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The Greatest Seven riders ever


wimbledonwomble

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Best I've seen (covers 1980 onwards):

 

1. Hans Nielsen (heat leader)

2. Jason Crump

3. Bruce Penhall (heat leader)

4. Tony Rickardsson

5. Erik Gundersen (heat leader)

6. Michael Lee

7. Simon Wigg

 

(Mauger, Olsen & Collins not included since I saw them, but not in their prime).

 

 

Best of all-time:

 

1. Ove Fundin (heat leader)

2. Barry Briggs

3. Hans Nielsen (heat leader)

4. Erik Gundersen

5. Ivan Mauger (heat leader)

6. Bruce Penhall

7. Vic Duggan

 

On standby: Tony Rickardsson, Jack Young, Bluey Wilkinson, Peter Craven, Ronnie Moore, Ole Olsen, Peter Collins, Jason Crump, and (for Norbold) Tom Farndon.

 

 

All the best

Rob

Edited by lucifer sam
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Hmm, Greatest 7?

 

1 - Jason Crump (Naturally)

2 - Phil Crump (what can I say?)

3 - Tony Rickardsson (The Michael Schumacher of Speedway)

4 - Tomasz Gollob (As much as I think the guy has an appalling attitude, he's got a talent)

5 - Ivan Mauger (Is there another name in speedway that conjures up more?)

6 - Barry Briggs (Well, maybe Briggo's)

7 - Hans Neilsen

 

Jason, Tony and Gollob are from the "resurgent" era when I started watching again, although I still remember Gollob's antics at the start of his career and relish seeing Boyce lay him flat. (am i just imagining it, or at one point during a heat,Gollob tried to grab another rider by the knackers during that period??)

 

Phil & Hans are from the "just getting into Speedway" era, when my brother was taking me up to Swindon & reading. I don't remember ever seeing Briggo or Mauger, but you can't have the Top 7 without these two

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(am i just imagining it, or at one point during a heat,Gollob tried to grab another rider by the knackers during that period??)

 

 

No, mate, you are not imagining it, he reached out and grabbed Henka Gustafsson's clacker bag, as they flew down the straight side by side :shock:

Edited by mervjankefanclub
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Greatest 7 riders i have seen riding

 

1, Ivan Mauger

2, Ove Fundin

3, Hans Nielsen

4, Bjorn Knutsson

5, Peter Collins

6, Barry Briggs

7, Tony Ricardsson

 

Track Res;- Igor Plechanov (personal favourite) :wink:

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Best I've seen ride:-

 

1, Ivan Mauger

2, Erik Gundersen

3, Hans Nielsen

4, Jason Crump

5, Peter Collins

6, Barry Briggs

7, Tony Rickardsson

 

Every one a world champion!

 

Most spectacular I've seen:-

 

1 Kelly Moran

2 Shawn Moran

3 Chris Morton

4 Peter Collins

5 Erik Gundersen

6 Tomasz Gollob

7 Soren Sjosten

Edited by Garry1603
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Ivan Mauger

 

Barry Briggs

 

Hans Nielsen

 

Tony Rickardsson

 

Ove Fundin

 

Ole Olsen

 

After that I can't think of any definates though the likes of Jack Parker, Peter Craven, Peter Collins, Jason Crump, Eric Gunderson, Nicki Pederson, Ronnie Moore would have to be considered for the last spot!

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  • 2 weeks later...

This is a ahrd one to do, as there have been so many Great's in speedway.

 

I notice, or I may have missed it, that there is no mention of Jack or

Cody Milne, sorry it was well before my time, so I cant remember which

one of them lifted the World Title, but I do remember seeing a photo,

possibly in the Speedway Star, of one or the other with his Title winning

bike.

 

Anyway, my all time greatest... who won World Titles:

 

1: Ivan Mauger

 

2: Ove Fundin

 

3: Peter Craven

 

4: Barry Briggs

 

5: Tony Rickardsson

 

6: Ronnie Moore

 

7: Greg Hancock

 

And they're in no particular order.

 

 

The Greatest I have had the honour of actually seeing race:

 

1: John Louis

 

2: Ole Olsen

 

3: Tony Rickardsson

 

4: Peter Collins

 

5: Tony Davey

 

6: Terry Betts

 

7: Michael Lee

 

Probably cause uproar with a few of those, but hey ho, they're my

choices.. I could add a heck of a lot more, but as we're only allowed

seven riders that'll have to do... for now.

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This is a ahrd one to do, as there have been so many Great's in speedway.

 

I notice, or I may have missed it, that there is no mention of Jack or

Cody Milne, sorry it was well before my time, so I cant remember which

one of them lifted the World Title, but I do remember seeing a photo,

possibly in the Speedway Star, of one or the other with his Title winning

bike.

 

Anyway, my all time greatest... who won World Titles:

 

1: Ivan Mauger

 

2: Ove Fundin

 

3: Peter Craven

 

4: Barry Briggs

 

5: Tony Rickardsson

 

6: Ronnie Moore

 

7: Greg Hancock

 

And they're in no particular order.

 

 

The Greatest I have had the honour of actually seeing race:

 

1: John Louis

 

2: Ole Olsen

 

3: Tony Rickardsson

 

4: Peter Collins

 

5: Tony Davey

 

6: Terry Betts

 

7: Michael Lee

 

Probably cause uproar with a few of those, but hey ho, they're my

choices.. I could add a heck of a lot more, but as we're only allowed

seven riders that'll have to do... for now.

