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16 minutes ago, Robbie B said:

Seeing that the BBc TV Blue Peter is celebrating its 60th birthday it jogged my memory about a clip on YouTube featuring John Noakes and Peter Purvis at Hackney speedway that some of you might enjoy https://youtu.be/nsKQIihffE8

Shame that I can't find clip of the programme featuring Gordon Kennett riding around White City before their March 1976 opening meeting.

Does anyone know whether they featured Wimbledon speedway or any other UK tracks?

 

I recall Ivan Mauger appearing with his Gold Bike and on another occasion Larry Ross whilst a 'Don'.

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3 hours ago, Robbie B said:

Does anyone know whether they featured Wimbledon speedway or any other UK tracks?

 

Although I would have been very young at the rime I remember two more recent presenters, Simon Groom definitely being one,  having a race at Halifax. IIRC one of them won, as the juniors they were against either fell or efed.

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55 minutes ago, Mr Ore said:

Although I would have been very young at the rime I remember two more recent presenters, Simon Groom definitely being one,  having a race at Halifax. IIRC one of them won, as the juniors they were against either fell or efed.

This was back at the start of 1980.
It was actually Christopher Wenner who rode not Simon Groom and he was helped to 'win' the race in a time of 91 seconds.

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On 9/17/2018 at 9:59 PM, Blackadder said:

Freddie Starr used to pop in to Owlerton when he had a week's booking at the Sheffield Fiesta night club. He always did 10 minutes or so larking about on the centre green to entertain the crowd. He was on the front page of the SS once, along with Reg Wilson and Terry Betts. Three look-a-likes. Happy days.

Didn't he present to the top Sheffield scorer of 1974 Bob Valentine a brand new engine ?

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Tim Lovejoy has been a fan for years but doesn't get to too many being based in London and busy weekends. 

Helen Chamberlain was his co host on Soccer Am years ago and the two once presented the league title. 

 

Big friends of Tai the Lowe's brothers from Superbikes love speedway and Rossi was challenged to try Speedway as he often watched it and think there was plans for Monster to get riders from different sports to try others two wheels for charity.

 

A few of the Coronation Street cast have visited Belle Vue a few times and 

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6 hours ago, HerniaWise said:

Didn't he present to the top Sheffield scorer of 1974 Bob Valentine a brand new engine ?

I know that he presented ipswich's Tony Davey with a new bike prior to the 1978 Grande Prix Final at White City in 1978. 

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It takes so little talent these days to become a celebrity with all the crappy singing and reality shows but it seems these people are adored by thousands so it's a pity none are interested in speedway so as to make an appearance and bring a few more young ones into speedway, A couple of years ago the now X Factor judge and local lad Louis Tomlinson brought a few extra thousands through the turnstiles by making an appearance at Doncaster Rovers football club, If only more high profile celebrities were interested in speedway then people would follow like sheep and the terraces would be full again. 

 

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15 hours ago, Robbie B said:

Seeing that the BBc TV Blue Peter is celebrating its 60th birthday it jogged my memory about a clip on YouTube featuring John Noakes and Peter Purvis at Hackney speedway that some of you might enjoy https://youtu.be/nsKQIihffE8

Shame that I can't find clip of the programme featuring Gordon Kennett riding around White City before their March 1976 opening meeting.

Does anyone know whether they featured Wimbledon speedway or any other UK tracks?

 

Here's the Gordon Kennett clip: https://www.britishpathe.com/video/speedway-white-city/query/speedway

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9 hours ago, HerniaWise said:

It takes so little talent these days to become a celebrity with all the crappy singing and reality shows but it seems these people are adored by thousands so it's a pity none are interested in speedway so as to make an appearance and bring a few more young ones into speedway, A couple of years ago the now X Factor judge and local lad Louis Tomlinson brought a few extra thousands through the turnstiles by making an appearance at Doncaster Rovers football club, If only more high profile celebrities were interested in speedway then people would follow like sheep and the terraces would be full again. 

 

I wonder if any track tries to get local 'celebrities' to follow them on Twitter?

