GOLDSMITH, George (Australia)Feb 9, 1929Melbourne Motordrome, VIC, Australia (Z-B). The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Bakker was one of two thirteen-year old boys (Gerrit Eisses was the other) killed when a riderless bike hit a crowd of spectators at a grass-track meeting. ORDER YOUR DVD NOW . After deciding the risk was too great he retired. The track still operates at PR1MO International Raceway, prior to that it was Northampton International Raceway, and originally just Brafield Stadium. A statement on the club website said: Coventry City are saddened to learn of the death of former vice chairman and director John Reason. The latest application going before Rugby Borough Council has been recommended for approval and features a football pitch and clubhouse as well as homes. At his farewell meeting 20,000 fans turned up on a wet night to wish him goodbye, remarkable testimony to his popularity. My Dad was a HUGE Mitch Shirra fan and our Ford Cortina Estate car was covered in Mitch Shirra stickers. Something went wrong, please try again later. It is an excellent example of the speedway motorcycles on which dare devil riders thrilled crowds of spectators in the 1930s. Having had a successful career in the haulage business, running his own company, John joined the board of directors in December 1985 and was on the board at the time of the Sky Blues FA Cup victory and the clubs time in the Premier League. "Class A racing" is sometimes listed as an unofficial (pre-1930) US National Speedway Championship. By now it had been redeveloped and renamed the London Stadium. A 'Save Our Speedway' campaign has been started by supporters of the Coventry Bees speedway team, in the face of news that outline planning permission is. A couple of photos of Exeter and Australia's Roy Eather. It was an arrangement that suited both sports. Thousands of Coventry people worked for John Reason's haulage firm over the decades, Get Sky Blues transfer latest, team news, match updates and analysis delivered straight to your inbox. I knew it was time to call it a day and I did so with a heavy heart.. This is your first visit to my website today, thank you! Coventry-kid John was also a legendary rider with the Coventry Bees speedway team and represented England in the sport. 5 Do Coventry Bees still exist? I think my dad had forgotten it was there and one day I got a call from him saying weve lost the FA Cup. He is still going strong at 90 years old, commuting regularly between the UK and his native Sweden. but the one rider of all time I wish I had seen - 75 years this year since he died after a track crash He said: They were still struggling to pay the players wages back then. Home Help Search Welcome Guest. Pratt became co-promoter at the Rye House Rockets with former boss Len Silver in 1979. Ole, the "Great Dane", was a world-class rider who had already won the World Championship twice. My wife was then a medical social worker at Coventry hospital so she got to see the downside of Speedway when riders came in to be treated for their injuries. HEPBURN, Ralph (USA)May 16, 1948..Indianapolis, IN, USA (Car Racing - Indy 500). My favourite rider of all time is Nigel Boocock. Naturally the Bees went down heavily whilst many fans stayed away in protest at the reduction in quality of the riders on view. At the beginning of every meeting Starting Marshalls, officials, St John's Ambulance people, riders, all marched in step out onto the track to military style music, followed by presentations and then "The Flight of the Bumble Bee" by Rimsky-Korsakov. At full speed, the monstrous bikes would roar past an arms length away, flat out as they curved into the first corner. ", "Ole was a great speedway rider for our Bees but he also bought the World title to Coventry in 1978 which I had the honour to witness at Wembley (with the twin towers) plus many other honours. I can still hear the noise. Is climate change killing Australian wine? I thought that it was just the 'proles' of Leamington and Warwick doing it because they had no Speedway track.. Read about our approach to external linking. Alan was our No 2 and he and Ole made umpteen 5-1's so Alan was also one of our best too, It took guts to ride a bike without brakes so Alan well done for all your service to Coventry Bees, The Bees will never be forgotten. It seems that my concerns were correct. Thanks for the information, MR. However the Speedway Control Board had "allocated" him to ride at Hull. Speedway riders, history and results. May they never be forgotten. But we managed to rustle it up and used an old air raid shelter