Italian Riviera 1966

While England was preparing for the 1966 football World Cup, a group of Mike Parker’s second half riders - guys like Paul Sharples, Mick Handley, Alan Paynter, Maury Robinson, Peter Harris and Brian Oliver -were off to Rimini and Cesenatico two resorts on Italy 's Adriatic coast to ride in a short season of eight meetings  While the former was building a reputation with British tourists,  the latter was , and still is, much lesser known. Apparently its main attraction is the port canal designed by Leonardo da Vinci. The two resirts were barely twenty miles apart.

In this brief four week period from mid  June, the riders got far more rides than they were likely to get had they stayed at home. They drove over in a sign written furniture van bearing the grand title of “Mike Parker’s Speedway International”. Legend has that driving over the Alps they waved to the pilot of a plane flying below them!

The meetings were billed as a “Cavalcade of Speed” with the bikes being followed by midget cars, Mike Parkers first love.which the riders drove as well as carrying out  track grading, starting marshal and pushers duties. Really it was  like an Italian version of Aug Wiedersehen Pet"

The tracks were about 360/380 yards and fitted inside a  banked cycling circuit, a bit like the first Scunthorpe track but unlike Quibell Park they had no safety fence, just the cycle track as a run off area. 

Sunday meetings started at 5pm while Wednesdays had the  much later start time of 9.30. 

Alan Paynter had the misfortune to be taken into hospital for an appendix operation and seems to have been replaced by Mick Handley.

 June 18 at Cesenatico England v Scotland v Australia v Kiwis No details 

June 19  at Rimini  - England 21 ( Paul Sharples 13,   and Maury Robinson 8);  Scotland 15  (Jack Winstanley 10,  and Milton Caisley 5) Australia 14 ( Alan Paynter 9 and, Graham Beattie 5,) Kiwis 8 (Peter Harris 4, and Brian Oliver 4:)

June 22 -  Paynter 13, Robinson 11, Sharples 9, Harris 7, Caisley 6, Beattie 6, Winstanley 5, Oliver 1:

June 26 -  Handley 11, Winstanley 7, Caisley 7, Robinson 7, Harris 5, Sharples 4, Beattie 4, Oliver 3:

June 29 -  Harris 13, Winstanley 8, Robinson 7, Caisley 6, Handley 6, Beattie 3, Sharples 3, Oliver 1:

Unfortunately the July meetings weren’t recorded in such detail though a best pairs event in Rimini that month was won by Australia (Mick Handley (15) and Graham Beattie (6))  from England (Maury Robinson (11) and Paul Sharples (9))Scotland (. Milton Caisley (6) and Jack Winstanley (5) )were third three points ahead of Kiwis (Peter Harris (7) and Brian Oliver (1).)

Riders didn't actually ride as a pair against another pair. Meetings were really just a 10 heat individual  with riders getting five rides each and the pairs total calculated at the end. 

Sunday meetings started at 5pm while Wednesdays had the  much later start time of 9.30.

There was brash talk about having further venues and forfming an Italian League the following year. Unsurprisingly that came to nothing,