mikebv Posted May 17, 2014 Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 remember one evening at kirky lane when cov were the opposition, after a few races cov were getting well beaten so started complaining about how much dirt was on the track.. at one gap between heats Colin Pratt and his whole team came out of the pits and started walking the first two turns kicking into the dirt to ascertain the depth and sporadically pointing to the track and shaking their heads ... moments later John Perrin came out with a bucket of shale, walked between the cov riders and started to spread the shale on the track by hand as if feeding corn to chickens... he then presented the still half full bucket to the cov management and told them they could keep it and take it back with them to brandon so their track could start having shale on it too.... Colin Pratt is said to have replied "I don't tell you how many onions to put on your burgers, so you don't tell me how to prepare a track" !! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slickmick Posted May 17, 2014 Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 I can remember reading in Speedway Star as a child that a rider had been taken to hospital with a lacerated scrotum....I remember asking my mum what was a lacerated scrotum........I think I am still wincing at the answer even now ! Cannot remember who he rider was......but I remember the injury very well ! ! , Robert Maxfield I believe I was at Crayford that night, and whilst it afterwards transpired what hadhappened to Rob Maxfield. The incident itself which led to Robs unfortunate injury was probablly the funniest thing I have seen. After coming off his bike his cut off broke and so the bike kept running doing donuts on the track in the middle of the bend various mechanics and track staff attempted to pull the cut out without getting hit by the spinning bike, when suddenly the bike righted it self and headed back to the pits, frantic track staff officals riders etc who had been watching the action suddenly realised they were in its path. so everyone tries to get away and close the pit gate, all to no avail as bike clears fence and is lost amongst the melee. Apparently no one was injured, well apart from Rob that is 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hulvik Posted May 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 Eric Boocook while riding for Halifax was once excluded from a race . On his return to the pits heard a loud cheer and though he'd been reinstated. this wasn't the case. The cheer was for his mother who had climbed the ladder to the ref's box and demanded an explanation 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ommer Mon Posted May 17, 2014 Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 Sverre Harrfeldt was a regular visitor to Cradley rather than Cradley Heath. Fortunately there is only about 3 miles between them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemini Posted May 17, 2014 Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 ......mikebv..........remember one evening at kirky lane when cov were the opposition, after a few races cov were getting well beaten so started complaining about how much dirt was on the track.. How times change. These days the Coventry riders continually moan about the lack of shale and the track being too slick at Brandon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ommer Mon Posted May 17, 2014 Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 Back in1981, the Heathens had just ridden at Wimbledon. As was the custom, our coach stopped on the way home, this time at Watford Gap Services. As we were walking to the café, we spotted another coach pulling on decked out in green and white. We were puzzled, as we were sure that there had only been one Cradley coach. Still we were famished so we didn’t wait around and piled in for a midnight feast. As we were queuing to pay, the doors burst open and in came a load of Celtic fans. It was clear they were less than happy and, when we found a translator, we found out that they were on their way back from Juventus where they had been knocked out of the European Cup the night before. Worse than that, though, they had been ambushed by the Italian fans, shot at by the Police, their coach had suffered several damaged windows and one of their number had been left behind in hospital. They then proceeded to turn pinching food into an art form. The mesmerising passing manoeuvres they performed around the till were like watching Barcelona at their best. In the end, I think we had a really lucky escape, as while we were in the queue two Cradley girls were talking and one shouted out at the top of her voice “Any road ar doh no; wats the difference between Celtic and Rarengers”. Thankfully none of them understood a word. Phew!! The ‘Hoops’ trip home is still referred to on the Celtic web site!! Happy days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hulvik Posted May 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 In the days when team sponsorship was a new thing Ian Thomas did a deal with Lada cars to sponsor the Hull Vikings. Part of the deal included the Hull riders been given a car each for the duration of the season. Something that Lada regretted when they got the cars back, all showing the signs of a hard year’s motoring and the boots and interior covered in oil and grease Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trees Posted May 17, 2014 Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 That's terrible, not a bit funny, no wonder some speedway riders have a bad reputation when it comes to sponsorship! