Sidney the robin Posted February 8, 2017 Report Share Posted February 8, 2017 (edited) I went through four groups the other day,and how tough was this to do.I did the 50s,60s,70s,80s.I hope most would agree with the riders entered here goes.(50s)-Fundin,Moore,Briggs,Young,,Craven.(60s)-Fundin,Mauger,Briggs,Knutsson,Craven.(70s)-Olsen,Collins,Mauger,Lee,Michanek. (80s)- Nielsen,Penhall,Gundersen,Lee,Carter.i expect some flak but it will be great to hear all of your opinions.😅all placed in my dubious order. Edited February 8, 2017 by Sidney the robin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted February 8, 2017 Report Share Posted February 8, 2017 I went through four groups the other day,and how tough was this to do.I did the 50s,60s,70s,80s.I hope most would agree with the riders entered here goes.(50s)-Fundin,Moore,Briggs,Young,,Craven.(60s)-Fundin,Mauger,Briggs,Knutsson,Craven.(70s)-Olsen,Collins,Mauger,Lee,Michanek. (80s)- Nielsen,Penhall,Gundersen,Lee,Carter.i expect some flak but it will be great to hear all of your opinions.all placed in my dubious order. I'd have to go along with that Sid! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidney the robin Posted February 8, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2017 (edited) I'd have to go along with that Sid!Cant believe that Steve to be honest🤔 i felt Moore could of been top of the 50s he was that good .But god how many titles could Ove have won ? 6 or 7? the 80s is a difficult one because of Lee and Carter not having longevity along side there name. Edited February 8, 2017 by Sidney the robin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted February 8, 2017 Report Share Posted February 8, 2017 Cant believe that Steve to be honest i felt Moore could of been top of the 50s he was that good .But god how many titles could Ove have won ? 6 or 7? the 80s is a difficult one because of Lee and Carter not having longevity along side there name. To be honest Sid I couldn't, or wish to try, listing them 1-5 in order only that I agree with the five chosen by you for each decade. Â Ivan Mauger will always get my vote as the best ever rider and I feel that history would justify that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidney the robin Posted February 8, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2017 To be honest Sid I couldn't, or wish to try, listing them 1-5 in order only that I agree with the five chosen by you for each decade. Â Ivan Mauger will always get my vote as the best ever rider and I feel that history would justify that. Dont agree with that at all,Steve?He was a great rider and he would always be near the top a great rider but for me he was not the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted February 9, 2017 Report Share Posted February 9, 2017 Dont agree with that at all,Steve?He was a great rider and he would always be near the top a great rider but for me he was not the best. I look at Ivan, not only in World Championship wins, but how he transformed the teams that he rode for by turning them into relatively mediocre teams into championship ones...okay just missed out at Hull but the fault lay with certain other individuals. He had a great team ethic and his overall stamp on speedway during the sixties and seventies wins my vote. He was the complete package and won thru' with sincere dedication and hard work. He would admit himself that he wasn't the most talented of riders but he worked at his technique and gave up many things and thru' sheer self belief eventually got to the very top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruno Posted February 9, 2017 Report Share Posted February 9, 2017 Got to agree, whenever he came to Cradley he seemed to have this invincibility about him that few others had. This was mid 70s as well when the standard of the top riders was incredible 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norbold Posted February 9, 2017 Report Share Posted February 9, 2017 I'd go along mostly with what you say, Sid, maybe a minor quibble here and there about placings - one up, one down. The only major difference I would have is over Mauger (see what I did there?) Definitely top in the 70s. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The White Knight Posted February 9, 2017 Report Share Posted February 9, 2017 I went through four groups the other day,and how tough was this to do.I did the 50s,60s,70s,80s.I hope most would agree with the riders entered here goes.(50s)-Fundin,Moore,Briggs,Young,,Craven.(60s)-Fundin,Mauger,Briggs,Knutsson,Craven.(70s)-Olsen,Collins,Mauger,Lee,Michanek. (80s)- Nielsen,Penhall,Gundersen,Lee,Carter.i expect some flak but it will be great to hear all of your opinions.all placed in my dubious order. Super Post Sid. Â I don't think I could argue with your choice at all. Â Flak? Not from me mate. :approve: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidney the robin Posted February 9, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2017 I'd go along mostly with what you say, Sid, maybe a minor quibble here and there about placings - one up, one down. The only major difference I would have is over Mauger (see what I did there?) Definitely top in the 70s.Tell us "Norbold your opinion is much valued cant wait for your response is Freddie Williams, sometimes forgotten i am as guilty as anyone for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruno Posted February 9, 2017 Report Share Posted February 9, 2017 Was Michenek in the same league as Mauger,Olsen,Collins etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiheke1 Posted February 9, 2017 Report Share Posted February 9, 2017 Was Michenek in the same league as Mauger,Olsen,Collins etcHis record in the 70s is comparable to pc imo. I'd rank him 4th best rider of the 70s behind those 3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 Was Michenek in the same league as Mauger,Olsen,Collins etc In my opinion definitely yes. He had a tremendous 1973 season and was possibly favourite to lift the World Title that year. Certainly in the early seventies he was a major player and a rider difficult to beat but as Anders has always stated "There are other things in life than speedway" and didn't fully commit his life to 'going round in circles' as others of that period appeared to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidney the robin Posted February 10, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 Michanek could of won the title three times in 73 he was superb,74 he won it and in 75 after his third place behind the russian Trofimov he recovered well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norbold Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 Tell us "Norbold your opinion is much valued cant wait for your response is Freddie Williams, sometimes forgotten i am as guilty as anyone for that. No, I agree with your top five of the 1950s. Mick the Muppet is Fred Williams' great champion! I'm not sure about the order, definitely Fundin first and Craven fifth; as for the other three I think I might put them all second equal!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave the Mic Posted February 17, 2017 Report Share Posted February 17, 2017 (edited) This is an interesting one, always love this kind of debate. Difficult to argue with those selected in the original post from my POV, I guess you could argue a case for the order of some. For me, the only major change (no pun intended) would be Ivan as top in the 70's & I can't really see how one could argue against him being the greatest ever with any real justification. Â Steve's response in post #7 is very much how I feel. Never mind the 6 world titles & how/where he won them, but leading Britain until he was discarded, then coaxing an average NZ squad to win the WTC, turning Belle Vue into multiple champions & unfashionable Exeter from chumps to champs in two seasons with no other stars in the side. Almost did the same with Hull. Also the best team rider ever, period. Â He had everything from top to toe, skill & ability, stamina, professionalism, organisation, machinery, an unbelievable work ethic, desire & will to win. He had it & did it all. He put the P in professional when it comes to speedway. There were none like him before, none since & likely none ever again. Â I grew up & cut my teeth at Exeter, so you could argue I favour him, but he was my least favourite rider, I was a PC fan, but you simply cannot argue with what Ivan achieved. Edited February 17, 2017 by Dave the Mic 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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