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Apologies..new set up and not exactly sure what I buggd up !!

 

Ok,.,.the 7 best I have actually seen.

 

1. OVE FUNDIN.

2. PETER CRAVEN

3. IVAN MAUGER

4. HANS NIELSEN.

5. BARRY BRIGGS

6. OLE OLSEN

7. TONY RICKARDSSON

 

TEAM MANAGER...RONNIE RUSSELL...WELL AT LEAST THE BOYS WOULD ENJOY IT !!

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I'm astonished at how few people have included Peter Collins in their lists!! :shock: Of course some on here (even surprisingly lucifer sam!! :shock::wink: ) are too young to have seen PC in his prime or at all; but for those who did, I seriously can't believe he wouldn't be in everyone's top seven!!

Check out the clips you can see on YouTube of PC at his absolute prime in the 1977 Inter-continental Final at White City and tell me that there was anyone let alone seven better than PC!!

To me the only rider to have come close to him in all round ability was Ole Olsen...

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I'm astonished at how few people have included Peter Collins in their lists!! :shock: Of course some on here (even surprisingly lucifer sam!! :shock::wink: ) are too young to have seen PC in his prime or at all; but for those who did, I seriously can't believe he wouldn't be in everyone's top seven!!

.......

 

The same is true of Bjorn Knutson. As one of the "Big Five", I would have thought he rated almost automatic inclusion but then he did retire relatively early in his career. However, I am sure that anyone who saw him ride, as I was lucky enough to do every week, would agree that he was a superb rider.

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I'm astonished at how few people have included Peter Collins in their lists!! :shock: Of course some on here (even surprisingly lucifer sam!! :shock::wink: ) are too young to have seen PC in his prime or at all; but for those who did, I seriously can't believe he wouldn't be in everyone's top seven!!

Check out the clips you can see on YouTube of PC at his absolute prime in the 1977 Inter-continental Final at White City and tell me that there was anyone let alone seven better than PC!!

To me the only rider to have come close to him in all round ability was Ole Olsen...

 

 

The same is true of Bjorn Knutson. As one of the "Big Five", I would have thought he rated almost automatic inclusion but then he did retire relatively early in his career. However, I am sure that anyone who saw him ride, as I was lucky enough to do every week, would agree that he was a superb rider.

 

I've got both Collins and Knutsson in my all time list of greats. Two of the most exciting riders of all time IMHO and i would pay any amount of money to be transported back in time to see those two greats!

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Best seven I've seen ride based on all time achievement are:

 

Ivan Mauger

Tony Rickardsson

Ove Fundin

Barry Briggs

Hans Nielsen

and two from

Ole Olsen/Erik Gundersen/Nick Pedersen/Jason Crump

 

Best seven based on me watching them are:

 

Ivan Mauger

Tony Rickardsson

Hans Nielsen

Bruce Penhall

Michael Lee

Peter Collins

Ole Olsen

 

Fundin and Briggo were past their best when I first saw them.

Edited by WembleyLion
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To me Speedway is about the raw excitement of man and machine battling gladiator-style around a floodlight (preferably - though Sunday afternoons in the sunshine are fine..!) dirt track in no-holds barred pure racing. So my top seven (in a team-format, including reserves! :wink: ) based on watching the sport since 1972 are:

 

1) Peter Collins

2) Les Collins

3) Ole Olsen

4) John Louis

5) Joe Owen

6) Mark Burrows

7) Alan Sage

 

The only riders who to me have ever come even close to matching PC in his pomp in terms of raw excitement and riding skill are his brother Les, Joey Owen in his NL glory days with Newcastle and Buzz, well more or less the whole time I've seen him ride... :approve:

Tiger was to me the best Brit never to be World Champ; Olsen I loved to hate, but he WAS the complete package; and Sagey was my boyhood hero...

 

A shout-out too for Mirac - who I only saw ride once (when over on his last riding trip to the UK in 1974) but I had the great pleasure of meeting in our Wimbledon CL days and the man is literally the greatest legend in the history of our sport...

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  • 3 weeks later...

FUNDIN

BRIGGS

MAUGER

OLSEN

KNUTSSON

CRAVEN

RICKARDSSON or CRUMP

 

could be the best 7 i've seen in the 60s,70s,and 00s, but then I had a 30-year gap of watching speedway missing Nielsen, Gundersen, Collins,etc.,

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top 7 of al time

Mauger

Briggs

Fundin

Rikkardson

Nielsen

Olsen

Collins

 

Top7 I saw race (inc DVD/TV)

 

Mauger

Collins

Rikkardson

Nielsen

Olsen

Crump

Penhall

 

and top 7 i saw "live"

 

Penhall

Gundersen

Nielsen

Morton

Collins

S Moran

Carter

 

(left out Mauger/Olsen as they were past their prime)

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  • 9 years later...
50 minutes ago, Celticman said:

1. Ronnie Moore 

2. Ove Fundin 

3. Tom Farndon 

4. Barry Briggs 

5. Ivan Mauger 

6. Peter Craven 

7. Freddie Williams

 

50 minutes ago, Celticman said:

1. Ronnie Moore 

2. Ove Fundin 

3. Tom Farndon 

4. Barry Briggs 

5. Ivan Mauger 

6. Peter Craven 

7. Freddie Williams

Great bunch my seven  1./ Mauger 2./ Fundin 3./ Nielsen 4./ Briggs 5./ Rickardsson 6./ Crump  7./Olsen 

Edited by Sidney the robin
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