norbold Posted March 25, 2023 Report Share Posted March 25, 2023 I suppose we are going to have to put up with this erroneous nonsense all year now! "Eurosport "The 2023 FIM Speedway Grand Prix calendar has been confirmed as venues across eight different countries host FIM Speedway World Championships action in the sport's 100th season. "A century on from the first speedway event in 1923, the sport’s current generation of stars will mark a huge anniversary season with another epic year of 500cc, no-brakes, wheel-to-wheel racing on the most famous stages." 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Historian Posted March 25, 2023 Report Share Posted March 25, 2023 Oh God no no no no !!!! Not Hoskins all over again, spare us please. FIM 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted March 25, 2023 Report Share Posted March 25, 2023 37 minutes ago, norbold said: I suppose we are going to have to put up with this erroneous nonsense all year now! "Eurosport "The 2023 FIM Speedway Grand Prix calendar has been confirmed as venues across eight different countries host FIM Speedway World Championships action in the sport's 100th season. "A century on from the first speedway event in 1923, the sport’s current generation of stars will mark a huge anniversary season with another epic year of 500cc, no-brakes, wheel-to-wheel racing on the most famous stages." Having said that are there plans to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the sport with a meeting or event? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norbold Posted March 25, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2023 2 hours ago, steve roberts said: Having said that are there plans to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the sport with a meeting or event? The 100th anniversary was probably many years ago, steve! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Split Posted March 29, 2023 Report Share Posted March 29, 2023 On 3/25/2023 at 3:25 PM, norbold said: The 100th anniversary was probably many years ago, steve! I think Steve was probably referring to the anniversary of the first known meeting in Britain, at High Beech in February 1928. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norbold Posted March 30, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2023 20 hours ago, Split said: I think Steve was probably referring to the anniversary of the first known meeting in Britain, at High Beech in February 1928. Oh right, thanks. Well, we've got another five years yet to plan for that which probably means, if British Speedway runs true to form, somewhere around 1st Feb 2028, they'll start to think about it…. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted March 30, 2023 Report Share Posted March 30, 2023 7 minutes ago, norbold said: Oh right, thanks. Well, we've got another five years yet to plan for that which probably means, if British Speedway runs true to form, somewhere around 1st Feb 2028, they'll start to think about it…. Frightening but I remember the 50th year anniversary... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norbold Posted March 30, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2023 25 minutes ago, steve roberts said: Frightening but I remember the 50th year anniversary... I remember the 40th, steve! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chunky Posted March 30, 2023 Report Share Posted March 30, 2023 36 minutes ago, norbold said: Oh right, thanks. Well, we've got another five years yet to plan for that which probably means, if British Speedway runs true to form, somewhere around 1st Feb 2028, they'll start to think about it…. So we don't count Droylsden in 1927? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norbold Posted March 30, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2023 50 minutes ago, chunky said: So we don't count Droylsden in 1927? No. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norbold Posted March 30, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2023 Actually, to give a fuller reply, chunky, I personally don't even count 19 Feb 1928 as the first real speedway meeting. My view is that the first proper speedway meeting as we understand speedway was held on 7 April 1928 at High Beech. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chunky Posted March 30, 2023 Report Share Posted March 30, 2023 1 minute ago, norbold said: Actually, to give a fuller reply, chunky, I personally don't even count 19 Feb 1928 as the first real speedway meeting. My view is that the first proper speedway meeting as we understand speedway was held on 7 April 1928 at High Beech. Ah, that's interesting! There are so many "claims", and so many different views from so many different people. So, why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arnieg Posted March 30, 2023 Report Share Posted March 30, 2023 46 minutes ago, chunky said: Ah, that's interesting! There are so many "claims", and so many different views from so many different people. So, why? Because speedway evolved, just like most sports. Can you say when baseball was invented? [Answer - it certainly wasn't at Cooperstown] Personally in the absence of doing the primary