the increasing cost of attending speedway, tracks would be doing everything possible to improve the entertainment and presentation, sadly not. I had the number 1 Bulldog club membership card, you also got a Bulldogs Christmas card.

 

I found all my programmes in the loft, every one ever published in 77 and 78 by Bristol. I bet they are worth a few bob.

Edited by oldtimer
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ROB TATUM

Gresham started it,'Flash'finished it at Oxford a few weeks later.Gresham in tears,new bike,2nd corner,2nd lap,new bike bent almost double, AND he finished up being excluded (possibly because he had tried it on Gordon on the first lap) i know Gordon certainly "RAMMED" his point home that night.

Are you sure it was at Oxford? They wre 2nd division then & Kennett was at White City.I may be wrong,sure someone will tell me.
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  • 1 month later...

I remember going over for the first meeting following the Newport riders, we were on the second bend and some workers were still lay the track and they wasn't rushing to do it, along come Wally Mawdsley and he started talking to them he them put his hand in his pocket pulled out a wad of notes and reeled of a couple of notes gave them to the workers who all of a sudden went into top gear and finished laying the track.

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