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Andy Downes

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9 hours ago, Sidney the robin said:

Mark  was Steve,  was that the year Surman rode at Oxford? and after did Paul Dugard ride remember Per Sorensen improving out of sight for the cheetahs mainly down to the professor.!!!!

Jon was our nominated junior in 1986 (first year of it's introduction). Paul rode as a reserve in 1989 and although showing some signs of potential basically wasted his talent. Per was one of the un-sung heroes but his signing proved crucial and turned "The Cheetahs' into a super team in 1986!

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On 9/9/2019 at 8:03 PM, Tracy Bird said:

Remember that meeting,was that the meeting when the track resembled Weymouth beach?i remember the seyco championship in 1977 when mal corradine stalked him for 3 laps  before passing Sampson on his way to winning the meeting,we should have signed Sampson when Eastbourne moved up

That was a year or two later. I well remember that one too - it was the only time I have ever seen the rakers pulling the “dirt”(thick sand that night) OUT towards the fence. The riders ended up using just the inside two thirds of the track. Eastbourne were not very popular in the NL at the time with their seemingly win at all costs attitude but they deserve full credit for continuing in this instance. Many teams would have just pulled out (with justification if I am honest). 

The time I suggested signing Mike Sampson was when the Reading management took over for a season. Unfortunately as well as being met with hostility from some fans the promoters made it clear that they knew much better. So we went ahead to a disappointing season of under achievement. 

Good old Weymouth Speedway- not many trophies but always something happening. 

 

:)

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On 9/10/2019 at 7:38 PM, steve roberts said:

Jon was our nominated junior in 1986 (first year of it's introduction). Paul rode as a reserve in 1989 and although showing some signs of potential basically wasted his talent. Per was one of the un-sung heroes but his signing proved crucial and turned "The Cheetahs' into a super team in 1986!

I think Steve 1986 might of been the year Hans broke Mauger's highest average of 11.74....? not  quite sure but in later years did Ivan's 11.74 figure get reduced because of a tape exclusion.? Nielsen was an awesome rider he posted four 11 point averages on the trott from 1985/88 an alltime great but in 1986 was very fortunate to get away with the Knudsen incident.

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1 hour ago, Sidney the robin said:

I think Steve 1986 might of been the year Hans broke Mauger's highest average of 11.74....? not  quite sure but in later years did Ivan's 11.74 figure get reduced because of a tape exclusion.? Nielsen was an awesome rider he posted four 11 point averages on the trott from 1985/88 an alltime great but in 1986 was very fortunate to get away with the Knudsen incident.

Yes I have to admit Sid having been present at Poland that year my heart was very much in my mouth. Trouble with Tommy Knudsen is that he used to be in the habit of riding 'square bends' and on trying to correct himself found that Hans had filled the gap. I had witnessed on numerous occasions both Tommy amd Hans riding each other up to the fence. Both hard competitors. Knudsen once attempted to ride Marvyn Cox wide but 'Cocker' was wise to it and cut up the inside of him and rode to magnificent 5-1 with Hans to register a last gasp Oxford win...much to the anguish of the Coventry fans preseent.

Edited by steve roberts
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1 hour ago, steve roberts said:

Yes I have to admit Sid having been present at Poland that year my heart was very much in my mouth. Trouble with Tommy Knudsen is that he used to be in the habit of riding 'square bends' and on trying to correct himself found that Hans had filled the gap. I had witnessed on numerous occasions both Tommy amd Hans riding each other up to the fence. Both hard competitors. Knudsen once attempted to ride Marvyn Cox wide but 'Cocker' was wise to it and cut up the inside of him and rode to magnificent 5-1 with Hans to register a last gasp Oxford win...much to the anguish of the Coventry fans preseent.

Hans getting that call was his reward for taking thing's on the chin when thing's went against him in the years before that.That rule has annoyed me for decades Steve,  me and you could see the Knudsen/Nielsen-  Penhall/Carter incident differently but who is wrong ? neither of us.Why couldn't both of those races be all four back? nobody could ever be certain in both instances and as a result the public was robbed of a great spectacle.Going back to Nielsen saw most of his Cowley home meeting's from 1984/ 88 and had many a good night in there restaurant the guy was a machine awesome.

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On ‎9‎/‎4‎/‎2019 at 7:38 AM, Sidney the robin said:

Why did he not adapt to White City Steve? that always puzzled me a terrific rider.. I remember him getting a 15 point max in the Mike Keen benefit meeting in horrendous conditions.The Reading trio of Michanek, Lovaas, Curtis, was not bad eh. Steve !!!