research it is largely a matter of evaluating the evidence and it's sources. For example people tend to under estimate how unreliable personal memory is, and over rely on something if it is printed in a nicely bound book with high production values. I go with 7 April 1928 because I trust Norman to have made these fine judgements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iris123 Posted March 30, 2023 Report Share Posted March 30, 2023 This is not supposed to be a trick question. Just out of interest Using the criteria that makes you think the 7 April 1928 meeting was the first in the UK. Would you say there is a meeting before or after 1923 that fits the same criteria ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norbold Posted March 30, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2023 2 hours ago, chunky said: Ah, that's interesting! There are so many "claims", and so many different views from so many different people. So, why? April 7th was the first time a track in this country had a loose surface and bikes weren't fitted with brakes. It was therefore the first time that broadsiding was seen - demonstrated most effectively by Colin Watson, Alf Medcalf and Digger Pugh. The 19 Feb meeting had a hard rolled surface and all bikes were fitted with rear brakes under ACU rules. No broadsiding took place even by the two experienced Aussies (Keith McKay and Billy Galloway) who were there. The top Australian promoter. A.J. Hunting, arrived towards the end of the 19 Feb meeting and took the promoter, Jack Hill-Bailey, to one side and told him that he "had it all wrong." He then took a hand in preparing the track properly for the 7 April meeting while also lobbying the ACU to remove their rule insisting on rear brakes. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norbold Posted March 30, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2023 5 minutes ago, iris123 said: This is not supposed to be a trick question. Just out of interest Using the criteria that makes you think the 7 April 1928 meeting was the first in the UK. Would you say there is a meeting before or after 1923 that fits the same criteria ? Yes. By 1928, Australia had a whole network of speedway tracks with a number of different promoters presenting what we would know as speedway. Vic Huxley, for example, was known as "Broadside" Vic Huxley from about 1926 onwards. And I think it was you who actually posted an article from a newspaper dated November 1923 (a month before Johnnie Hoskins' much- vaunted West Maitland meeting) describing the correct way to slide round a corner. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iris123 Posted March 30, 2023 Report Share Posted March 30, 2023 2 minutes ago, norbold said: Yes. By 1928, Australia had a whole network of speedway tracks with a number of different promoters presenting what we would know as speedway. Vic Huxley, for example, was known as "Broadside" Vic Huxley from about 1926 onwards. And I think it was you who actually posted an article from a newspaper dated November 1923 (a month before Johnnie Hoskins' much- vaunted West Maitland meeting) describing the correct way to slide round a corner. Yes. From memory the Australian paper was also dexcribing it as something like the US slide ? So presumably an imported style Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norbold Posted March 30, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2023 1 minute ago, iris123 said: Yes. From memory the Australian paper was also dexcribing it as something like the US slide ? So presumably an imported style Yes, there are descriptions of sliding round small track from before the First World War in the USA. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chunky Posted March 30, 2023 Report Share Posted March 30, 2023 10 minutes ago, norbold said: April 7th was the first time a track in this country had a loose surface and bikes weren't fitted with brakes. It was therefore the first time that broadsiding was seen - demonstrated most effectively by Colin Watson, Alf Medcalf and Digger Pugh. The 19 Feb meeting had a hard rolled surface and all bikes were fitted with rear brakes under ACU rules. No broadsiding took place even by the two experienced Aussies (Keith McKay and Billy Galloway) who were there. The top Australian promoter. A.J. Hunting, arrived towards the end of the 19 Feb meeting and took the promoter, Jack Hill-Bailey, to one side and told him that he "had it all wrong." He then took a hand in preparing the track properly for the 7 April meeting while also lobbying the ACU to remove their rule insisting on rear brakes. I see... That's weird, though. I remember seeing a bunch of posts on here about 17th April, 1946 - at New Cross; all saying something about a "first-ever meeting"... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arnieg Posted April 3, 2023 Report Share Posted April 3, 2023 I asked ChatGPT where the first speedway meeting in the UK was and it said: The first speedway meeting in Great Britain was held on February 19, 1928, at the New Cross Stadium in London I blame norbold 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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