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Top Riders 1969/80


stratton

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  • 2 weeks later...

Prodons Mauger did have a aura about him,but a thing that always stuck out for me his starting technique he never reared at the start a great gater Killer Kilby and Mauger are the best gaters i have ever seen.

 

 

Briggo was a bit of an inconsistent gater but when he was on form he was out of this world. I still have the programme from the last of Briggos British Championship wins at West Ham. The number 2 gate wasn't working that night , everone on No2 except Mauger was coming third or last. Mauger struggled to a second place in a relatively weak heat. Then Briggo came out on No2 gate for his fourth ride and waltzed away from the start as if the rest were on moped's . I have never seen gating like Briggo was doing that night. He collected a brilliant 15 point max without breaking sweat and without getting his bike dirty and that included beating Mayger, Ronnie Moore and Nigel Boocock.

 

To my mind there has never been a rider to touch Briggo when he was on his best form, except arguably Darcy ward. The trouble was Briiggo was not always at his best, and I think part of the problem was that at times he relied too much on natural talent and let the mechanical side of things slip a bit. Mauger on the other hand didn't make it to the top until his late twenties and he seems to have done it by getting his machinery spot on with top tuners etc.

 

I think the greatest tribute to Briggs is that Ivan Mauger said that if there was no Barry Briggs there would have been no Ivan Mauger because Ivan knew that if he was going to get to the top Briggs was the one he had to beat and he spent years working out how he was going to beat him.

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Spoke to him a few weeks ago at his Marlboro' motor-cycle workshop business. Modest quiet guy. Briggo once said he was the best rider in the world at one time but didn't believe in himself enough.

Still stands on the Abbey terraces every week. Would love to hear his views on current riders/pay/GP's etc.
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Briggo was a bit of an inconsistent gater but when he was on form he was out of this world. I still have the programme from the last of Briggos British Championship wins at West Ham. The number 2 gate wasn't working that night , everone on No2 except Mauger was coming third or last. Mauger struggled to a second place in a relatively weak heat. Then Briggo came out on No2 gate for his fourth ride and waltzed away from the start as if the rest were on moped's . I have never seen gating like Briggo was doing that night. He collected a brilliant 15 point max without breaking sweat and without getting his bike dirty and that included beating Mayger, Ronnie Moore and Nigel Boocock.

 

To my mind there has never been a rider to touch Briggo when he was on his best form, except arguably Darcy ward. The trouble was Briiggo was not always at his best, and I think part of the problem was that at times he relied too much on natural talent and let the mechanical side of things slip a bit. Mauger on the other hand didn't make it to the top until his late twenties and he seems to have done it by getting his machinery spot on with top tuners etc.

 

I think the greatest tribute to Briggs is that Ivan Mauger said that if there was no Barry Briggs there would have been no Ivan Mauger because Ivan knew that if he was going to get to the top Briggs was the one he had to beat and he spent years working out how he was going to beat him.

A great post Addio, i thought Briggos best years was gone by 1969.? He was still then outstanding i believe in 72 he had every chance gated like a long dog and beat Mauger in a quick time do remember though Ole was unlucky but i think that could of been a Briggo title?.Looked at Briggos record at Swindon1964 to 1972 142 maximums also 5 paid maxis 147 (some record) the best ever for me Ove second. Edited by sidney
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A great post Addio, i thought Briggos best years was gone by 1969.? He was still then outstanding i believe in 72 he had every chance gated like a long dog and beat Mauger in a quick time do remember though Ole was unlucky but i think that could of been a Briggo title?.Looked at Briggos record at Swindon1964 to 1972 142 maximums also 5 paid maxis 147 (some record) the best ever for me Ove second.

 

He WOULD have won in 1972 had he not been fetched off by Bernt Persson. - to say I was gutted at the time is an understatement.

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He WOULD have won in 1972 had he not been fetched off by Bernt Persson. - to say I was gutted at the time is an understatement.

 

 

If he had won that heat I agree he would have been set fair. He had already beaten Ivan and still had another gate 1 to come but would still have had to face Olsen from Gate 4. As it panned out though 14 would still have won it.

 

Even though Bernie really got a lot of stick for that it wasn't as bad as it was made out. Barry was coming back inside as Bernie had a lot of speed to go through the gap. It was actually very similar to Penhalls first turn pass of Nielsen 9 years later but on that occasion Hans stayed on

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