Post by PLUSTAR on Jun 5, 2010 17:41:23 GMT 1
« on: October 4, 2009, 05:27:12 PM »
Question 1: What was your first speedway club?
HM: I was promised a contract with the Tigers by Neil Macfarlane in 1972 at Murrayfield Ice Rink (Edinburgh) when I rode for Kirkcaldy Ice Speedway team, but it never transpired so my first speedway club was Motherwell Eagles in 1972.
Question 2: Who was the best team-mate you ever raced with?
HM: I have always enjoyed the Glasgow banter even though I come from the Edinburgh area so it would have to be Colin Caffrey.
Question 3: How many clubs did you race with?
HM: A lot! in order....
1972 Kircaldy Ice Speedway team,
1972 Motherwell Eagles,
1972 Barrow,
1974 Coventry Bees,
1974 Long Eaton,
1975 Stoke,
1975 Glasgow Tigers (Coatbridge).
1975 Middlesborough,
1976 Oxford,
1977 back to Midlesborough,
1978-79 Milton Keynes,
1980-81 Edinburgh ,
1981 Glasgow (Blantyre),
1982-1983 Glasgow (Craighead Park)
Question 4: Did you ever get any international caps?
HM: Yes, I can't remember how many. When I rode there were lots of Scottish riders around so International matches were quite common. I think I rode in a couple of Junior internationals and maybe about six other internationals.
Question 5: Did you live in Oxford when you raced for them or did you travel from Edinburgh?
HM: I moved to Coventry in November 1973 because there was limited opportunties for me in Scotland. I stayed there until I returned to Edinburgh in December of 1979.
Question 6: Any bad injuries in your career?
HM: Numerous! Starting from the top. Broken jaw, nose, cheekbone, shoulder blade, arm, thumb, ribs, sternum, foot and toes. I have a eight inch plate in my left arm and screws in my right foot.
Question 7: Who was the best promoter you raced under?
HM: I liked riding for Ron wilson who promoted at Middlesborough and then I moved with him when he opened Milton Keynes in 1978.
Question 8: At Oxford, were yourself and your brother Alan ever paired together?
HM: Although we both rode for Oxford it was at different times. We also both rode for Stoke at different times. We very rarely raced against each other.
Question 9: What are you doing with yourself these days?
HM: I worked as an accountant all the years I rode speedway although never qualified. When I came back to Scotland I was working as a company accountant and shareholder of an engineering company. It was eventually sold and I started up a window cleaning business. I still run this today.
I enjoy playing golf and play off a handicap of eight. I finished second last month in the Speedway Rider Cup held at West Mildland Golf Club Birningham (owned by former speedway rider John Harrhy). I have won the cup four times. I also am an advanced scuba diver and dive quite regulary. I own all my own equipment including an air compressor to fill my bottles. I also have a boat which I keep on the west coast of Scotland. I got married in 1973 to Brenda who comes from Chryston/Muirhead and had a daughter in 1980 and a son in 1983. Neither of whom I'm afraid took an interest in speedway. I'm still happily married after 36 years and live in a village in East Lothian called Gullane.
Question 10: If asked, would you take up speedway at the cost now?
HM: Probably not. When I first went to speedway in 1966 at Edinburgh (Meadowbank) the crowds were about six to seven thousand and it looked an attractive sport to earn money and make a living from. In fact in most of the teams that I rode for the majority of the riders did not earn any money apart from speedway racing. I enjoyed riding speedway and would do it again although in hindsight would obviously do it differently.
Question 11: What was the worst track you raced on?
HM: I tried not to have any hang ups about tracks, I certainly didn't like square tracks around football parks like Craighead Park, where you had to ride them like a diamond. But I had decent results on them. After wracking my brain I think it maybe was Ashington which only run one meeting in 1972 an Open meeting won by Phil Crump. The shale had not set and it was very deep and was around a football pitch. I rode terrible. Phil Crump was magnificent just blasting around the outside throttle wide open. I wasn't too keen on Crewe either, The track was the fastest in the UK and when you got behind you were blasted by the shale. After the meeting your thighs would be black and blue.
Question 12: Name best 7 riders you raced with?
HM: I have raced against all the greats of speedway i.e. Briggs, Mauger ect. but have included the riders I most regulary raced with in the same team.
Steve Lawson, George Hunter, Jim Mcmillan, Bob Humphreys, Andy Grahame, Derek Harrison and Kenny McKinna. Not in any particular order.
Question 13: Have you been to a British grand prix at Cardiff?
HM: No but I intend to go sometime maybe next year.
Question 14: What were the best years of your racing career?
HM: My best year was probably 1975 until I broke my foot in September. In May 1976 I broke my left arm, wrist and thumb and didn't ride again till the following year. After that I never had consistent form rather having purple patches where I would have good form for a few weeks. Colin Caffrey loaned me his engine after he broke his arm at the tailend of the season 1982 and I think I had scores of 17,16,16. You will have to ask him he remembers better than me. I also started the season well when I first went to Edinburgh in 1980. It all went wrong when I blew up my engine at Peterborough.
Question 15: What was the cost off your first speedway bike?
HM: £50
Question 16: Do you attend many speedway meetings these days?
HM: No. Glasgow mainly, when the annual meeting of ex riders get together, and I visit Newcastle two or three times a year as my Father in Law Graeme Bowie lives there now and I go with him when I'm visiting, during the speedway season.
Question 17: What was the worst ever away track you visited?
HM: I loved rough and bumpy tracks it made everybody slow down to my speed!
Question 18: Would you like to see us Scots back in Speedway World Cup?
HM: I would like to see more Scottish riders. As I said in an earlier question when I rode there was enough Scottish riders to have internationals and win them. I cannot see that happening in the forseeable future if they continue to have so many foreigners. When I rode for Glasgow in 1980/81 the majority of the riders were Scottish.
Question 19: Tigers v Monarchs derby matches ... Did you enjoy them?
HM: Having rode for both teams against each other I always enjoyed the friendly rivalry.
Question 20: Who was the best team manager you raced under?
HM: Probably Tony Copeland at Middlesborough. When I raced I concentrated on myself rather than team tactics it certainly wasn't unsual for riders not to know the score of the match. Either you knew you won or lost. Remember your'e not marking a programme.
Question 21: Best team you rode for?
HM: Glasgow. They were the most friendly riders I had come across. When the results were close they would offer their bikes to me to use as they were always faster than my own!!
Thanks to Harry for taking part! Some great reading there