Just a supporter, although my son Tony is clerk of the course. New Zealand is my home country, and I've got a feeling this will be the last GP at Western Springs so I wanted to see it.
Your favourite Western Springs memory ...
It wasn't one of my very good tracks. I learned my worth there though. I came back as world champ and national champion Bruce Abernethy, who was a big personality, set up a meeting for me. He got me 10 times the money I normally did. I thought it was Christmas. You'd race at Wembley in front of 100,000 people and only get 500. Bruce told the promoter 'Cocky' Cormack the only person more famous than me was Lord Rutherford, and I was ahead of Edmund Hillary. I told him "stop it".
Mauger, Moore, Briggs - good friends?
Extremely ... Ronnie was unbelievable. We'd practice together and he gave me everything which was only making a tougher opponent for him to race. I could be hard on opponents but never on Ronnie. Ivan didn't have the natural ability but he learned to be a winner. I spoke to Ivan a few days ago and caught up with Ronnie in Christchurch.
You were runner up in the BBC's sports personality of the year twice ...
In 1966 I was runner up to (English soccer's World Cup winning captain) Bobby Moore, and evidently I won it but the thing was covered up. The footballers came from different clubs which split their support. There were 50 or 60 tracks operating then and they all got behind me. Speedway was a colossal sport then.
Did you ride hard, play hard?
No, no, no. I don't drink or smoke and never have. When you drink, problems only get bigger in the morning. I always realised what my body needed. I also came from a broken home where drink played a part. In places like Sweden and Russia, they would try to force a drink on me but Ronnie and the boys always told them to back off which was really nice. In Russia, Ivan ended up doing rock and roll on the table while I was the one moving the plates.
It's a thrilling and dangerous sport ...
I lost a finger at Wembley in my last world final. The bloke who brought me down (Swede Bernt Persson) was a dirty bastard and I gave him an inch, so it was my fault. I don't forgive him. He's a jerk. There are constant reminders ... like every time I do up a shirt button. Tony was paralysed for four months after an accident ... I opened a museum which remembered 120 speedway lads who died and I knew half of them. Air walls have made it much safer.
Your attitude to life ...
I lost my wife Junie 10 years ago which changed my life completely. You realise what life is about ... I'm more selfish now and only do things I really want to. We also have to understand our bodies - you can't take, take, take without putting back. The biggest thing is getting enough sleep and I exercise for 15 minutes every second day. As a racer you want to be first, in life you want to be last across the line.
Have you found a new partner?
Junie told Tony to make sure dad gets together with an old friend of hers called Janet - they had gone to school together. Janet and I are partners. The lovely thing is Junie was also her hero. I have put Junie's ashes in places all around the world.
Kiwi speedway is struggling - will we have another world champion?
It is sad. I think riders need someone to aim at. We had Ronnie. He came home with a sports car, the girls smiled at him, and we thought 'what a deal and you get paid for it'. I was hoping the GP might unearth someone.
