Post by speedyguy on Jan 26, 2016 11:38:49 GMT
This is the text of an article from circa 2004. It deals with the interestibg topic of match races between a speedway bike and a midget car.
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By JOHN HYAM
MORE information has come to light in regard to midget car v speedway bike match races (‘Short Circuit,’ October, 2004), thanks to the renowned Australian historian the late Jim Shepherd.
He writes: “Re solo speedway bikes v midget cars. I can trace the one at Australia’s Brisbane Exhibition Speedway in the 1946-47 season. Promoter Frank Arthur was desperate for anything to pad out his shows and came up with the idea of matching Ray Revell in his Ford A midget against Andy Menzies on his JAP-engine speedway bike.
“The match was over two laps from a semi-flying start with both starting on opposite sides of the track. Revell demanded that he and Menzies be separately timed to allow for an uneven start and this was agreed to. Menzies won quite comfortably.”
Shepherd added: “As a matter of trivial interest, in the first post-war Brisbane Exhibition season, Revell lost another odd-ball match race. He had to cover two laps from a flying start against a champion cyclist who had to ride one lap from a flying start on the grass infield. The cyclist won by a small margin.
“There was at least one midget v motorcyclist race in the 1930s on the old Melbourne Motordrome concreted bowl with the motorcyclist (Jim Disney) restricted to the lowest (and slowest) part of the track. The car driver in, I think, a Fronty Ford was allowed the high line.”
Shepherd concluded: “The intrepid pair actually started alongside each other from a flying start. The car driver won, I don’t think this race was ever repeated.”
And, thanks to Gordon McIsaac, the curator of the Speedway Museum in Auckland, New Zealand, I have more information on the mid-1960s race at Western Springs between Bob Tattersall (USA midget driver) and Bryce Subritzky (NZ speedway star).
A newspaper report said: “The four-lap challenge race between B Subritzky, astride his motorcycle, and Tattersall, driving his Offenhauser, was spoiled somewhat by the fact that Subritzky used a clutch start whereas Tattersall was allowed a flying start. Both men started on opposite sides of the track.
“For three laps the two were even, but on the final bend Tattersall did better and won narrowly.”
:::::::::::
By JOHN HYAM
MORE information has come to light in regard to midget car v speedway bike match races (‘Short Circuit,’ October, 2004), thanks to the renowned Australian historian the late Jim Shepherd.
He writes: “Re solo speedway bikes v midget cars. I can trace the one at Australia’s Brisbane Exhibition Speedway in the 1946-47 season. Promoter Frank Arthur was desperate for anything to pad out his shows and came up with the idea of matching Ray Revell in his Ford A midget against Andy Menzies on his JAP-engine speedway bike.
“The match was over two laps from a semi-flying start with both starting on opposite sides of the track. Revell demanded that he and Menzies be separately timed to allow for an uneven start and this was agreed to. Menzies won quite comfortably.”
Shepherd added: “As a matter of trivial interest, in the first post-war Brisbane Exhibition season, Revell lost another odd-ball match race. He had to cover two laps from a flying start against a champion cyclist who had to ride one lap from a flying start on the grass infield. The cyclist won by a small margin.
“There was at least one midget v motorcyclist race in the 1930s on the old Melbourne Motordrome concreted bowl with the motorcyclist (Jim Disney) restricted to the lowest (and slowest) part of the track. The car driver in, I think, a Fronty Ford was allowed the high line.”
Shepherd concluded: “The intrepid pair actually started alongside each other from a flying start. The car driver won, I don’t think this race was ever repeated.”
And, thanks to Gordon McIsaac, the curator of the Speedway Museum in Auckland, New Zealand, I have more information on the mid-1960s race at Western Springs between Bob Tattersall (USA midget driver) and Bryce Subritzky (NZ speedway star).
A newspaper report said: “The four-lap challenge race between B Subritzky, astride his motorcycle, and Tattersall, driving his Offenhauser, was spoiled somewhat by the fact that Subritzky used a clutch start whereas Tattersall was allowed a flying start. Both men started on opposite sides of the track.
“For three laps the two were even, but on the final bend Tattersall did better and won narrowly.”