Name The Rider

I get pictures and questions sent to me where the sender doesn't know the name of the rider or wants information concerning our past and I don't have the answers!  Any help is appreciated because it would be wrong not to include historical items just because we have no idea what the subject is about! 

Can you name these tracks, year and rider's? send me an email John  When a rider has been named the picture is transferred to the appropriate team page.

I believe this is Bradford don't know the year or the riders can anyone help John

This is Dave Anderson receiving the "Wigan Promoter's Trophy" on 24/06/1960 can anyone name the guy doing the presentation  John

Stoke 1960 Sun Street.  I know the chap with the glasses is Keith Rylance but I cannot name the rest.  Can you help please John

Not so much name the rider.  They are Split Waterman and Derek Close it is impossible to make out Derek's race jacket so my question is who was he riding for if this is Wembley Split's home track.  John
Derek rode for Newcastle for a while.  Did Newcastle ever ride at Wembley?

Six riders all mounted on Douglas machines so this could be as early as 1928 or possibly 1929.  I don't know any of the riders or the venue, can you help John

I believe the track is Norwich and I know it's a Rudge outside and a Douglas inside so the year is likely to be 1929 or 30.  I don't know the riders can you help?

Where did speedway start?  Most of us say it was in Australia in 1923.  However a school of thought suggests the Americans were racing their bikes around oval dirt tracks well before 1923.  Here we have a picture of a dirt bike attached to a side car at the time the picture was taken and this was around 1910.  An American friend says this about the photo: -

Well Christine the sidecar and the lights don't really qualify this bike as a solo dirt track racing machine as we know them from around 1928.  Who is to say that your excellent photo from around 1910 is not that of a racing machine?  I now turn the matter over to visitors of my website who may possess more knowledge than I do of the old bikes.

Does anyone have any views of the old bike? John

The rider pictured above is Reg West. His daughter has been in touch as follows: - Would someone be able to help us find out anything more on Reginald Aldgate West. He was born in Tasmania but the family moved from there to Melbourne. He travelled all over Australia racing he was also known to have done some wrestling in his time.
I have a Photo of him having won a race on his motorbike wearing his winners sash.
He was my father-in-law. We know very little of his racing career.

He travelled over to the UK with the Australian team to race at the Isle of Man/Wight in the early 1930's. We believe he raced all over the UK.  He never went back to Australia. Seems he stopped racing at the start of the war. Could have been from serious injury?

Any info would be great.

Thanks
Colleen Thorne

The bike is a Rudge so I would put the picture at around 1930

Can anyone supply info on Colleen's father in law?
 

Update: Bryan Tungate has been in touch he has "found" a Reg West in a 1939 Norwich programme

Thanks Bryan

Update: Stuart Towner has been in touch: -

So lets accept that Reg's bike was made in 1928

The above picture shows, I think, Tom Farndon on the left and Norman (Pansy) Evans. possibly 1931. 

This blow up shows a star on the track staffs jersey and Tom Farndon appears to be the home rider  So what's the track, year and teams?  John

This is Bristols Knowle Street in the 1950's.  Can anyone name the riders.  A tough question eh?  John

USSR versus Great Britain 1966 The Russian is Igor Plechanov can you name the Brit?  John

Update..

Picture from Mick Alexander taken around 1930. The bike could be a Velocette KTT. Can you supply any information  John

1948  Sheffield v Norwich. Can you name the riders?

Michael Kemp has named all 4: Tommy Allott, Syd Littlewood, Len Williams and Bert Spencer.  Great action shot the cameraman must have been very close to the action

e mail John

The above photo is from the Sunderland V Middlesbrough Programme 19th May 1964.  I can only name 2 of the riders. Mike Watkin and Russ Dent, can you help with the others? John

Update:  Dave Gifford has been in touch and has the following to say about the above photo:

Hi John mate, the Sunderland Middlesbrough photo 1964. I would say its Maury Robinson on the right.

Thanks Dave but there are still 3 names to find.

Not sure about the above photo.  Is it genuine or trick photography? John

Vets race at Rye House 75 years anniversary of speedway in this country on March 1st 2003.  Scunthorpe manager Kenny Smith is in the Nelson Jacket who are the rest John

Update:

Kenny has been in touch, he says the riders in this photo are: - 
Kenny Smith (Rudge JAP Nelson Jacket)  Jonathon Clarke (Douglas Wimbledon) John Taylor (Rudge BelleVue) Tom Richardson (Rudge New Cross) Peter Clarke (Rudge Southamton)

Thanks Kenny and if you have any more photos like this one send them in John