GALLERIES                                           

 Gallery p.1  1946 - '60       Gallery p.2  1970 - '99        Gallery p.3  2000 - '09        


S.African Speedway Riders Portraits from the 1970s to the '00s.

  To complement the collage of SA dirt track speedway rider of the immediate post-war period produced previously, presented below is a collage of riders from the near past, - 1970s to mid- '00s - , including all SA National champions during this period.


                                     Click for full screen, adjusting your Zoom to suit.


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NEW ADDITIONS

A young trio spanning the decades, - seen in their UK league colours:
- Peter Murray was a UK London born rider that travel to Rhodesia and S.Africa in the '70s and later promoted at Corobrik where he also ran training schools.
- Deon Prinsloo was the Rhodesian born son of Chris Prinsloo and nephew of Peter. He rode in the UK for Wimbledon and Long Eaton in the years between 1990 and '94 and was still riding at Walkerville, SA, when in Feb.2011 he lost his life in an RTA, aged 38.
- Bevan Compton was born in
Roodeport, SA, and spent the 2001 season at Berwick, UK, gaining a healthy 5.27pt average.

   Peter Murray (Wimbledon 1973),            Deon Prinsloo (Wimbledon 1991),      Bevan Compton (Berwick 2001)

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1970s
1975  - World Champions Troupe tour of Southern Africa.
    A Briggs- & Mauger-led troupe of past, present and future World speedway champions toured South Africa and Rhodesia in November 1975. Meetings were staged at Jo'burg (Nov.7th & 28th), Durban (8th & 29th) Cape Town (21st), Salisbury (14th), and Bulawayo (15th.)




 

 
  



       Egon Muller GY,   John Louis GB, Barry Briggs NZ, Ivan Mauger NZ,        Ole Olsen DK,  Scott Autrey US.
Wld Champ:1983(+LgTk:'74,'75,'78); 3rd 1985 (GB '75); 1957, '58, '64, '66;    1968, '69, '70, '72, '77, '78;.     1971, '75, '78;            3rd 1978.



Sidecar speedway action from Dunswart, 1968-'72 (#1-3, plus #4 at Wembley)


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  US Champ Rick Woods, Johannesburg, 1972
  After the hiatus of the '60s South Africa was anxious to re-build speedway racing but in 1972 even Buddy Fuller struggled to tempt a British squad to tour. His solution, - invite the Yanks !

   A 4-man team comprising current US champ Rick Woods, Scott Autry, Mike Carusso and Sumner McKnight raced the new Republic in a Test Series at Wembley (Johannesburg), Dunswart (Benoni), and Hoy Park (Durban) after Fuller had ripped up the tarmac.
   After their decade in the wilderness the local riders had to concede the Series to the visitors but the sport had been awakened, and the Yanks success in turn convinced them to spend their next summer in UK domestic racing.
Full RSA v. USA results HERE

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Wembley press promotions, 1972 and '77:
    
    Champion Spark Plug's Golden Helmet, 1972;           Wembley Golden Helmet, 1977. (Winner, James Bruins)
               ( Winner Rick Woods, USA )                                Speedway, Motocross, Flat Track.  Admission R1.50

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Action from the 1973 South African Championship at Hoy Park, Durban,
( - strictly, the SA 'Open Championship' this year, after the AA refused to recognize the SA Championship.)
Dennis Newton leads Jimmy Gallacher on lap 2 of the Final. Dennis went on to win this race,
his 6th and last National Championship success, a feat not bettered by anyone before or since.

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Two Africans in the U.K.       Etienne Olivier, 1973                        Mike Ferreira, 1974, 1978-'85

