Multiple World Champion's Pairs

[Sidney the robin]

Hi Sidney,

 

I don't know why but I never took a shine to Rickardsson. I admit his individual record is there for all to see but I tend to look more into a rider's ability when it comes to team ethic hence I will never quite see him in the same league of riders as the Maugers, Olsens, Nielsens, Ermolenkos (all World Champions) etc etc. One of my all time favourite riders was Gordon Kennett but he wasn't the greatest of team riders (although he and Steve Weatherley had an understanding on track)

Steve just shows me mate,that everybody's opinion is valid Mike Lee who was a great rider himself said he felt Ricko took it to another level was the best ever.That quote shocked me Mauger when i was a young lad turned up aquipment spot on a lovely van Ivan really took speedway to a new level.Going back to Ricko he was a great rider myself did not see him ride regular looking back at my programmes with GPS i think I see him ride about sixty times did i think he would achieve what he did a big No for me.😀 Edited February 27, 2016 by Sidney the robin

[fatface]

I've got no real preference either way for Tony Rickardson or Ivan Mauger. If anything I warm more to the era that Mauger rode in. And difficult though it is to compare rider from different eras, I still say Tony Rickardson was the better rider. For me, he could do things on a bike that Mauger couldn't.

[Joe Beevers]

Just seen this and not that it makes much difference and turns Austria into a great side,but surely Leopold Killmeyer should be one of their riders,having been runner up 3 times in the Paris run world finals?Neither Funk nor Hauzinger had anything like that record

 

Uhlenbrock's inclusion for East Germany is also very questionable considering his record

 

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_der_Deutschen_Meister_im_Speedway

 

And not a great fan of Smolinski,but maybe his record of actually riding in the series and winning a GP and a few national titles puts him ahead of Maier?Just a thought there

 

 

Thank you for the names folks and Austria and Slovakia updated.

 

Uhlenbrock was put in as he rode a World Pairs and I was unable to find an East German to replace him.

 

As for Smolinski, I actually have Muller in and not Maier along with Riss and obviously I cannot drop Muller. Riss however maybe but he has won Longtrack and made more World Finals I am guessing not including the GP format but perhaps worth a debate.

 

Thanks also to those who were brave enough to pick a winner out of that bunch.

[Bavarian]

The best Swiss speedway riders I ever saw (during the 1980s and early 90's) were Marcel Gerhard and Jessy Inauen. Certainly miles better than these two grass-trackers Reutermann and/or Kaspar, which you have selected.

 

I would also question some of your other smaller nations' selecions. For example, Austria's greatest speedway riders ever were Fritz Dirtl and Josef Kamper, no doubt about it. Old-timer Leopold Killmayer certainly the best of the pre-war era (1930's), but Adi Funk wasn't really something special. I would rate even Josef Boessner higher than Funk.

[Split]

Back in the late 50's/Early 60's Austria's Motor Race Club (Motor-Rennclub Österreich) staged some meetings where the local riders were joined by guests from other countries such as Ove Fundin and Josef Hofmeister and pitched against some of the best in the world. Some interesting results can be found here: http://www.internationalspeedway.co.uk/extra6.htm

 

Hofmeister's scores are particularly impressive considering the opposition. He is often overlooked when the greatest riders of that period are discussed but there is no doubt that he was truly world class.

[Bavarian]

True "Wack" hofmeister was a teenage sensation in teh early 1950's. He was our German (Bavarian) version of Ronnie Moore. An extremely popular "baby-face" speedway rider. He quit the sport in the early 60's, havign reached four consecutive Wembley World Finals and he was still young and riding at his peak when he called it quits.