GOLD BAR, DENMARK
Sponsored by a chocolate confectioner, "Toms Guld Barre" prize was a solid gold replica of the chocolate bar, to be won 3 times before becoming the permanent property of the successful rider. First raced for in 1959 as a Long Track event at the 980m Charlottenlund track, after a fatality in '76 it transferred to the Selskov speedway track in Hillerod in 1977 where Ole Olsen was the winner. Olsen succeeded again the following year at Krosko for his 7th and final win, banking 2 real gold bars over the period.
Charlottenlund Long Track, 1959 7x winner Ole Olsen
The Vojens Center staged the event in 1980 and it had a long run there until the end of the century. Denmark's World Champs Gundersen, Nielsen and Pedersen plus Tommy Knudsen each had 3 successes, most memorable being the exhilarating race by Jan.O. Pedersen for the 1990 title, - 8 riders over 8 laps -, a much-viewed video (left) since that time. See table footnote for race formats: riders, laps, handicapping.
1959 Charlottenlund 77 Selkov 1985 Vojens 1993 Vojens
(1st Gold Bar)
During the same period two Long Track Gold Bar meetings were again held at Charlottenlund, in '83 and '84. UK's Simon Wigg was runner-up each time, (despite the presence of Ivan Mauger: being late in his career, a Gold Bar, like a Pardubice Golden Helmet, eluded him.) Failed noise trials ended racing at this venue. Kurt W.Pedersen had been a 6x Gold Bar winner during the years of its initial Long Track format.
Charlottenlund Lg.Trk: '83 & '84 above: Erik Gundersen 1986
GOLD BEAR, DENMARK - GERMANY
Another gold version of confectionary, a Gold Bear, (Guldbamse, or Goldbär in German) has been presented for a Long Track competition by a Danish club during most of the last decade, initially in Denmark but now held just across the border in Germany but under Danish regs. of the DMU. Finn Appe Mustonen, having won 3 consecutive times at the 825m Jübek sandtrack now gets to keep the valuable 24 carat gold trophy replica of the sponsor's candy sweet.
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2010 (prog. & price in Danish) Appe Mustonen 2011 (prog. & price in German)
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GOLDEN KEY of BREMEN, GERMANY
The Hansa Stadium in Bremen, North Germany held annually post war a major international speedway meeting on May1st, sponsored by the city authorities as part of its May Day celebrations along with music, dancing, beer-kellars and similar festival activities. From 1959 the city Senators for Welfare Youth & Sport presented an award of a Golden Key, (a key being the historical city symbol of Bremen,) to the top rider of the day. The format of competition varied over the years, (as the Dutch Golden Helmet did,) from straight 16-rider:20-heat individual meetings, to Best Pairs, 4TTs and even World Championship qualifying rounds, the Golden Key recipient sometimes decided by an additional 4-man or 6-man Final, sometimes going to the top point-scorer over all of the days' races.
Later, the Golden Key was awarded in conjunction with a meeting of the 'Masters of Speedway,' series held initially between a few Hanseatic cities of Sweden, Denmark and Germany from around the Baltic. In the final years before the loss of the stadium to development in 1989 the recipient was the highest total point scorer of all races, including the Semi-finals and Final, (so the winner of the Final of the day may be different to the winner of the Golden Key !) In the '80s the Finals became 6-man races, and this pre-empted the move in the last few seasons to 6-man races throughout the programmes, - 12 riders:8heats +2 semis and a final.
n.b: With loss of the Hansa Stadium, for the following 3 years at least, the Golden Key became an indoor Ice-speedway event in the Stadhalle.
1959 (first BGK) 1962 1982 1988 (last GK)
The first of 30 years of the Golden Key presentations was made to Swindon & Stoke rider Ray Harris, being equal top scorer of a Best Pairs meeting but having recorded the faster time. Finnish champion Kalevi Lahtinen then had 3 consecutive wins in the mid-'60s before Ivan Mauger (with Lahtinen,rt.) entered the scene and dominated it for the next 10 years, only World Championship qualifying meetings, for which he was ineligible, preventing him from making a clean sweep. His 8 wins nonetheless remained unsurpassable. Though the fields of the FIM-status meetings included many world champions and stars, after Mauger's time only Hans Nielsen(3x) and Sam Ermolenko(2x) were subsequently able to replicate a win.
