Gus Kuhn 1929
Page updated 02-Aug-2011
Gus Kuhn by Grimes
April 1st at Wimbledon: Gus is 2nd in Heat one of the Wimbledon handicap and wins his semi-final. Final results unknown.

April 8th at Wimbledon: Gus Kuhn vs Colin Watson is advertised as a Special Match Race.

May 25th (Sat) at Crystal Palace: "R Johnson, the Australian rider, won the scratch race from Gus Kuhn at 42.22 mph" [Times 27/5/29]

May 25th at Stamford Bridge. England vs Overseas. Scores: Eng Team: Gus Kuhn 6, Dank Ewen 5, Colin Ford 5 & Harold Stevenson 4 - Total 20. O/s Team: Frank Arthur (Aus) 6, Buzz Hibbard (Aus) 4, Cecil Brown (USA) 3 and Billy Lamont (Aus) 3 - Total 16. This match comprised a series of 12 Match races in which the winner received 2 points and the loser 1.

An Exciting Evening at Stamford Bridge

PHEW! What an evening. I have just seen forty thousand people packed like sardines round the Stamford Bridge track while those daring devils of the dirt have roared round the cinders, all fire and noise and speed.

Stamford Bridge is narrower than its rival tracks, but to compensate for this there is a slight banking. This permits the competitors to go just a little bit faster and to be a little more daring in their broadsiding.

In one race Gus Kuhn, leading most of the time, kept out another rider who appeared to be a bit faster. It wasn't the Kuhn's fault. He was going too fast to hug the inside any nearer than he did. His rival managed to streak by as a result of a very clever piece of 'outside edging,' followed by a swoop to the inside, and the crowd went mad with delight. Gus came in for a good many hisses, but he's an old enough soldier to take it in good part. [Extract from an article in The Illustrated Sporting World, May 18th 1929 by Laurence H Cade.]

June 15th (Sat): "Sprouts Elder, the American, beat C Watson at Stamford Bridge, taking their match by two consecutive rounds. In a series of one-round matches, C Ford lost to B Bolt, who was later defeated by L Blakebrough, and W Phillips beat Gus Kuhn". [Times 17/6/29]

July 20th (Sat): At Stamford Bridge "Jack Parker (Coventry) easily beat Gus Kuhn" [Times 22/7/29]

July 13th (Sat): Roger Frogley's 21st Birthday. “In the evening Roger appeared at Stamford Bridge against Gus Kuhn in the first round of The Star championship. Roger had a no-trouble run on his new Harley and proved a little too fast for Kuhn." [The Motor Cycle 18/7/28]

July 27th (Sat 3.30): At Crystal Palace, Dirt Track Racing. Crystal Palace vs Coventry. Star Trophy Return Match Roger Frogley vs Gus Kuhn. [Times Ad 26/7/29] "R Frogley repeated his recent victory over Gus Kuhn by two consecutive runs, although he only won the first round by a length owing to a great effort on the final lap." [Times 29/07/29]

July 27th: At Harringay, "W Lamont unluckily lost a match to G. Kuhn (Stamford Bridge) by two rounds to none, as in the first round he swerved onto the grass and narrowly missed an attendant and a lamp standard, while his throttle control broke in the second." [Times 29/07/29]

News from the League Teams: "There is no denying the immense strength of the Stamford Bridge League team. A track which can select its representatives from among such stalwarts as Gus Kuhn, Colin Ford (who has already been offered a red number), Fred Ralph, Nick Nicol, Les Blakebrough, Dick Bellamy, Billy Bragg and Bert Bolt, starts the competition with a great advantage over all rivals, and so far has performed as well as its appearance 'on paper' suggests. Again, the Bridge need not be unduly apprehensive over injuries while such competent reserves are available." [Speedway News, June 1929]

August 3rd (Sat 3.30): At Crystal Palace, England vs Australia vs Scotland. Unofficial international match, comprising a series of 3 match races, with the winners meeting in the final. Gus is beaten in his heat by Ron Johnson (Aus).

August 3rd (Sat): At Stamford Bridge Gus Kuhn won both the Fulham Handicap and the Chelsea Challenge Cup [Times 5/8/29] "Les Ralph could only finish second to Gus Kuhn in the Fulham Handicap, Gus' speed being 40.72pmh. Gus also won the Cup at 42.35mph and now heads the table with 8 points." [The Auto 8/8/29]

  • "One cannot help being struck by the consistent riding of Gus Kuhn. How rarely he fails, falls or falters! Whenever Gus is seen in the programme it is pretty certain that he will bag one or other of the races." [The Auto 8/8/29]

August 15th at Coventry (Thurs.): "A record crowd of over 13,000 met at Brandon Speedway to watch the Coventry v Stamford Bridge league match, and a fair number of visitors came to support the Stamford Bridge team. The crowd had it's money's worth, for Coventry 's victory by one point was fairly earned, but with the closest possible racing. Jack Parker and his brother Norman gave Coventry a lead of 5-2; Gus Kuhn was second. Stamford Bridge gained a point in the next heat, Colin Ford winning from Wilmot Evans and Fred Wilkinson. In the third heat Tom Farndon, whose led had not recovered from last week's spill, made a start, but his engine had only one cylinder functioning, and the Bridge gained first and second place s with Wal Phillips and Clem Dickson, thus gaining a lead of three points on the first round.

