After any good Speedway history websites on any of the names below.
Thanks in advance. 8)
what about John Titman?? Definitely a True Blue Champion!
what about John Titman?? Definitely a True Blue Champion!
what about John Titman?? Definitely a True Blue Champion!
That name rings a bell,,what state..??
the list from above I just copied from wikepoebar site ;D
onya Hoonsta
cheers
Hey Hoony. Do you remember Danny Kennedy from Ballarat?
Alison, a good site I found was the Veteran Speedway Riders Assoc and there are links all over the world.
You'll find plenty of good stuff there, I haven't looked in there for a while so good luck.
Steve
Along with our own Billy Sanders,Its amazing the techonoledgee we have now to type in a name and follow it through to all manner of website and find that there is a memorial race for Billy ;D
Many stories abound about Clarry the Clown Jones. Many wouldn't know he passengered for Ron Bergmier in scrambles. The two incidents I witnessed with Clarry was a get back a Taylor from Klemzig in SA. Asked Clarry to get a wrench from his toolbox and then stood back and laughed when the dicovered a snake inside. Clarry decided his goldfish were fair game and swallowed them at an after party at the Mildura Speedway one Sunday night. A little while later with the help of copious ales up came the goldfish, still flopping a bit. On another trip to Midura, Clarry had broken his leg. For a laugh he would lie on the Sunrasyia Hwy and wait for the cars to squeal to a stop, thank them and then hobble off on his crutches. when he next fired a 303 ino a goods train we all decided it was time to be elsewhere.
edition of Peter White's Speedway World
And what became of the young fellow Michael Lee.....
What year was it that we rode at BathurstTony was it the same year Eddie Warren and Shawn Giles had their huge duel?
Hey Hoony
What year was it that we rode at Bathurst? I can recall riding the longtrack on the Sat night and vintage mx on the Sun. If that is the one you are after I have a dvd and a video.
I will be back in Vic in about a week and can get it for you then.
Tony
Yes it was, I didnt get to watch the duel as I was in that final but down the other end. Was one of your Maico's a 501? I recall chasing some guy on who was riding this wickedly powerfull Maico and every time I drew beside him he would hold his line and run me off the track!! That film would make a good xmas gift seeing as I am now officially a member of the esteemed Firkin racing squad dont you think.That would have been Laurie Alderton on my 350 or Kevin Flood on my 440....the 350 was actually a much quicker bike than that 440. I've never bothered with a 501, they're nothing special. Tony, you're on for that video once I convert it to DVD......and find it!
A bit of history from Speedways past.
Legend has it that Lionel Van Praag the winner of the first World Championship hel in 1936 was actually riding a Biggun.
Australian Speedway historian Steve Magro relayed this story recently on a worldwide speedway history chat group and was persecuted relentlessly.
The story is that legendary engine builder, Charlie Ogden and a few others lifted Lionels winning bike over the fence, through the granstand and out of Wembly Stadium before it could be measured.
I'm sure in those days Lionel wouldn't have been the only one bending the rules.
Charlies workshop was not far from where I grew up in Campsie Syd.
My father was a good friend of Charlies and we were regullarly at his workshop and my eldest brother Carl remembers this story coming from Charlie himself.
A bit of history from Speedways past.That's an interesting yarn but not the least surprising. I can remember sitting in on a conversation between John Langfield, Jim Airey and Cec Platt in the officials box after a Bathurst Long Track meeting where Langy and Airey were talking up the different power characteristics of a 'big 'un' and a legal engine around the Sydney Showground. To quote Langy...."we all did it back then".
Legend has it that Lionel Van Praag the winner of the first World Championship hel in 1936 was actually riding a Biggun.
Australian Speedway historian Steve Magro relayed this story recently on a worldwide speedway history chat group and was persecuted relentlessly.
The story is that legendary engine builder, Charlie Ogden and a few others lifted Lionels winning bike over the fence, through the granstand and out of Wembly Stadium before it could be measured.
I'm sure in those days Lionel wouldn't have been the only one bending the rules.
Charlies workshop was not far from where I grew up in Campsie Syd.
My father was a good friend of Charlies and we were regullarly at his workshop and my eldest brother Carl remembers this story coming from Charlie himself.