    Etienne Olivier traveled to Scotland in 1973, making one pointless appearance for Division 1 team Coatbridge in August before securing a Br.Lge. Div.II. place with border-town Berwick in September of that year. In 8 league matches he averaged 4.15, capping off the season with his best performance of the year with two 7-point scores in the Bandits' October curtain-closer double header. He chose not to return to UK the following year.
    Rhodesian Mike Ferreira however did fly to Scotland in 1974, where Coatbridge had elected to move down a division. Ferreira was given a reserve slot from the off but pulling up no trees, lost his place after a month. He returned home at the end of the season to race at Bulawayo and Salisbury, returning to the UK only in 1978 after solo speedway had ended at home. This time, in the South of England at Canterbury and Swindon, he showed steady improvement, winning the Div'n II Riders Championship in '81, and ending his European career with the legendary Wimbledon Dons.  His many championship successes in Rhodesia and South Africa are logged on THIS page, (incl'g Spplt.1: 'MRCs and Rhodesian Track Championships'.).
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Rainbow Speedway,  c.1975
After Wembley closed the Rainbow site was constructed for dirt track speedway in 1975. This slideshow uses photos just released by Bernd Kroemer that he originally held back for quality reasons but released now for the historical significance. 


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Daggafontein, Springs 1975

           Wayne Coughlan leads Vic  Pretorius at Daggafontein in 1975.

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      Wembley, 28.10.1977                                                               Rainbow, c.1977

   L > R; Arthur Bruins, Boet Strydom, Graham Long                                Graham Long & James Bruins



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Bruins Brothers, c.1977

LT: James Bruins & Graham Long  (plus Golden Helmet.)    RT, + below Lt. in action: Arthur Bruins.

 
  
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Oudtshoorn,
Western Cape, 1978

   A unique item, - this is the programme from the one-and-only speedway meeting, i.e. solo motorcycle dirt oval racing, held at Oudtshoorn in the Western Cape.
   The meeting of 25th Nov. 1978 was run by Buddy Fuller in conjunction with the local club and staged in 2 parts, - 2-wheeled speedway in the afternoon and 4-wheel Stocks and Modifieds in the evening.
    In a programme of
 over 20 solo races Peter Prinsloo established a 1-lap track record of 18.3 secs. for the 400m. circuit: he also took the main event, an international 3-lap match race competition run over 4 heats, 2 semis and a final by defeating Brit Pete Smith for the Golden Helmet Award, but had to concede the Oudtshoorn Motor Club Trophy, (over two 4-man, 4-lap heats and a final,) to fellow Rhodesian Mike Ferreira. Other riders competing included future SA champs Denzil Kent and Steve Wilcock.
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 1978 Southern African Championship,  Pre-meeting Line-Up with sponsors jackets.
  (Taken at Ponte, Hillbrow-Jbg;  Race venue, Rainbow Speedway.)
Rear:  Alex Hughson (prom'tn), Boet Strydom, Danie Fourie, Ronnie Ferguson (prom'tn), Graham Long, Chris Davies, James Bruins, Tommy Fox;
Frt:   Peter Prinsloo, Nigel Close, Bert Harkins (winner), Bennie Rourke.


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More Corobrik snaps, (from John Robertson's collection.)
Riders featured include:-  Eddie Cox, Alan Simpson, Kevin Tebbut, Patrick Griffiths, Ivan Michelle, Denzil Kent, Richard Smuts Steyn,  Nick Floyd, Mike Smith, Chris Smith, Wayne Coughlan & John Robertson, (detail with each.)

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Dennis Brunton
during the Golden Helmet meeting at Ladysmith in 1978

                                                                           (which was won by Wayne Coughlan.)


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Dunswart Devils/Bees, 1979 > 1984.

    The 2 photo below are of Dunswart teams, taken between the late '70s and early '80s.
Two teams emerged in the Republic near the end of the 'seventies, – Tarlton Tomahawks and Dunswart Devils – , representing the two existing Transvaal tracks. They were formed to provide team racing for the public to supplement the repetition of individual meetings, but seems to have been only moderately successful as the fans tired of matches between the same two teams. The first photograph, showing the Devils team of around 1979, captained by Arthur Bruins, is thought to probably have been taken at Tarlton, it being a large 400m-plus track.
    When racing began to tail off at Tarlton, and Pretoria opened, these derby matches were replaced by Pretoria v. Dunswart matches. Pretoria adopted their old nickname, the Eagles whilst Dunswart dropped the Devils moniker and became the Dunswart Stars.
    By 1983 the Honeylube Oil company had been secured as sponsors, conditional on a name change. Dunswart Honeybees, more familiarly known as The Bees, can be seen in the second picture, captained by the remaining former Devil, Noddy Naude
.

