ZERO TO HERO

[chunky]

1 hour ago, iris123 said:

Tbh i think you are being a bit harsh on Roger. Gordon Kennett started out at the same time. He was also given some meetings for the Dons in his fits season. But i think it was fairly clear at Eastbourne that Gordon was the better of the two. But it still took Gordon a few years to really get going. You could say, the move to White City really was the start of the big time. Roger was just that bit behind Gordon always really. 

But i do recall a Bank holiday home and away clash with Oxford. And the guy on the mic was going on about Roger and Bobby McNeil, and saying it looked like Oxford had got the better rider......

As I said, I was looking at Roger's transition to BL.

Here are the BL figures for both, and Gordon was a year ahead, so I'll do a direct comparison. Gordon posted a sub-6.00 average during his first three seasons of BL racing; Roger posted a sub-6.00 average in his first SEVEN seasons of BL racing. In his fifth season, Gordon went up nearly a point to 7; Roger dropped over a point to 4.4. Following year, Gordon put over a point on his average, while Roger continued to drop (to below ). That's why he didn't appear (to me) to be going anywhere.

1970                       1971     
Gordon : 2.33         Roger : 2.00
1971                       1972
Gordon : 3.45        Roger : 4.31
1972                       1973
Gordon : 3.73        Roger : 4.36
1973                       1974
Gordon : 6.42        Roger : 5.45
1974                       1975
Gordon : 7.32        Roger : 4.40
1975                       1976
Gordon : 8.41        Roger : 3.91
1976                        1977
Gordon : 9.69         Roger : 5.46
1977                        1978
Gordon : 10.41       Roger : 7.82
1978                        1979
Gordon : 9.52         Roger : 7.89
1979                        1980
Gordon : 9.91         Roger : 8.22

[Chadster]

6 hours ago, salty said:

Alan Mogridge? Was a bit of a sacrificial lamb when first in the Dons team but went on to a long career.

I was also there for Kelvins debut, you could tell straight away he was a cut above the other number 7’s

Thanks for reminding me about Alan Mogridge. I think the Dons tried out a young Andy Galvin and he perhaps looked the liveliest of all the likely lads before Kelvin came along. I was surprised the Dons didn't persist with Galvin. Of course he was later a pantomine villain in his appearances at Plough Lane with Hackney. Something always seemed to happen when he was around!

[Andy Downes]

Martin Goodwin at Arena Essex 1984.

I remember Martin as a junior at Crayford in 1980 - very hairy style(if you could call it that) and although a member of the Crayford junior team that year, there was nothing to suggest he could step up to NL reserve; if anybody looked likely, it was a lad named Tony Brooks but he sadly never made it.

 

Martin disappeared from the Crayford scene from 1981 to 1983 before resurfacing at Arena as a 3.00 reserve and ended the season as a heat leader and went on to be the foil for Neil Middleditch/Andrew Silver before becoming the main man himself.

 

I remember being told by a notorious story-teller (so probably true!) at the time that he asked to come for a trial at Hackney in '84 but was advised to try his luck at Arena. If he had had a trial, I'm sure he would have being given the reserve spot instead of Mark Terry and who knows, we may have finished higher than 4th that year.

[chunky]

1 hour ago, Andy Downes said:

If anybody looked likely, it was a lad named Tony Brooks but he sadly never made it.

He did get his name in the history books, though!

[1Tsunami]

On 5/5/2024 at 3:26 PM, enotian said:

Mark Thorpe for me. Was dropped at one point during his first two season's with the Diamonds despite showing glimpses of potential he was ordinary in some not very good Diamonds teams.

As I understand it he wasn't in the promoters thoughts for a third season but the numbers worked and he found himself starting the season at reserve with newly signed Scott Lamb.  Probably the best 2nd tier reserve pairing ever, Thorpie was like a different rider going straight from reserve to heat leader and staying there. Even become Commonwealth Champion (I think) at one point.

Statistically speaking it has to be Berwick's Wayne Brown.

Agreed . His process was made by better gating and a change in attitude and I think life style. On the night he could be brilliant and formed a great winning partnership with David Bargh. I think he either won or was second in a big international completion held at Kings Lynn about 1993 ,. It was quite out of the Blue. Happy days..

[Andy Downes]

2 hours ago, chunky said:

He did get his name in the history books, though!

Ah the 65-12 against Worky.... trying to remember which Kestrel it was who finished a heat with a flat tyre but kept the 5-1's going ... or is old age playing tricks with the old memory.

