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For instance, you've said that you think that TW might be the "most successful British sportsman in any field over recent years" but as a fan of mountain biking I would have to raise you Rachel Atherton who has just won her 5th World Championship Title, is 6 times World Cup Champion (including a perfect season in 2016 where she won every World level race there was) and is multiple British Champ. That out ranks TW in my eyes (not demeaning his performance at all) but there is probably someone else in a sport that neither of us know much about that is even more dominant.
It would be lovely if the general news would cover something other that the usual suspects in more detail and more regularly but we have to face facts that the other sports just don't have the interest amongst the general public.
Oh, and I live about half a mile from Sheffield's Speedway track and can hear the bikes from my house. I really ought to get down there sometime
I guess football trumps everything these days.
Speedway world finals used to fill Wembley in the 70s.
Speedway was/is pretty big in the Midlands. I took and interest after meeting 'Peter' and I remember there being some amazing Norwegian bloke called Ole(?) who I thought was the business! I started following it again when I moved to Warwickshire and it was on local radio a lot. Would have been around the time Tai was starting to come to prominence.
Yes, not too shabby really. He was World Chamion in 1976 and won the World Team cup 5 times.
Ole, would be Ole Olsen from Denmark, 3 times World champion.
I used to live in Hillsborough so Sheffield is my team, although I’m no longer in Sheff.
I'm sure a lot of it is down to Sky et.al. buying up the TV rights so fewer people end up watching it.
I used to watch all the Moto GP practice sessions, World Superbike etc. on Eurosport, but when it all went over to Sky (after a brief time on BBC2) I haven't watched it for years, because I can't be arsed to pay extra. The same goes for F1, American Football and many others, once I stopped watching for a while I lost interest in keeping up with it.
p.s.
I used to go to the Speedway a bit with my ex-wife and Jason Crump used to live a couple of streets away from me.
Was my second 'real' job actually, back when I was around 19/20.
Would turn up on raceday and sweep the pits, help grade the track, install all the fences and lug the air fences from the storage to the trackside.
Fond memories of being let loose with all the old vehicles, mainly hi-aces and old transits that didnt need to be kept road legal, and there was something great in that! Rusted, dirty, nothing worked.
Several times the tractor would be out of fuel, so we'd get a pipe and a full jerry can and suck it up.. nothing like a mouthful of diesel at 6am in the morning.
I learnt a lot about myself actually.
The first time I swept the pits my hands were absolutely ruined, blistered and red raw, that was at midday, we'd be there til gone 11pm putting everything away!
Zipping up each section of the air fence required a detailed touch, so no gloves, hands freezing and numb, getting sore from all the dirt and shale that covered them. They were heavy too uninflated!
Meanwhile the senior staff would be doing laps of the track grating and spraying water everywhere, soaking everyone around..
They wouldnt stop for us either, we'd have one eye on our backs at all times!
Absolutely no training except a quick 'heres how to drive a tractor' etc, no health and safety forms, nothing. Could smoke all day to boot.
It was absolutely great. I learned a lot about myself, my body and its feeble nature, hard work and getting it done no matter the weather, only to have the race called off because its began raining!
I remember the actual race being the down time.
All I had to do was stand on my corner, raise a red flag if someone came off or the lights came on, and usually hit on the ambulance girls or photographer who always wore a rammstein hoody.. I remember that, never did talk to her ha.
That was/is at the Arena Essex, which unfortunately the Hammers have now moved out of and gone to Rye house.
Shame because I always quite liked the atmosphere, and it was on my works doorstep.
Missed the majority of the last 6 years due to having to work in Lakeside itself til 10pm every weekend, so usually when its on tv I'll check it out if I can.
But I've become a bit out of date with it, though many riders are still about.
Tais a cool dude, met him a couple times in passing, seemed happy to stop and pose for a quick snap before the races.
My favourites from my working days were always Lee Richardson, rest in peace Rico, Andreas Jonsson and of course Chris 'bomber' Harris and Scott Nichols.
Used to drive over to Wales once a year to see the British Gp. Which was always great.
He's a bloody confident bloke that Tai.
Something he said about the law of attaction.. I'm gonna have to look into that if it works for him ha!