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Post by thebaldeagle1932 on May 13, 2009 5:48:28 GMT
Vic Ridgeon, who rode for Rye House in their Southern Area League seasons between 1954-59 died in a nursing home on Tuesday May 12 2009. Before riding for Rye House, Ridgeon was with Yarmouth from 1949. He rode in Spain in 1953, while in the 1956-57 season he was the only SAL rider to be capped for England when he rode in the test series in South Africa. Ridgeon also had a brief spell with Southampton in 1956. In 1960 and 1961 he rode for Wolverhampton in the Provincial League and in later seasons had spells with Rayleigh and Sunderland. He finished his racing career at Rye House in 1967. RIP Vic Ridgeon.
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Post by tungate on May 13, 2009 9:29:01 GMT
R I P Vic. Vic had his early speedway days at The Firs in Norwich. After a spell with the Bloaters at Yarmouth he was a "lucky" rider as the Southern Area League allowed him to ride for Rye House when a number of like experienced riders were banned from that Competition. Vic led the team to the top in the S A L and proved to be a very popular member of the Rye line-up
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Post by Administrator on May 13, 2009 17:25:47 GMT
From: Keith Farman <farmankeith3@googlemail.com> Date: 13 May 2009 17:39:04 BDT To: John Hyam <john.hyam1@btinternet.com> Subject: Vic
Hi John Have seen the write up on Vic on the web and someone has said he rode for Yarmouth in 1949. That is wrong as he started in 1950 and he soon gained the nickname of Cowboy as he had the habit of bouncing his front wheel and this made him popular with the fans. Vic was real Cockney as he was born within the sound of Bow Bells. At Yarmouth he was asked my the management to have a sing song after the meeting and Vic and the Courtnells did this for some time in the Yarmouth Club Room. As far as I am concerned Vic was the last of the Yarmouth Bloaters as he rode in the vintage races in a Yarmouth race jacket that his wife made for him. Vic was going to ride at Peterborough at the BMF Show in 1999 but when he woke up in was raining and he phoned his mechanic and told him he was not going. The track was never that good at Peterborough and they had also made it a two-day affair. Vic never rode again he had finally retired and hung up his leathers - at the ripe old age of 72. He had retired three times before but now after fifty years it was the end and no longer would I be able to see him race. Vic later sold his bike to Alan Belham, who used it for spares. This upset Vic, as it was a lovely looking old JAP and he told me that he would not have let it go if he had known that it would end up as spares. -- Keith Yarmouth Speedway Historian “Dedicated to keeping the Memory of the Bloaters Alive”
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Post by Administrator on May 13, 2009 21:26:35 GMT
From: mikekemp.stars@btinternet.com Subject: vic ridgeon Date: 13 May 2009 19:25:19 BDT To: john.hyam1@btinternet.com
Hello John Thanks for your mail on the sad lost of dear Vic -- I first meet Vic in 1996 at the BMF show he would always send me tickets to get in each year - we would also meet at the Norwich dinner in October and High Beech in Feb -- he have been ill know for the last two or three years God bless him -- sent you some pic's of him action shot at Rye in 54 with Bobby Croombes and Brian Brett 57 - Yarmouth 1952 and I took the colour one at the 1998 BMF ----- Mike
(The photos are on the oldtimspeedway@yahoo.com site. Please see LINKS).
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Post by tungate on May 14, 2009 16:49:41 GMT
Mike Kemp & Keith Farman are well up on East Anglian Speedway History and will have known Vic Ridgeon personally. They can therefore speak with authority on the subject of Vic's carrear in the sport
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Post by Administrator on May 15, 2009 9:13:18 GMT
The link below carries information on the Rotrax JAP used by Vic Ridgeon in the BMF meetings at Peterborough in the 1980s and 1990s. Thanks to Malcolm Roe in the USA for this. www.azspeedwaymuseum.com/Vick.htm
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Post by tungate on May 15, 2009 11:38:55 GMT
I have looked on that site before. A name mentioned there is George Wenn who worked for Dicky Wise at the Firs Stadium at one time sorting out bikes for Paddy Mills when he was the Stars main back-up to our "Mighty Atom" Bert Spencer in the years from 1946 to 1949
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Post by mrsgustix on May 15, 2009 20:37:16 GMT
Taken from the oldtimespeedway site:
MESSAGE REGARDING FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR VIC. FUNERAL WILL BE HELD AT PITSEA CREMATORIUM 12.40HRS ON FRIDAY 22ND MAY. FLORAL TRIBUTES TO STIBBARDS 22 CANVEY ROAD BY 10.30HRS. DONATIONS TO WORLD SPEEDWAY RIDERS ASSOCIATION. FOLLOWING THE SERVICE ALL WELCOME AT SILVER POINT NURSING HOME SILVER POINT CANVEY ISLAND. KEEP THE WHEELS TURNING AND THE SPARKS FLYING. TERRY STONE.
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Post by Administrator on May 23, 2009 5:56:26 GMT
--- In oldtimespeedway@yahoogroups.com, "Jean and Terry Stone" <jeanandterrystone@...> wrote:
HELLO TO ALL, TODAY I ATTENDED THE FUNERAL OF VIC RIDGEON. VIC ENTERED TO THE DAMBUSTERS MARCH AS A TRIBUTE TO HIS YEARS IN THE R.A.F. THE SERVICE OFFICIATED BY THE REVEREND DAVID TUDOR WAS QUITE REMARKABLE AND VERY MOVING. A TRIBUTE ON HIS SPEEDWAY LIFE WAS GIVEN BY MYSELF AS REQUESTED BY HIS WIDOW SHEILA. RIDERS ATTENDING TODAY WERE AS FOLLOWS; ERNIE BAKER ERIC HOCKADAY ARTHUR HEWITT DAVE COLLETT GERRY KING ROD LAUDRUM VIC GOODEN STAN STEVENS VIC DEPARTED WITH THE MUSIC GOING HOME WITH THE AIR FORCE RETREAT. WE ALL JOINED SHEILA FOR A FEW HOURS OF REMINISCING. MANY STORIES WERE TOLD AND PICTURES SHOWN. SHEILA ALSO HAD A COUPLE OF VIDEOS FOR ALL TO WATCH. SLEEP WELL VIC. KEEP THE WHEELS TURNING AND THE PLUGS SPARKING. TERRY STONE
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Post by Administrator on Sept 25, 2010 17:41:12 GMT
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