1980s

1980 SouthERN African Championship at Dunswart,
Gary Prommel (2nd), Alan Simpson, (Winner), Vic Pretorius (3rd.)

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       Action from the early '80s , . .  
-  Kent, Jessup, Miller, etc.     
            incl'g, as below, Colin Ackroyd and Alan Simpson in 1981.                            - Click below for Slideshow.


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Collage of photos from the '80s, received
from Markus van den Berg,
   -  with Denzil Kent @ Corobrik, (top Ctr,) with Noddy Naude @ Mahem, (top Rt,) (others as #26 at Corobrik.)
       Action from Dunswart,(ctr. Lt), Ottawa (ctr. Rt.)  Also incl'd,
stalwart Peter Water, bt.Rt,
   
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1981, - S..Africa v. Overseas, Milner Park Johannesburg, 24.1.81.

 Indoor shale track 3-day meeting, the Test on final day being first of four Series, won 3-1 by the visitors.  
Front: Wayne Coughlan, Alan Simpson, Denzil Kent, Mike Ferreira (cptn.);
Rear:  Arthur Bruins, James Bruins, Derek Harrison,
Gary Prommel.

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1982: Action from the same period, one year later. 19.1.1982, SA v USA at Milner Park.
Denzil Kent chasing Tom Dickerson, while Rob Borg and Noddy Naude get into trouble.

 


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The legendary Buddy Fuller gives Denzil Kent some advise, at Kings Park, Durban, c. 1983


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Video of the 1983 first Test Match,  South Afica v. Overseas at Milner Park, Jo'burg, 17.2.83. 
- Prinsloo, Prommel, Simpson, Harrison, Kent, Naude, Cothill    versus    the visitors.



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below: -  a rare shot of the Xanadu training track, 1980's  - John Robertson in action.


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Denzil Kent, 1983  - riding for S.Africa against Overseas at King's Park, Durban
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          Grant Foley                                                               John Robertson @ Corobrik 1986 
      
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                   Alan Simpson leads John Robertson, Corobrik 1986
 

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Denzil Kent Interview.

4-page article on Denzil Kent in July 2011 by Tony McDonald of Backtrack magazine; the ex-Canterbury Crusader talks of the highs and lows of his career in the UK in the 1980s, his present-day activities in Edenvale, and his hopes for the future. (See also DVD clip of interview on Gallery p5.)


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1986 SA Pairs Champions, Wayne Coughlan and Eddie Cox, seen after winning the event at Corobrik.
Eddie went to the UK in '88 where he had rides with Long Eaton's junior league team.
Below, Eddie in action on home soil.




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1988 was Speedway's 60th Anniversary year.
This photograph depicts the gathering of speedway riders at the Corobrik track in that year.
    Stdg, L>R: Bob Serrurier, Fred Wills, Burt X, ?, 5th Boet Strydom, Fred Lang, Doug Lang, Neil Mortimer;
   On bikes:  Toby Boshoff, Doug Serrurier, Roy Bester, Graham Long, Henry Long, Buddy Fuller;
     Knlg :       Danie Fourie,  Des Haswell,  Doug Maddern.

1990s

Action at Corobrik, Germiston,  c.1990
    Dean Foley, Ivan Michelle, Ian Hemmings, Chris Smith, Richard Smuts Steyn .
   - the Starting Marshall is Danie Fourie, and the fella on the centre in red & white is Boet Strydom.


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A cluster of shots from Noddy Naude, circa 1990.

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1991 Inter-Province Sidecar Speedway Challenge Match

                    
  -
Transvaal v. Orange Free State v. Natal

1991 Inter-Province Challenge Match  - Transvaal 45, Orange Free State 26, Natal 24

Transvaal 45:
C Aitken/Batchelor 14, M Aitken/du Duallier 9, Coetzee/du Toit 9, Allsopp/Cowdy 7, Kotze/Springorum 6.
Orange Free State 26:
Naas Louw/Frikkie de Bruin 10, George Oelofse/Willem Burger 9, Willie Hawkey/Des Bekker 3, Chris de Beer/nk 2, Brian Flowerday/Hans Zahlauer 2
Natal 24:
Fred Slabbert/Grant Rust 12, Andy Cox/Michael McDaniel 7, Leon Vermaak/nk 4, Colin Bezuidenhout/Terrence McDaniel 1, Roy Slabbert/Colin Atkinson 0.
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Corobrik 1991 & '92,
Collection of shots of Warren Meier, SA Champ of 1991 & '92,  and contemporaries.
    
