Simmo how is he remembered?

[moxey63]

I loved the old tac rule, six points behind and all that. But, for speedway's credibility and forward thinking, my modern-day take on this rule is not to have it. If it allows team managers behind the scenes telling their riders to accept a certain position and nothing else so that his team can either utilise the rule or stop the other team using it, although I like it, perhaps the aim for pure speedway racing overrides a rule I once loved (probably might still).  

[GiveusaB]

On 9/8/2018 at 4:44 PM, frigbo said:

My view of Simmo is greatly tarnished by his spell non-trying (by his own admission) at Swindon to reduce his average to drop to Hackney in the NL.

Which seems to be common practice these days !

Commenting on 'Simmo' as a rider ? pure class !

After reading his auto biography, it appeared that he led a colourful life... causing a few controversies on and off the track along the way, but again, nothing out the ordinary these days!

Nobody's perfect!

[moxey63]

Just think of all the old riders who were eventually forced into retirement by rules and difficulty being fitted in.

Then think about today, when a rider must be looked at as being a bit daft if he isn't doubling up and down. 

And Simmo was a class act. A brilliant, stylish rider who also had a colourful side, someone who had a story to tell and which interested us for many an hour. I think his last fullish year with Arena Essex in the late 80's tarnished his image somewhat. If I recall, he kept them hanging on a bit when out injured and didn't really want to race again after the Gundersen crash.

 I watched him at 43, in his last but one match in a short-lived comeback for King's Lynn in '93 at Belle Vue. And, do you know what, god rest his soul, if he was racing at Belle Vue tonight, I'd be there in a shot.  

Edited September 11, 2018 by moxey63

[steve roberts]

28 minutes ago, moxey63 said:

Just think of all the old riders who were eventually forced into retirement by rules and difficulty being fitted in.

Then think about today, when a rider must be looked at as being a bit daft if he isn't doubling up and down. 

And Simmo was a class act. A brilliant, stylish rider who also had a colourful side, someone who had a story to tell and which interested us for many an hour. I think his last fullish year with Arena Essex in the late 80's tarnished his image somewhat. If I recall, he kept them hanging on a bit when out injured and didn't really want to race again after the Gundersen crash.

 I watched him at 43, in his last but one match in a short-lived comeback for King's Lynn in '93 at Belle Vue. And, do you know what, god rest his soul, if he was racing at Belle Vue tonight, I'd be there in a shot.  

I seem to remember that King's Lynn used him as a doubling up rider before the powers that be decided to move the goalposts mid-season and denied 'old hands' from riding in the top league?

[Sidney the robin]

18 hours ago, moxey63 said:

Just think of all the old riders who were eventually forced into retirement by rules and difficulty being fitted in.

Then think about today, when a rider must be looked at as being a bit daft if he isn't doubling up and down. 

And Simmo was a class act. A brilliant, stylish rider who also had a colourful side, someone who had a story to tell and which interested us for many an hour. I think his last fullish year with Arena Essex in the late 80's tarnished his image somewhat. If I recall, he kept them hanging on a bit when out injured and didn't really want to race again after the Gundersen crash.

 I watched him at 43, in his last but one match in a short-lived comeback for King's Lynn in '93 at Belle Vue. And, do you know what, god rest his soul, if he was racing at Belle Vue tonight, I'd be there in a shot.  

Funny thing is Moxey for years Simmo was just a great rider in my eyes the odd indinscrepicency but his reputation went after the Poole/Fearman episode.I don't know the full facts of that  and i don't care he was a great rider who i enjoyed watching immensely  also he was great with the fans.

 

Edited September 12, 2018 by Sidney the robin

[steve roberts]

24 minutes ago, Sidney the robin said:

Funny thing is Moxey for years Simmo was just a great rider in my eyes the odd edinscrepisity but his reputation went after the Poole/Fearman episode.I don't know the full facts of that  and i don't care he was a great rider who i enjoyed watching immensely also he was great the fans.

 

Worth reading Reg Fearman's book, Sid, to get Reg's side of the story.

[BOBBATH]

Gotta say  Sid and Steve Roberts that Reg is a gent, an honest businessman and whose handshake  was a word of honour that he always lived up to. I think his comments re Simmo and Poole are the god's honest truth. If I had to choose someone to manage my finances honestly and the choice was Simmo or Reg I would pick Reg every time.

[cityrebel]

I knew simmo well when I worked at Wimbledon. I helped him run the winter training schools at plough lane in the early 1980's. I got quite a few freebies at Crayford when he was team manager of the Kestrels, which was much appreciated at the time!

[25yearfan]

Two things that spring to mind when thinking of Simmo is, wonderfully talented rider, dodgy wideboy character!

