Legends line up at Goshen (From Bury Times)

Legends line up at Goshen

4:22pm Wednesday 8th July 2009

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CYCLE SPEEDWAY: The description “legend” is all too easily mis-used but the line up of riders at the Goshen Sports Centre on Saturday for the cycle speedway British Grand Veterans 50 plus and Super Veterans 60 plus, includes many with genuine claims to lay claim to that title.

The list represents almost the history of this exciting form of cycle sport.

Most notable among the entrants is Colin Wheeler of Southampton, whose achievements would measure up against any sportsman.

Prominent in cycle speedway since the early 1970s, Wheeler was British Open champion in 1977 and 1979, won a variety of veterans’ titles and was an established England international.

Another of Saturday’s contestants, Norfolk-based Mike Parkin, won the World Individual Championship in 1962 and is still picking up trophies.

Edinburgh-based Irish international, John Murphy, who broke his ankle in a fall at the Goshen track in 2002, was a world finalist in 1962 and has a long list of rostrum places and trophies to his name will again feature.

The field contains many others with outstanding achievements, such as four-time British title winner, Dennis Hubble, and twice winner Ian Lawrence.

Bury have two contestants, each with their own notable pedigrees.

Fred Rothwell rode all over the world without achieving his ambition to become a British champion but that changed in 2004 when he became British Grand Veteran champion at the age of 54. The following two years he also won the season long, Euro Grand Vets Grand Prix title.

Originally from Halifax, Rothwell now lives in Sowerby Bridge and has been a member of the Bury club for 19 years. He was named Bury Sports Council Veteran Sportsman of the Year in 2006.

Starting with Blackley in 1965, international rider John Whiting has been a multi British finalist and a member of Blackley’s four-time British championship winning team between 1970 and 1980. Now Chorley-based, Whiting joined Bury in 1992 and became the first winner of the London Old Masters title in 1994 and last year, his first as a 60-year-old. He came third in the British Super Vets and won the Euro Super Vets Grand Prix title.

The Bury club, which is 34 years old, has a reputation second to none for staging major events, and this will be their seventh in the last 10 years. Formed as Chesham Comets at the end of 1974 at Clarence Park, the club moved to Goshen 15 years ago and after a settling in period, produced what is now acknowledged as one of the country’s best tracks. Having staged the World Individual final in 2003 their greatest day was in 2006 when they commissioned Sky Sports TV to cover their second staging of the British Open final at a cost of £4,500 — no mean feat for a club in such a minority sport.

The club suffered a major setback two years ago with the devastating fire at Goshen but the recovery is well under way and Saturday represents another landmark day in the history of Bury cycle speedway.

From 1pm riders will be battling through the qualifying series to earn places among the top 16 to contest the grand final comprising a further five rides each over 20 heats, starting at 3pm. Admission is free.

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