The BLRC 1982

Belle Vue, October 16 and FRANK MACLEAN tells Speedway Star what happened,

' From the point of view of overall entertainment the meeting was superb. But the standard of racing on the track was a big disappointment. And the night may only be remembered for another Kenny Carter controversy, albeit of a somewhat mild nature and a truly magnificent firework display. Carter retained his Title with five sparkling wins. Ipswich fans may think otherwise and will probably say so at great length. Heat 2 proved decisive as almost everybody had predicted with the fast starting Carter beating three of his main rivals - Shawn Moran, Chris Morton and Les Collins - in one swoop.

Carter went on to win another four heats, as did Moran, but following a series of processional racing Carter and Dennis Sigalos sparked some excitement in Heat 9. Their clash lasted an enthralling couple of laps before the American crash landed. Carter was in the lead and moved wide as Sigalos went out to the fence. The race was stopped and referee John Miller had no hesitation in excluding the American from the re-run. Carter was booed and jeered in the re-run but was unruffled as he calmly outpaced Erik Gundersen and Steve Bastable with all the ease of his earlier rides. The heavy, rain-soaked track accounted for some surprisingly disappointing performances from riders expected to do better with Chris Morton and Ole Olsen scoring only 6 points.'

World Champion Bruce Penhall had retired after winning the World Final in Los Angeles. And while the Speedway universe did not revolve around him, there was now a black hole that would never be filled. "Bollocks!" Well, I wish that was the case but sadly ...

Heat 1. Schwartz, Gundersen, Thomsen, Olsen.
Heat 2. Carter, S Moran, C Morton, L Collins.
Heat 3. Andersson, Sigalos, Jessup, Sanders.
Heat 4. Nielsen, Bastable, Kennett, Davis.
Heat 5. Gundersen, Sanders, L Collins, Smith. Davis inj ns
Heat 6. Carter, Nielsen, Olsen, Jessup.
Heat 7. S Moran, Sigalos, Thomsen. Kennett fall
Heat 8. Bastable, C Morton, Schwartz, Andersson.
Heat 9. Carter, Gundersen, Bastable. Sigalos fall/ex
Heat 10. L Collins, Andersson, Olsen, Kennett.
Heat 11. Nielsen, Sanders, C Morton, Thomsen.
Heat 12. S Moran, Schwartz, Jessup, Smith. Davis inj ns
Heat 13. S Moran, Nielsen, Andersson, Gundersen.
Heat 14. Olsen, C Morton, Smith, Edwards. Davis inj ns. Sigalos inj ns.
Heat 15. L Collins, Thomsen, Bastable, Jessup.
Heat 16. Carter, Schwartz, Sanders, Kennett.
Heat 17. Gundersen, Kennett, Jessup. C Morton nf
Heat 18. S Moran, Sanders, Olsen, Bastable.
Heat 19. Carter, Andersson, Thomsen, Smith. Davis inj ns
Heat 20. Nielsen, L Collins, Schwartz, Edwards. Sigalos inj ns

Kenny Carter Halifax 15. Shawn Moran Sheffield 14. Hans Nielsen Birmingham 13. Erik Gundersen Cradley Heath 10. Les Collins Leicester 9. Bobby Schwartz Reading 9. Jan Andersson Reading 8. Steve Bastable Swindon 7. Billy Sanders Kings Lynn 7. Ole Olsen Coventry 6. Chris Morton Belle Vue 6. Finn Thomsen Hackney 5. Dennis Sigalos Ipswich 4. Gordon Kennett Eastbourne 3. Dave Jessup Wimbledon 3. Res Andy Smith Belle Vue 1. John Davis Poole 0. Res Lee Edwards 0. Bruce Penhall Cradley Heath q ns retired.

This article was first published on 15th November 2020

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