Leigh Adams Interview

[IainB]

1 hour ago, E I Addio said:

 Fair comment. He was one of speedways great stylists, a great team rider as team riders go in the modern era, totally focussed, and machines were always immaculate. In fact one could say he had all. That is all except possibly the most important quality of all and that is the killer instinct. Perhaps he was just a little too much of a fair rider, too much of a sportsman, to have the absolute hunger and will to win. Maybe he would have won the top prize if he had been a little more of a hard man, but if he had been harder he probably wouldn’t have been held in the high esteem we all seem to hold him in.

I only saw Adams riding angry once and it was one of the most memorable rides I've seen in all of my years watching Speedway, it was at Coventry and I think the Start Marshal had upset him, Adams missed the start but rode about a foot away from the rider in the lead for the whole 4 laps, from memory he didn't get by, which probably says it all really. If he'd ridden more often with that intensity he may have achieved more.

[Robinh88]

Back in the early millennium we were fortunate to have so many if not ALL of the world’s best. Every team had a star or maybe two around that period.

 

Leigh always struck me as the consummate professional . His ultra smooth racing style, would team ride and just ultra professional both on and off track.

Not forgetting his ability to hit 9-10 points every season for over a decade in three different nations simultaneously is really quite something in my opinion.

Conversely Tomasz Gollob while fantastic for Bydgoszsz on the Sunday looked a different rider 2 days later for Vastervik.

 

Adored in Poland by Unia Leszno -  again for his unrivalled consistency and professionalism .

 

[Pinny]

On 3/17/2025 at 10:53 PM, Robinh88 said:

Conversely Tomasz Gollob while fantastic for Bydgoszsz on the Sunday looked a different rider 2 days later for Vastervik.

 

 

 

 

Take Gollob out of Poland and he was nowhere near the Elite level IMO. Brilliant to watch on the big, wide fast tracks but rarely had a plan b away from them.

[Robinh88]

On 3/18/2025 at 2:26 PM, Pinny said:

Take Gollob out of Poland and he was nowhere near the Elite level IMO. Brilliant to watch on the big, wide fast tracks but rarely had a plan b away from them.

Could turn it on when required. I don't think he had the same speed, that he had in Poland but I maybe wrong. As you say smaller tracks in Sweden and the uk

[Racin Jason 72]

On 3/18/2025 at 2:26 PM, Pinny said:

Take Gollob out of Poland and he was nowhere near the Elite level IMO. Brilliant to watch on the big, wide fast tracks but rarely had a plan b away from them.

He was brilliant at Eastbourne. 

[Pinny]

7 hours ago, Racin Jason 72 said:

He was brilliant at Eastbourne. 

Point taken. Mean to say he wasn't in the class of TRick, Nicki P, Crumpy even Hancock when it came to the smaller tracks.

[Zagarmeister]

Adams was one of the few riders I would have paid money to see ride round on his own.

Awesome style and superb throttle control, he was brilliant at avoiding the 'Rooster Tail' of the rider in front and I loved watching him do the big cutback coming off bend two at Lynn.

So ironic that one of Speedway's least injury prone riders ended up the way he did.

As an aside, with regard to the best rider that was never world champ I think Henka is in the running for that one.

Edited 16 hours ago by Zagarmeister