Post by PLUSTAR on Jun 5, 2010 17:06:44 GMT 1
« on: March 19, 2010, 02:32:35 PM »
Q & A from Keir of Easytiger Bert Harkins No. 1 fan
Q You got your start at Old Meadowbank in 1964 and 65 when Hoskins put on two second half
events each week that allowed young riders to progress to the rider of the night final. Do you
agree that this system was better than what we have now where talented local lads don’t get
enough help and encouragement from promoters?
BH.
I think that Second Half races were VERY important. There used to be 4 heats and a Final for the team riders,
plus reserve race and Novice races so it was possible to progress through these races and qualify for the
Junior Final and maybe into the team. I also used to try to get a few laps in after the meeting before the
caretaker put the track lights out!
Q After spells as reserve in 66 and 67 you were a heat leader at Coatbridge in 1968 and 69. In the 1969
Scottish Open Reider Eide beat Ole Olsen in the run off for the title and you were third. With 12 points.
What are your recollections of this meeting?
BH
Unfortunately, not much and I don't even have a photograph of the top three! I always wanted to win the
Scottish Open and that was probably as close as I got.
Q It was widely believed at the time that you and Reider didn’t get on with each other. Was that true?
BH
Not really. Reider was very hard on the track and we had one or two ups & downs, especially when,
after one race (at Coatbridge I think), he said,......"Harkins, I will KEEL you!"
It did worry me a bit when he said that with such venom, but on the track there was no dirty riding.
Reider & I were also teammates at Wembley & Sheffield, so we saw quite a lot of one another over
the years and also rival captains in the Scotland v Norway tests. See Below........
Q In the Scotland v Norway meeting at Coatbridge in 1969 you scored five wins and a third
- any recollections of this meeting?
BH
I thought I only had 5 rides and scored a 15 point maximum, but again, I don't have the programme
so the memory may be playing tricks! I do remember beating Reider and he wasn't too pleased but
the best memory is of the first heat after the interval. In true showman style, Ian Hoskins had hired
a Pipe Band to lead the riders out for the presentations at the start of the meeting. They also came
out to march around the track playing at the Interval. Reider & I were out in that first heat after the
interval and, as we revved up and the tapes flew up, we realized that the Pipe Band was still marching
around the pits corner and we were racing towards them at a high rate of knots! It must be the funniest
thing I have seen on a Speedway track. A Pipe Band with kilts and sporrans flying and bagpipes & drums
all trying to get over the wooden fence to safety. Luckily we stopped in time and no-one was hurt,
but those poor Kilties had the fright of their lives!
Q What was it like to ride before an adoring crowd at Wembley in 1970 after the delights of Albion Rovers
stadium in Coatbridge?
BH
Wembley was fantastic. I had enjoyed my time with the Monarchs, but the magic of racing for the Wembley
Lions was really strong. Before my racing days, I had been a fan and had travelled down to Wembley for the
World Finals on the overnight bus from Glasgow to London, so to be a part of that great team was an honour.
The name of Wembley helped us to attract sponsors from outside of the sport. Famous watch companies such
as Jaeger Le Coultre, Skol Lager, and many more. I always thought that British Speedway should have tried to
buy Wembley and make use of that famous name to attract top sponsors but unfortunately, the "new" Lions
only lasted two seasons then we had to close down to make way for Football.
Q Do you agree that the 1960s was the best post war era as far as our sport is concerned?
BH
Every Era was different so it is difficult to compare them, but the formation of the Provincial league definitely
saved Speedway and gave us lots of new tracks and riders. Speedway is different now, but it is still a great
sport to watch.
Q What was to blame for the decline that followed and what are your opinions about what ought to be
done now to improve what’s on offer?
BH
That's a difficult one. Nowadays there is so much varied entertainment on offer that Speedway has a lot of
competition to draw in the spectators. I think that Sky have been good for Speedway, bringing it to the
attention of many "couch potatoes", but somehow, we haven't been able to attract a high profile sponsor
such as Coca Cola or Pepsi and many "fans" are content to watch the action on TV.
Ticket prices are high for a family, and we ARE a family sport, and I think that having only a League match
and no Second Half does not give the fans good value for money. Our British teams are packed with foreign
riders when really we should be trying to encourage British riders to make the grade.
Q How different was it when you returned to the Monarchs at Powderhall later in your career?
BH
I had intended staying in 1st Division until I retired but when I heard that the Monarchs were returning, the
nostalgia-juices began to flow and I agreed to return to my original club, making it the "Full Circle",
Edinburgh to Coatbridge, to Fife Lions to Wembley, to Sheffield, to Wimbledon, to Bakersfield,
California and back to Edinburgh. A Glaswegian riding for Edinburgh, but the fans from those two great cities
always made me welcome so that's why I returned to race in Scotland even although that, by that time,
I was living "Down South" in Hertfordshire, England..
