hullangel Posted June 2, 2004 Report Share Posted June 2, 2004 As already said on several threads.................... He ran over my Uncles Head......... OUCH ..............Head what ..Gardener? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hullangel Posted June 2, 2004 Report Share Posted June 2, 2004 They don't come much tougher than Phil Crump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Young Al Posted June 7, 2004 Report Share Posted June 7, 2004 I saw Phil ride several times when I was a kid, he was one of my heroes in fact. To me he seemed to ride as though the bike wouldn't do what he wanted it to unless he was very stern with it, indeed. Young Jason seems to have a better relationship with his machinery, although they share the same level of intensity. The boy is my tip to bring the title back to where it belongs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandman Posted June 9, 2004 Report Share Posted June 9, 2004 I saw Phil ride several times when I was a kid, he was one of my heroes in fact. To me he seemed to ride as though the bike wouldn't do what he wanted it to unless he was very stern with it, indeed. Young Jason seems to have a better relationship with his machinery, although they share the same level of intensity. The boy is my tip to bring the title back to where it belongs. i think the reason may lay with the fact that the equiptment is much more forgiving nowadays and in general lack of dirt. 80 hp is much friendlier than 50 or 60. would loved to have seen the old man on todays equiptment with a rough, deep track, in his prime. certainly would have caused a few headaches for the current young guns. absolutely no disrespect directed to todays greats intended. As good and tough as history has produced, but for you old timers who remember, pause for thought.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Steve Dixon Posted June 9, 2004 Report Share Posted June 9, 2004 The boy is my tip to bring the title back to where it belongs. Out of curiosity, where's that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iris123 Posted June 9, 2004 Report Share Posted June 9, 2004 Belle Vue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyMac Posted June 9, 2004 Report Share Posted June 9, 2004 Comparisons between the past and present are always tricky...but no one should underestimate how good Phil Crump was. Â One comparison, though, that it's fair to make is that Jason has fewer rivals of real quality standing in his way of the ultimate prize than the number of really top class riders that the original Crumpie had to try and overcome...Mauger, Olsen, Michanek, Autrey, Plech, Jancarz (the latter two in terms of their threat in Polish-staged world finals) - and they're just the top 'foreigners' of that era. Â Now consider the English challengers...PC, DJ, Simmo, Bettsy, Lee, Kennett, Wyer - all 10-point plus men in the BL. I don't intend to belittle Jason's talents or achievements, but England doesn't have the same depth of talent today. Â And as several on here have already said, the tracks and bikes were so much less 'comfortable' to ride in the 70s. Â As I recall, the Aussies (and Kiwis) didn't exactly have an easy qualifying route either. Some of those Aussie Championship qualifiers were real blood and thunder meetings, with no room for error. Â Phil's top man for me...but then I would say that! Â Tony Mac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandman Posted June 9, 2004 Report Share Posted June 9, 2004 phil was a ruthless and fearsome competitor, who had he really believed in himself as his competition did, he most certainly would have been good for more than one world championship. i saw him on more than one occasion where my jaw just dropped. newport and swindon. kudos to the old man. no wonder jason is as good as he is..heard the problem with phil is he would not put his money back in his equiptment, big problem against the likes of mauger and co.. hope jason doesnt make the same mistake.. he really does deserve the title this year.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Young Al Posted June 12, 2004 Report Share Posted June 12, 2004 I've been told Phil showed his future father-in-law the way home at his second ever meeting on a 'proper' bike in Mildura, after doing a year on a BSA in clubman class. One way of getting a girls attention I suppose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigerblade Posted June 18, 2004 Report Share Posted June 18, 2004 (edited) Aah, dear old Phil... Â I don't know if it was because he suffered the fractured femur in one of the first meetings I saw (anyone remember the Gauloises Pairs tournament ??) and I felt sorry for him, or the fact that it was close to the end of the season and in winter it's speedway Down Under, but he and Billy Sanders (god rest his soul) were two early favourites of mine. Â Obviously by then Phil had left Newport and gone to Bristol then Swindon, but I would have loved to have seen him in his heyday at Somerton Park. Â Sandman made the point of a lack of self belief - the night before the 1982 World Final there was a meeting at Costa Mesa which a lot of the world finalists were watching as well. I think it was Bob Radford who was interviewed on the centre green during the meeting, and he said "the best rider in the world is Phil Crump - if he would only believe it himself". Due to the lack of a Tiger in the Final I cheered for him, and he only scored 4 and one of those was a gift from the re-run of the infamous BP/KC heat! Â In a way, though, I wish he hadn't made that abortive comeback in 1990 - I went to Bradford v Swindon (we were closed that year) and he was a pale shadow of what he was. Â I'm sure the fact that I like Jason is 95% because of him being Phil's son! Edited June 18, 2004 by Tigerblade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandman Posted June 18, 2004 Report Share Posted June 18, 2004 phil was not a stylist. wasnt photogenic. just 100% pure racer. a site to behold in his hey day. the only other comparable would have been egon muller on a 1000 meter grasstrack that was rough. broken leg, bit of broken spirit i fear for phil. but, being femur bone, totally understandable..sorry he felt he had to make a comeback when he was past it though, glad i didnt see it.