In the second round G Allbrook, Coventry 's reserve, was called out to replace Farndon and he ran a good second to Gus Kuhn in the third heat. With Jack Parker and Fred Wilkinson as winners of heats one and two, the score at the end of the second round was 21 points all. The tension at the beginning of the third round was terrific. Gus led off with a win from Fred Wilkinson and Wilmot Evans. Then the Parker brothers took first and second places from Wal Phillips and Clem Dickson, a splendid race for second place being won by Norman Parker in the last lap.

With the points 30-26 in Coventry 's favour the home team had only to get a second place to win the match: but could they do it? Their fastest med had already ridden, and Allbrook, the reserve, with W. Stanley , a good rider, but none too quick, had to face Les Blakebrough and Colin Ford. Colin was a winner from the start, but Allbrook, after lying third from most of the race, managed to get home second after a magnificent scrap with Blakebrough." [The Motor Cycle August 22nd 1929]

Stamford Bridge and Crystal Palace teams

August 17th (Sat 3.30): Dirt Track Racing at Crystal Palace. Open Track Championship. Gus is billed in an advert in The Times [Times 17/8/29]

August 17th at Stamford Bridge: "The chief visitors on Saturday were Jack Bishop and Buster Backland, from Exeter, and Colin Watson, who competed in a "big six" match with Gus Kuhn, Colin Ford and Wal Phillips. Backland was beaten in a straightforward manner by Ford, but the others had rotten luck. Colin Watson went flat into the first bend and was just running round Phillips nicely when the back tyre pulled off his Harley. After a fresh start, Colin, now Douglas mounted - and he has really learned to ride that Douglas - led all the way until just as he was coming out of the last bend his chain broke, allowing Phillips to go in and win at 43.4 mph (incidentally the best speed of the evening).

STAMFORD BRIDGE last week, like the curate's egg, was good in parts. As an evening's musical entertainment, with occasional dirt-track racing to fill in the intervals, it was excellent. Without a doubt, the Bridge organisation will have to be gingered up considerably if it is to keep pace with the quality of its racing. The criticism applies not only to delays, but also to programmes.

On Wednesday the riders in more than one race were altered so much and so often that my programme afterwards resembled a crossword puzzle. On Saturday Gus Kuhn had to compete in three races in succession.
[The Motor Cycle August 22nd 1929]

In the third heat Jack Bishop was leading Kuhn a merry dance when he suddenly overslid on the last lap - and Gus did one of his classic misses. Gus Kuhn is one of the finest exponents of avoiding spilt bodies and machines that I know. Colin Ford was doing some very fast riding on Saturday, and in one match race when he was leading Kuhn, Gus was evidently doubtful of Ford's ability to stick on at that pace, and was obviously keeping his distance waiting for the inevitable to happen. And it did happen, but Gus had allowed himself plenty of space to miss the prone one.

As fastest loser in the heats, Colin Watson got his own back on Wal Phillips in the semi-final of the "big six" and then went on to beat Colin Ford in the final. Another rider who showed great dash and determination during the evening was A E Warwick." [The Motor Cycle August 22nd 1929]

August 22nd at Wembley: A very big programme for a total of over £200 prize money. In 1949 Gus told Cyril May: "My greatest thrill? Well this was in a big event at Wembley in 1929, for the Gold Satchel, and I won my way through to the final, as also did Jack Ormston, Wally Hull and Harry Whitfield. Three times they tried to get us off to a rolling start. In the end we did get under way and I managed to beat Wally into second place on the last lap when he looked a definite winner."

August 24th (Sat): At Stamford Bridge "Gus Kuhn secured both the Fulham Handicap and the Chelsea Challenge Cup events" [Times 26/8/29]

Stamford Bridge and the Southern League trophy
Stamford Bridge are the first winners of the Southern League Championship.

August 30th: Stamford Bridge are away at White City.

September 7th (Sat): "There were 30,000 spectators at the Crystal Palace when T Sharp beat Gus Kuhn in a match by two straight runs. At Stamford Bridge in the evening Gus Kuhn won four events. He won the Chelsea Scratch Race at the fast speed of 43.06 mph, the Fulham Handicap, with an allowance of 1sec., at 40.36, beat N Nicol in a match at 41.95, and then secured the 'match-winners' race from W Phillips at 42.95 mph." [Times 9/9/29.]

September 28th at Stamford Bridge: One of the best crowds this season saw Ron Johnson beat Jack Bishop and also Jack Barnett beat Broncho Dixon.

October 5th: "See the biggest match of the season at the Bridge, when Captain Gus Kuhn and his band of merry men will meet the Wembley boys in a the return match of the £500 challenge. On the same evening the 'News of the World' trophy will be presented to the Stamford Bridge team, who won the Southern Section of the Speedway League." [Auto 4/10/28]