[PHILIPRISING]

On 9/13/2018 at 12:44 AM, BOBBATH said:

Gotta say  Sid and Steve Roberts that Reg is a gent, an honest businessman and whose handshake  was a word of honour that he always lived up to. I think his comments re Simmo and Poole are the god's honest truth. If I had to choose someone to manage my finances honestly and the choice was Simmo or Reg I would pick Reg every time.

PROBABLY should ask Eric Boocock and Neil Middleditch whether they agree

[iris123]

Thought the guy was as dodgy as they come?And was surprised to see someone suggest otherwise

Edited September 17, 2018 by iris123

[Daytripper]

Super Simmo is one of my all time favourites. I remember him as a stylish exciting rider and a real enthusiast. The former  has European.  Trials  Champion Don Smith used to say you can always tell the ones that are genuine enthusiasts because they carry on riding when they  are over the hill . Simmo had a 10year climb to the top of the hill, then around 7 years at the top but still continued for maybe another 15- 20 years when he was increasingly passed his best.

He was also a cracking grass tracker. One of the outstanding memories of the many , motorcycle events of various disciplines I have attended over the years is Simmo completely cleaning up at a grass track at Sittingbourne. I can still see him in my minds eye now, at That meetings, with the bike cranked so far over the handlebars were almost touching the ground, right round the outside of everybody else and off into the distance.

Great rider, good bloke, despite the adverse and inaccurate publicity

 

[longlivefrankie]

I remember simmo as someone who had difficulty making it over the Severn bridge from memory. Never one of my favourites. 

[steve roberts]

14 minutes ago, longlivefrankie said:

I remember simmo as someone who had difficulty making it over the Severn bridge from memory. Never one of my favourites. 

...he wasn't the only one. Remember Peter Collins not appearing at Somerton Park in 1976. He was due to appear there the day after Tommy Jansson was killed and didn't fancy riding on what he thought was a dangerous track.

[Sidney the robin]

2 minutes ago, steve roberts said:

...he wasn't the only one. Remember Peter Collins not appearing at Somerton Park in 1976. He was due to appear there the day after Tommy Jansson was killed and didn't fancy riding on what he thought was a dangerous track.

Eric Boocock broke his arm there also i don't think Eric liked the track much but he usually scored well there.

[Tigerblade]

Simmo was England captain when I began going to speedway, and was truly one of the biggest World Class stars of that era as far as I am concerned.  Also like others have said, he carried Poole for many years. You knew that your own heat leaders had taken a scalp if they beat him.

On the other hand, he seemed to drop out of a lot of individual meetings/Testimonials at the last minute.  He actually chastised me on this very website some years ago about the latter, claiming every one he was booked in, he rode in - I wasn't that desperate to prove myself right that I was going to dig old programmes out etc.  but over a period of about 3 years I went to Wilkie's Benefit, PC/Mort/Wyer/Wilson/Cartwright Testimonials, and there was an air of "oh, he hasn't turned up again" in at least a couple of them.

Obviously his attitude in later years made up plenty of people's minds about him, but until the end of his Poole days at least, he seemed generally faultless in the main for club and country. 

[cityrebel]

On 9/17/2018 at 9:30 PM, Sidney the robin said:

Eric Boocock broke his arm there also i don't think Eric liked the track much but he usually scored well there.

I only went there once. I saw Wimbledon get thrashed on good Friday 1975. Not a bad stadium, but a pretty narrow track. 

[Tsunami]

45 minutes ago, cityrebel said:

I only went there once. I saw Wimbledon get thrashed on good Friday 1975. Not a bad stadium, but a pretty narrow track. 

Couldn't believe how they didn't crash more fighting to overtake on the square corners. I thought it was a terrible track for proper racing. Just 4 corners and 4 straights.

[Robbie B]

Super Simmo had an unusual start to the first time I ever saw him race live in the Wimbledon V Poole (Spring Gold Cup) match at Wimbledon in 1976 as he bike stopped I'm at the starting gate and thus retired from the race.

But all of other memories of him regardless of which team he was riding for are one of his sheer excellence and skill as a rider and a rider I always looked forward to watching even in opposition against my Wimbledon team. 

His victory on a wet track and with the meeting not finishing until past midnight was superb. It was a shame that he never was an individual World Champion as this accolade would have been right for his skills but Wrld no. 2 isn't so bad.

A true legend of the sport and this is a term that I don't use often except for riders who genuinely deserve it.

[iris123]

Not so sure many would use the term legend.If you call Simmo a legend then there are many many that deserve the term as well

When he came to Plough Lane he dropped 2 points off his average and his best days were behind him