Who Was The Most Frustrating Rider?

[The Doctor...]

Daz Sumner. Subline white liner, like a raw junior on the outside

Was fantastic to watch at Ellfield Park. Truly comical at the County Ground.

Malcolm Corradine was another total enigma we had the pleasure of at Cleveand Park in 1979.

Any long standing Tigers fans remember his exploits at the Harbour Club in Weymouth that year.

 

Much like Pawel Clews at Reading.

 

Unbeatable at Smallmead, yet laughable on the road.

[RobMcCaffery]

Mikael Teurnberg at Arena in 1994 and 1995. He would gate in one heat and beat Greg Hancock then would miss the gate in his next race and lose to Justin Walker.

 

Big Ron who was TM at the time said he suffered from confidence problems.

Mikael was a lovely guy to work with at Rye House - which was probably the problem.

 

 

Last I saw of him he was managing Rospiggarna in Sweden.

[T.N.T.]

I will list a few rders that have over the years been frustrating for various reasons.

 

 

NEIL EVITTS; In what turned out to be his final year in the sport, he was signed by Wolves on a 6.58 averge to back up the heat leaders. Havng returned from injury, the former British Champion struggled to even turn the bike in the corners at times and his average dropped to under three points a meeting. Wolves kept with him as there was no replacements on such a low average but quite frankly in that season the mascot was only about a second a lap slower

 

 

STEVE JOHNSTON; One minute he was in the dirt and looking good and exciting to watch as he battled for points. The next he was tailing at the back on his orange lawn mower that looked about as fast as the tractor which grades the track. Great guy but he was signed at Wolves to replace GOD which put him on a downhill course as no one could replace Sudden Sam.

 

 

WOLVES PRE SAM AND RONNIE; Before Sam and Ronnie combined to make them a top team, Woles went to many meetings and failed to do anything. However in the mid 80's there was a junior meeting after and Wolves had some good riders in the team like Andy Phillips, Carl Stonehewer and the legend that was Frank Killer Killeen who destroyed more fences than any other rider. The frustrating part was sitting through a sorry league match where the home team destroyed Wolves until the junior meeting which Wolves usualy won. Often you would hear the Wolves fans singing "We only came for the juniors, came for the juniors"

 

 

SAM ERMOLENKO; On his day he was unbeatable and he had many good days. Any rider that could average over 11 is a remarkable rider but Sam had one floor that was really frustrating. He could be going along looking good but in a split second BOOM !! ..... Off he went. sliding off towards the fence and out of the race. When he was trying to pass a rider you have to admire his efforts but when he did it while leading by a distance it was so frustrating.

Edited February 8, 2014 by T.N.T.

[Gatwick Rocket]

My first thought when I saw this thread was Mark Courtney in his final few years. Not for what he did in the race, but for what he did in the minute or two before the tapes went up.

[george.m]

My first thought when I saw this thread was Mark Courtney in his final few years. Not for what he did in the race, but for what he did in the minute or two before the tapes went up.

Minute or two!

Can remember Courtney going to tapes - me then going to the loo, then queuing and getting a burger, getting back to my spot on the terracing and he was still "gardening"!

[Ommer Mon]

I will list a few rders that have over the years been frustrating for various reasons.

 

 

NEIL EVITTS; In what turned out to be his final year in the sport, he was signed by Wolves on a 6.58 averge to back up the heat leaders. Havng returned from injury, the former British Champion struggled to even turn the bike in the corners at times and his average dropped to under three points a meeting. Wolves kept with him as there was no replacements on such a low average but quite frankly in that season the mascot was only about a second a lap slower

 

 

STEVE JOHNSTON; One minute he was in the dirt and looking good and exciting to watch as he battled for points. The next he was tailing at the back on his orange lawn mower that looked about as fast as the tractor which grades the track. Great guy but he was signed at Wolves to replace GOD which put him on a downhill course as no one could replace Sudden Sam.

 

 

WOLVES PRE SAM AND RONNIE; Before Sam and Ronnie combined to make them a top team, Woles went to many meetings and failed to do anything. However in the mid 80's there was a junior meeting after and Wolves had some good riders in the team like Andy Phillips, Carl Stonehewer and the legend that was Frank Killer Killeen who destroyed more fences than any other rider. The frustrating part was sitting through a sorry league match where the home team destroyed Wolves until the junior meeting which Wolves usualy won. Often you would hear the Wolves fans singing "We only came for the juniors, came for the juniors"

 

 

SAM ERMOLENKO; On his day he was unbeatable and he had many good days. Any rider that could average over 11 is a remarkable rider but Sam had one floor that was really frustrating. He could be going along looking good but in a split second BOOM !! ..... Off he went. sliding off towards the fence and out of the race. When he was trying to pass a rider you have to admire his efforts but when he did it while leading by a distance it was so frustrating.

 

T.N.T. - great post but as Heathen I'm sure you will appreciate it doesn't fit my definition of frustrating.

PS Hope Ashley piles up the points for you this year. He is a very talented lad.

[salty]

Saw the thread title - saw the Cradley avatar of the OP - and knew Finn Jensen would figure prominently!

World beater one race, novice the next.

 

From a slightly different angle, what about Eddie Jancarz? Not because of his riding, but the frustration of not knowing what stage of the season he would be allowed to show up!

