The older I get – the faster I am!

‘Once a racer, always a racer,’ so the saying goes, and if proof were needed, then the Veteran Speedway Riders Open Championship provided plenty. For the modest track at Lydd in the Romney Marsh, this is one of the highlights of the calendar and this year was the 13th occasion the championships had been held.

There were three classes of competition. Riders of 45 and over could compete on the early-generation two-valve bikes, and with the current champion defending and two previous holders challenging, then close competition was surely guaranteed.

Those riding the later four-valve bikes had to be over 40. Tim Curnock has made