Guest Posted January 7, 2020 Report Share Posted January 7, 2020 (edited) Regarding the comments in regard to riders representing Russia. Is it possible that in the periods concerned they were in fact representing the USSR (Soviet Union aka Union Soviet Socialist Republics) which was a collection of republics in the block. Edited January 7, 2020 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 7, 2020 Report Share Posted January 7, 2020 (edited) 21 minutes ago, iris123 said: With speedway anything is possible. Didn’t Ken McKinlay represent England more than once ? But I agree with your point Aas was never Russian. Darkin I think it has been pointed out before is from Uzbekistan, but at least represented Russia ,,,,and Welshmen Freddie, Eric and Ian Williams also rode for England! Edited January 7, 2020 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted January 7, 2020 Report Share Posted January 7, 2020 26 minutes ago, gustix said: Regarding the comments in regard to riders representing Russia. Is it possible that in the periods concerned they were in fact representing the USSR (Soviet Union aka Union Soviet Socialist Republics) which was a collection of republics in the block. I recall that riders from the old USSR rode under various titles as a representative team over the years. Either as the USSR, Soviet Union or Russia depending on convenience and/or interpretation if not totally accuate. Indeed the Gordeev brothers are both from Georgia which was then part of the old USSR administration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 7, 2020 Report Share Posted January 7, 2020 Further to the remarks in regard to "Russian' riders not been actual Russians. As I see it riders were collectively from various republics in the Soviet Union - hence the USSR. However from a commercial aspect by promoters it was better to 'sell' the team to supporters as Russia rather then the Soviet Union aka USSR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted January 7, 2020 Report Share Posted January 7, 2020 30 minutes ago, gustix said: ,,,,and Welshmen Freddie, Eric and Ian Williams also rode for England! ...or Charlie Monk who rode for Scotland on at least one occasion as did Oyvind Berg (I think?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 7, 2020 Report Share Posted January 7, 2020 (edited) 13 minutes ago, gustix said: Further to the remarks in regard to "Russian' riders not been actual Russians. As I see it riders were collectively from various republics in the Soviet Union - hence the USSR. However from a commercial aspect by promoters it was better to 'sell' the team to supporters as Russia rather then the Soviet Union aka USSR. My comment bites the dust! I checked with what is regarded as the authority in international speedway coverage - Brian Collins ultra-excellent International Speedway website. Here's the details for the Soviet Union: http://www.internationalspeedway.co.uk/soviet union.htm .Brian Collins also specifies: "...After 1992, Soviet riders rode for either Belarus, Latvia, Russia, or Ukraine..." Edited January 7, 2020 by Guest updated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arnieg Posted January 7, 2020 Report Share Posted January 7, 2020 Look at British touring teams in Australia. Often labelled England, despite featuring Ken McKinlay and in some series the label changed from test match to test match. So they were described as British Lions in tests 1,2,5 & 7, English Lions in tests 4 & 6 and England in test 3. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted January 7, 2020 Report Share Posted January 7, 2020 39 minutes ago, arnieg said: Look at British touring teams in Australia. Often labelled England, despite featuring Ken McKinlay and in some series the label changed from test match to test match. So they were described as British Lions in tests 1,2,5 & 7, English Lions in tests 4 & 6 and England in test 3. Something that Peter Collins is passionate about as regards the correct usage of labelling regarding differentiating between England and Great Britain certainly within the current climate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iris123 Posted January 7, 2020 Report Share Posted January 7, 2020 (edited) It also gets a bit confusing if say one or two riders as I was told by a Russian friend are ethnic Ukrainian etc...and as I was surprised to see when looking at 1930s US newspapers even Wilbur Lamoreaux was refered to as the Frenchman or flying Frenchman !!!! But I was just asking about Russian riders in particular because I didn't think any USSR riders rode for a British club Edited January 7, 2020 by iris123 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted January 7, 2020 Report Share Posted January 7, 2020 The Speedway Archive (History of Edinburgh Monarchs and Beyond) interestingly lists that "Rene became the first rider of the old Soviet Union to ride for a British Club". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted January 7, 2020 Report Share Posted January 7, 2020 (edited) 10 hours ago, gustix said: My comment bites the dust! I checked with what is regarded as the authority in international speedway coverage - Brian Collins ultra-excellent International Speedway website. Here's the details for the Soviet Union: http://www.internationalspeedway.co.uk/soviet union.htm .Brian Collins also specifies: "...After 1992, Soviet riders rode for either Belarus, Latvia, Russia, or Ukraine..." Interesting John and having looked at some old programmes from the seventies the test match at Oxford (which was unfortunately postponed) the contest was to be held between England and Russia. The 1973 Daily Mirror Tournament had programmes listed as either USSR, Soviet Union or Russia! Such was the ambiguity and apparent inter-changeabilty of the title within the British speedway authorities at the time. Certainly used to confuse me as a teenager growing up during that period! Edited January 7, 2020 by steve roberts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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