Given the reputation of the BV board for example you would think they could know someone who has the 'ear' of the likes of Mourinho, Guardiola or maybe some of the players..?

Maybe getting a few retweets off them may get their followers noticing the sport as it could be taken as an endorsement from them..?

At the NSS for example the Mayor of Mcr, (Andy Burnham) is a very high profile person on social media and has a desire to end homelessness.... BV should latch on to this and see how they can help out by being a pillar of the community...

The world has changed from "let's put leaflets on cars in supermarket car parks"...

Sometimes you think Speedway seems to see leafleting cars in car parks as quite "cutting edge" when it comes to marketing..

 

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20 hours ago, Grand Central said:

This was back at the start of 1980.
It was actually Christopher Wenner who rode not Simon Groom and he was helped to 'win' the race in a time of 91 seconds.

Happy to be corrected, as I said I was very young at the time.. 

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17 hours ago, mikebv said:

I wonder if any track tries to get local 'celebrities' to follow them on Twitter?

Given the reputation of the BV board for example you would think they could know someone who has the 'ear' of the likes of Mourinho, Guardiola or maybe some of the players..?

Maybe getting a few retweets off them may get their followers noticing the sport as it could be taken as an endorsement from them..?

At the NSS for example the Mayor of Mcr, (Andy Burnham) is a very high profile person on social media and has a desire to end homelessness.... BV should latch on to this and see how they can help out by being a pillar of the community...

The world has changed from "let's put leaflets on cars in supermarket car parks"...

Sometimes you think Speedway seems to see leafleting cars in car parks as quite "cutting edge" when it comes to marketing..

 

how would overpaid ninnies retweet anything , most of them can barely tie their own shoelaces . and even if they  would speedway can't afford to pay them ,because they most certainly will do nothing for nothing ,

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8 minutes ago, adonis said:

how would overpaid ninnies retweet anything , most of them can barely tie their own shoelaces . and even if they  would speedway can't afford to pay them ,because they most certainly will do nothing for nothing ,

And they don't tweet themselves, they employ people to manage their social media accounts

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On 10/21/2018 at 11:19 PM, HerniaWise said:

Didn't he present to the top Sheffield scorer of 1974 Bob Valentine a brand new engine ?

I believe the story to be that he promised the 1973 top scorer (who turned out to be Bob Valentine) a new engine,  but allegedly it ended up as the track spare, and Rod Haynes beat Ole Olsen in a second half in 1974 on it. Although someone who was there at the time will know better than me. 

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There was a kids TV quiz programme in the 1970's when I was still a kid, age-wize at least (!), called Runaround presented by the late Mike Reid, once 3 speedway riders appeared with their bikes but don't recall who they were.  And Jim Fixed It for a young lad to ride at Reading with Dave Jessup, the kid already had his own bike and gear so Jim actually didn't need to 'fix' that much.  On Magpie, ITV's Blue Peter,  Mick Somebody (the Marc Bolan lookalike) tried speedway at King's Lynn, I believe it was, he complained "I can ride the straights ok but I can't do thw corners"; a lot of beginners have trouble with the corners in speedway.    The memories are flooding back now: I also saw the This Is Your Life Barry Briggs episode (I know!), don't recall a lot about it I'd only just discovered speedway, just Briggo riding round then the late Eamon Andrews dressed in immaculate overalls presenting him with the big red book and an 'old man in speedway' (Johnny Hoskins !) said something that had everyone rolling about laughing, such a blooming shame the tape was wiped which was common in those days a lot of valuable stuff wasn't archived.... 

Edited by martinmauger
spelling x2
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13 hours ago, martinmauger said:

There was a kids TV quiz programme in the 1970's when I was still a kid, age-wize at least (!), called Runaround presented by the late Mike Reid, once 3 speedway riders appeared with their bikes but don't recall who they were.  

The late Kevin Holden was one of the riders. Mike Reid referred to them having an item of equipment missing, from when he goes to speedway (so potentially another celebrity fan) , when they rode around the studio. Kevin advised it was the steel shoe and explained its use on the track.  

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