  

     

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Two shots from the early '90s courtesy of Jason MacFayden,
who is seen in action @ Corobrik and @ the Akasia long track north of Pretoria


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Sturrock Park, 1991.
Former rider John Robertson (on the back row,) has emailed to give us the following names of most of the line-up in the shot below
Can you help identify any one else ?
Rear: Gary Prommel, Richard Duke, Ashley Meade,  ? , Noddy Naude,  Eric Allen, Kevin Ritchter (or Ian R.), John Robertson, Sean Swart (tbc).     Front:  Daryll Baldwin, Jolene Naude,  ?  , ?  .

Below, another shot of dirt track boys from the early 1990's. Can you help with the locatiom, year, and the 3 missing names ? 
Rear, L>Rt; Alan Simpson, Grant Foley, Denzil Kent, Ian Richter, Warren Meier,
Deon Prinsloo, Ivan v.Niekerk,  ?  ;  Front, L.Rt;  Darryl Baldwin, Noddy Naude,  ?  , Gary Prommel. 

   2nd shot  . . 
  G. Prommel,A. Simpson, I. Richter, W.Meier, D.Prinsloo, D/Kent,  F  RT: N.Naude & G.Foley.


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 1992 Tour of Hungary
  The 2 picture below are from the 3rd Test between Hungary and South Africa at
Nyiregyhaza.
1) Team line-up, Standing L to R:
Ian Richter; Jerry Martin; Eric Allen; Noddy Naude; Karl Lechky; Grant Foley; Ivan van Niekerk,
Kneeling L to R: Richard Duke; Warren Meier (with flag); Des Jones.
2). SA pits at the same 3rd Test.,Grant Foley in the pink shorts.
   Results of the 3 matches, at Miskolc, Debrecen and
Nyiregyhaza, can be found on the Test Matches p2 webpage.


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 "The Laurels"  Corobrik  1993. 
Below is seen the podium presentation of the 1993 South African "Laurels" event:
  -   3rd, Gary Havelock, UK;   Winner, Robert Nagy, HG;   2nd, Deon Prinsloo, RSA,   (plus sponsor.)

The SA version of "The Laurels" was first held in the capital Pretoria in the mid fifties, but disappeared from the programme following the SCB/SRA dispute and the Republic's isolation of the 'sixties. It was resurrected in 1992 but this '93 event, won by Glasgow's Robert Nagy, is believed to have been the last staged.
RESULTS:    1956  Pretoria  -  Olle Nygren, SW;          1957 Pretoria   -  Barry Briggs, NZ;
                        1992 Corobrik   -  John Wainwright, GB;  1993 Corobrik  -  Robert Nagy, HG.  (Full reports & scores)

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Ostrow, Poland  1994.

           stdg:   Darryl Baldwin,  Karl Lechky,  Bevan Compton,  Noddy Naude ;

              frt: (guest S.Buskiewicz,) Laszlo Stefani, Attila Stefani, Ivan van Niekerk, Karl Lechky Snr, manager.

     In 1994 South Africa sent a team to Poland to partake in a series of club matches.  The team can be seen above lined up for the match at Ostrow.  The squad was to have been led by national champion Deon Prinsloo but his UK club, Peterborough Panthers would not release him from his commitment to their league programme and so Noddy Naude was Captain and  local guest were used to make up the number.
    The Johannesburg Speedway Club, as they were called for the tour, (i.e a club tour, not an inter-national series,) found success on the track hard to come by, as the scores below testify, for the standard of the Poles turned out to be higher than had led to be believed, and when Naude was injured in the second meeting and was foced to miss the next 2 matches there was no chance of improvement. Guest riders aside, the Stefani brothers, Golden Helmet opponents that season, bagged the most points, followed by Karl Lechky Jnr. Lechky went on to take the S.African Championship a few years later.

