Hello, my name is Philip and I am living in Penzance.

I still am an Aces fan but have to follow from afar for obvious reasons. I drifted away from speedway after Trelawny closed its doors a few years ago, my nearest track is now Plymouth which is 70 miles away which unfortunately makes going there a non-starter.

I left the northwest in 1997 so my involvement with Belle Vue ended there, but it started in 1972 when my dad took me to Hyde Road as an impressionable 9 year old. I was hooked, addicted, and football was now for girls.

From Hyde Road, I remember the track shop under N stand and watching the racing from K stand, unless it was the BLRC, then I was crushed up against the fence on the 3rd bend getting a face full of shale, but I loved it.

As speedway became my life I hardly missed a home meeting unitl I left in 1997, rain offs sent me into fits of depression.

I remember going to see what photo's Wright Wood had got before every meeting, the unmatched thrill of going in the pits and the end of the meeting and actually seeing these superstars up close and unmasked, Collins, Morton, Mauger, Wilkinson, the Puseys, Briggs, Olsen, Michanek...the list goes on and on and on.

I remember the Chopper Bike Championships, great fun, PC winning the world title, my dad getting me the taped commentary of his win, going to Wembley in 1978 for my first world final.

I remember the joy of the Aces winning the league title in 1982, the despair of Hyde Road closing in 1987, the expectation of the rebirth at Kirky Lane in '88 only for it to be rained off after 2/3 heats.

I remember Wilkies horror crash in 1978, Mike Lohmanns a few years later, David Butts spectacular crashes, Declan Eccles, all arms and legs, my girlfriend at the time in the early 80's being banned from the training school because the SCB said girls were not allowed, she actually made news in the Speedway Star!

Anyway, enough for now, if anyone would like to post more about their memories, I would love to join in. I don't feel I can contribute much to todays Speedway, but would love to trade posts and memories about the good ol' days

So cheers for now and thanks for reading.

Hi Philip
Welcome to the site, your post brings back some good memories. I remember going to supporters meetings midweek that were held in the track shop under N stand. I also remember the reporter schools sports days, you got issued with three tickets, one for the school athletics day, one for the speedway, and one for the funfair. I used to run for the school and remember one day talking to Soren who was doing his bike in the workshop in the pits prior to that evenings match against Newport. I remember him getting a full max and winning the rider of the night heat and final. Being a big fan of Sorens that made my day. I also remember in the early seventies going by coach to places like Swindon, in those days about 6 coaches sometimes would make the journey, each coach having a letter/number depending where it dropped off when ariving back in Manchester. Oh for that kind of support today. You,ve not made a bad move, i love Cornwall and spend quite a bit of time down there bringing the fishing rods. Pity about Trelawny would be good to have speedway down in Cornwall but sadly cant see it coming back in the near future.

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You Cant Play The Blues In An Armani Suit - Rory Gallagher

Hi Philip
Welcome to the site, your post brings back some good memories. I remember going to supporters meetings midweek that were held in the track shop under N stand. I also remember the reporter schools sports days, you got issued with three tickets, one for the school athletics day, one for the speedway, and one for the funfair. I used to run for the school and remember one day talking to Soren who was doing his bike in the workshop in the pits prior to that evenings match against Newport. I remember him getting a full max and winning the rider of the night heat and final. Being a big fan of Sorens that made my day. I also remember in the early seventies going by coach to places like Swindon, in those days about 6 coaches sometimes would make the journey, each coach having a letter/number depending where it dropped off when ariving back in Manchester. Oh for that kind of support today. You,ve not made a bad move, i love Cornwall and spend quite a bit of time down there bringing the fishing rods. Pity about Trelawny would be good to have speedway down in Cornwall but sadly cant see it coming back in the near future.

__________________
You Cant Play The Blues In An Armani Suit - Rory Gallagher

Soren was my hero, my dad told me stories about how he often locked Soren up at Whitworth Street Police Station on a Saturday night for being drunk. One of my saddest memories was seeing Soren begging for money in Piccadilly Gardens, smashed out of his head one Saturday afternoon

Another favourite of mine also sadly no longer with us was Emil Sova, a rider who rode his heart out for the Aces, but never fulfilled his potential.

I remember going to the World Final in 1978 on the supporters coach and there seemed as though there was a huge convoy of them going down the M6/M1.

It also seemed as though 10s of thousands used to go to home meetings, didn't Hyde Road used to hold 20,000 or is my memory really starting to go?

Soren was my hero, my dad told me stories about how he often locked Soren up at Whitworth Street Police Station on a Saturday night for being drunk. One of my saddest memories was seeing Soren begging for money in Piccadilly Gardens, smashed out of his head one Saturday afternoon

Another favourite of mine also sadly no longer with us was Emil Sova, a rider who rode his heart out for the Aces, but never fulfilled his potential.

I remember going to the World Final in 1978 on the supporters coach and there seemed as though there was a huge convoy of them going down the M6/M1.

It also seemed as though 10s of thousands used to go to home meetings, didn't Hyde Road used to hold 20,000 or is my memory really starting to go?

You couldnt beat the atmosphere of the BLRC when you would have 20,000+ queing down Hyde Road to get in. What a meeting that was with a line up better than that seasons world final. With the amount of teams in the league in the early seventies they all had a top rider that made the BLRC something special, not so today where your scratching for top men to go into double figures the type of top men that could rack up a 10.00 average. In those days each team not only had an out and out no1 but also 2 other strong heat leaders at 3 and 5. You must remember Ken Eyre? Hes still at belle vue and looks no different, i bet you havent forgot the Leicester fracass either?

__________________
You Cant Play The Blues In An Armani Suit - Rory Gallagher

You couldnt beat the atmosphere of the BLRC when you would have 20,000+ queing down Hyde Road to get in. What a meeting that was with a line up better than that seasons world final. With the amount of teams in the league in the early seventies they all had a top rider that made the BLRC something special, not so today where your scratching for top men to go into double figures the type of top men that could rack up a 10.00 average. In those days each team not only had an out and out no1 but also 2 other strong heat leaders at 3 and 5. You must remember Ken Eyre? Hes still at belle vue and looks no different, i bet you havent forgot the Leicester fracass either?

__________________
You Cant Play The Blues In An Armani Suit - Rory Gallagher

Colin
was that the fisticuffs between Wilky and Ray Wilson where a section of rhe crowd joined in?
the BLRC was the highlight of the season unfortunately there is little interest in it now.
I have just transferred the 1987 ace of aces grass track meeting on to DVD which included Morton.Wigg. Schofield, Smith, and Ermolenko who rode with a broken wrist, they pull out of meetings now if they have a cold.

Colin
was that the fisticuffs between Wilky and Ray Wilson where a section of rhe crowd joined in?
the BLRC was the highlight of the season unfortunately there is little interest in it now.
I have just transferred the 1987 ace of aces grass track meeting on to DVD which included Morton.Wigg. Schofield, Smith, and Ermolenko who rode with a broken wrist, they pull out of meetings now if they have a cold.

Does Ken Eyre still wear his wooly hat?

I remember the Leicester incident, I also remember Wilky and John Davis having a spat after Davies had knocked him off twice. Wilky chased him into the pits, then all hell broke loose on the track.

Didn't Wilky also storm the refs box at King's Lynn?