steve roberts Posted November 9, 2022 Report Share Posted November 9, 2022 (edited) 41 minutes ago, auntie doris said: Started at Weymouth in 1968, also doing second-halves at Swindon. Really broke into the Robins team big time in 1970, Briggo, Kilby, Broady, Keen, Hitch, Munday, Bishop, etc.,Ashby was at Exeter. They finished 16th.out of 19 but there were some great meetings at The Abbey. Most locally based, loyal clubmen, who racked up hundreds of appearances for the Robins. Still see Mike Broadbank out walking locally, fit as a fiddle old Broady. Clive Hitch is the only living rider to have a road named after him on the new estate near the stadium up on Blunsdon Hill. Barry said Pete Munday was hard and mad, one race he roared up inside of Dukey kept getting closer, then his footrest ripped his front spokes out. He had wider handlebars and thought he was going to hit the starting gate, missed by a few inches! Didn't say anything as Munday would have punched him. Pete excelled on the wet tracks. Had a run-in with Briggo behind the pits, almost came to fisticuffs. Said when he was mechanic for Barry and Ivan, Ivan would politely asked for something to be done, equipment was immaculate, Barry would throw his bike down, shouting and swearing, bike was held together with wire! They get on well now though. Kilby was one of the first to look at the magnets at the starting gate, Dukey looked at top of tapes like most. He doesn't like speedway now though.He had a motor-cycle display team with son, grandson, and a few others. Saw them at a local show 14 years ago. He was riding through a ring of fire, and performing other tricks, on 2 wheel bikes and quad bikes, was very good. ...there lies the difference between speedway then and speedway now. Local riders who you could identify with and loyalty was the key in many instances. The points limits (whereby a rider's average often over ruled ability as regards team placement) and influx of very ordinary foreign riders changed much of that. The racing aspect is all very well and why many people watch the sport but personally I think that it's far more complex than just that alone. The sport has lost many fans down the years due to changing factors which has been discussed/analysed/debated many times on this forum down the years. Edited November 9, 2022 by steve roberts 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ovalman Posted November 9, 2022 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2022 (edited) 10 hours ago, norbold said: Without giving too much away, I am older and still play competitive table tennis. My team captain is 84! Must be an old boys' game. That gives me hope at 66, and a recent knee replacement. I was Pontins Brean Sands junior champion in 1970, hardly played since then. Dukey plays in the top Swindon league with my mate. Will definitely give it another go. Have just tried lawn bowls. Edited November 9, 2022 by auntie doris 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ovalman Posted November 9, 2022 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2022 1 hour ago, steve roberts said: ...there lies the difference between speedway then and speedway now. Local riders who you could identify with and loyalty was the key in many instances. The points limits (whereby a rider's average often over ruled ability as regards team placement) and influx of very ordinary foreign riders changed much of that. The racing aspect is all very well and why many people watch the sport but personally I think that it's far more complex than just that alone. The sport has lost many fans down the years due to changing factors which has been discussed/analysed/debated many times on this forum down the years. He doesnt like the gardening at tapes, or constant returning to pits after stoppages. Said Oxford track is better now they've altered it, was always difficult to pass there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norbold Posted November 9, 2022 Report Share Posted November 9, 2022 24 minutes ago, auntie doris said: That gives me hope at 66, and a recent knee replacement. I was Pontins Brean Sands junior champion in 1970. Better than me. I only managed runner-up at Pontin's, Isle of Wight in 1992! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted November 9, 2022 Report Share Posted November 9, 2022 (edited) 5 hours ago, auntie doris said: He doesnt like the gardening at tapes, or constant returning to pits after stoppages. Said Oxford track is better now they've altered it, was always difficult to pass there. The adverse camber on the pits bend was a challenge back in the seventies but Dag Lovaas was one that mastered it! Edited November 9, 2022 by steve roberts 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chunky Posted November 9, 2022 Report Share Posted November 9, 2022 5 hours ago, steve roberts said: The adverse camber on the pits bend was a challenge back in the seventies but Dag Lovaas was one that mastered it! Everything comes back to Dag, doesn't it? Did you have a man-crush on him? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted November 9, 2022 Report Share Posted November 9, 2022 35 minutes ago, chunky said: Everything comes back to Dag, doesn't it? Did you have a man-crush on him? ...no that was Ulf! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ovalman Posted November 10, 2022 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2022 11 hours ago, chunky said: Everything comes back to Dag, doesn't it? Did you have a man-crush on him? The surname Lovaas could be mis-pronounced and misconstrued as being a bit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ovalman Posted November 10, 2022 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2022 22 hours ago, norbold said: Better than me. I only managed runner-up at Pontin's, Isle of Wight in 1992! Little Canada? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted November 10, 2022 Report Share Posted November 10, 2022 2 hours ago, auntie doris said: The surname Lovaas could be mis-pronounced and misconstrued as being a bit ...I had read somewhere that Ulf had been referred to as "Ol' fluff ass" but I never heard it said personally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norbold Posted November 10, 2022 Report Share Posted November 10, 2022 2 hours ago, auntie doris said: Little Canada? Yes, but don't mention it too loudly as we will probably get a string of posts about Jimmy Gibb from someone..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ovalman Posted November 11, 2022 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2022 19 hours ago, norbold said: Yes, but don't mention it too loudly as we will probably get a string of posts about Jimmy Gibb from someone..... Little Canada is now an outdoor adventure centre. I stayed there in 1971, and visited a few years ago. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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