capirex

You are not joking about the about the danger! A 500cc motorbike with no brakes, running on Methanol, which accelerates faster than an F1 car, with speeds up to 80mph, on a small narrow oval track with three other riders determined to win! WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG !!!

I remember Mike Broadbanks (he dropped the "s" from his name later in his career for some reason). He always wore red leathers which made him stand out from the other riders. He was a top rider at Swindon alongside Barry Briggs who was world number one at the time. Ole Olsen is still involved with speedway, he supevises the laying of the temperary track for the GP at Cardiff (among others), every year. Very sad news about the sudden death of Danny Ayers at 33 years old last week. I met Danny at Sheffield a couple of years ago when he was riding for Glasgow, he came across as a really friendly and enthusiastic guy who always gave 100% on the track! Apparently Danny had his demons and was seeking help for his mental health problems. He will be sadly missed. RIP.

Hi RR, you're right at about Sheffield being the fastest track! The surface did come in for a bit of criticism last season. It was a bit gate and go at times but when it was right their was some terrific racing which I think is always better on a big fast track. The stadium is a great place to watch speedway these days, a lot of money has been spent on improvements recently with more to come. There is a plan to reopen part of the terrace on the back straight that's been closed for years. I used to be a regular at the old Hyde Road track at Belle Vue which for me was the ultimate big, fast wide track. When Ivan Mauger was riding for the Aces he used to win some races by half a lap! What a terrific rider he was! Watching the likes of Soren Sjosten round Hyde Road was amazing. I used do a few meetings at Crewe, Geoff Curtis was the top guy at the time. Sadly he lost his life a couple years later. Do you remember the proposal to run speedway at Valepark in mid sixties? It did seem to be a serious idea at the time. I remember attending a meeting with the interested promoters where they were outlining their plans. I even put my name down as a rider at the proposed training school. They also asked for suggested designs for the race jackets. Sadly it never got beyond this stage as their was a lot of opposition from the locals. I remember people coming round with a petition on the Park Estate where I lived at the time. I think Sheffield have a good chance this season, the promoters have assembled a good team for the first season in the top League for many years. I guess reigning champions Swindon would be favourites but we should make the playoffs!

Love Speedway! I'm a regular at Sheffield. Looking forward to this season in the Premier League with triple World Champion Nicki Petersen leading the team! These guys are tough as hell, risking serious injury or worse every time they race, for a fraction of what a Premiership footballer gets paid. Makes you ashamed when you see a footballer rolling around in agony at the slightest touch and these guys just dust themselves down and get on with it. They are all really approachable and happy to spend time with the fans, even the top riders. Great family sport, real shame about Stoke closing down.