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Most friendly, approachable, modest riders


BOBBATH

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Zenon Plech was always friendly and chatty while signing autographs for me and all the other annoying kids, who used to shout into the Hackney pits!

I've still got the NGK cap he gave me...I'd like to think it's the same one he wore on the world final rostrum in 79. :)

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Have to agree with Steve in that it would be easier to name the not so friendly riders. But we don’t want to start any negativity and quite frankly I can’t think of any

The one who sticks in my mind and I have mentioned it a couple of times was Bob Paulson, who was both friendly and mental in a crazy way. Out of the blue whilst waiting in the pits with a friend started calling me the wizard. I wasn’t quite sure what was going on, but he signed my book to ‘the wizard’  and I still have that somewhere around !!:blink::D

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8 hours ago, norbold said:

Tyburn Gallows, even if he was a complete nutcase!

Maybe we could start a list of riders who didn't ride under their real names. Igor Baranov and Kid Bodie come to mind. Raymond Arthur (BillyBales, Edwin Vernon (Chum) Taylor and of course Squire Francis (Split) Waterman are others.

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4 minutes ago, iris123 said:

Well there was Bill Barrett who rode under that name for Oxford and Arena in the 80s then turned up a couple of years back on ice speedway as Andrew Barrett!!

Remember Bill Barrett at Cowley...never knew that!

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13 minutes ago, Split said:

Maybe we could start a list of riders who didn't ride under their real names. Igor Baranov and Kid Bodie come to mind. Raymond Arthur (BillyBales, Edwin Vernon (Chum) Taylor and of course Squire Francis (Split) Waterman are others.

Tony Brooklister (alias Colin Meredith) whilst having second half (remember those?) trials at Cowley back in the seventies.

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1 hour ago, Split said:

Maybe we could start a list of riders who didn't ride under their real names. Igor Baranov and Kid Bodie come to mind. Raymond Arthur (BillyBales, Edwin Vernon (Chum) Taylor and of course Squire Francis (Split) Waterman are others.

Tyburn Gallows was his real name.....eventually. He changed his name by deed poll.

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There were lots of riders who rode under assumed names in the early days as they rode at non league tracks like Norwich and didn't want their actual clubs to know as they had signed exclusive contracts with them. For example, Fred Leavis rode as Arthur Reynolds, Bert Garrish as Herb Peters and Allen Kilfoyle as Jack Williams.

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