as a workshop to mess about with the engines and we eventually had about 30 bikes in there.. How Ivan Mauger made the Falcons fly on the fastest track in the country, Man on double rape charge after Boxing Day incident, 17 things you used to be able to do in Exeter which you can't anymore, No new coronavirus deaths reported in Devon or Cornwall hospitals, Glimpse of Flying Scotsman in Exeter ruined for unlucky trainspotters, The unlucky railway fans had to sprint across the footbridge at Exeter St David's, Devon village in uproar over dairy farm plans, They are worried over child safety and for their environment, Punters say goodbye as historic Exeter pub closes forever, Regulars at the Great Western Hotel in Exeter reveal what it means to them to be losing the historic pub which is no longer financially viable to keep going, A coroner has concluded Kyle Tout, 20, died of a drug-related death, Popular Devon pub reopens after unsettled time, Magdalen Road roadworks reaches final phase. I told him we had it there, put it in a Tesco bag and brought it down to Highfield Road.. In the early 70's Nigel Boocock ("Little Boy Blue") was still Number One rider at Brandon. DAVIS, William (USA)..Jul 30, 1913..Lagoon Motordrome, Ludlow, KY, USA (B-R). 7 Gary Guglielmi - this has to be the young GG who first came to Brandon in 1977, not the later version - watching him try and complete even one lap around Brandon was worth the admission money alone. Jack Young - the man who made winning races look effortless. You need to be signed in to respond to this topic. . Explore! Greg Downs & Steve Ogrizovic of Coventry celebrate after winning FA cup final against Tottenham Hotspur, John Reason when he became a Coventry City FC director in December 1985, Coventry Lions distributed Christmas cheer and 10 parcels of food throughout Coventry in December 1986. ", Ole Olsen and Coventry Bees : The Glory Days. I used to go to matches on a Saturday and sit on the bench, I didnt sit in the stand, but I never got a game unfortunately. This is a perennial problem in Speedway. ), sadly left the sport way too soon Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. [citation needed]. Foehner was one of six spectators who were killed in the crash that claimed the lives ofriders Eddie HASHA and John ALBRIGHT. I used to go to the old Perry Barr Stadium across the Walsall Road in the 70s when some of the Bees junior riders were on loan at the Brummies, then in the second division. Racing career HOW TO ORDER. One of the first meetings of that time was the Brandonapolis, won by the greet Jack Parker, one of the first 'foot forward' riders. Video, On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry, Met Gala 2023: Stars celebrate Karl Lagerfeld, Shooting suspect was deported four times - US media, Yellen warns US could run out of cash in a month, Photo of Princess Charlotte shared as she turns 8, King Charles to wear golden robes for Coronation, More than 100 police hurt in French May Day protests, The 17 most eye-catching looks at the Met Gala. We've had a thread about the Sky Blues, so I thought I'd start one about the Bees Sebastian ROTH was practicing for the Motorcycle Grand Prix of Switzerland, when he pulled his machine to the edge of the track, and died from a heart attack. If you stood at the top of the banking you could look down into the pits where the riders and mechanics tinkered and swore.". "My family's been going to Brandon for three generations," the 32-year-old said. Alan. Guy recalled: "Standing down in the front row of the main grandstand, right next to the tapes, was utterly thrilling and terrifying at the same time. Phone: Call Retro Speedway on 01708 734 502. Is climate change killing Australian wine? We spent many hours after matches having a drink and chatting through the football club. We saw Ole Olsen's van on the way home one night and my dad hammered the car to overtake him and Ole laughed and laughed. With brakeless abandon the riders threw their machines around the track, striking elegant and contorted poses as they slid around the bend, always on the point of glory or disaster. [5] It was as a Hackney rider that he won the London Riders' Championship in 1967 and again in 1968. Speaking about his career he said: I left school at 14 and began an apprenticeship as an aero engineer at Whitley aerodrome where the Jaguar is now. In 1998, the opportunity arose to join the Coventry Bees as promoter and Pratt has been there ever since in promoter/co-promoter and team manager roles. 