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Bruce Cribb


iris123

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Just seen that Marian Kreklau is going to be riding his Ice Speedway bike at Güstrow this weekend.Brought to mind Brucie riding his bike at various venues and breaking the track record(unofficially)at most or all.Anyone see him in action?

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I've seen Bruce ride on Ice and he rode his bike around the Kirky Lane Track a few years back in a time of something like 55 seconds.

The last time I saw him ride on the Ice was 1988 when he qualified for the World Individual Final in Eindhoven. For once there was a huge British contingent with a rider to cheer for! We even outnumbered the Swedes and the Germans and made more noise.

Pity really as Bruce had a poor meeting that year.

See him regularly in ther pits at Assen, and he was at Joes Testimonial. He hopes to be at Assen in March next year - provided he has any money left from his winter trip to New Zealand!

Interesting fact: Bruce was one of three New Zealanders to represent GB on the Ice.

The others were Goog Allen and Ivan Mauger!

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i`m sure I saw him ride it at Waterden Road, re-call the amazing angle of lean round the corners, and very fast around them as well!

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Never saw Cribby ride his ice bike but always used to see him up the pub (Three Tuns, Lichfield Staffs) with my old mate Tommy Leadbitter (anyone remember him)and what a pair they made many a good night was spent avin a few and those two recounting old speedway stories....bloody magic . The last time I saw Bruce was at Tommy's funeral with Briggo......if anyone sees the Big Kiwi to you point him in the direction of Carmarthen we could do with a good engine man for our boys

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  • 2 weeks later...

Cribby was a Berwick rider at the time. He came down to Newccy and blasted around our track on the ice bike, seconds faster than conventional speedway track record. I did recently add this very topic to my History Website, have a look

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Great site.Were some fantastic riders at your club over the years,i remember the Owen brothers fondly.Also the proud owner of an Ivan Mauger/newcastle rosette :D Where is the Cribb topic though,aint found it yet

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I saw Bruce Cribb ride his ice bike round Powderhall. He took something like 6 seconds off the Edinburgh track record although to be fair he didn't slide it like a speedway rider but two wheeled it with the grip coming from the spikes on the tyres.

 

It was an awesome sight nevertheless and the speed he took the corners was quite unbelievable. Goodness knows how he wasn't jettisoned off the bike!

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a nicer person one could never meet.. gentle giant comes to mind. great guy. ;)

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  • 4 weeks later...

I have a few memories of Bruce having toured the ice circuits in the 80s - and being blamed by him for a bad meeting because I was wearing green.

 

He once had half the Rye House pits feeling rather queasy after he solved a dislocated shoulder by bracing himself against a pit roof support.

 

Then there was a time when I interviewed him at Exeter about the track. He went through every detail of how to ride the place, virtually naming each fence rivet and which one to turn the bike at...complete with the main piece of advice over the County Ground fence "Keep well away from the thing" - obviously a censored version.

 

One final point - Bruce was the headline story in the first-ever issue of Speedway Mail back in 1973 under the headline "Eyes on Bruce" - about him making his debut for the newly renamed Cradley United.

 

An excellent character and a real contender on the ice tracks as well as shale.

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  • 3 months later...
Guest BilaHora

All

 

I saw Bruce Cribb ride his ice bike around several tracks in 1984 - I believe he rode it on both tracks in the KO Cup Final (Berwick and Hackney). I also believe he rode the ice back at Newcastle after an open meeting and Edinburgh after the Stelrad Scottish Open.

The interesting thing about the Newcastle occasion was, as Mr dantodan might confirm, that Mr Cribb rode his ice bike (and smashed the existing track record, as he did at all the tracks he rode his ice bike on) after the meeting had been abandoned due to heavy rain.

It was certainly a sight worth seeing.

 

Regards

 

BilaHora

Edited by BilaHora
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CRIBBY on his ice speedway bike?

 

Saw him ride at Brandon in Rick Miller's Testimonial meeting (at least I think that's when it was!) ...... blew my mind the way he smashed the track record without any effort, and looking more like a road-racer than a speedway racer.

 

FANTASTIC

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Sorry this was not the topic but ................

 

Bruce when he rode for Poole at Speedway .........

 

Was one of the great under performers .

 

Always felt that with his natural ability with the right equitment he could have taken

 

on the world .

Edited by tony159
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I saw Bruce Cribb ride his ice bike round Powderhall. He took something like 6 seconds off the Edinburgh track record although to be fair he didn't slide it like a speedway rider but two wheeled it with the grip coming from the spikes on the tyres.

 

It was an awesome sight nevertheless and the speed he took the corners was quite unbelievable. Goodness knows how he wasn't jettisoned off the bike!

 

I was there too Merlin. Pity we didn't meet up :sad:

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Guest BilaHora

All

 

Bruce Cribb was my first speedway hero. I started watching speedway during 1982 when "Cribbie" was riding for the local team, Berwick Bandits. He left Berwick to return to Exeter before the 1986 season.

He was pretty well unbeatable around Powderhall on his speedway bike nevermind his ice bike - I cannot recall ever seeing him lose a heat at Powderhall during his time as a Bandit.

 

Regards

 

BilaHora

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  • 2 months later...

Saw Bruce ride his ice bike in the 80's, he just leaned the bike to the left and round he went, no sliding all traction, obliterated track records (un-officially)wherever he went! If you can get a copy of 'Anything can happen on the Night' by MBI video it shows Bruce riding the bike at Kings Lynn.

Edited by Brian L
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  • 2 weeks later...
Saw Bruce ride his ice bike in the 80's, he just leaned the bike to the left and round he went, no sliding all traction, obliterated track records (un-officially)wherever he went!

 

He came to Sheffield on his "tour" as well, and went around in about 56 seconds, which hasn't been done on a normal bike even now! Nobody had seen anything quite like it at the time.

 

He used to spectate at Long Eaton a lot in the late 80's as well.

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