Phil Rice visited Broadford the day after the Melbourne GP and captued a few pictures which we've added to those previously supplied by Howard Williams.
"This is unfortunate, spent some Thursday evenings at Plough Lane when The Heathens where in town. Always enjoyed my visits and would have liked to have gone more! Who could forget the 38-38 draw? However this is a sad fact of modern life, Speedway does not appeal to enough people who want to pay anymore. How many tracks are left in cities? Feel sad!"
"Great article. Obviously a few differing opinions here on the "show must go on" theme which I won't go into. Carolyn's reply resonates with me. I was present the night Denny Pyeatt was killed at Hackney in 1982 (I was aged 18 then). It's 33 years ago but I remember it in absolute detail just as you obviously do Svein's crash Carolyn. I don't think those memories ever leave us. I remember vividly having to duck out of the way of parts of his bike which disintegrated after hitting the 4th bend lamp standard at the pit exit. That meeting (Hackney v Reading) was abandoned immediately by a devastated Len Silver, the difference between that and Svein's crash being it was very obvious to everyone just how serious Denny's crash was."
"Sadly, my team Hull Vikings are no more, but I remember Bruce. He rode for Cradley at Dudley Wood when I first saw him. Going toe-to-toe with Bobby Beaton and Graham Drury were among my favourite moments. Good old fashioned racing and proper speedway. Later, in 1979, for the first time ever, a few friends and I were invited to go ice-racing with the guy who had Cradley's (amongst others) track shop, Dave Rattenberry. Dave also did tours for TEE-MILL. They sponsored Bruce and that year we went to Inzell in Germany. I have still got the ice spike, which we got when we booked. I think Bruce rode under the TEE-MILL banner for a few years after that. The highlight for me was when Bruce won the World team Cup with New Zealand at a damp Reading. By that time, the Vikings had Ivan Mauger. Great days, nice to hear he is still fit and well AND as mad as a box of frogs! Why change anything!"
"First of all, thanks for a great website . It is some 52 years now since I saw my last speedway meeting at Sun Street stadium. Time has not diminished my feelings for the old place and everything that went on in that compact little stadium. It was hemmed in on almost all sides by industry, and was in the centre of the city, which was most unusual for a speedway venue. Rows of terraced houses were but a stones throw from where the locals got their Saturday night 'fix' of speedway, but as far as I know no-one complained- they were probably inside the stadium! Sun Street, will live long in the memory."