[speedwaysliders]

Maybe Poole fans will put me right but i still cant believe how well  Leon Madsen has done,I thought he was a very average rider,and didnt race in the UK that long,but the next thing i remember was watching him in Poland a few years later and i just thought what.............is this the same rider i saw in the uk.I never so that kind of progress coming and fair play to him,he still is producing top quality racing week in week out.

[hobnob]

David Sheilds signed by oxford 1978 he was at Milton Keynes for 2nd half rides signed on the night for oxford rode in match debut with a paid max

[GiveusaB]

On 5/5/2024 at 4:01 PM, Gambo said:

Rick Miller.

Needed points in his last meeting of his first season to attain the mandatory point average to enable his return. 

Went on to be part of the Bees' Title winning sides of 1987 & 1988, two times World Finalist, and was awarded a Testimonial in his final 1992 season.

Probably one of the best testimonials seen at Brandon.

 

Great meeting!

I was lucky enough to win Sam Ermolenko's race bib in a raffle on the day . my job at the time was driving for Fed-Ex....astonishingly, the following week, I had a parcel delivery for Rick at his rented home in Walmley - B'ham....I took the race jacket with me and he duly signed it. (it's in my loft....) happy days!

[GiveusaB]

As for the topic thread....

I remember Mitch Shirra turning up at B'ham mid 70's for second half events, until they found out that he was only 14 years old ? ...he was 'phenomenal' on a bike !

Unfortunately I can't ever remember him riding for B'ham when old enough?

I think Coventry signed him!

[GiveusaB]

There was nothing ZERO about this rider...

But, as for HERO....the late great 'Alan Grahame' gets my vote!

[fatface]

Richard Green, Exeter

It was a miserable start to the 1988 season at Exeter with a rag tag ensemble of riders who were either years past their best or misfits ie. Bruce Cribb, Dave Trownson, Paul Evitts etc.

A couple of months into the season and they signed Richard Green, a second string left out of the Mildenhall team. Hardly inspiring. But he was a sensation. In his first meeting he took Gordon Kennett from the back. From that point on, he was the absolute darling of the crowd for several brilliantly entertaining years with his ‘win or crash’ approach.

He would have won the NLRC one year if he hadn’t crashed (again!) in his last race.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen a rider make as many last bend overtakes as Greeny did.

He was a real catalyst for turning the season round. Peter Jeffrey also emerged from the juniors as a real prospect, then Steve Regeling arrived and we had a proper no1. By the end of the season, we even started winning away matches!

Edited May 7 by fatface

[ch958]

not really a zero but Terry Lee went from second string at Teesside in 1968 to carrying the team to an extent in 1969. Should have stayed but tried 1st Div with Halifax which was maybe a step too far.

[TonyMac]

Many thanks to all for your responses - some real crackers here. 

 

 

[Technik]

Back with Reading Petri Kokko rode at reserve one season after arriving with an unimpressive opening CV gained at Newcastle & took often 6 sometimes 7 races in a meeting. I'm not sure but this could have been in the early stages of Lee Richardson's career. For sure they both went on to produce big scores for the Racers as heat leaders.

[mikebv]

Maybe Jason Doyle fits the category?

2010 Poole, aged 24, at reserve, running a 4 point average..

2011. Aged 25, a second string at Poole.. 

2017. Champion of the World!!

A massive leap...

 

 

 

Edited May 7 by mikebv

[RS50]

Seem to recall that for some time Charles Wright looked nothing more than a good National League rider.

[IainB]

30 minutes ago, RS50 said:

Seem to recall that for some time Charles Wright looked nothing more than a good National League rider.

While his bro went in the other direction from hero to zero

[Najjer]

On 5/7/2024 at 9:14 PM, RS50 said:

Seem to recall that for some time Charles Wright looked nothing more than a good National League rider.

He signed for Somerset in the then Premier League and never looked back - a real story of how he went on to become British Champion

[Grachan]

Alf Busk at Swindon. He came into the team and was hopeless - barely scored a point for half the season. Then, all of a sudden, he top scored at Belle Vue. I remember it now - looking in disbelief in the newspaper to see the result and seeing "A. Busk 10" written on the results page. Not sure what happened, but from then on, he was very good for the Robins.

Another one at Swindon was Bobby McNeil, who signed in 1975 and was a pretty average reserve for the whole year. Last match of the season - top scored with 14 against Hull. Then, the following year, became a heat leader.

The Jason Doyle theory is another good one. I really felt that Swindon had drawn the short straw when we swapped Maciej Janowski for Jason but it turned out that we had the better deal. I never saw him as a future World Champion in his early career.