Dag admitted in his very candid interview with Backtrack many years ago that he had reached the point where he lost his verve for racing and was scared of being seriously injured. When that happens to a rider, he is right to pack in.

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10 hours ago, tmc said:

Dag admitted in his very candid interview with Backtrack many years ago that he had reached the point where he lost his verve for racing and was scared of being seriously injured. When that happens to a rider, he is right to pack in.

Did the same happen to the great Shawn Moran TMC ???

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On 9/12/2019 at 10:18 PM, Wessex Wanderer said:

That was a year or two later. I well remember that one too - it was the only time I have ever seen the rakers pulling the “dirt”(thick sand that night) OUT towards the fence. The riders ended up using just the inside two thirds of the track. Eastbourne were not very popular in the NL at the time with their seemingly win at all costs attitude but they deserve full credit for continuing in this instance. Many teams would have just pulled out (with justification if I am honest). 

The time I suggested signing Mike Sampson was when the Reading management took over for a season. Unfortunately as well as being met with hostility from some fans the promoters made it clear that they knew much better. So we went ahead to a disappointing season of under achievement. 

Good old Weymouth Speedway- not many trophies but always something happening. 

 

:)

Yes 3 ageing heat leaders and journeymen second strings terry tulloch excepted, yes Sampson as he was then would have been a hell of a improvement,made it worse that mal corradine had his best ever season at middlesborough that year,it was a very poor season,only kept off the bottom because of scunthorpes problems that year.

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Once a riders head goes normally that's the  end of it for them as in any sport a strong mental attitude  is vital and the last thing you need is to be distracted or not fully committed  ,you just become a danger to yourself and others.IMO( other than phyiscal injury) this is the main reason for riders retiring from the sport you see it so often when they are  no longer committed at the starts ,they are almost frightened to make too good a start preferring to see how it  pans out  IMO this what has happened to Scott Nicholls watching him on TV recently .

Edited by FAST GATER
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Most Unpopular Rider

I think this is the most depressing thread I have encountered in the couple of years that I have followed speedway. IMO ALL riders give their utmost to the sport and deserve more than the ridicule now being heaped on some of them here. 

Were I a rider who 'had the finger pointed at me' in this thread my thoughts would be 'why did I ever bother to be a rider?'

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Think yet again you completely misinterpret the thread. As I said with Ove Fundin, he took it as a compliment that he was so unpopular, not personal at all. He laughed about it, as at the end of the day did most if not all who are named here

There is absolutely no ‘ridicule’ at all. You do have trouble with a hell of a lot of threads. Maybe this isn’t the place for you ?

Edited by iris123
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2 hours ago, gustix said:

Most Unpopular Rider

I think this is the most depressing thread I have encountered in the couple of years that I have followed speedway. IMO ALL riders give their utmost to the sport and deserve more than the ridicule now being heaped on some of them here. 

Were I a rider who 'had the finger pointed at me' in this thread my thoughts would be 'why did I ever bother to be a rider?'

 

15 minutes ago, iris123 said:

Think yet again you completely misinterpret the thread. As I said with Ove Fundin, he took it as a compliment that he was so unpopular, not personal at all. He laughed about it, as at the end of the day did most of not all who are named here

My quote was personal opinion on my part and was clarified as such. I did comment the matter was how I would react were I a rider who was named. I do fully understand that other riders could accept the matter as a joke as well.   

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Of course it is your personal opinion. And my response was my personal opinion that you always seem to react against the spirit in which such threads are made. Nowhere as far as I can see is a single rider ‘ridiculed ‘ . That is just one instance of where you totally go against the grain of all the posts here up till yours

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3 hours ago, gustix said:

Most Unpopular Rider

I think this is the most depressing thread I have encountered in the couple of years that I have followed speedway. IMO ALL riders give their utmost to the sport and deserve more than the ridicule now being heaped on some of them here. 

Were I a rider who 'had the finger pointed at me' in this thread my thoughts would be 'why did I ever bother to be a rider?'

I think you've misunderstood this thread quite spectacularly.  This is like saying which footballer do we like to boo..  it's not saying who is the worst rider - that could i suppose upset a very small element of riders tho i guess.  Tho my advice to anyone riders getting upset by internet comments would be to perhaps say they are in the wrong game.

But this isn't that.  

Your comment saying that you would feel affronted by such comments as a rider is your opinion, but i would say is a little daft - you'd be perfect to have as an opposition rider  as you'd clearly be easily to rattle. A few boos and v signs and you'd be pootling around the back getting zero's all night feeling hurt. ? Surely that can't be right.

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