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Notoriously Dirty Riders


Pinny

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bit of a theme going there North and Poole both have something in common with their modern counterparts Holder and Doyle . however the worst incident I have ever seen can be attributed to Carl Blackbird , causing a career ending and life threatening injury to Simon Green at Sheffield

I was there for that meeting as well. The stadium went totally quiet, everyone instantly knew it was terrible. I was 16 at the time so the memory may be not be that clear, but I seem to remember it was a hard race, neither giving way, and they locked together down the home straight, and into the first bend. I can still picture the lead up to it, but to be honest if it was a deliberate fencing I didn't pick it up at the time. Amazing that Simon lived after that, I remember the report saying that he recovered mostly because he was in great shape, a normal person would probably not have survived.

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Didnt he cause that horrific injury to Dave mullett at reading all those years ago?

 

Yes Compton certainly had him off. Also remember Carl Stonehewer kicking Anders Henriksson at Smallmead when Anders crashed and was on the ground.

 

But then also remember Bobby Schwartz and Steve Gresham not getting on at all during Gresh's one very poor season with the Racers.

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Would have enjoyed watching Sandor in his prime...only saw him towards the back end of his career but apparently was a real character!

Remember reading in John Berry's 'Confessions' book that Sandor and Olle Nygren often 'put themselves about' to protect the younger and more inexperienced members of the recently 'promoted' Ipswich team of 1972. I recall that during a meeting at Sheffield (1972) certain Sheffield riders were giving some of the 'Witches' a rough time and that Olle stepped in and rode in a rather 'boisterous fashion' thus allowing a rare Ipswich win at Sheffield.

Edited by steve roberts
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Josh Auty's reckless move on Kenny Ingalls at Derwent Park in 2012 was one of the worst i've seen, Ingalls hasn't rode since.

 

There was also the incident when Auty was riding in the second half as a junior 15/16 year old and rode across the centre green into one of the start gate staff and broke his leg, i remember thinking he was uncontrollable then.

I was at that one...was sat in the main stand with a couple of hundred others when he smashed into the marshall. Got a right rollicking from Drury. Never liked the young sulky sod since then.

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Already mentioned, but Tim Hunt was crackers. One incident (well two really), was Hunt the Shunts fencing of John Louis

at Reading, when Hunt had moved to the Racers from Ipswich. JL duly noted that incident and promptly put Hunt into

the back straight fence at Foxhall, just before they entered the 3rd bend in the return fixture....I forget the year I'm afraid.

But Hunt had a habit of knocking opposition riders off, even during his Witches days. Never liked him then and liked him

even less when he moved on.

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But Hunt had a habit of knocking opposition riders off

Not just opposition riders - Mitch Shirra in particular was unhappy about riding with Tim.

 

Yet off track one of the most pleasant riders I've encountered.

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I remember the occasion when Tim Hunt came storming out of the pits and rode straight across the width of the track and hit the white line and jumping high into the air! Totally bizarre behaviour!

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Would have enjoyed watching Sandor in his prime...only saw him towards the back end of his career but apparently was a real character!

As I remember it, he was the only Cradley rider who seemed prepared to give it a go in that famous 1975 meeting at Oxford.

 

By the time Cradley had walked out, Levai had already taken 4 rides I think, including a TS.

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As I remember it, he was the only Cradley rider who seemed prepared to give it a go in that famous 1975 meeting at Oxford.

 

By the time Cradley had walked out, Levai had already taken 4 rides I think, including a TS.

Yes that's correct...and from that day some Oxford fans decided to christened John Boulger 'Snow Flake' in remembrance of that occasion!

Edited by steve roberts
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Yes that's correct...and from that day some Oxford fans decided to christened John Boulger 'Snow Flake' in remembrance of that occasion!

 

It just shows how times have changed - can you imagine a meeting continuing in snow these days?

 

I remember a couple of meetings at Oxford when I was young, around 1980 or 1981. The final meeting of 1980 was an Inter-League 4TT, right at the very end of October. Towards the end of the meeting, the temperature hit zero, and the final few races were completed, despite the fact the track was starting to freeze over. I was stood on the terracing, freezing over. And they cancelled the opportunity for kids to go around on the back of their favourite rider's bike (I ended up going around on Mick Fletcher's bike the following April, for my 8th birthday).

 

Also, for another meeting, there was a really heavy thunderstorm at start-time. The riders simply waited for it to stop and then started the meeting. Times were the opening races were about 15-20 seconds more than usual. But by the last few heats, race times had returned to normal.

 

Different times.

 

All the best

Rob

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Already mentioned, but Tim Hunt was crackers. One incident (well two really), was Hunt the Shunts fencing of John Louis

at Reading, when Hunt had moved to the Racers from Ipswich. JL duly noted that incident and promptly put Hunt into

the back straight fence at Foxhall, just before they entered the 3rd bend in the return fixture....I forget the year I'm afraid.

But Hunt had a habit of knocking opposition riders off, even during his Witches days. Never liked him then and liked him

even less when he moved on.

 

I thought I remembered that Tim Hunt and John Louis had a coming together at Foxhall on the 3rd/4th bends when JL came back with Halifax in 1981 and thought that Tim Hunt moved from Ipswich to Reading in 1982, a year after JL had left the Witches.

 

Certainly remember Hunt going ape, storming around on the track and losing it big time. All this after JL had mentored Hunt in his early career. And I was disappointed with the reaction of the Witches supporters, including one who went on to be the Team Manager, around me that evening, who all had a go at Louis after his tremendous service to the Club. It's ok supporting your team, but another, in my book, having a go like that at one of your club's greatest ever riders.

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I thought I remembered that Tim Hunt and John Louis had a coming together at Foxhall on the 3rd/4th bends when JL came back with Halifax in 1981 and thought that Tim Hunt moved from Ipswich to Reading in 1982, a year after JL had left the Witches.

 

Certainly remember Hunt going ape, storming around on the track and losing it big time. All this after JL had mentored Hunt in his early career. And I was disappointed with the reaction of the Witches supporters, including one who went on to be the Team Manager, around me that evening, who all had a go at Louis after his tremendous service to the Club. It's ok supporting your team, but another, in my book, having a go like that at one of your club's greatest ever riders.

I'd like to bet a few of those around you that evening have recently spent £16 and queued patiently to have JL sign their copy of his autobiography!

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I remember the Cradley match at Oxford very well. It was actually snowing in the middle of May!!!

 

Dave Perks wrote 'SNOW' in the windscreen of his car, immortalised in the famous photo in Speedway Star.

 

My abiding memory is Bernie Persson riding round in the blizzard. Whilte Helmet, white jumper, white race jacket, white midguards - all you could see was a pair of red legs going round. Not a lot of fun that night unless you like watching a string of 5-0s to the opposition! a 58-14 thumping if I recall rightly.

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If you had seem Morris drive David through the fence at Ashfield you would not think it was hard riding. :mad: . Vermin would be too good a name for the thug, personally I think he should have been charged with G.B.H.

Having been at this meeting I agree with you, hold your h ad in shame Morris

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I was a regular visitor at Wolves for a few years when Sam was there and he did have a habit of inexplicably sliding off all on his own. Never seen a rider of his calibre do that so often. That said, when he wasn't crashing he pulled off some amazing passes that defied belief. Never a dull meeting when Sam was racing.

Sam used to do it at Dudley Wood as well on the pits bend. We used to refer to it as "Sams Bend", it happened that often.

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