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A ORLOV Posted May 17, 2014 Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 Have told this story before ages ago on another thread so apologies to anyone who has read it. While travelling in a coach to a GP in Poland the coach was stopped by the law for what they claimed was speeding through a town. The driver was sure he was not speeding and it had been mentioned that they often stopped foreign vehicles to top up their income. So rather than argue and delay the coach the driver paid up. During the trip back through the same town in the very early hours of the morning the driver slowed down outside the police station and the relief driver opened the discharge tap from the loo, which they had decided not to have pumped out during the stopover at the GP. Looking out of the rear window it was great to see the present left outside the local nick. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacques Posted May 17, 2014 Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 remember one evening at kirky lane when cov were the opposition, after a few races cov were getting well beaten so started complaining about how much dirt was on the track.. at one gap between heats Colin Pratt and his whole team came out of the pits and started walking the first two turns kicking into the dirt to ascertain the depth and sporadically pointing to the track and shaking their heads ... moments later John Perrin came out with a bucket of shale, walked between the cov riders and started to spread the shale on the track by hand as if feeding corn to chickens... he then presented the still half full bucket to the cov management and told them they could keep it and take it back with them to brandon so their track could start having shale on it too.... Colin Pratt is said to have replied "I don't tell you how many onions to put on your burgers, so you don't tell me how to prepare a track" !! That is bloody brilliant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
castrolargh Posted May 18, 2014 Report Share Posted May 18, 2014 One of the owners or managers of the Swindon track was extremely proud of the flower bed planted and looked after every year a few feet on the inside of the start gate. He was horrified when a rider, I think it was Malc mad wellie Holloway, veered off the track on the home straight and with his bike going at full pelt went straight through the bed destroying all the hard work that had been done. I never did find out if it was deliberate or not, but most of the riders had been complaining about where the bed had been positioned. It was ted nelson I believe, and yes it was "wellie" that went through it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottyfan Posted May 18, 2014 Report Share Posted May 18, 2014 Many years ago I was on holiday down south and managed to persuade the other half to visit Poole - which was a miracle. Probably bribed her with a visit to an old castle the next day! Anyway, I can't remember who the visitors were but I do remember one of the home team (Craig Boyce I think) doing a practice start and not noticing that the tractor had just gone by him, he ended up on top of the attachment that the tractor was pulling round. Very funny at the time especially watching him trying to extricate himself! It was Craig Boyce.....it happened right in front of where we were stood in the old West Stand.......it was the grader he ended up on top of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OGT Posted May 18, 2014 Report Share Posted May 18, 2014 Arthur Browning pulling Middlo off his bike as they "shook hands" after a race at Perry Barr in 74 has to be up there. Oh and Cribby famously unscrewing his exclusion light bulb and crushing it underfoot also at PB. Wonder if he ever got charged for a new one?! In the very first meeting at the Ladbroke in 71, Hec Haslinger took out 20 yards of fencing in one fell swoop. Once we all knew he was ok it caused a certain amount of amusement in the crowd. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falcon Hammer Posted May 18, 2014 Report Share Posted May 18, 2014 I was at Crayford that night, and whilst it afterwards transpired what hadhappened to Rob Maxfield. The incident itself which led to Robs unfortunate injury was probablly the funniest thing I have seen. After coming off his bike his cut off broke and so the bike kept running doing donuts on the track in the middle of the bend various mechanics and track staff attempted to pull the cut out without getting hit by the spinning bike, when suddenly the bike righted it self and headed back to the pits, frantic track staff officals riders etc who had been watching the action suddenly realised they were in its path. so everyone tries to get away and close the pit gate, all to no avail as bike clears fence and is