2023 BBC. The SCB wanted to ensure competitive teams, an entirely laudable aim, except that it meant an annual musical chairs of riders moving from track to track. and spoke to the Coventry Telegraph at the time. These were the days of black cinders. Very family friendly sport Speedway. Quite! 6 talking about this. Speedway riders, history and results . He had a hugely successful transport company, his connection as a rider at Coventry speedway then got involved in Coventry City FC where he very much had the role of the caring director from Coventry.. We bought programmes and stickers, and clipboards on which to note down the heat and match results. Our thoughts and condolences are with Johns family and friends at this sad time.. A spectator Hickman was killed when running on to the track to aid a fallen rider. What endeared him particularly to the fans was that he was adept at team-riding. The last phase is due to run until Saturday, May 27. There are some other that have stood out over the years, Les Owen, Gary Guglielmi, Tommy Knudsen, Greg Hancock, Scott Nicholls to name a few. WIGG, Simon (England).November 15, 2000.Milton Keynes, Bucks, England Former World Long-Track Champion Simon succumbed to a brain tumour which had forced his retirement several years earlier. LOGIN - JOIN HERE FOR PRICE Max: 1. Continuing the football analogy, could the Bees eventually be moving to Northampton too? Exeter Falcons V Kings Lynn Heat 4. The one meeting that has stood out from the rest is definetly the Bees v Vikings title showdown, 1981 that was i think. Mr Elliott said he was most closely involved with Mr Reason in helping the youth team and academy. Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? Riders like Neil Street in the 1950s, triple World Champion Ivan Mauger in the 1970s, and Mark Loram in the 90s thrilled crowds. I worked there as a track raker for ten shillings a night about 1952 but I'm afraid the only names I can recall are Bob Fletcher (captain) and Pete Reason, but the smell of methanol and "Castrol R" will linger forever. Ms Wright now lives in Worcestershire, but grew up around Coventry and said her introduction to speedway was at Brandon, adding it was amazing to race at a stadium where she had watched riders compete since she was a child. The former boss of well-known Coventry business Elliotts Car Accessories, he said: Elliotts and myself worked very closely with John. Francesca now lives in Worcestershire and competed for the Eastbourne Seagulls last year, Francesca said she had been prompted to try speedway after her sister recommended it. [4] Pratt was riding as a guest for the West Ham Hammers against a Danish select side in the Netherlands (in which he gained a five ride maximum). Plans to redevelop the stadium and the wider area date back several years. ANDREWS, Henry (USA).Jul 30, 1913..Lagoon Motordrome, Ludlow, KY, USA (B-R). I don't know if there was speedway on the original surface because that is well before my time. 71 were here. ). Richard BARTLETT was an all-round motorcyclist, and was a regular competitor in vintage grass-track events. Bleak outlook for British speedway, sad to report, An example of the shambles which is UK speedway is tonight's meeting at Kings Lynn, where the Bees had to track two Premier League riders with averages up to 6 points in place of two heat-leaders who were riding for their Danish League teams It was also, as befits a nimble bird of prey, the fastest speedway track in the UK. I first went to Coventry Speedway in 1977. Between 1973 and 1984 I lived in Coventry, not far from Brandon stadium, the home of Coventry "Bees". My hero was Graham Warren (later to ride for the Bees). Bleak outlook for British speedway, sad to report Apart from the uncertainty regarding the future of Coventry Stadium and the Buildbase Bees, Birmingham speedway is on the verge of closure, due to mounting debts, and the triumvirate promoting at Eastbourne . Sorry Cliff, I called you Alan there didn't I? 3 Can British speedway survive? ROBERTS, Ernest (Canada).June 22., 1915Leslieville Motordrome, Toronto, Canada (B-R). 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Campaigners gathered outside Rugby Town Hall ahead of the meeting, Fans outside cheered when they heard the decision at the council meeting, Councillors met on Wednesday where they refused the plans. Correction to my previous entry, it was Johnny Reason not Pete Reason. Then he had the gall to say 'I win the race, it makes my score look better' and that goes for all his ex team so called mates. He was articulate in his second language, more so than many riders were in their first. 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