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Do You Remember The 70's & 80's When Uk Teams Signed Unknown Foreigners? Some Good, Most Were Pants!


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Slightly off topic , I started watching at Workington in the late 70,s but struggle to remember too much , apart from the smell, the speed, walking round to the wee pie hut for pie and oxo.

The sparse crowds of three to four hundred, the battering at home , happy days:)

Worky riders , the great Brian Havelock, Rob Maxfield, Andy Margarson, Mark Dickinson etc.

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2 hours ago, topaz325 said:

Slightly off topic , I started watching at Workington in the late 70,s but struggle to remember too much , apart from the smell, the speed, walking round to the wee pie hut for pie and oxo.

The sparse crowds of three to four hundred, the battering at home , happy days:)

Worky riders , the great Brian Havelock, Rob Maxfield, Andy Margarson, Mark Dickinson etc.

The crowds wernt that low in the late 70s even in the worst season teamwise in 1980!

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8 hours ago, cowboy cookie returns? said:

Billy Lellmann popped up on a Ipswich memories Facebook feed this morning, the year he briefly rode was 1990. I did a quick google to see what he scored however no information was listed. Google did bring me here hence a reply to a 6 year old topic!!

I remember Billy Lellmann riding a challenge match at Hackney and he looked pretty decent - I heard he left as he was homesick

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Eastbourne had a few wonky ones in the 80's

Lars Hammerberg

Rene Christensen

Merek Kepa

Borje ring (although I liked him)

Robert Slabon

I could go on a few times..

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3 hours ago, M.D said:

Eastbourne had a few wonky ones in the 80's

Lars Hammerberg

Rene Christensen

Merek Kepa

Borje ring (although I liked him)

Robert Slabon

I could go on a few times..

Borje Ring... doesn't sound a very exciting rider :D

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3 hours ago, M.D said:

Eastbourne had a few wonky ones in the 80's

Lars Hammerberg

Rene Christensen

Merek Kepa

Borje ring (although I liked him)

Robert Slabon

I could go on a few times..

Eastbourne were a favourite of mine in the early 80's as they had so many...

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16 hours ago, M.D said:

Eastbourne had a few wonky ones in the 80's

Lars Hammerberg

Rene Christensen

Merek Kepa

Borje ring (although I liked him)

Robert Slabon

I could go on a few times..

Lillebror Johansson? He rode in the same season as Hammerberg and Ring. Eastbourne had a really strong top 4 of Kennett, Moran, Preston and Woods, but unfortunately none of the Swedish imports or Dave Kennett were able to give sufficient backing.

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3 hours ago, salty said:

Lillebror Johansson? He rode in the same season as Hammerberg and Ring. Eastbourne had a really strong top 4 of Kennett, Moran, Preston and Woods, but unfortunately none of the Swedish imports or Dave Kennett were able to give sufficient backing.

True, Lillebror came in mid season and did a season and a half, looked good in places.

What a top four though, GK, Kelly and Ron as a top 3...

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On 2/2/2017 at 7:13 PM, bruno said:

I remember Pepe hautamaki at Cradley struggling when he first joined but did he turn out ok in the end, it's been a while. Knocking on 40 years, unbelievable

I remember Pekka had a habit of winning the reserves race in the 2nd half, then the heat that qualified him for and then a few times the final with some world class riders unable to pass him. 

 

In those days the 2nd half was a real event in its own right, often with a sponsored points prize at the end if the season that home heat leaders would really race for. 

You'd also see away stars wanting to get one over the home riders. 

Sadly today's breed just want to earn more than Clubs can afford for minimal effort. 

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5 hours ago, M.D said:

True, Lillebror came in mid season and did a season and a half, looked good in places.

What a top four though, GK, Kelly and Ron as a top 3...

I'm sure he scored double figures at Swindon in 1982 when "The Eagles" won in a late season match?

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On 1/26/2024 at 1:32 PM, Tracy Bird said:

Krause kjaer Coventry 1974,stein roar Pedersen Bristol 1977 1 ride no points,uno johansson reading 1982,mark cherry Birmingham 1976 and Tommy Peterson birmingham1976,Bristol 1977,leicester 1977.

Don't forget that Uno Johansson also rode a couple of matches for Belle Vue in 1978, scoring one point.

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Another one who hasn't been mentioned is Jorn Haugvaldstad, who rode four matches for Halifax in 1980, without troubling the scorekeepers...

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  • 2 weeks later...

I remember watching someone ride in the 2nd half at Belle Vue called "Charlie Brown"...

His real name turned out to be Giuseppe Marzotto, and rather than being an animated American cartoon character, he was actually an Italian fella....

Wonder what happened to him? 

Couldn't see him making a career in Speedway to be honest... ;)

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16 minutes ago, mikebv said:

I remember watching someone ride in the 2nd half at Belle Vue called "Charlie Brown"...

His real name turned out to be Giuseppe Marzotto, and rather than being an animated American cartoon character, he was actually an Italian fella....

Wonder what happened to him? 

Couldn't see him making a career in Speedway to be honest... ;)

Yeah, well he rode for peanuts, I think...

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12 hours ago, mikebv said:

I remember watching someone ride in the 2nd half at Belle Vue called "Charlie Brown"...

His real name turned out to be Giuseppe Marzotto, and rather than being an animated American cartoon character, he was actually an Italian fella....

Wonder what happened to him? 

Couldn't see him making a career in Speedway to be honest... ;)

He certainly made an "initial" impact.

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On 2/1/2017 at 7:21 PM, Sidney the robin said:
On 2/1/2017 at 7:15 PM, steve roberts said:

Oxford signed Helge Langli who could have made it (he did beat Ray Wilson in one memorable ride at Cowley I recall) but he picked up an injury off track and never re-appeared...more's the pity! Of course his brother, Tormod, appeared at Newport and was more than useful when he, too, was injured off track (hand-gliding accident).

 

Coventry signed East German Gerhard Ullenbrock on the recommendation of one Garry Middleton. Matti Olin (Finland) was also another 'Bees' capture.

Ulf Lovaas Conny Samuelsson what is your opinion of those two Steve.?

Nothing wrong with Ulf Lovaas

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