Speedway: A Living History - Documentary
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- Опубліковано 3 жов 2024
- Speedway was the original blue collar motorsport, in it's heyday over thousends of spectators would cram into stadiums over the UK to watch their racing idols. As time has gone on, the sports popularity has faded somewhat and is now more niche, but is speedway on the verge of a comeback amid new broadcasting deals...
This documentary explores the heyday of speedway, through the perspective of Scottish speedway hero Bert Harkins, as he tells us about his time in the sport and the work he is doing now to preserve it's history at the National Speedway Museum along with Paradise Park Chairman Peter Sampson. We also speak to 7x British Speedway Champion, Cooper Rushen and his father Karl, as they give us an insight into the current world of speedway and the bright future it may be set for.
I would like to thank Bert Harkins, Peter Sampson, Cooper Rushen and Karl Rushen for featuring in the documentary, you were a pleasure to work with. A special thanks to Brent Museum & Archives for the archival footage and John Somerville for providing me with the archival photos.
Finally... go visit Paradise Wildlife Park and visit the museum while you are there!
I hope you enjoy.
This project was created for a module in Year 3 of my Sports Broadcasting course at UCFB.
Nice job Bert's a great guy. I rode against him in the 70's My son Lee lost hid life in wroclow in 2012 his bike is in the mudroom
Lee is forever in our Polish hearts Colin-Poland remember 🇵🇱🇬🇧
Remember Bert , when he rode at Wimbledon for a while. A fan’s favourite at that time
Such a nice bloke Bert Harkins !
Yes! Very welcoming and engaging
Great to see Bert looking well,was a legend for Wembley Lions. Thanks for the great nights at Wembley Bert.
For someone who knew nothing about Speedway when he started this project, Anthony has done a fantastic job for the sport and I hope that he gets full marks in his Sports Broadcasting course. We could do with more enthusiastic people like Anthony to promote the sport to the media.
Thank you Bert, it was great learning about your story! I achieved a First Class grade for the film :), there is a bright future ahead for speedway I am sure 💪🏻
Great to see you looking so well Bert, I,ve still got my helmet from my cycle speedway days complete with Scott decals you gave me at Ryton (Peugeot place ) when you came to view the indoor cycle speedway in the 90,s I know you were a bit useful at cycle speedway , a World Finalist no less !! Regards .
Saturday night at Meadowbank watching the Edinburgh Monarchs Loved it!
Me too. But it was a Friday night
Bert Harkins is a Speedway Godfather!,.. Thank you Sir!,.. I hope to come visit this museum someday,. Greeting's from Reno, Nevada, U S A's #1. fan.
Hi David, I used to visit friends in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, a lovely part of the world.
Bert, i remember seeing you in the pits at wembley. A mechanic from another rider asked you a question “what’s up with the bike bert?” You replied “it won’t go” classic response 👍😀
if you get a chance to go to paradise,make sure you visit the museum,it's full of nostalgia to big kids like me who grew up an avid fan of wembley lions and wimbledon dons back in the day!
Well what a gem absolutely brilliant!!! Does give some hope for the future. Pete Sampson saying no tracks from museum unfortunately it it so true now I hear about Peterborough. It’s all so very sad as it’s a fantastic sport take kids etc. Bert well what can you say what a absolute gentleman. Always remember Bert at hackney in the pits. Might have been metropolitan 4 ? Anyway me a couple mates watching the pits. Bert comes over looking for a place near us say I won’t go there I might sink !! Now this is 1974 ?? We could not believe it he acknowledged us. Never forgot it amazing.
Thanks for the support! I think like with most things popularity will come back around - especially with the discovery deal and people being priced out of big sporting events, fingers crossed! Hahaha good story one of them things that stick with you
Memories menories. I used to go to the Tamworth Spedway at Fazeley back in the fifties, fish and chips from The Dug Out on the way home and the chip shop is still there.
Let's hope for a great future in Speedway. Good luck to all the young fellas coming through the ranks and let's get the crowds back to cheer them on.
Go Cheetahs!!!
Lovely to see the great Bert again. I've really missed speedway during Covid and Berts famous white boots
Great video no track left In London now I miss Wimbledon is now a football stadium such a shame rip Wimbledon lots of great memories we had there
What an absolute gent Bert is,met him at the celebration of speedway a couple of weeks ago,was a pleasure to chat to him and buy him a cup of tea...