Q You were a charismatic character on and off the track with a good sense of humour. Shane has these
qualities in abundance. How important is this for the supporters?
BH
I think that it is very important for the riders to mix with the supporters and do whatever they can to promote
our sport. I know that Shane, and Glasgow Speedway, do a lot of promotion and from my point of view,
I try to 'plug' Speedway whenever I get a chance! Also, to race Speedway, you need a sense of humour to
help overcome the bad times which every rider goes through, but I am please to say that I still have many friends
amongst the Tigers and Monarchs' supporters.
Q How did you get on with Charlie Monk and did he have any sense of humour?
BH
Charlie tended to keep himself to himself, but I have heard from other riders who knew him better than I did,
that he DID have a droll, Aussie sense of humour, it's just that I never saw it!
Q George Hunter was one of the most talented riders to emerge in the 1960s and he could have gone far
had he put his mind to it. Do you agree?
BH
Absolutely; George was one of the most skillful riders I have ever seen. He was a natural Speedway rider
who had lots of natural talent, so he found Speedway fairly easy whereby riders like myself had to work very
hard to learn the sport. The Peter Craven tragedy hit George hard and must have affected him greatly.
George was a lightning fast gater but also a great team man who could shepherd his less experienced partner
around for a 5-1. He was a great rider and a great friend and is sadly missed in Speedway.
Q You were a team member at a number of tracks. From a riders point of view which was the best.
BH
I liked Wembley because you had to use a bit more throttle control there, but I also liked Powderhall and
Armadale and most of the Glasgow tracks, White City with it's long straights like the M8, Blantyre with it's
tight corners and bumps and although I never raced there, I would have liked to have raced at Ashfield too
as it looks a nice shape.
Q Are too many rules and the manipulation of the rules spoiling the show?
BH
Yes, Speedway is a simple sport made difficult by the complexity of its ever-changing rules which must make
it difficult for non-Speedway fans to understand.
Q Would you do it all again and what were the highlights for you as you look back?
BH
YES! I would do it all again, it has been a great journey despite the injuries and disappointments along
the way. I would have liked to have made the World Final and would have loved to have been the first
Scot to win the World Championship! Lots of highlights. Winning my first wee trophy at Meadowbank,
winning the Victorian Championship on my first trip to Australia, captaining Wembley and of course,
captaining SCOTLAND! And many more highlights.
Q & A from Keir of Easytiger Bert Harkins No. 1 fan
Q You got your start at Old Meadowbank in 1964 and 65 when Hoskins put on two second half
events each week that allowed young riders to progress to the rider of the night final. Do you
agree that this system was better than what we have now where talented local lads don’t get
enough help and encouragement from promoters?
BH.
I think that Second Half races were VERY important. There used to be 4 heats and a Final for the team riders,
plus reserve race and Novice races so it was possible to progress through these races and qualify for the
Junior Final and maybe into the team. I also used to try to get a few laps in after the meeting before the
caretaker put the track lights out!
Q After spells as reserve in 66 and 67 you were a heat leader at Coatbridge in 1968 and 69. In the 1969
Scottish Open Reider Eide beat Ole Olsen in the run off for the title and you were third. With 12 points.
What are your recollections of this meeting?
BH
Unfortunately, not much and I don't even have a photograph of the top three! I always wanted to win the
Scottish Open and that was probably as close as I got.
Q It was widely believed at the time that you and Reider didn’t get on with each other. Was that true?
BH
Not really. Reider was very hard on the track and we had one or two ups & downs, especially when,
after one race (at Coatbridge I think), he said,......"Harkins, I will KEEL you!"
It did worry me a bit when he said that with such venom, but on the track there was no dirty riding.
Reider & I were also teammates at Wembley & Sheffield, so we saw quite a lot of one another over
the years and also rival captains in the Scotland v Norway tests. See Below........
Q In the Scotland v Norway meeting at Coatbridge in 1969 you scored five wins and a third
- any recollections of this meeting?
BH
I thought I only had 5 rides and scored a 15 point maximum, but again, I don't have the programme
so the memory may be playing tricks! I do remember beating Reider and he wasn't too pleased but
the best memory is of the first heat after the interval. In true showman style, Ian Hoskins had hired
a Pipe Band to lead the riders out for the presentations at the start of the meeting. They also came
out to march around the track playing at the Interval. Reider & I were out in that first heat after the
interval and, as we revved up and the tapes flew up, we realized that the Pipe Band was still marching
around the pits corner and we were racing towards them at a high rate of knots! It must be the funniest
thing I have seen on a Speedway track. A Pipe Band with kilts and sporrans flying and bagpipes & drums
all trying to get over the wooden fence to safety. Luckily we stopped in time and no-one was hurt,
but those poor Kilties had the fright of their lives!