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lupus Posted June 19, 2004 Report Share Posted June 19, 2004 (edited) Oh yes, Mr Crump senior...................My (late) Mum's favourite rider!!! We had a photo of him on our windowsill and my Dad said it'd frighten any burglars so he didn't mind!!!!!! Â I was 'lucky' enough to nanny for a family that lived in the same cul-de-sac as the Crumps in about 83/84! Jason spent his whole life riding round and round in circles in the middle of the road - no doubt what HE was going to be!!!!! Â The people I worked for (a maitre'd of a posh restaurant and a solicitor!) didn't like their daughter playing with the Crump kids - they weren't 'their' sort of people! But I thought it was great and got quite friendly with Carole (Phil's wife) from going to the school to collect the kids! Â The neighbours complained about the noise coming from Phil's garage the once - so he decided to work on his bike's with the doors shut - it was only when Jason (who was with him) started to throw up that he realised it wasn't such a good idea!!! Carole had been out shopping and when she found out what had happened she gave him hell - you could hear it clean across the street!!! He didn't do THAT again! Â As for his riding - it was said that if the World final was over 16 laps round Exeter he'd have won it every year!!!! THAT was Crumpie (the original!!!) He was one of the masters of the 'switch back' - along with Peter Collins - and his opponents often didn't know which way he was coming round them - and he almost always DID come round them!!! In 'my' Robins' days - Phil Crump WAS Swindon Speedway! The sort of team we put out would have fitted in well with the EL of today - almost always Crumpie and then six 'also-rans' - it's a wonder we EVER won a meeting!!! When we did, Crump almost always got a max or close to it!!!!! Â A GREAT man!!!!! Edited June 19, 2004 by lupus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grachan Posted June 19, 2004 Report Share Posted June 19, 2004 (edited) Great post, Lupus, though not sure I like the sound of your employers much! Sound like a couple of right snobs! So true about Crumpie plus a bunch of also rans. I think one year Malcolm Holloway was actually Swindon's second heat leader. Â Do you remember the match against the 1983 Cradley side, possibly the best team ever. They completely hammered Swindon - 29-49 I think it was. If I remember rightly, not one Swindon rider managed to beat a Cradley rider, with the exception of Crumpie, who scored an impeccable 15 point maximum. When the Cradley team came round on their lap of honour, half the crowd were on the greyhound track chanting 'Crumpie! Crumpie!'. Edited June 19, 2004 by Grachan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lupus Posted June 19, 2004 Report Share Posted June 19, 2004 I remember it well Grachan - I WAS on that greyhound track!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grachan Posted June 19, 2004 Report Share Posted June 19, 2004 Ah, so was I. Only Crumpie could make a complete thrashing seem like a victory! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iris123 Posted June 19, 2004 Report Share Posted June 19, 2004 Not very kind to call the likes of Kai Niemi,Jimmy Nilsen and Finn Thomsen "also rans" and they are just a few i can think of Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grachan Posted June 19, 2004 Report Share Posted June 19, 2004 Not very kind to call the likes of Kai Niemi,Jimmy Nilsen and Finn Thomsen "also rans" and they are just a few i can think of Good riders, though Thomsen was past his best at Swindon. None of them were in the legendary, nil conquering 1983 side though. Second in the averages was Bjorn Andersson on an average of around six! Also in the side: Martin Yeates, Malcolm Holloway, Phil Herne, Alf Busk (ok, I'll admit he was brilliant), Per Sorensen, Milan Spinka and some old geezer called Bob Kilby. Â Trust me. If you'd been supporting them you would have known it was Phil Crump and a bunch of also-rans (much as I loved them all of course). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norbold Posted June 19, 2004 Report Share Posted June 19, 2004 some old geezer called Bob Kilby. Good in his day though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grachan Posted June 19, 2004 Report Share Posted June 19, 2004 some old geezer called Bob Kilby. Good in his day though. Brilliant in his day, and one of the best gaters in Speedway history and one of my all time favourites. Trouble was he'd retired in about 1980! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iris123 Posted June 19, 2004 Report Share Posted June 19, 2004 Trust me. If you'd been supporting them you would have known it was Phil Crump and a bunch of also-rans (much as I loved them all of course). Didn`t know what particular year, if any Lupus was refering too as his period of supporting the Robins.Maybe Yeates was more a second division rider(one of my favourites)but have never heard him described as an "also ran".But then i didn`t have to watch the team every week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.