TINYS Posted October 5 Report Share Posted October 5 17 hours ago, ouch said: It was at the 1979 InterContinental Final at London's White City. Ivan and Finn Thomsen had both finished on 10 points, so a run-off for third place was needed. Ivan gated and led all the way until the very last bend when his bike had an engine failure. Or so we all thought. He deliberately shut his throttle off because he didn't want to finish third. He knew the rider who finished third would have two rides on the trot in the World Final and Ivan didn't want that. I would wager the other 15 riders that day would not have known that. Such was his attention to detail that he missed out on a podium finish and prize money because he saw the bigger picture. It certainly paid off because the great man won his record-breaking sixth World Final that year. Legend! I was there that night also and I like many others thought it was an engine failure and then I found out the reason why. I also remember the time when invitations were sent to a few riders from the then British League to an open meeting in Poland at the same track that would be hosting the World Final two weeks later, Ivan was the only one to accept the booking which gave him some timely practice at the track. He was using his head as he did at White City that night. Needless to say he went on to win another World Title there. What a man what a rider. Is he the greatest of all time ? I think so. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ouch Posted October 5 Report Share Posted October 5 3 hours ago, dontforgetthefueltapsbruv said: Perhaps it was a reflection of his priorities and focus..... I bet Mark thought the same thing about Max at the SON. 5 ride max v Sheffield week before and 15+1 week after. Priorities with the lions rather than the roos. Or maybe he just had a bad night. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zagarmeister Posted October 5 Report Share Posted October 5 I'm in the trench and have my tin hat on so here goes. Congratulations to Belle Vue who were the best team by far, but I can't be the only person on this forum that never watches meetings from Leicester. I made an exception on Thursday and feel even more vindicated in having that mindset. Apart from a rider nicking it on the run in to the flag or a tussle in the first turn, has there actually EVER been an overtake at Beaumont Park? I know it's been said countless times before, but they had Carte Blanche to build a track of what ever size and shape they wanted and they built this! The good folk of Leicester deserve better than having to watch this every week. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 valve Posted October 5 Report Share Posted October 5 1 hour ago, Zagarmeister said:Apart from a rider nicking it on the run in to the flag or a tussle in the first turn, has there actually EVER been an overtake at Beaumont Park? Yes. More than folk recognise and fares well with most (not all) tracks in terms of passing. And yes, the original track as laid out by the first promoter, (now landlord) was a wasted opportunity. Unfortunately without spending vast amounts of money to deal with new drainage & electrical relocations the current shape is here to stay, albeit some amendments to bends 3 & 4 are possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaddlebowRoad Posted October 5 Report Share Posted October 5 5 hours ago, TINYS said: I was there that night also and I like many others thought it was an engine failure and then I found out the reason why. I also remember the time when invitations were sent to a few riders from the then British League to an open meeting in Poland at the same track that would be hosting the World Final two weeks later, Ivan was the only one to accept the booking which gave him some timely practice at the track. He was using his head as he did at White City that night. Needless to say he went on to win another World Title there. What a man what a rider. Is he the greatest of all time ? I think so. the question has to be why on earth did he have the opportunity to manipulate things like that and why would the draw not be made once everyone had qualified, absolute bizarre 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebv Posted October 5 Report Share Posted October 5 5 hours ago, TINYS said: I was there that night also and I like many others thought it was an engine failure and then I found out the reason why. I also remember the time when invitations were sent to a few riders from the then British League to an open meeting in Poland at the same track that would be hosting the World Final two weeks later, Ivan was the only one to accept the booking which gave him some timely practice at the track. He was using his head as he did at White City that night. Needless to say he went on to win another World Title there. What a man what a rider. Is he the greatest of all time ? I think so. Always a subjective discussion, but... He did nail six world titles in the "golden era" when competition was truly at its fiercest... Fundin, Briggs, Moore, Collins, Olsen, Michanek, Jessup, Simmons, Louis, Crump, Jancarz, Plech, and so many many more truly World Class riders, raced at the top level against him... To win it six times in that era was trruly staggering... 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedwayfan8 Posted October 5 Report Share Posted October 5 4 hours ago, Zagarmeister said: I'm in the trench and have my tin hat on so here goes. Congratulations to Belle Vue who were the best team by far, but I can't be the only person on this forum that never watches meetings from Leicester. I made an exception on Thursday and feel even more vindicated in having that mindset. Apart from a rider nicking it on the run in to the flag or a tussle in the first turn, has there actually EVER been an overtake at Beaumont Park? I know it's been said countless times before, but they had Carte Blanche to build a track of what ever size and shape they wanted and they built this! The good folk of Leicester deserve better than having to watch this every week. On its day, the track is one of the best racing tracks in the country. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob B Posted October 5 Report Share Posted October 5 2 hours ago, speedwayfan8 said: On its day, the track is one of the best racing tracks in the country. 1 day in last 13 years? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralMelchett Posted October 7 Report Share Posted October 7 Just catching up with this, I watched the 2nd leg online whilst on holiday, it flattered to deceive, Leicester never got going as Belle Vue simply were too strong - congratulations to them and comiserations to the Lions. In my view the tie was won or lost (delete as per your team) in heats 13-15 at the NSS in the first leg. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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