Speedway is a very interesting sport and there is a wealth of books out there on the subject. i reckon it is probably one of the most documented disciplines of motorcycle racing.
A 1967 Champ in Ray Owens 8)
(http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r259/vmx247/RayOwens125Champ.jpg)
is that Ray on the throttle?!!!?
looks prewar triumph tiger 70 ish,(green plates), :PClose to the money, there, Mick. The article accompanying this photo mentions the earlier Triumph 250cc Val Page model # L 2/1
looks prewar triumph tiger 70 ish,(green plates), :PClose to the money, there, Mick. The article accompanying this photo mentions the earlier Triumph 250cc Val Page model # L 2/1
Photo from OBA #18
Foss
G'day A
It was fairly common for nose cone type fairings to be fitted to Dirt Trackers in those days , Charlie Edwards might have started the fashion, I have a photo, from the same magazine, OBA # 18, of Gary Flood chasing Ray at Romsey, Gary has a nose cone , Ray doesn't.
Tony Day still has one fitted to his Hagon 84s and there are a few still around.
Foss
Hi Alison,
A good mate of mine is Lionel Van Praag's son, Cliff. He lives in Bondi.
He still has a lot of historical info on that era, I can have a chat to him about it if you like?
Cliff still does a lot of work for me on my bikes and also a few others.
Cheers,
Mark
L- R in the Showground shot, I think.
Allan Wilkinson, ? , Booey ( can't miss him ), John Davis & a very young future world champ Michael Lee.
;D
Alan wilkinsons stuff
Greeve 360 twin port
(http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/181719_1740745051776_1633182812_1655529_816471_n.jpg)
New works bike 68-69
The Nippon Speedway footage is a classic, they are still riding twins but what are they.
Glasgow had heaps of Aussies. Shane Bowes is the one that I've seen most of, but Mick Powell, Jason Lyons & more recently Shane Parker have all ridden there successfully.
This thread is awesome. I'm well connected with Glasgow Speedway to this day and I used to watch the Tigers every week at Craighead Park & Shawfield stadium later on. Great to see a pic of Steve Lawson in there.
Yep and he had his left elbow leaning on my right elbow until just past the Bullpens.Sounds like he was taking lessons from Barry !!!!!
Being a big track and running high gearing it seemed to take ages to get into turn 1.
The forum's Jawa76 is in there as well, out of gate 4.
Oh and A, there aint no in or out of gear with a Skids bike, clutch start just means standing start, old time Speedway in the 30s used to be rolling starts , and all flying lap record attempts were rolling starts as well.
That is some mental stuff - Sydney had a board track at Maroubra in the 1920's . . . . I thinkI grew up in Minneapolis Cresent Maroubra which was built right on the old Maroubra Speedway. The street was built over what was the back straight. Coral Sea Park was the centre of the track so it's still easy to see exactly where and how big the track actually was. A Google Earth search of Coral Sea Park/Minneapolis crescent, Midway drive and New Orleans crescent will give you an exact location and arial shot.
Doug Tyreman rode Triumph's.Klub Kevlar's own Bob Steep owns Doug Tyremans old Triumph outfit along with some other great speedway relics including Werner Greves old Holden midget and one of Tommy Janssons 2V Jawas.
I spannered a few times for my mate Ricky Day at the Royale in the early 70's and I never saw a more professional rider than Mr Magic.......He gets my vote as the best rider I ever saw at The Sydney Showground.....
the very next meeting after GC's fatal crash Barry ended up in a wheelchair.The first time I med Barry Van Praag was at a Kembla Grange meeting in the early 70's when I was there spannering for my mate the late Sam Wilde at his first speedway meeting and Barry was pitted next to us. He stood out at the time because of his famous name and because he was riding a Triumph twin in a JAP frame, a very odd combo for speedway. A few years after his Showground accident Barry's carers had become a bit thin on the ground so Sam started to take Barry to the speedway and motocross races, shopping, the pub and just about everywhere, becoming almost his fulltime carer. Unfortunately they had a falling out many years later and Barry died not long after. I got to know Barry reasonably well and once you got past the initial grumpiness caused by the frustration that being a quadraplegic must bring he was a genuinely nice bloke. I used to get a laugh out of him by telling him that I could well have been his cousin if history had taken a different course.