Pat Flanagan

[iris123]

And yet if you read about someone like say, Mike Tams, the biog would normally include his time riding in Ireland or mention others riding for Shelbourne. Would seem to be nit picking to say Flanagan might have been guesting.....interesting all the same 

[Guest compost]

4 hours ago, iris123 said:

And yet if you read about someone like say, Mike Tams, the biog would normally include his time riding in Ireland or mention others riding for Shelbourne. Would seem to be nit picking to say Flanagan might have been guesting.....interesting all the same 

Actually not nit picking at all.  Tams British racing history shouldn't include Shelbourne as they were in ireland (or eire) - which is Not part of the UK or GB.  As I wrote you wouldn't include Ronnie Moore's Oz history (or Gerd Riss's German racing history) in with he Brtitish racing history.

Presumably Pat started out riding in ireland then moved to the UK and spent a couple of seasons trying to get a break by second halving before making his British league debut for the Shots before going on to ride for a number of other clubs.

As for the Santry versus Hastings Challenge it's interesting to see Pat riding for Hastings and Ron Clarke down for Santry rather than the other way round.

Cheers

[iris123]

I would have thought he actually turned up at Hastings in the junior races and went to Ireland with them ? From memory that is what the dates seem to show

Plus in a career review in Classic speedway I would have thought it would mention his first couple of seasons. But never having read the mag I have no idea

Edited April 13, 2021 by iris123

[Guest compost]

8 hours ago, iris123 said:

I would have thought he actually turned up at Hastings in the junior races and went to Ireland with them ? From memory that is what the dates seem to show

 

Could well have done.  As I said the interesting thing was that Hasting's regular Ron Clarke rode in that meeting for Santry against Hastings.  Maybe Santry had a shortage of experienced riders and borrowed Clarke whilst Pat stepped up from a non-programmed junior.  No idea and the person to ask has now sadly passed on.

[iris123]

For me it is these little maybe forgotten or overlooked parts of a career that are interesting. Especially if it involves short lived tracks like Hastings and even more so Santry in Ireland. The sort of things that lead me to noticing something else interesting. Maybe Classic Speedway ignore such things, but I think it ok for something a bit less formal like the BSF

[BL65]

The Eastbourne team relocated to Hastings for the 1948 season and Pat Flanagan had rides at both tracks.  The reference to him as 'Bud' was merely copying the name of the music hall entertainer Bud Flanagan, who later sang the theme to the Dad's Army television programme.  It was common for early post-war meetings in Ireland to have teams that were mixed and matched to ensure competitive events and it was not uncommon for riders brought over from the UK to appear both for and against the hosts in the course of a season.  With Pat having an Irish sounding name it was fitting that he should represent 'Ireland' at Santry in the first meeting.  With the local riders having very limited experience it was sensible to ensure that the riders invited from the UK should contain a mix of established and junior riders, hence the inclusion of riders such as Pat who were just beginning their speedway careers.

[iris123]

Much as I thought. Thanks for that and nice to hear about his outings at Eastbourne. I was thinking he must have been taking rides elsewhere during that 1948-49 period

[BOBBATH]

Most interesting thread, I always enjoy hearing the details of the journeymen riders careers of the past. Thanks all