[Ommer Mon]

Thanks for the contributions. Some great examples of why many Speedway fans have so little hair - having torn it out frequently over the years!

 

Here is another one to consider - Bengt Andersson.

 

He rode for Cradley in the early 70s and also had spells with Exeter and Wolves if I remember correctly. Without doubt the fastest gater I have ever seen. I recall him beating Mauger and Bengt Jansson to the 30 yard mark. Problem was he couldn't take the bends at Dudley Wood and appeared to ride out to the fence before turning the bike round and setting off in pursuit.

 

I think he may still live in the area and I may have spotted him at Monmore Wood last year. A very clever and astute businessman who I think had his own engineering business.

 

He did well at Coventry I think on what was widely viewed at the time as a gater's paradise.

[Gavan]

Savalas Clouting for Ipswich whose scorecard was usually 0,3,0,0

 

Getting beat by 2 reserves easily every time and then popping ou the start in one race to win and look a world beater.

 

Remember him beating Ermolenko and Correy for a 3-3 one night at Foxhall absolute enigma.

[dontforgetthefueltapsbruv]

Savalas Clouting for Ipswich whose scorecard was usually 0,3,0,0

 

Getting beat by 2 reserves easily every time and then popping ou the start in one race to win and look a world beater.

 

Remember him beating Ermolenko and Correy for a 3-3 one night at Foxhall absolute enigma.

Have to agree with this one

 

In his early days he was competing with and beating Leigh Adams in the U21 and was subject to a bid of £15k.

 

Not too long after he was pootling around beating no one.

[Tracy Bird]

Daz Sumner. Subline white liner, like a raw junior on the outside

Was fantastic to watch at Ellfield Park. Truly comical at the County Ground.

Malcolm Corradine was another total eigma we had the pleasure of at Cleveand Park in 1979.

Any long standing Tigers fans remember his exploits at the Harbour Club in Weymouth that year.

 

Mal corradine was absent when middlesborough visited weymouth in1979 with a broken ankle

[Mad Potter 2]

Tony Boyle Brilliant on somebody else’s bike but crap on his own.

[packerman]

Justine Elkins. Haaving seen him ride around Poole for about 2 years before meetings & having times 4 laps up to signing for the Pirates winning his opening heat in heat 2 what a start. Sadly that was about the highlight.

 

Marcus Bisson might be another real exciting leg trailing rider from the Channel Islands, Saw him beat Gordon Kennet in heat 8, when Gordon was on a Tactical Substitution ride against Eastbourne at Poole but sometimes it just wasn't his night.

 

If you went to Exeter the Martyn Yeates would get a mention. Wins heat 1 with the fastest time of the season and then trail in with 2 terrible 0's a good distance behind the rider in 3rd place.

[SCB]

If you went to Exeter the Martyn Yeates would get a mention. Wins heat 1 with the fastest time of the season and then trail in with 2 terrible 0's a good distance behind the rider in 3rd place.

TBF that could happen to any rider at Exeter. Niels Kristian Iversen once scored 33033 down at Exeter for Newport, he come last in a race against Nick Simmons, Exeters number 7! Miss the gate at that place and you were often in trouble, whoever you were.

[remembertheracers]

Justin Elkins without doubt

 

Also Finn Rune Jensen, at times magnificent but more often embarrassing.

 

At a higher level Kai Niemi and Jimmy Nilsen, world class riders who never seemed to reproduce their form regularly in the league over the years.

Edited February 8, 2014 by remembertheracers

[Bellers101]

I see a few mentioned the electric hare, Daz Sumner on here.

 

If you were only allowed to overtake on the inside could of been world class. Ha ha.

 

Funnily enough though Daz was superb around Hackney where the outside line was so much quicker normally.

 

Anyone know what happened to him once he retired?

[packerman]

TBF that could happen to any rider at Exeter. Niels Kristian Iversen once scored 33033 down at Exeter for Newport, he come last in a race against Nick Simmons, Exeters number 7! Miss the gate at that place and you were often in trouble, whoever you were.

I understand about missing the gate. There is a big difference tho in just pootling around at the back, It was always 3,0,0,0.

[SCB]

I understand about missing the gate. There is a big difference tho in just pootling around at the back, It was always 3,0,0,0.

My take on it is if you missed the gate at ever you may as well have pootled around. I once had the extreme joy of seeing Kristian Lund make the gate at Exeter and havr the two exeter riders and Exeter legend Mike Coles (his Newport team mate that season) behind him and all 3 could not pass him (or each other) despite the fact his heat time was 8 seconds slower than heat 2!! It took him over 80 seconds to win the heat and the other 3 were right up his exhaust pipe. Its the only track Ive ever seen where trying to pass may have just been a waste of time!

[van wolfswinkel]

At Swindon Charlie Gjedde never fulfilled his potential...nor did Mad Wellie Simon Stead Jurica Pavlic Morten Risager Jonno Travis Mac Tomas Chrzanowski Edward Kennett and James Wright.

Edited February 9, 2014 by Mad Moose

[pugwash]

Scott Nicholls. Consistently the best British rider and always amongst the best worldwide but so frustrating on the GP stage. Best ever finish was 7th in 2003. Should have at least made the podium and should have won a GP, finished 2nd 4 times.