HJ: Eric how did your signing for
Stoke come about?
EH: To be quite honest l was fed up with the trips down to Exeter on a
Monday.
I wanted to come to Stoke as it was a Saturday track, it was slightly
nearer my home in Northolt, Middlesex and didn’t interfere with my job.
HJ:What job was that?
EH: At that time I was working in the transport department for a
wallpaper manufacturer
in Perivale, just down the road from where l
lived.
HJ: Who signed you?
EH: Reg Fearman signed me. He knew l wanted to come to Stoke.
HJ: According to our records
you were signed in mid-season - do you know why that was?
EH: As l said, travelling four hours each way down to Devon wasn’t easy
in those days as there were no motorways, but it was mid-season, early
August l think it was.
HJ: You made your debut at
Wolves in a Northern League match and scored six points helping the
Potters to an impressive 45-33 win over our then local rivals - do you
recall that night?
EH: I do actually, and one incident sticks out in my mind.
I’d just beaten Graham Warren in one race and got back to the pits,
when he tapped me on the shoulder and said: “I never saw you coming -
well done.”
HJ: Sun Street was tight and
an unusual shape wasn’t it?
EH: It was and not too smooth either as l recall.
The bends were tight but you usually passed riders going into the bends
on the inside off the straights and that’s where l made my move mostly.
It was actually a hard track to pass on, but thankfully l was a bit of
a gater so l made things a lot easier for myself, which was good.
HJ: Amazingly by the time you
arrived at Sun Street in August 1961 the Provincial
League campaign was
over by late July - was that a factor in you
signing?
EH: No, while things were fine for me at Exeter l was glad of the chance
to go to Stoke.
HJ: You rode for the club then
until closure in October 1963 - what do you recall about
that, and was
there talk about closure then?
EH: Yes we as riders knew it would likely be the last meeting and there
was a Supporters Cup to be won, as there was at most tracks in those
days.
We sort of fixed it that Ken (Adams) would win it but that wasn’t for
Pete Jarman who decided he wanted it.
I led for two laps and decided to make it look as if l had packed up so
Ken could win it and to my amazement Speedy Pete passed me and went on
to win - but that was PJ, he always wanted to win!
HJ: You won the league in ