Vic Harding Memorial Meeting 2005

I have a very limited supply of the Vic Harding Memorial Trophy programmes from Rye House. They are £1.00 each, including p/p and are available from me at:-
37 Moreton Close
Upper Clapton
London
E5 9EP
Cheques payable to Hackney reunion please.



Vic Harding Memorial Rye House 23rd July 05

1. David Howe 2 2 1 3 3 = 11
2. Steve Masters 1 3 2 3 3 = 12
3. Tommy Allen 2 3 3 2 2 = 12
4. Brent Werner 1 1 3 3 0 = 8
5. Stuart Robson 3 1 2 1 2 = 9
6. Matt Tresarrieu 2 0 1 1 1 = 5
7. Olly Allen 0 2 0 2 2 = 6
8. Steve Boxall 1 0 2 0 1 = 4
9. Edward Kennett 3 3 3 2 2 = 13
10. Sam Simotta 0 1 1 1 0 0 = 3
11. Luke Bowen 0 0 0 0 0 = 0
12. Chris Neath 3 ex 2 3 0 = 8
RES1: Barry Burchatt DNR
RES2: Harland Cook DNR

Heat 1. Neath, Howe, Masters, Bowen (56.8)
Heat 2. Robson, Tresarrieu, Boxall, O.Allen (57)
Heat 3. Kennett, T.Allen, Werner, Simota (56.8)
Heat 4. Kennett, Howe, Robson, Boxall (56.7)
Heat 5. Masters, O.Allen, Werner, Tresarrieu (58.3)
Heat 6. T.Allen, Boxall, Simota, Bowen (57.3)
Heat 7. Werner, Robson, Howe, Neath (ex) (57.9)
Heat 8. Kennett, Masters Tresarrieu, Bowen (56.7)
Heat 9. T.Allen, Neath, Simota, O.Allen (58)
Heat 10. Werner, Kennett, Simota, Bowen (57.7)
Heat 11. Masters, T.Allen, Robson, Boxall (58.1)
Heat 12. Howe, O.Allen, Tresarrieu, Simota (58.7)
Heat 13. Neath, Kennett, Boxall, Werner (58.7)
Heat 14. Masters, Robson, Bowen Simota (fell) (58.7)
Heat 15. Howe, T.Allen, Tresarrieu, Neath (fell) (58.9)
Hackney Hawks Match Race Result: Finn Thomsen, Begnt Jansson,. Keith White, Malcolm Brown (64 secs)
Semi one: Kennett, T.Allen, Robson, Werner (57.8)
Semi two: Neath, Howe, O.Allen, Masters (58.1)
Final: T.Allen, Neath, Kennett, Howe

1st. Tommy Allen
2nd. Chris Neath
3rd. Edward Kennett
4th. David Howe
Comments
Heat 1. From the gate.
Heat 2. From the gate.
Heat 3. Kennett passed T.Allen on the 3rd lap
Heat 7. Neath pulled a locker and ended up in the centre green. Howe did really well to lay down.
Neath Excluded.
Heat 8. Tresarrieu excluded tapes, now on 15 meters. Tresarrieu got Bowen on the line
Heat 9. Good race between Tommy, Chris and Sam
Heat 10. Kennett all over Werner, but Werner rode a good race.
Heat 12. Howe passed Allen on last lap. Simota tried to pass Howe on 3rd lap and nearly came down as
Howe locked.
Heat 13. Werner excluded the tapes. Off 15 meters
Heat 15. Neath fell on 1st lap while 2nd. Allen passed Tresarrieu on 3rd lap.





