Speed Way Racing Reviyal
The electrically operated tapes have just gone up and riders put their weight over the front wheel as the power at the rear wheel bites home. Left to right, Bjorn Knutsson (Sweden), Reg Luckhurst (England), Antoni Woryna (Poland) and Bengt Jansson (Sweden), who inflicted the only defeat of the night on the champion-to-be.
SPEED WAY RACING REVIYAL
PETER ARNOLD
SPEEDWAY RACING, originally known as Dirt Track racing, and a long-term offshoot of the old banked board-track racing of pre-World War I days in America, is having a great revival in Europe. The 1965 World Championship Final, held at the Empire Stadium, Wembley, England, attracted over 75,000 cheering fans, and was won by a Swede, Bjorn Knutsson, with a Russian, Igor Plechanov second, and another Swede, Ove Fundin, third.
The sport of Dirt Track racing started in Newcastle, Australia back in 1923 as a Horse Show carnival novelty by one Johnnie Hoskins, and developed quickly to become a serious sport "down under"; more especially when American "Sprouts" Elder showed them how to really broadslide. It reached England in February, 1928, since when it has been staged as a summer sport every year war years included when afternoon meetings were held weekly at the Belle Vue Gardens circuit at Manchester.
It boomed from 1928 to the mid-1930s, then began to fade a little as the war years approached. But it boomed to become Britain's second public-attraction sport in the immediate post-war years of 1946-51 (second only to "king" soccer). But with the advent of cheaper television, and the general change-over of public appeal, the decline of the variety stage, the theatres and cinemas began at about this time too. Tracks closed, and where there were once 45 tracks in three leagues, there were only 8 in one league.
Then around 1960-61 a new group of younger promoters began re-opening the closed venues and staging "open" meetings. The fans a new generation liked it, and before they realized it, the promoters had another boom on their hands.
Nor was this boom confined to Britain. Poland and Czechoslovakia, where speedway had been seen back in the 192829 period but long since forgotten, began to look for a sport to occupy their young men. British riders went as "coaches." Soon the "pupils" were ready for the opposition, and invited British teams toured the country, beating the locals soundly but teaching them on the way. Sweden too, branched out, sent some of their best riders to Britain to race against the third leaguers. Holland and Germany began to sit up and take notice and by the early 1950s, they had asked for qualifying rounds in the World Championship. Previously any "foreigner" wanting to take part had to come to England to compete in rounds here.
Polish and Swedish teams came to England — and were beaten; British sides toured and kept on winning, until about 1959 when Sweden, the strongest Continental speedway country, began to hold her own and then beat England. Their representation in the Continental qualifying round became stronger. Their rider Ove Fundin won the title in 1956, and thereafter was always in the first three in the World Final. Their claims became stronger — their numerical representation more. It was first one rider, then two, then four.
With Poland, Czechoslovakia, Finland, Norway and Sweden increasing their interest, the World Final competition was broadened. So evolved the Nordic and Continental Finals; from this the top qualifiers competed in the European Final, from which the top ten come to the World Final.
It was only in 1959 that Russia first showed any interest via Poland in speedway racing. But in typical dedicated style, they set about becoming proficient. Their top riders started to compete in the Iron Curtain countries to gain experience, and in 1961, for the first time, one of their riders, Igor Plechanov, reached the World Final, then held for the first time outside of Wembley Stadium, England (where it was first staged in 1936). Fittingly, it was at Malmo in Sweden and the first three places went to Swedes.
The final was again held in Sweden last year at Gothenberg and it is to be held there once more next year. In 1967, who knows? It might be in Warsaw or even Moscow!
In England now there are 18 teams in the British League and seven non-league tracks operating on an "open" license. Attendances are on the up-grade; on the Continent interest has never been greater, with 200,000 watching racing in Warsaw. A new contest introduced in 1962 sees Nationals four-man teams compete for the World Team Cup. Sweden won the first three, but this year the Poles clinched top honors at the meeting held in Germany. Russia has twice sent teams to England and has twice been beaten, although they beat the Swedes last winter.
