Biography of Speedvei riders

Each of us, starting our acquaintance with the history of Speedway, came across a mention of the “first speedword competitions in the world”, held in the Australian town of Meitland on December 15. The full version of the article for those who do not have an account on VKontakte. At the same time, the story of the adventures of “Father Speedweg” Johnny Hoskinns, who led him to create this most popular type of motorsport, ended with photographs of racing for the years, where racer was passing with skidding, almost touching the soil with a knee of the legs pulled back, stories about various methods of passing turns.

And everything developed well: old racers, old motorcycles, outdated driving methods, in which, nevertheless, a modern speedway was easily recognized. And the doubts that on December 15 in distant Australia was just such a speedway, almost like now, no one had left. Moreover, associations arose with famous races on the Garry Path on June 10 in Moscow, and the “father of the Soviet Speedwey” Vladimir Ivanovich Karneev, as it were, had already copied on our territory what the “father of the world speedway” first did.

And the Australian "father of Speedway", having completed his achievements at his homeland, moved to England, made his career in Speedve as a manager and organizer, and lived until 95 years old, bathing in the rays of fame. With each year he lived, he became more popular, present at all the most significant races, behaved extravagant as a comic actor, and all the world champions considered him a picture with him.

He received the title of “The Biggest Man in Speedway” the greatest person in Speedve. From time to time he published thick books about “his” brainchild, in which, however, about the details of the “first speedwall in the world”, he reported almost nothing. We will not tell the story that has won the soreness about how, with the help of the allegedly invented Speedwei, Hoskins caused an explosion of interest in the exhibition, in the staff of which he was.

It’s better to see if this event had something in common with Speudway. Not even with modern, but at least with the one that appeared in England at the end of the twentieth century. Let's start with the track itself. It was an ordinary hippodrome in the exhibition, that is, a path for racing and running horses, which Hoskinns himself did not hide. True, the length of the circle was not classic, one mile, but was somewhere about meters.

According to the current Fimov standards, this is definitely not a speedle, but a long track. If this does not interfere with the calls at the Maithland Hippodrome competitions in the Ampage, then why should one not call motorbines of the same years at hippodrome, for example, Moscow, Odessa, Tula? Of course, the motorbikes at the hippodromes were carried out long before Hoskinns in Australia itself and in other countries.

But none of their organizers occurred to the head in retroactively to declare them the first Speedway competitions in the world. Yes, the situation was just like that. There were no posters with words like “Attention! You haven't seen this yet! For the first time in the world - speedway! Moreover, in a modest newspaper announcement signed by Hoskinns himself, the words “sensational motorbikes” modestly stood only on the third line, and “a charity carnival of monsters” was in large letters.

From the programs published on the Internet, the programs of that exhibition event can be seen that the races of motorcyclists were carried out only after the completion of horse competitions. On the title page of the program, there was not a word about motorbikes at all. This is about the first competitions in the world! In the program you can see something curious. Firstly, the riders went to the distance one at a time, like skiers, with an interval of a few seconds.

They can say, well, what difference does it make, all the same, apparently, so poured that people forgot about everything in the world. Indeed, if in every race a man was traveling to fifteen, as it was now on the Flat tractor, then a real carousel could have turned out, in which riders would have advanced on each other, pushed and fell. In fact, in every race, a person rode.

But Hoskinns took care of the fall to the delight of the audience: under the terms of the competition, the participants should not rely on the ground. It was difficult not to fall. After all, the newly -minted Speedweists were in the bulk of simple motorcyclists from the street, but did not even remove headlights and tools with tools from their motorcycles. And the motorcycles themselves were heavy and possessed so low power that there was no question of any ride with a skid and slipping of the rear wheel.

Finally, there were no characteristic or long tracks of wooden sides characteristic or long. What did these competitions have at the hippodrome with Speedway? Nothing! But then why not declare the first Speedway competitions in the world, held in the year at the Moscow Hippodrome of a motorcycle carrier for the championship of the RSFSR? Or a motorcycle carrier for the championship of the USSR, held in the same place on September, three and a half months before the event of Hoskins.

In Moscow, they went on almost the same “imported” motorcycles as in Australia.But the start was common, as now, all riders began to move simultaneously from one line. The benefit of the place was enough - the Moscow Hippodrome was a solid building of the European level, not a couple of Australian. And the championship of the USSR was not in the year the first competition in motorcycle racing at the Moscow Hippodrome.

Taking this opportunity, we inform the results of this first championship of the USSR on track hippodromic motorcies, which have become a universal property through the years and our anniversary! At the same time, we will see what parameter motorcycles were then divided into classes and what capacities their engines developed. Kalashnikov Moscow, “Douglas” - 10 minutes. Chashnikov ..., “Zinger” - 10 meters Vasiliev ..., “Triumph” - 10 meters.

Obukhov gr. Moscow, Zinger - Abbakumov Tula, Rudge - Gusev Tula, Rudzh - Shpakovsky Moscow, Norton - Markov Petrograd, Indiana - 18.50.8; 2. Morozov Moscow, “Indian” - Lerhe Petrograd, “Harley Davidson” - further the classic version of the history of Speedwega looks like this: having fought his “brainchild” at the hippodrome of his country, Johnny Hoskins with a group of Australian racer arrived in England, all who needed to explain, and already on February 19, the premiere of races took place in the High Bich DRT -Treku, that is, an earthen, ground track, and if easier - on the hippodrome.

DRT-TREMMA was called this sport for almost a year, and only then switched to a shorter word “speedway”. And these competitions have become a reference point for English Speudwa. But, again, this is a version that subsequently spread as a result of inaccessibility for most genuine information and constant brainwashing. What was the role of Johnny Hoskinns here?

Now on the Internet you can see the pages of the English magazine "Motorcycle" The Motor Cycle for the year, who paid much attention to Dirt Treku-Speedway. But in an extensive description of the competition and not a word about Hoskinns. Only on November 29, the magazine printed, apparently, at his persistent request, an article about primitive motorcans on the hippodrome, held by him with the subtitle “The first Speedway races in Australia” and not in the world.

In the first Speedway competitions in the world, they turned later later. If the idea is constantly and persistently repeated, at some point everyone will believe in it. Moreover, if her promoting Hoskins is a prominent organizer of the British Speudwa, which he undoubtedly became. So the idea was taken off that the funny old man is actually the real “father” of Speedweg, and ordinary pokatushki at the ordinary hippodrome in the distant and unknown Australian town - the very first competitions that we know.

Another beautiful legend about success history. A myth that has been eaten into mass consciousness, which are not able to destroy any sound thoughts and real facts. And you can be sure that the vast majority of Russian fans, even after reading all this, will grin habitually: again, “Russia is the birthplace of elephants”! Although there is no attempt to “pull the blanket” from Australia into Russia.

It is comforted that these are not only Russians. Not us, but the British are the first to swallow the bait of the Hoskins. And there were still many behind them. Although the exclamations of surprise were periodically heard: how so, in our country, in the year, at the stadium or hippodrome, the motorcade was held! So arranged in the world that "there are no prophets in the Fatherland." Or maybe just, people need a fairy tale?

However, there is nothing to replace this fairy tale. You cannot declare the first other race for the same reason why this one cannot be considered the first. Competitions held a hundred or more years ago, by definition, can be neither the first nor the second Speedway competitions in his modern sense. So there will be no other date, and you will have to sit down at the table every year on December 15.

And, paying tribute to Johnny Hoskins, with patriotic satisfaction to note that we certainly overtook him for several years. Recorded LeoShkin.