lost amongst the melee. Apparently no one was injured, well apart from Rob that is Didn't witness the accident, but remember talking to Peter Oakes at The Falcons next home meeting and was told that Rob needed 20 stitches - was super impressed at the time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Voice Of Reason Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 One of my favourite all-time riders at Hackney was John Titman. Let's just say that Tito had a reputation of 'borrowing' things that weren't his. I once saw him nick a tyre from the the spares van at Hackney and throw it in the bushes whereby he'd obviously collect it later; come walking back quickly from the Away Team area of our pits and chuck something under his bike cover - followed a few moments later by Phil Collins (Cradley) who was scratching his head looking at the floor (whilst John just sat on the bench whistling as if butter wouldn't melt); and, after a double header meeting at Eastbourne (V first Hackney then Wimbledon), I remember Kai Niemi saying in the Speedway Star that he'd had a very expensive pair of hand-made snakeskin shoes nicked from the changing room. Only guessing at this one, but I wonder who looked around the same size? Another occasion at Waterden Road, Hackney's most hated Ref - Lew Stripp, with a host of 'previous' dire decisions, had excluded Bo Petersen when he was clearly knocked off (think it was by Doug Wyer?). Next thing, a guy comes running and screaming through the inside area of the grandstand with an AXE in his hand that he's (presumably) gone to get from his car. Finally calmed down by other supporters, he'd actually managed to get two massive whacks into the refs door - the holes of which were in it for years. Had he succeeded in getting in, I really don't think to this day it would only have been the beer at Hackney that was headless. These days, with mobile phones, no doubt it would have appeared on YouTube and armed police would have been called. Away at Mildenhall, 1984 or 85 KO Cup. Alan Mogridge fell off (there's a surprise) as he was riding along the straight, up to the finishing line, in a race with just 3 riders. We needed that additional point to bring us level, so it was vital. So there was Moggo lying on the deck with the bike on top of him and grabbing onto it for dear life; and 4 of the Mildenhall track staff - (all wearing long red coats and looking like teddy boys) trying to drag the bike off him so that it would have been an automatic exclusion. Then running out from the pits like a greyhound appears Andy Galvin - who at that time was about 18 and looked as if he weighted about 6 stone. He's launched himself into the middle of these guys, fists flying and kicking out to enable Moggo to stand up, pick up his bike and literally drag it over the line before collapsing again. Meanwhile, Galvin was fighting one on one with a Mildenhall track guy about three times his size. The away crowd in the home straight stand were going mad; albeit it was difficult trying to decide what to watch - Moggo or Galvin. These days, it would probably lead to fines, warnings, etc. but in those days, it was all just part of the entertainment. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 He loved a good punch-up old Andy! I remember Louis Carr and Gary Tagg having an on-track altercation and Andy comes charging out the pits fists flying. Before you knew it there were track staff,pits crew and various riders(I think Thommo was one of them,) having a massive rumble on the third bend! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Voice Of Reason Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 Before you knew it there were track staff,pits crew and various riders(I think Thommo was one of them,) having a massive rumble on the third bend! We would not expect our beloved Thommo to do anything other than his true Captain's role, and lead by example! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ommer Mon Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 Craziest fight I've ever seen was Jimmy Squibb and Jon Erskine at Dudley Wood. Both of them must have been into their 50s at that stage. I think I recall Squibby hanging on to Jon while he attempted to ride away. Oh the joys of Cradley / Wolves encounters. Seeing a couple of Hawks on here reminds me of the incident where Garry Middleton allegedly produced a gun from his tool box after an on track altercation with Roy Trigg or Mike Gardner. As the Voice of Reason said - all part of the entertainment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skodaman Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 At Leicester, around 1969 approx, in a match against the hated Coventry, there was a set to and 14 riders and others were on track just outside the pits gate with fists flying! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catalan Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 Remember at Poole during the eighties, Moggo doing a celebration standing on his saddle one leg outstretched behind him down the home straight. Cue tractor driving doing the same whilst grading. Caused much merriment. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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