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Post by coombes on Jun 15, 2020 16:07:19 GMT 1
Birthday greetings go out to Bruce Ovenden who turns 80 today. We'll have one for you tonight Bruce. The personable Kiwi, still warmly remembered in Glasgow, rode for the Tigers at The White City in their debut seasons in the PL in 1964 and the BL the following year. His crash with Bill Landels is remembered to this day as was his spectacular engine blow up which saw it bounce clean out of the bike and into the fence in the home meeting against Oxford. His crash was in the local derby with Edinburgh. Bill Landels, never the smoothest of stylists, got into trouble coming out of the fourth bend and caught his footrest in the fence. This caused him to fall right in the path of the close following Kiwi, who managed to avoid the sprawling Monarch by ploughing into his bike. Landels sustained damaged knee ligaments and Ovenden a broken collarbone in a crash, which hardened observers reckoned could have been much worse. Landels helmet, split right down the middle was a testament to this. On finding there was at least two hours to wait at the hospital, Bruce coolly went out to the nearest pub for a beer! The nurses were not too pleased when he returned well refreshed! Read more about Bruce and his buddy Joe Hicks time in Scotland in Classic Speedway Issue 49 from www.retro-speedway.com
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Post by benbulben on Jun 15, 2020 17:02:18 GMT 1
Indeed, a most pleasant fellow with a smile always on his face and never refused an autograph hunter. I used to take my young cousin and he spent more time at the pits fence than watching the racing. Always felt those two Kiwis were too big to make decent riders though.Anyway, happy returns to Bruce.
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