Pieman72 Posted September 11, 2020 Report Share Posted September 11, 2020 Does anyone remember when Nitro was legal for use in British League Speedway? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neila Posted September 11, 2020 Report Share Posted September 11, 2020 Was it ever legal ? Can remember in mid seventies riders putting a syringe of the stuff in, also think a great character of that era jack Millen got killed in a car crash which burst into flames rumoured to be caused by nitro. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted September 12, 2020 Report Share Posted September 12, 2020 (edited) I seem to remember reading that nitro was used by some riders and Ivan Mauger mentioned it in one of his books. It wasn't actually common practice but not banned as such until the early seventies (?). Vladimir Gordeev was stripped of his fourth placing in the 1971 World Final for using the stuff and sunsequently banned for a year. Edited September 12, 2020 by steve roberts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmauger Posted September 13, 2020 Report Share Posted September 13, 2020 Read that a clue nitro, nitromethane, was being used would be 'runny eyes' as apparently the fumes made people's eyes water & stream.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triple.H. Posted September 13, 2020 Report Share Posted September 13, 2020 I thought it was banned years ago. Don't the riders nowadays have the fuel supplied by the track running the meeting ? I remember plenty of rumours about one prolific tuner of the late 80s onwards where if you used his engine you had to use his fuel. May have all been led by jealousy of the speed by other riders Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenga Posted September 13, 2020 Report Share Posted September 13, 2020 On 9/12/2020 at 12:20 AM, Neila said: Was it ever legal ? Can remember in mid seventies riders putting a syringe of the stuff in, also think a great character of that era jack Millen got killed in a car crash which burst into flames rumoured to be caused by nitro. didnt he rear end a truck and the fuel was supposed to be inside the car in the personal quarters . not sure , but i think it was a fuel tanker involved .. ? ? ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobMcCaffery Posted September 13, 2020 Report Share Posted September 13, 2020 I once worked at a track where the starting marshal came up to the box after a few after match junior races to complain about one of the kids using nitro. He claimed you could tell because his exhaust stank of pig manure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityrebel Posted September 13, 2020 Report Share Posted September 13, 2020 I remember riders fuel being tested at a meeting at Wimbledon in the mid 1970's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chunky Posted September 13, 2020 Report Share Posted September 13, 2020 21 minutes ago, cityrebel said: I remember riders fuel being tested at a meeting at Wimbledon in the mid 1970's. You know, that rings a bell... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted September 14, 2020 Report Share Posted September 14, 2020 Seem to remember Gary Middleton accusing Ivan Mauger of using nitro at the 1972 (?) Wills Internationale but later withdrew the claim. Not sure when it was actually banned form domestic competition however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fromafar Posted September 14, 2020 Report Share Posted September 14, 2020 11 hours ago, chunky said: You know, that rings a bell... Quasimodo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chunky Posted September 14, 2020 Report Share Posted September 14, 2020 58 minutes ago, Fromafar said: Quasimodo It was just a hunch... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityrebel Posted September 14, 2020 Report Share Posted September 14, 2020 8 hours ago, chunky said: It was just a hunch... Scraping the barrel now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chunky Posted September 14, 2020 Report Share Posted September 14, 2020 4 minutes ago, cityrebel said: Scraping the barrel now! You mean my bell jokes are losing their ap-peal? And I was going like the clappers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityrebel Posted September 14, 2020 Report Share Posted September 14, 2020 28 minutes ago, chunky said: You mean my bell jokes are losing their ap-peal? And I was going like the clappers! There might be a vacancy for you soon, at the BSPA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chunky Posted September 14, 2020 Report Share Posted September 14, 2020 7 minutes ago, cityrebel said: There might be a vacancy for you soon, at the BSPA! I'm not THAT big a clown (despite my profile picture)... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner85 Posted September 14, 2020 Report Share Posted September 14, 2020 To be precise , it was nitromethane that was added. I was asked if I could get some for a rider. I could not help but when he got it , he said it added a lot of power. To my knowledge it was never legal but it was made illegal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sommelier Posted September 14, 2020 Report Share Posted September 14, 2020 I knew a grass track rider in 1975 on a Antig 500 short stroke JAP that used 70% Methanol 20% Nitromethane 5% Acetone 5% Benzene. All purchased from Newton oil Birmingham Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehone Posted September 15, 2020 Report Share Posted September 15, 2020 heard talk of some riders spraying their air filters with something just a couple of years ago, allegedly helped them at the start if they didn't do a practice start on the way to tapes .. just a rumour though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted September 15, 2020 Report Share Posted September 15, 2020 29 minutes ago, stevehone said: heard talk of some riders spraying their air filters with something just a couple of years ago, allegedly helped them at the start if they didn't do a practice start on the way to tapes .. just a rumour though Recall hair spray (?) on tyres being banned for indoor events that were all the craze back in the late seventies/early eighties. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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