I used to go to Wimbledon, Plough Lane. This has made my day. I saw Ivan Mauger beat the track record there..59.7, if I remember. It was maybe then We always had trouble beating those Aces. First match ever? Poole v Hull. Best sport ever invented.

@SuzyQ334

Жыл бұрын

Nailed it, my friend. All sport bored the arse off me (even football and I grew up in Pompey) and then someone dragged me to Plough Lane - I think I fell in love with speedway in the first 10 minutes. Decades on, and now living in Australia, I still miss it. xxx

Really moving tribute to Tommy at the end there.

Ohh, how I loved to hear Tommy Janssons voice for the first time ever. Gone but never forgotten

Love the sound of 'Blaze Away'. That would be on my Desert Island Discs list. First went to Wimbledon in 1964 for the Laurels. Then, from 1965 - 1972, I never missed a meeting. I remember the wonderful 'Internationale' meetings when my brother and I turned up at 2:00 pm just to make sure we could get in and get a box seat. Estimated crowds were 20, 000 for those big meetings. Charlie Monk won in 1965 - a huge shock that he could never repeat. The greatest away riders at Plough Lane in those days were Gote Nordin, Barry Briggs, Sverre Hartfeldt, and Nigel Boocock. It was never an easy track for visitors. When Ronnie Moore made his comeback, I was in Dreamland. My dad had filled me with stories of his glory days under Norman Parker. Ronnie became my all-time favourite rider - I can only ever imagine what he was like before his six-year layoff. He was a marvellous ambassador for the sport and still a world-class rider. I've never seen any rider that had his control over a speedway bike. It was a fantastic stadium in those days, a mini-Wembley as the 'Hedge-hopper' said. I also remember Ronnie Greene running the joint like a grand military operation. Never did understand why he could never pronounce Ivan Mauger's name or was it meant to be pronounced 'Morger' - it used to make the crowd laugh. So many happy memories. Tommy Jansson was the all-time favorite with the ladies.

I used to go to Wimbledon on a Thursday night from 1972 to 1986 also went in the mid 2000s when the dons rode in the national league,i remember tommy jansson,trevor hedge,roger johns,remember first seeing kelvin ride thought he was real good.i remember peter Collins scoring 21 points for belle vue against the dons,and a test match between England and the usa when the americans had bruce penhall in the team.

I remember when the likes of Ronnie Moore had to start 20 yards behind the rest of the field. Usuallly Ronnie was still in the lead by the end of the second bend. In fact I was there the night Ronnie crashed into a fallen rider and broke both his legs. all due to him starting behind the rest. Great rider.

My team. I'd love to get my hands on the twit who turned Plough Lane into a block of flats.

Worked at the track in the 80s when we had all three sports....... dogs diamond jubilee night .....world bangers/ stocks finals .....when the gra saw pound notes speedway became a casualty ....... and when the track was tarmaced that was the final nail..... l attended the last night of dogs .... pity the bikes wernt still on...the rise in live tv sports during the week hit all the attendances and the gra could no longer sustain the cost of running the stadium in its former glory......at least now a sport is still on the site ...... if speedway wanted to still have a track/team in the London postcode area why did it not commit to a site in the old dock lands regeneration when it had the chance ...... the last of the Ws ... .Wembley....White City .....Walthamstow no more.....thousands used to turn up for inter london league matches now without the venues/teams the capital has lost an opportunity to support a sport with a history within London.......pity it did not get even a bit of what the tennis did up the road...

6:25 *See the warning signs here - empty Stadiums and admissions to high - off down the Palais-De-Dance !*

lovely days spent at plough lane but with what Dingle said about the rent I don't think we stand hope in hell really makes me sad but think about crowds we used to get when David Croucher ran it than cant have covered the rent and rest of the expenses can it ?

@markjohnson1224

9 жыл бұрын

Steve cutbill Looks like it is all so sadly over isn't it. Had I all the money it took believe me...

Would win the lottery and re vamp this place and get back the Dons Racing here and Stock Cars but with pollution air quality in place (not a bad thing) transport got be sorted to get cars to track

No roger johns 10 + years a don

@SuzyQ334

Жыл бұрын

Roger was a great rider and a brilliant Wimbledon captain. As a rookie journalist back in the 80s I interviewed him - he was a really nice bloke as well. Speedway was a victim of shite management IMHO.

don't think British speedway got much left governing body killing it

@SuzyQ334

Жыл бұрын

Honestly Steve, I think if we had to lay blame on who killed speedway, its inept management would be top of the list.

barry briggs

does anybody remember sever harfelt

@fransid44

6 жыл бұрын

Saw him many times, best by far from Norway

@alanhersey584

6 жыл бұрын

yep he was my favorite Don after Ronnie Moore

@jetheadjohn7559

4 жыл бұрын

robert careswell Yes I remember Sverre Harfeltd. Stylish, class act. I was gutted when he went to West Ham.

This track has gone now a football stadium now such a shame you to stock car racing and grayhounds to

Oh to stop this place being demolished for a lowly football team and yet more bland faceless apartments. Speedway and Stock Car racing should be a part of everyone's growing-up and beyond. I can still smell it. Castrol R40... Just look at it folks. Need Kenny Roberts to do some laps on his fiery Yamaha two stroke. The G.R.A. and Merton Council shame on you!