| 10 August 1929 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marine Gardens | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Edinburgh Handicap ( 4 Laps Standing Start ) Heat 1 James Edward Harry Duncan Bill Dickie Stan Catlett Bert Fairweather 1min 36.8 Heat 2 Drew McQueen Bill Barclay James Logie Donald McDonald Ron Hieatt 1min 31.8 Heat 3 Andy Milne Roger Frogley Jack Ormston Allan Campbell Bob Dawson (F) 1min 35.6 Heat 4 Oliver Goodfellow George Wigfield John Duncan Eric Burnet Len Reeve 1min 35.8 Semi Final Bill Dickie Drew McQueen Bill Barclay Harry Duncan James Edward (F) 1min 35.2 Semi Final Oliver Goodfellow Jack Ormston George Wigfield Andy Milne Roger Frogley (ET) 1min 33.8 Final Oliver Goodfellow George Wigfield Drew McQueen Bill Dickie Jack Ormston 1min 33.4 Scottish Gold Gauntlet ( 4 Laps Flying Start ) Heat 1 Roger Frogley Bert Fairweather Eric Burnet Bill Barclay 1min 28.2 Heat 2 Jack Ormston James Logie Stan Catlett Bill Dickie 1min 28.6 Heat 3 Drew McQueen Harry Duncan Len Reeve Oliver Goodfellow 1min 29.8 Heat 4 George Wigfield Andy Milne Allan Campbell Ron Hieatt 1min 30.4 Semi-Final (1) Roger Frogley Jack Ormston James Logie Bert Fairweather 1min 27.4 Semi-Final (2) Drew McQueen Andy Milne (FRem) Harry Duncan (F) George Wigfield (F) 1min 29.4 Final: Roger Frogley Jack Ormston Andy Milne Drew McQueen (F) 1min 25.8 |
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| The previous flying start record of 1 min. 26 secs for four laps of the Marine Gardens Speedway, set up by Billy Galloway, the Australian, was beaten eight times on 7 August when a crowd of between 25,000 and 30,000 were present at the Open Track Championships. The championship (carrying with it a prize of £1000 and permanent possession of the Scottish gold helmet) was won by Frank Arthur, the Australian, who met Jack Parker, Coventry, and Sprouts Elder, the American, in the final. The entry list of 32 riders included most of the best known dirt track riders engaged in the sport and the prospects of good racing were extremely bright. As in the Scottish Open Championship meeting, only three riders rode in each heat and the comparative freedom for the riders which was thus secured resulted in a remarkably small number of spills. There were very few races in which all three entrants were not still going all out at the finish. The preliminary heats began the evening series of records and assured the appearance of some of the first favourites in the later round. In the first race J. Pinkerton, Glasgow, was narrowly challenged at the final bend by Norrie Isbister but won in a final dash up the straight. Frank Duckett, the Australian, fell without serious injury at the first bend of the second race and Dick Wise and Freddie Hore, also Australians, had similar bad luck in the third and sixth heats respectively. Hore was carried off with a bruised foot. Sprouts Elder, in the third heat, was brilliantly challenged by Jack Chapman, Australia and for two laps the spectators were kept guessing until Elder established himself with a comfortable lead on the inside position. It was an amazingly quick race, Elder beating the record by 2 seconds. In the fifth heat, one of the best races of the evening, Drew McQueen, the Scottish Open Champion, won in a thrilling race with Roger Frogley. McQueen had the inside position and led from the start but, taking his corners rather widely, gave Frogley a chance which the English rider did his level best to improve upon. McQueen won with little to spare in just one second more than Elder’s time. In the seventh heat, Frank Arthur, who was making his first appearance at the Marine Gardens track won easily from Ivor Creek, England. In the first semi-final Pinkerton, the Glasgow rider, challenged Sprouts Elder with great courage, although Elder drew ahead and won with plenty of room to spare. In the second semi-final Drew McQueen was eliminated. Parker, the Coventry rider, who (like Arthur) was making his debut on this speedway, went ahead at the beginning and McQueen was third. McQueen overdrew Ron Johnston, the Australian, racing him neck and neck for a few yards, but failed to reach Parker, who equalled Elder’s record time. In the third semi-final the record was again equalled, this time by Frank Arthur. In the final the race went to Arthur. After a false start the three riders, Arthur, Elder and Parker, rounded the first bend practically neck and neck. Then Elder led but, with Arthur close behind, until at the top bend Arthur skilfully cut in front of the American who just at that moment withdrew from the race owing to engine trouble or some other cause. Arthur was never in acute danger of being beaten by Parker, although it was a well run race, the time returned for the winner being 1 min 23 secs, which constitutes a new record for the track. There was great enthusiasm in the crowd at the finish and the winner was carried round the track. |
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