It's All About You... Jack Babrovskie

Jack Parker

Tell us about your introduction to speedway

First taken to speedway age 12 to Hyde Road by my mother (Dad went to the greyhounds nearby!) My first meeting was v.Harringay (I think) in 1954. Sat in N stand, but next week changed to the back row of M stand and stayed there for.......oh,years. Later my sons sat in the same block and the story continued.......

Tell us about your favourite meeting of all time

So many, but the championship decider at Monmore Green in 1993 is high on the list. Not only for the match itself but for the trip there. I set off from Manchester with my sons after work and had a hair raising trip down the M6 to get there on time......parked somewhat crazily on a bend and dashed for the stadium just in time for heat one. I can still see Bobby Ott and Jason Lyons hitting the first bend in front in the final heat which eventually decided the title for the Aces.

Tell us about your favourite rider of all time

Has to be Peter Craven. My first hero, and I especially remember reading the Star during the close season and seeing how well he rode overseas with it seems one maximum after another. (It seemed quite exotic in those days). Also remember getting his autograph (seemed to be every week!) when we were allowed into the pits at Hyde Road after the matches. He drove a Jowett Javelin in those days with his bike on a rack at the back.

Tell us about your favourite track/stadium

Has to be Hyde Road. Not just a biased opinion I hope, as so many speedway fans have reinforced the fact that it was probably the best racing track in the UK.

What are the best things about speedway?

The racing, obviously. But also the attitude of the majority of the fan base who watch the sport with a knowlegeable attitude.No-one who attends speedway regularly can doubt the commitment and genuine enjoyment that fellow fans get from this great sport of ours.

What are the worst things about speedway?

Probably the constant and seemingly ridiculous rule changes that bedevil the sport, and the inability of the people in charge to get it right on a consistent basis.

What one thing would you do to improve speedway?

Some kind of independent (of the BSPA) body to decide on the best way forward for the sport to be run in this country.

Tell us about a rider you wish you'd seen

My first year watching the sport was the final season that Jack Parker rode for Belle Vue........and he had retired before the first match that I attended.

What does the future hold for speedway?

In truth I see the future for the sport as quite good......but it will be via the GP route. With the involvement of IMG and the TV coverage that that will continue to bring I can see that aspect of the sport progressing. What effect that will have on domestic league speedway is a different matter........

This article was first published on 18th March 2010

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