1966: the evening Civic Reception, L.to Rt: Hans Nielsen,1983
Mrs Gunkild Malmqvist, Gunnar Malmqvist (Sw.2nd), + MoS Trophy &
Kahlevi Lahtinen (Fin, winner), Golden Key
Conny Samuelsson (Sw.7th), Matti Olin (Fin, 8th)
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ADMV SILVER STEELSHOE of EAST GERMANY
When the political decision was taken by the communist DDR authorities in 1972 to curtail participation in world championships and major international races in "capitalistic countries" and to prohibit Western riders from East Germany, a new "international" competition with FIM recognition involving only Eastern Europeans was instigated as compensation. Organised by the MC Meissen club, the race for the "Silver Steelshoe" trophy has been held in early October each year since.
Initially a multi-round event with up to 4 other clubs, - in '74 it took the form of an international team match between E.Gy, Cz, Bulgaria and Hungary, with 3 legs in each country except the latter, and riders from Bulgaria being denied permission to travel outside their own domestic border -, after the Iron Curtain came down the competition eventually became exclusive to Meissen and open to Westerners, being won by New Zealander Mich Shirra in '90. Martyn Cox took the trophy in '94 and Jester B.Jensen in '96: Brummie's new Pole Seb Ulamek and local lad Ronnie Weis have each had 4 wins in recent years.
Güstrow 1984 Meissen 2011
Ronny Weis with Trophy and Silvershoe, 2011
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Heathens' GOLDEN HAMMER
The Golden Hammer trophy replaced Cradley's AHMT as its big-name individual competition and has been raced for during each of the Heathens' 3 guises since its inception in 1977, - 'Cradley Heath Heathens' at Dudley Wood, 'Cradley & Stoke Heathens' at Chesterton and latterly 'Dudley Heathens' at Monmore Green. Until 2010 the competition has always attracted world-class riders, 10 of its 20 winners being World Champions at some point in time, including Sam Ermolenko 3 wins, and Erik Gundersen 2 wins. Heathens' own riders have had 8 successes.
Cradley 1977 (1st GH) Stoke 1996 W'ton 2010
1981 1985 1988
1990 Golden Hammer 2010: Cook, Lambert, Smart.
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GOLDEN GALA of LONIGO
Not to be outshone, Italy, via the Motor Club of Lonigo, introduced its 'Gold' competition to bring the world's top riders to its shores in 1980, the trophy being a gold plated rider's steel shoe, (as well as some of the largest cups yet seen, apparently to each of the 6-man finalists.) Its list of winners has 16 world champions over the 24 years of operation with Yanks and Danes dominating until the last decade, when Jason Crump matched Hans Nielsen's total of 4 wins. Ivan Mauger made just one appearance late in his riding career (in '83) but didn't make the podium.
Final, 2000.
1980, Bruce Penhall 1989. E.Gundersen(2nd), J.Doncaster(1st), R.Correy(3rd)
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Four further UK speedway classics
featuring pre-war and post-war stagings.
- Brandonapolis at Coventry - Olympique at Wolverhampton
- The Laurels at Wimbledon - Blue Riband at Poole
The Coventry Brandonapolis was traditionally held on the Wednesday following the Wembley World Championship and hence was the first appearance of the new champion and a revenge opportunity for the other challengers, with the chance to be the first to beat the World Champ.
The Olympique, first contested at Newcastle but subsequently transferred to Wolverhampton, is a handicap event whereby each rider is handicapped according to his preceding position, i.e. a first place: back 30 yds next race; second: back 20yds, etc.
Understandably all 4 competitions have been dominated by home riders, even when handicapped: Boocock 3x, Olsen 4x Brandonapolis winners; Olsen 6x, Freddie Lindgren 5x, Mikael Max-Karlsson 4x, Peter Karlsson 3x Olympique winners; Malcolm Simmons 4 consec. times Blue Riband winner; Ronnie Moore 4x and Barry Briggs (ex Don) 4x Laurels winners.