He had a shop in birkhamsted and used to get my brothers equipment from there and sometimes used to bump into him and i can tell you what a grand man and gave us many advices with setting up the bikes.
Keep going boys amazing talent I hope speedway is fully revived a brilliant exciting sport…!!!
What a great little documentary still miss Wembley Lions Wimbledon and White city fantastic piece by Bert my all time fav rider and hero hoping to get to the museum this year after covid and my own health problems well done Anthony
Hi, Tim, I hope you are feeling better. On Sunday 20th February we have our annual 'Celebration of Speedway' at Paradise Wildlife Park and some of the bikes will be started on the hour every hour. Entry ot £12.50 and tickets have to be booked online with Paradise Wildlife Park. Regards, Bert
@@bertharkins395 Thanks for the heads up Bert me and the Mrs hope to book up and get their all being well Best wishes Tim
Great to hear ell your recollections. I don’t get to speedway much nowadays as it all seems just full throttle and little use of control and not enough dirt on the tracks. that photo of you with the blonde young lady is that a young ray wilson I rode cycle speedway at Leicester at the same time 1963/4
Loved watching Bert Harkins at Brough Park and Powderhall
I remember watching him in the mid sixties racing at old meadowbank for the Edinburgh monarchs then Coatbridge monarchs
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I used to watch Bert Harkins ride for Edinburgh Monarchs at Meadowbank.
Well done copper and Karl you both do so well your dad Karl would be very proud of you all
Love that museum, Bert's a great bloke
THAT WAS AN AWESOME DOCUMENTARY ON SPEEDWAY & ITS PRESERVATION IN THE UK.-------------THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT FOR THE YOUNG TALENT WITH DISCOVERY JUMPING IN TO SPONSER !
Delighted you enjoyed it! Please feel free to share with other Speedway fans:)
Been to the museum more times than I can count 😂😂
Nice to get such a brilliant reminder of what were the halcyon days of speedway with tracks galore and meetings every day of the week that were well attended. My job involved driving all over the country so I was able to visit numerous stadiums far from my Yorkshire base. Sadly, so many clubs have become defunct over the years since then and only a handful of them have re-emerged. Poland's dominance, dearth of top riders in the UK, a top league that contains only a handful of clubs, low crowds and lack of media coverage are among reasons for the current state of the sport. In more recent years, I've attended a few meetings at Belle Vue's NSS that offers fantastic racing. But the supposedly 'bumper gates' for some of these meetings are nothing compared to the regular attendances at the old Hyde Road circuit. Would love to be proved wrong but it's hugely difficult to imagine speedway coming anywhere near to recreating its more eminent past.
Many thanks you extreme Legend
Great film Anthony, informative and fun. Liked it from beginning to the end. Well done. 👍
Thanks so much!
Excellent 🎉
I saw Pete Sampson when he rode for the Newcastle Diamonds in the 1960s.Great racing then.
It is a bit sad that Speedway in the UK is on a decline. But the money is in Poland so you can’t blame the riders for going there. Are used to go to Wimbledon when I was a lad and watch the great Ronnie Moore best rider I’ve ever seen. Nice to see Bert Thanks for your hard work at the Museum
remember seeing "bouncing" bert harkins ,wembley lions legend!
I recall Bert racing against my late cousin Vic Harding. A gentleman. How do I get in touch.
Hi Michael, you can find me on Facebook or via the World Speedway Riders' Association. Regards, Bert
@@bertharkins395 Hartola thank you. Great to hear from you. I hope you are well and in fine fettle
Hi Anthony, great stuff. do you have any old speedway info. my great uncle raced at White City Salford before WW2 I think possibly the 20's just starting out trying to find if there is anything. Thanks Mick
Oh cool! I haven’t got much from then no, this documentary was a big introduction to speedway for me. There may be some stuff available online, would be best to look at salford archives id imagine, good place to start. Good luck!
Started as a superb documentary - until it segued into a promotion piece for the little kid at the end (and his dad who couldn't stop prattling on incessantly). I wish the museum every success but sadly, in reality, I don't think it has any longevity at its current location.
Cooper is on a 170
Up the Halifax dukes