Marine Gardens 14/05/1938

	14 May 1938
	Marine Gardens
Edinburgh Scratch Race 1st Ernie Price Scottish Silver Torch 1st Ernie Price Match Race Drew McQueen
Edinburgh Scratch Races Heat 1 George Pepper, Drew McQueen, Kid Curtis, Jack Gordon 1min 25.6 Heat 2 Tommy Price, Bruce Venier, Elwood Stilwell, Dick Dennie 1min 26 Heat 3 Ernie Price, Maurice Stobert, Stanley Gargan, Bob Sparks 1min 25.4 Heat 4 Norman Hargreaves, Bill Nisbet, Oliver Hart, Clune Johnstone 1min 25.6 Semi Final Drew McQueen, Tommy Price, Bruce Venier, George Pepper 1min 25.2 Semi-Final (2) Ernie Price, Maurice Stobart, Norman Hargreaves, Bill Nisbet 1min 24.6 Final: Ernie Price, Tommy Price, Maurice Stobart, Drew McQueen (F) 1min 25 Scottish Silver Torch Heat 1 Kid Curtis, Maurice Stobart, Bill Nisbet, Clune Johnstone (F) 1min 27.4 Heat 2 Jack Gordon, Stanley Gargan, Oliver Hart, Elwood Stilwell 1min 27 Heat 3 Tommy Price, Drew McQueen, Bob Sparks, Norman Hargreaves 1min 25.8 Heat 4 Ernie Price, George Pepper, Dick Dennie, Bruce Venier 1min 27.6 Semi Final Kid Curtis, Jack Gordon, Maurice Stobart, Stanley Gargan 1min 26 Semi Final Tommy Price, Ernie Price, George Pepper, Drew McQueen (F) 1min 25.8 Final: Ernie Price, Kid Curtis, Tommy Price, Jack Gordon 1min 25.4 Match Race Drew McQueen Bt George Pepper 1min 25.6
After a lapse of seven years, speedway racing started again at the Marine Gardens After several weeks intensive practice it was hoped that the Scottish riders would be able to extend the team of visitors, among whom was a strong Canadian contingent, headed by George Pepper, Elwood Stilwell, Kid Curtis, Bob Sparks and Bruce Venier. Drew McQueen again led the Scottish challenge and he was supported by such promising riders as Stanley Gargan, Bill Nisbet, Clune Johnstone, Dick Denny and others. In addition to the speedway races there was a midget car race between Eric Worswick of London and Charlie Pashley of Liverpool. A crowd of about 15,000 turned up at that first meet, to see some fine close and fast racing with the local riders pitting their skill against the English and Canadian riders. The weather was showery. There was a vast difference between the sport this time and the old form which was known as dirt track racing and was seen on the Marine Gardens track until June 1931. The racing itself was faster, handicap races and flying or rolling starts having been done away with. Riders were sent off from a starting gate, before which they were standing with their engines racing and the clutch engaged, ready to dash off when the starter released the gate electrically. The Edinburgh riders were led by the veteran Drew McQueen, Edinburgh’s former captain. Stanley Gargan, Bill Nisbet and Clune Johnstone put up a very good show against their more experienced opposition, comprising George Pepper, Kid Curtis, Elwood Stilwell, Bob Sparks and Bruce Venier from Canada, Norman Hargreaves and Maurice Stobart from Newcastle and Tommy Price, Ernie Price, Charlie Oates and Jack Gordon from Manchester. McQueen, probably the best rider Scotland has ever produced at this game was quite capable of holding his own with the best, but was unlucky in over sliding twice and coming down. The brothers Price, Tommy and Ernie from Manchester had a most successful afternoon. They fought out the finish of the Edinburgh Scratch race between them, the younger of the two, Ernie, winning narrowly. M. Stobart, the other finalist, was a bad third. Ernie Price also distinguished himself by putting up the fastest time of the day in his semi-final heat in this competition: 1 min 24 and three fifth secs for the four laps. The Edinburgh interest in the other event, for the Silver Torch, was soon eliminated. Clune Johnstone seemed certain to qualify for the semi-finals in his heat against Curtis, Stobart and Nisbet but when lying a clear second up to the third lap, he slid over in an attempt to overtake Curtis. S. Gargan ran second to Gordon in his heat and McQueen was second to Tommy Price. In the first semi-final Curtis and Gordon qualified and in the second the brothers Price. McQueen fell early on here. The final was a magnificent race, probably the best ever seen at the track. The four riders raced neck and neck for the whole distance with the Prices occupying first and second places throughout until the last corner was reached where Tommy Price slid out wide and Kid Curtis wrenched his machine to the inside cleverly and ran in a close second to Ernie Price with Tommy Price and Jack Gordon close on his rear wheel. McQueen beat George Pepper cleverly in a match race and in a midget car challenge race Eric Worswick, London, beat Charlie Pashley, Liverpool, by about half a length after being behind for most of the distance.