DATE  OPPONENT
July 9  Motor Lublin
 10th   Ostrow
 13th  Czestochowa
 14th  RKM Rybnik
 16thSwietochlowice
 17th  Polonia Pila
SCORE
57-21
67-23
57-33
66-24
67-21
54-36


LS,   AS,   NN,   KL,   DB,   BC,   IvN
   Guests
  5    3     3     1     1      0     0     J.Petrikovics 8
  3    8     1     4     1      0     1    
K.Buskiewicz 5
  6    6     -      8     0      0     0    
Leitner 9, Stadler 4
  4    7     -      3     1      1     2     Leitner 5, Stadler 1
  5    4     0     2     0      0     0    
Seb.Ulamek 10
  4    3     2      4     0       2     -     Kuczwalski12,  Kharchenko 9
27  31     6    22    3      3     3      -








                                  LS = Laszlo Stefani,   AS = Attila Stefani,  NN = Noddy Naude,    KL = Karl Lechky,
                                  DB = Darryl Baldwin,  BC = B.Compton,    IvK = Ivan van Niekerk
.

               Lublin,                         Ostrow,                       Czechakowa,                  Rybnik,               Swietochlowice


  Below, 4 shots taken at Ostrow, Poland  during the 1994 tour of Polish Div'n 2 clubs.


The 1996 South African team that raced against Poland in the return 4-match Test series of Nov. '96,  -
   Lt. > Rt.: Deon Swart, Karl Lechky Sr. (manager), Grant Bayne, Deon Prinsloo, Warren Meier,(captain),
               Darryl Baldwin, Karl Lechky, Bevan Compton.


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1996 South African Speedway League.

This T-shirt, right, clearly identifies the composition, - teams and riders - , of a 4TT league set up in 1996, which seems to have been the forerunner of the similarly- structured 'National Speedway Association League' operating between 1997 and '99, ( see articleSpeedway League Racing in South Africa, Pt. 2: 1977 – 2003”, on the Speedway History page.)
It details the 4 teams as:
- Red Eagles (of Ndube, - Dundee Dirt Oval, Natal),
- LK Tuning (Brakpan, Gauteng),
- Nelspruit Aces
(Mpumalanga),
- HBC (Hisbay Co, Klerksdorp, North-West.)
   As in the NSAL of the subsequent years, the 4-man teams were made up of local and visiting riders, and in '96 comprised 2 South African and 2 European visitors in each side: -

- Red Eagles: Bevan Compton, Franz Leitner(AS), Tomas Stadler(AS), Deon Swart; Jnr: Clint Slowgrove.
- LK Tuning: Karl Lechky, Gabor Roth (HG), Laslo Bodi (HG), Warren Meier; Jnr: Anton Plancko.
- Nelspruit Aces: Deon Prinsloo, Tomasz Fajfer (PL), Gienek Tudziez (PL), Darrly Baldwin; Jnr: Alfred Slowgrove.
- Hisbay Co: Grant Baynes, Sebastian Ulamek (PL), Rafal Osumek (PL), Andrew Szilagyi; Jnr: Ashton v.Niekerk.
        No results of matches or of final league positions are known:
        any information would be appreciated, (via Website Admin on Contacts page.)

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 Sturrock Park riders of the '90s,   plus more,

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 Karl Lechky @ Bradford UK, 1997.
Karoly 'Karl' Lechky was S.African Champion in 1997 and as such qualified for the Overseas Final of the World Championship held that year at the Odsal Stadium, Bradford. He had been riding for a Polish Div'n 2 team that European summer. The following year he again rode in the Overseas Final, held at Poole, UK. This article accompanied the photo from the Speedway Star of 28.6.97.


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   The picture below was taken at Brakpan circa 1997 and shows the lads that were racing there at that time.  If you can help with the names missing from the line up please do so via the Contact box on the last webpage.
Rear:    ? , Deon Swart, Bobby Devine,   ? ,  ?(Eugene Smith? tbc) .
Knlg:   Darryl Baldwin, Deon Prinsloo, Bevan Compton,  ? ( perhaps Grant Baynes ?), Karl Lechky,  ?


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