Some days before the event a few of the Rye House fans where unsure if to attend this meeting. OK the racing was average for an individual meeting, but the atmosphere at Rye House on Saturday was fantastic. Presentation is always very important, and Len as always put on a very professional show as always at Rye. There where so many Hackney faces there at Rye on Saturday who no longer are speedway orientated. But this meeting may get them to return to Rye House as they where all very impressed with the work that has been done at the stadium over the years, and where very impressed with the track. Who noticed the big Hackney flag in the middle of the first and second bends, how good did that look! And like the night before only this time an hour earlier, the Magnificent Seven sounded fantastic over the PA system. Len walked out onto the centre green to the starting gate and waited for a few seconds at the gate until the music got to the exact part as it did at Hackney, until he said “well”. Len allowed the ex Hackney boys during the interval to have a very well deserved lap of honour on the parade truck. This was driven by Zenon, what a shame he did not have a spin round on a bike. The parade was a sight that will live in my memory for a very long time indeed.
Of course the highlight of the night was the ‘old timers’ race, although Finn looks the same as he did twenty years ago! To see Hackney body colours on the track was fantastic, ridden by the stars of The Wick. Malcolm Brown, Keith White and Bengt Jansson all looked good, but Finn was quite simply awesome! To do a time of 64 seconds after a twenty-year lay-off only six seconds slower than the main meeting heat winners is even more remarkable. He did though have a few laps practice on the Saturday morning to be fair, but only a few, even so a remarkable achievement. Well done to all the boys who rode.
That brings me to Thommo. He was due to ride, and was keen to do so. However on Friday he had problems with his roof, or rather lack of one. He travelled up from the his Wales home on the Friday for the reunion leaving his roof bare. Stripped to the rafters. On his way up he heard the weather reports of rain, rain and more rain for the Welsh countryside. He had put no covering over the roof. Thommo almost turned back, but decided the reunion probably being a one off, would be very difficult to miss. He kept in contact with the Welsh valleys during Friday evening and the forecast for late Saturday was not good, so very reluctantly returned home on Saturday morning. And for once the forecasters got it right and we fully understood Barry problem. He sends his apologies and hopes you understand, which of course we all do.
The final of the Vic Harding Memorial Trophy saw underdog Tommy Allen lift the very prestigious trophy, presented to him by the Harding Family. Tommy was well chuffed on winning the final, and quite rightly so. He joins a unique band of riders to win the trophy, including Bo Petersen, Finn Thomsen, Steve Schofield, Martin Yeates, Leigh Adams and Dave Jessup.
Edna [Vic’s mum] and Beverley [Vic’s sister] speak on behalf of the whole family who where at Rye House on Saturday. They would like to say a big thank-you for making them feel most welcome, and they enjoyed there evening very much indeed, even though they got lost in Hoddesdon and just made it for the first race!
Other Hackney faces seen at Rye on Saturday included Don, Jenny and Graham Barker, Jeanette ‘the punk rocker girl’ Barbara Thomas, Jacqueline White, Vi Langstone and her daughter Del, Barney Kennett, Jean Blanch plus here mum and Dad, Kathy Pope, Brian Longman, Tony Hurren, Ian Cook plus all the usual regular Rye House ex Hackney brigade. No doubt I’ve missed some out, contact me and I’ll add you in.
Yes, all in all, a fantastic weekend, such a shame it went so quick!

Sunday July 10th
Len announces Reading's Zdenek [Simon] Simota along with Steve Masters and Coventry's Billy Janniro as the latest riders to agree to ride in the meeting. Len said last tonight
"there would be something rather special that I'm keeping up my sleeve until the night of the meeting"
I assume he has an rider he's not telling us about!
Rye House are proud to be presenting this year's Vic Harding Memorial Meeting on 23rd July 2005, with a 7pm Start.
Well it’s now under a month away when we call pay homage to one of Hackney’s Hero’s, Vic Harding. The memorial meeting will take the form of a twelve rider; twelve heats then two semi-finals then the final for the much-coveted Vic Harding Memorial Trophy. Previous winners include Bo Petersen, Finn Thomsen, Martin Yeates, Dave Jessup, Steve Schofield and Leigh Adams. More recently the meeting’s have been held at Conference League level .In 2003 at Sittingbourne James Theobald took the honours and last year at Weymouth it was Jack Gledhill who was victorious.
Thanks must go to Graham Arnold [Sittingbourne] and Brian White [Weymouth] to whom we are indebted for allowing us to run these meeting’s at there tracks over the last couple of years. We now feel the Vic Harding Memorial Trophy has “come home”. Although not at Waterden Road but Rye House, run of course by former Hackney promoter Len Silver.
Len is putting together a very competitive Premier League field together for the memorial meeting. With Rye House’s Stuart Robson, Edward Kennett, Brent Werner, Chris Neath, Steve Boxall and Tommy Allen all are very capable of beating each other in a one off race.
As well as the seven Rockets, Magnus Zetterstom of Somerset, King’s Lynn’s Oliver Allen and Matt Tresarrieu of Reading have accepted invitations to ride in the Vic Harding Memorial. All three riders ride the Rye House track well. Zetterstom is of course known as a real entertainer, something we don’t really see so much nowadays. Allen of course is brother of Rye House’s Tommy and goes well around the Hoddesdon track. Matt Tresarrieu just seem to get better each time he visit’s Rye House. He recently scored 11+1 for Reading, beating Rocket Chris Neath, which is no mean feat these days around Rye House
Then of course there is a couple of Hackney veteran’s race, which include Barry Thomas, Finn Thomsen, Malcolm Brown, and Bengt Jansson [can’t believe they’re all veterans]
This really does make Rye House the place to be on the 23rd July at 7pm when traxcitement returns!

The Late Vic Harding

Ian Gledhill [father of last year's Vic Harding Memorial Trophy winner Jack] leading Vic at Weymouth.

Below a great action shot of Vic