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Crashes You Couldn’t Believe A Rider Walked Away From


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That you either saw live or on video.

 

The one that will always come to mind for me first is Mark Simmonds around the 3rd and 4th bend at Exeter when he was catapulted the best part of 20 feet in the air (that isn’t exaggerated for effect), Bird had a pretty comparable crash.

 

A couple on TV, Ermolenko and Bunyan at Wolverhampton when Ermolenko was nearly decapitated by the fence, would have been horrific

 

Crump and I am tempted to say Gollob (might be wrong) in Sweeden at GP heading into the 3rd bend the two bikes hooked up and increased in speed heading into the air fence, could have been the first high profile air fence crash I saw now that I think of it (although mind might be playing tricks) actually think Crump went on to win that meeting.

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Bobby Beaton at Cowley in 1972. Colin Gooddy's bike broke down immediately in front of Bobby and he had nowhere to go. Hit him from behind and flew over the fence hitting, if I recall, a lamp standard. He was carried off and we feared the worse. He was riding again within 24 hours!

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Bobby Beaton at Cowley in 1972. Colin Gooddy's bike broke down immediately in front of Bobby and he had nowhere to go. Hit him from behind and flew over the fence hitting, if I recall, a lamp standard. He was carried off and we feared the worse. He was riding again within 24 hours!

But the light never worked again.
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Dukie Ermolenko going thro the solid wooden 3rd bend fence at Lynn and somehow missing the three thick horizontal wires behind it,, which would have decapitated him had he hit them, ending up complete with bike on the second tier of the terracing. He got up and walked away.

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Gino Franchetti (I think) wrapping himself around the floodlight coming off the second bend on the back straight in front of me. He cleared the fence and hit the floodlight and didn't move. Can't remember of his injuries but they was certainly no where near as bad as they could of been.

I remember that, it was just in front of me and the rest of the Redcar supporters. It was one of those occasions when the crowd went silent fearing the worst.

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Couple of polish speedway examples in the first one (Artue Czaja and Hubert Legowik at Gorzow) they were taken to hospital as precaution in second(Ronnie Jamrozy at Rawicz) it was fractured wrist but still pretty lucky all things considered and last one Marek Latosi from 1996

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6i3auq3sqw&index=42&list=FLixlQvDVOCzfjDqCX568AsA

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7iyz7D8T1Q

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRm7vZ56fZM

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Of course, there have been many bad - and very awkward-looking - crashes over the years, but I think there are two types of crash that stand out as far as appearing horrific :

 

1) When a rider clips the back of the man in front, straightens, and goes into/through the fence at full tilt.

 

There have already been a few videos of this posted here, but here's another with some of the best camera work I have seen! He didn't "walk away", but obviously, there was little damage! It's that man Gollob...

 

https://youtu.be/wCbZdDVWPJg

 

2) When a rider hits the fence on the straight, and comes to a complete and sudden stop.

 

The worst I have seen were Tony Briggs doing that (and catapulting through the air) on the back straight at Wimbledon, Todd Wiltshire (almost the exact same thing at the exact same spot), and Martin Scarisbrick doing a similar thing at Reading.

 

Steve

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Of course, there have been many bad - and very awkward-looking - crashes over the years, but I think there are two types of crash that stand out as far as appearing horrific :

 

1) When a rider clips the back of the man in front, straightens, and goes into/through the fence at full tilt.

 

There have already been a few videos of this posted here, but here's another with some of the best camera work I have seen! He didn't "walk away", but obviously, there was little damage! It's that man Gollob...

 

 

2) When a rider hits the fence on the straight, and comes to a complete and sudden stop.

 

The worst I have seen were Tony Briggs doing that (and catapulting through the air) on the back straight at Wimbledon, Todd Wiltshire (almost the exact same thing at the exact same spot), and Martin Scarisbrick doing a similar thing at Reading.

 

Steve

 

Colin Cook (Blackbird Rd) and Mike Lanham (Blackbird Rd) both on the start/finish straight, both caused by breakdowns in front of them (far to close to do anything) both pretty badly smashed up, especially Mike Lanham, if I remember correctly, Mike Lanham had 27 seperate fractures, I think reported in the Leicester Mercury at the time.... Both crashes horrendous, both pretty unavoidable.. and aifences wouldn't of helped, but having floodlights lamp standards away from the track, would have helped considerably....

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That you either saw live or on video.

 

The one that will always come to mind for me first is Mark Simmonds around the 3rd and 4th bend at Exeter when he was catapulted the best part of 20 feet in the air (that isn’t exaggerated for effect), Bird had a pretty comparable crash.

 

A couple on TV, Ermolenko and Bunyan at Wolverhampton when Ermolenko was nearly decapitated by the fence, would have been horrific

 

Crump and I am tempted to say Gollob (might be wrong) in Sweeden at GP heading into the 3rd bend the two bikes hooked up and increased in speed heading into the air fence, could have been the first high profile air fence crash I saw now that I think of it (although mind might be playing tricks) actually think Crump went on to win that meeting.

Saw that Simmo one 'live' too. Think it was the first bend at the County Ground though (not 3&4) and remember they couldn't find him to start with and when they did they couldn't get him. Eventually ropes where found to reach him and despite pelvic injuries he walked to the ambulance near the tractor/grader park on bend one.

 

Saw Garry Stead's career ending one at the OTA although two races earlier Rebel legend Glenn Cunningham, on his return to Somerset for Stoke, was a 'sitting duck' on bend four after falling and not being able to clear the track and either the red lights failed or the riders didn't see them in time. Think Zorro and possibly Matt Read missed him but Ben Barker ploughed straight into him, you just could see what was going to happen and it did. Luckily neither rider was as badly hurt as Steady was two races later on that fateful night. Can still see poor old Jordan Frampton colliding with the stricken Stead who fell right in front of him and he cartwheeled bike and all the length of the back straight virtually. Unfortunately Steady, as we know, wasn't as lucky as Cunningham or Barker had been before him to walk away.

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