Q What was it like to ride before an adoring crowd at Wembley in 1970 after the delights of Albion Rovers
stadium in Coatbridge?
BH
Wembley was fantastic. I had enjoyed my time with the Monarchs, but the magic of racing for the Wembley
Lions was really strong. Before my racing days, I had been a fan and had travelled down to Wembley for the
World Finals on the overnight bus from Glasgow to London, so to be a part of that great team was an honour.
The name of Wembley helped us to attract sponsors from outside of the sport. Famous watch companies such
as Jaeger Le Coultre, Skol Lager, and many more. I always thought that British Speedway should have tried to
buy Wembley and make use of that famous name to attract top sponsors but unfortunately, the "new" Lions
only lasted two seasons then we had to close down to make way for Football.
Q Do you agree that the 1960s was the best post war era as far as our sport is concerned?
BH
Every Era was different so it is difficult to compare them, but the formation of the Provincial league definitely
saved Speedway and gave us lots of new tracks and riders. Speedway is different now, but it is still a great
sport to watch.
Q What was to blame for the decline that followed and what are your opinions about what ought to be
done now to improve what’s on offer?
BH
That's a difficult one. Nowadays there is so much varied entertainment on offer that Speedway has a lot of
competition to draw in the spectators. I think that Sky have been good for Speedway, bringing it to the
attention of many "couch potatoes", but somehow, we haven't been able to attract a high profile sponsor
such as Coca Cola or Pepsi and many "fans" are content to watch the action on TV.
Ticket prices are high for a family, and we ARE a family sport, and I think that having only a League match
and no Second Half does not give the fans good value for money. Our British teams are packed with foreign
riders when really we should be trying to encourage British riders to make the grade.
Q How different was it when you returned to the Monarchs at Powderhall later in your career?
BH
I had intended staying in 1st Division until I retired but when I heard that the Monarchs were returning, the
nostalgia-juices began to flow and I agreed to return to my original club, making it the "Full Circle",
Edinburgh to Coatbridge, to Fife Lions to Wembley, to Sheffield, to Wimbledon, to Bakersfield,
California and back to Edinburgh. A Glaswegian riding for Edinburgh, but the fans from those two great cities
always made me welcome so that's why I returned to race in Scotland even although that, by that time,
I was living "Down South" in Hertfordshire, England..
Q You were a charismatic character on and off the track with a good sense of humour. Shane has these
qualities in abundance. How important is this for the supporters?
BH
I think that it is very important for the riders to mix with the supporters and do whatever they can to promote
our sport. I know that Shane, and Glasgow Speedway, do a lot of promotion and from my point of view,
I try to 'plug' Speedway whenever I get a chance! Also, to race Speedway, you need a sense of humour to
help overcome the bad times which every rider goes through, but I am please to say that I still have many friends
amongst the Tigers and Monarchs' supporters.
Q How did you get on with Charlie Monk and did he have any sense of humour?
BH
Charlie tended to keep himself to himself, but I have heard from other riders who knew him better than I did,
that he DID have a droll, Aussie sense of humour, it's just that I never saw it!
Q George Hunter was one of the most talented riders to emerge in the 1960s and he could have gone far
had he put his mind to it. Do you agree?
BH
Absolutely; George was one of the most skillful riders I have ever seen. He was a natural Speedway rider
who had lots of natural talent, so he found Speedway fairly easy whereby riders like myself had to work very
hard to learn the sport. The Peter Craven tragedy hit George hard and must have affected him greatly.
George was a lightning fast gater but also a great team man who could shepherd his less experienced partner
around for a 5-1. He was a great rider and a great friend and is sadly missed in Speedway.
Q You were a team member at a number of tracks. From a riders point of view which was the best.
BH
I liked Wembley because you had to use a bit more throttle control there, but I also liked Powderhall and
Armadale and most of the Glasgow tracks, White City with it's long straights like the M8, Blantyre with it's
tight corners and bumps and although I never raced there, I would have liked to have raced at Ashfield too
as it looks a nice shape.
Q Are too many rules and the manipulation of the rules spoiling the show?
BH
Yes, Speedway is a simple sport made difficult by the complexity of its ever-changing rules which must make
it difficult for non-Speedway fans to understand.
Q Would you do it all again and what were the highlights for you as you look back?
BH
YES! I would do it all again, it has been a great journey despite the injuries and disappointments along
the way. I would have liked to have made the World Final and would have loved to have been the first
Scot to win the World Championship! Lots of highlights. Winning my first wee trophy at Meadowbank,
winning the Victorian Championship on my first trip to Australia, captaining Wembley and of course,
captaining SCOTLAND! And many more highlights.