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Fourteen Favourite Swindon Riders


Ovalman

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55 minutes ago, Sidney the robin said:

How many races did Raba finish?? he certainly had ability as he was picked for the Polish wtc team in 1984.?

Not sure exactly, but he only had one ride at home in his 5 official matches.

Went on to be one of Kolejarz Opole's greatest ever riders and finished 2nd iin a Polish Championship as well as his WTC Final appearance.

Could have done ok for us, given time.

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1 minute ago, iris123 said:

Somehow I am not surprised!!!

He did have a shocker in his only meeting for Swindon against Eastbourne.

Martin Yeates wasn't particularly polite about him when he got dropped. Two sides to every story I guess....

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2 minutes ago, frigbo said:

He did have a shocker in his only meeting for Swindon against Eastbourne.

Martin Yeates wasn't particularly polite about him when he got dropped. Two sides to every story I guess....

It did seem at the time that riders had to get going very quickly as there were plenty of others out there to take their places

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Leonard Raba had. six official meetings for the Budgies three of them at home.   Reading (h) paid 2 from 4 rides ( two falls)   Bristol.  (h) 1 point from three rides beat Sjosten.    Bristol (a) paid 2 from four rides.  King's Lynn (a) 0 from three rides.   Wolves (a) 0 from two rides.   Leicester. (h) 0 from one ride pulled out of meeting. Six matches 17  rides paid for 5. points i do think given time he would of been ok but Swindon in 1978 were pretty weak.

Edited by Sidney the robin
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Reading and Bristol were Challenge Matches.

His only home league meeting was against Leicester and he scored 0 from 1 ride.

His league record was:

5-11-0-0-0.00

Edited by frigbo
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17 minutes ago, frigbo said:

Reading and Bristol were Challenge Matches.

His only home league meeting was against Leicester and he scored 0 from 1 ride.

His league record was:

5-11-0-0-0.00

Thought he had less meeting's Frigbo as you said including challenges six matches the other pole we had Jerzy Trzeszkowski  was poor as well.

Edited by Sidney the robin
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Raba's Swindon record is:

3 Challenge Matches:

1+1 from 4 home v Reading

1+1 from 4 at Bristol

1 from 3 home v Bristol

5 League Matches:

0 from 3 at King's Lynn

0 from 2 at Wolves

0 from 1 home v Leicester

0 from 2 at Ipswich

0 from 3 at Poole

 

 

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41 minutes ago, frigbo said:

Raba's Swindon record is:

3 Challenge Matches:

1+1 from 4 home v Reading

1+1 from 4 at Bristol

1 from 3 home v Bristol

5 League Matches:

0 from 3 at King's Lynn

0 from 2 at Wolves

0 from 1 home v Leicester

0 from 2 at Ipswich

0 from 3 at Poole

 

 

The last two meeting's in August can't remember him coming back you learn something everyday eh!!!   The management must of thought something of him to bring him back his pedigree was pretty good and he proved in the early 80s he was decent and got in the  Poland WTC team in 84.

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On 2/8/2019 at 9:06 AM, frigbo said:

Raba's Swindon record is:

3 Challenge Matches:

1+1 from 4 home v Reading

1+1 from 4 at Bristol

1 from 3 home v Bristol

5 League Matches:

0 from 3 at King's Lynn

0 from 2 at Wolves

0 from 1 home v Leicester

0 from 2 at Ipswich

0 from 3 at Poole

 

 

Come on, frigbo, at least tell the whole story!

Against Reading, he score his point in the only race he finished (two falls and an EF), and beat the mighty Franz Kreimoser.

At Bristol, he scored his point in one of only two races he finished (two more falls), and it came at the expense of Phil Crump - who didn't finish...

At home to Bristol, he actually beat Soren Sjosten - and he managed to finish all three races he started.

So, in those challenge matches, he rode eleven times.  He suffered four falls and an EF.  In the six races he finished, he scored four (paid) points, yet only "beat" one rider... That could be a record in itself?

Steve

 

 

 

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I think Claes Jensen of Poole has the record nailed for beating fewest riders, Steve.

Raba was actually leading heat 8 by some distance at Bristol, before inexplicably falling off all on his own....

And I reckon he "beat" two - we can't underplay his contribution! :)

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3 minutes ago, frigbo said:

I think Claes Jensen of Poole has the record on that score, Steve.

Oh, I know he has a much worse points-scoring record!  Just one from 29 rides, but I don't have a complete breakdown of his rides...  Jensen is probably the worst rider is have seen at a truly competitive level (if you can in fact call him competitive).

I was talking about the record of Raba scoring four paid points from beating only one rider!  I'm sure that hasn't happened too often!

Steve

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1 minute ago, chunky said:

Oh, I know he has a much worse points-scoring record!  Just one from 29 rides, but I don't have a complete breakdown of his rides...  Jensen is probably the worst rider is have seen at a truly competitive level (if you can in fact call him competitive).

I was talking about the record of Raba scoring four paid points from beating only one rider!  I'm sure that hasn't happened too often!

Steve

I think I'm right in saying Jensen's only point came from a Richard Hellsen engine failure.

Christophe Cayre of Isle Of Wight takes that accolade for me I think.

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11 minutes ago, frigbo said:

I think I'm right in saying Jensen's only point came from a Richard Hellsen engine failure.

Christophe Cayre of Isle Of Wight takes that accolade for me I think.

That's what I have been trying to find out, and that really wouldn't surprise me!

I can't comment on Cayre as that was after I emigrated, and I don't know anything about him, except that he didn't score a point in nine rides.  Of course, there are those who witnessed Timmy Joe Sheppard's appearance at Hackney in 1975, and still claim that he was the worst...

Steve

Edited by chunky
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9 minutes ago, Sidney the robin said:

Veijo Tuoriniemi  recommended by the great Bob Redford also had a torrid time for the Budgies.Going back to Rabs i believe his figures tell a wrong story I do believe there was a good rider in there somewhere.

He had a reasonable introductory season at Eastbourne in 1980(?) and looked useful.

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I guess that one time 'Rebel' Bob Kilby was my all-time favourite 'Budgie'. Having read his son's (Lee) book only re-emphasises that view. A tremendous read giving a great insight into Bob...and a great character to boot!

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3 hours ago, steve roberts said:

I guess that one time 'Rebel' Bob Kilby was my all-time favourite 'Budgie'. Having read his son's (Lee) book only re-emphasises that view. A tremendous read giving a great insight into Bob...and a great character to boot!

Great book a great read there is a picture in the book of Kilb beating Briggo in heat 1 of the Swindon v Exeter match.I love that  picture Bob had a great time at the Country ground and he was hard to beat there.

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On ‎2‎/‎7‎/‎2019 at 10:20 AM, iris123 said:

Nobody mentioned one of my favourites,Andrew Silver!! spectacular rider,but maybe Swindon wasn’t one of his best tracks?I remember him more at Rye,Arena and his appearances at Plough Lane

Silver was brilliant at Swindon - at least he was in my selective memory where he regularly passed people "for fun" and was a master of the first bend cut-back that Tai Woffinden gets a lot of praise for today. Probably my all-time favourite rider.

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