Down in Australia and New Zealand the sport is more than holding its own. Everything points to a revival there too. Swedish and British riders are going there; more riders from down under are coming to England.
This year's World Championship competition was perhaps the biggest yet. From over 120 riders in Poland, Czechoslovakia and Russia, via a series of eliminations, the top 16 contested the Continental Final at Wroclaw — the surprise being the elimination of the Russians, with the exception of Plechanov, for they had three riders in the World Final of 1964. The top 8 from this meeting went forward to the European Final held at Slany in Czechoslovakia in late June, where they were joined by the top 8 from the Nordic final held at Oslo, in Norway, and which was dominated by the Swedes with seven to Norway's one, survivors of over 100 competitors.
Over 40,000 people saw the Slany final, and five Swedes headed the qualifiers, with three Poles, the Russian and one Czech. And these top ten came to the Wembley Final, where they were joined by the top six British qualifiers. The rounds here started in mid-May, were staged on the non-league tracks, and then on the league tracks. The top 32 point scorers were split into two semi-finals, held at Poole, near Bournemouth, England and at Glasgow, Scotland. From these the top 8 from each went to the British Final, held at West Ham, London, which decided the top six of 150 originals.
Barry Briggs, holder of the World Title in 1957/58 and '64, was the British ChamDion, and favorite for the title again . . . but on the big night he was disaDpointed. Riding a Czech-built Eso machine, he seemed to lack speed on a track made heavy by the early afternoon rain. Knutsson, beaten in his first ride by fellow countryman Bengt Jansson, went on to win his next four rides in cool style, making slick starts that kept him ahead on .the sticky, wet shale surface.
The Swede Ove Fundin, the only man to have won the title four times — 1956, '60, '61 and '63 tied for second place with the Russian. A run-off was needed for the prize money split and it was the Russian who won as he had done last year at Gothenberg, when they'd also raced for the second place.
Briggs managed to hold on to some dignity by finishing fourth, although he has a wonderful record of never having been lower than sixth since his first final in 1954. The Poles, so confident in the team event, were disappointing, only Andrzei Pogorzelski showing anything like his top form and Andrzei Wyglenda, who won the Continental round, finished a poor last!
Most outstanding performances of the night, to my mind, were the two firsttime finalist appearances of Englishman Brian Brett, and Swede Bengt Jansson. Jansson was the only man to beat winner Knutsson during the night, while Brett was the best of the Englishmen on view, finishing sixth.
For the rest of the Englishmen, it was a poor night the honors were with the dedicated Swedes and the Russian. World Motor Racing Champion Jimmy Clark was on hand to present the awards at the end
of an exciting meeting . . . probably the last World Final at the ancestral home of Wembley for a few years. We shall see! But one thing is for sure . . . speedway racing is far from being a dead sport. Might even see a revival over your side of the Atlantic yet!
1965 WORLD SPEEDWAY FINAL PLACINGS WEMBLEY, ENGLAND: pts. 1. BJORN KNUTSSON (Sweden) 14 2. IGOR PLECHANOV (USSR) 13 3. OVE FUNDIN (Sweden) 13 4. BARRY BRIGGS (New Zealand) 10 5. BENGT JANSSON (Sweden) 10 6. BRIAN BRETT (England) 9 7. SOREN SJOSTEN (Sweden) 9 8. NIGEL B00C0CK (England) 8 9. ANDRZEI POGORZELSKI (Poland) 7 10. ANTONI WORYNA (Poland) 6 11. LEI F LARSSON (Sweden) 5 12. REG LUCKHURST (England) 5 13. KEN McKINLAY (Scotland) 4 14. JIMMY GOOCH (England) 3 15. LUBOS TOMICEK (Czecho) 2 16. ANDRZEI WYGLENDA (Poland) 2
