customhouseregular Posted October 17, 2015 Report Share Posted October 17, 2015 I quote directly from Norman Jacobs' excellent book. "The summer of 1973 saw British speedway host the daily Mirror International Tournament. It was a competition that captured the imagination of the general public and the national media alike. Seven international teams containing the world's greatest riders were gathered for a mini-league format, which climaxed with a one-off final at Wembley Stadium. It was the nearest the sport had ever come, or indeed ever has, to a football-style World Cup event. Hosts England were joined by Australia, the USSR, Sweden, Poland, New Zealand and a combined Norway/Denmark side for a festival of world-class action that took in 18 British tacks in 19 days. Fans flocked to the meetings in their droves and television and newspapers alike offered the tournament enormous amounts of coverage - little wonder with shale superstars such as Ivan Mauger, Ole Olsen, Ronnie Moore, Zenon Plech, Peter Collins, Anders Michanek and Barry Briggs all playing starring roles." How times have changed and what wouldn't today's fans give for speedway like that today. I was at Wembley for the final which was actually followed by a Great Britain v Rest Of The World match, making a bumper feast of International speedway. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinMills Posted October 17, 2015 Report Share Posted October 17, 2015 remember that.....those names had such appeal...times changed, but this gp circuit no-where near the same draw imo 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iris123 Posted October 17, 2015 Report Share Posted October 17, 2015 (edited) I quote directly from Norman Jacobs' excellent book. "The summer of 1973 saw British speedway host the daily Mirror International Tournament. It was a competition that captured the imagination of the general public and the national media alike. Seven international teams containing the world's greatest riders were gathered for a mini-league format, which climaxed with a one-off final at Wembley Stadium. It was the nearest the sport had ever come, or indeed ever has, to a football-style World Cup event. Hosts England were joined by Australia, the USSR, Sweden, Poland, New Zealand and a combined Norway/Denmark side for a festival of world-class action that took in 18 British tacks in 19 days. Fans flocked to the meetings in their droves and television and newspapers alike offered the tournament enormous amounts of coverage - little wonder with shale superstars such as Ivan Mauger, Ole Olsen, Ronnie Moore, Zenon Plech, Peter Collins, Anders Michanek and Barry Briggs all playing starring roles." How times have changed and what wouldn't today's fans give for speedway like that today. I was at Wembley for the final which was actually followed by a Great Britain v Rest Of The World match, making a bumper feast of International speedway. I was at the NZ v Australia meeting.A few years later and you could have had a decent Denmark team and also the USA.Nowadays it is hard to get any decent teams apart from Denmark and Poland.You could possibly get a great Russian team,but half wouldn't turn up........... Edited October 17, 2015 by iris123 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moxey63 Posted October 17, 2015 Report Share Posted October 17, 2015 (edited) Perhaps it is human nature, the fact that nothing seems as it once were. We are after all talking about the 70s, people leaving their homes to attend speedway tracks for the magical Daily Mirror Tourney. That was a period people could actually be bothered to leave armchairs to switch TV channels and make sure, for instance, clocks were wound and watches too. We have too many first world luxuries, that perhaps weren't about in the seventies. I mean, who can imagine now getting up to change the vinyl on your record player. In the same breath, perhaps folk can't be energised into leaving their tablets, mobles and loadsa TV Channels for a night being brassed off at the speedway. Edited October 17, 2015 by moxey63 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
customhouseregular Posted October 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2015 Sadly moxey you are probably right. but even if the will was there for fans to attend and the media to get behind it, with the top riders competing in up to 4 leagues and the GP, it would be impossible to stage. Modern speedway has killed the big tournaments. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norbold Posted October 17, 2015 Report Share Posted October 17, 2015 I quote directly from Norman Jacobs' excellent book. "The summer of 1973 saw British speedway host the daily Mirror International Tournament. It was a competition that captured the imagination of the general public and the national media alike. Seven international teams containing the world's greatest riders were gathered for a mini-league format, which climaxed with a one-off final at Wembley Stadium. It was the nearest the sport had ever come, or indeed ever has, to a football-style World Cup event. Hosts England were joined by Australia, the USSR, Sweden, Poland, New Zealand and a combined Norway/Denmark side for a festival of world-class action that took in 18 British tacks in 19 days. Fans flocked to the meetings in their droves and television and newspapers alike offered the tournament enormous amounts of coverage - little wonder with shale superstars such as Ivan Mauger, Ole Olsen, Ronnie Moore, Zenon Plech, Peter Collins, Anders Michanek and Barry Briggs all playing starring roles." How times have changed and what wouldn't today's fans give for speedway like that today. I was at Wembley for the final which was actually followed by a Great Britain v Rest Of The World match, making a bumper feast of International speedway. In fairness I should point out that that is an extract from "Speedway's Classic Meetings", which I co-wrote with Chris Broadbent and that particular passage was written by Chris. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
customhouseregular Posted October 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2015 Thank you Norbold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moxey63 Posted October 17, 2015 Report Share Posted October 17, 2015 We will never return to the halcyon days of the seventies, I'm sorry to say. The pull of Test Matches will never be again, in my opinion, as their importance has been replaced by a stage of Individual speedway importance, the Grand Prix being the be-all and end-all, domestic duty seeming to me to be more of a day of each week for riders to keep busy. Team speedway has slipped down the pecking order for many riders. We have come the wrong way in my opinion, since the 70s, before the Play-Offs, when you knew your side's last fixture as early as March, the season carried on until the conclusion of October and not peter out as though there was nowt else after the EL Grand Final. I have to poke myself sometimes, remembering that we are still in October and the season is still in force. Similar with the Grand Prix. In an era we must have a Grand conclusion to everything, a Grand Final, we have a pointless trip thousands of miles to the other side of the world. But we know who the Champion is already. Anti-climatic. Anti-climatic - that is what you can say about the domestic scene. We put every emotion into the EL Finals. Once over, the speedway soul is lost and spends the final month closing early when many a fan used to get as much in before the winter break. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
customhouseregular Posted October 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2015 moxey my friend, I don't know who you are but you are a man after my own heart . 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The White Knight Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 moxey my friend, I don't know who you are but you are a man after my own heart . Mine too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinMills Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 like minded thread...they had this sport so right,yet its now sooo wrong!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moxey63 Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 (edited) like minded thread...they had this sport so right,yet its now sooo wrong!! It wasn't always perfect, but it was as damn near as was possible. Or was it the passing of time that made us old codgers less happy to settle for dross. In saying that, I have witnessed some cracking racing this year in the few times I've popped up my head to watch the TV. But the actual basis, the foundation of the sport and team-speedway ethics, I feel they have been ruined by riders stretching themselves out to thinly. A sport, a game, doesn't it have to be as good as its rules.. and in speedway's case, I feel the rules, the make-up, it is patched together in a make-do sort of mentality. Another winter of searching questions: another close season of totally different answers. Edited October 19, 2015 by moxey63 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The White Knight Posted October 20, 2015 Report Share Posted October 20, 2015 It wasn't always perfect, but it was as damn near as was possible. Or was it the passing of time that made us old codgers less happy to settle for dross. In saying that, I have witnessed some cracking racing this year in the few times I've popped up my head to watch the TV. But the actual basis, the foundation of the sport and team-speedway ethics, I feel they have been ruined by riders stretching themselves out to thinly. A sport, a game, doesn't it have to be as good as its rules.. and in speedway's case, I feel the rules, the make-up, it is patched together in a make-do sort of mentality. Another winter of searching questions: another close season of totally different answers. ............... or no Official answers at all. :sad: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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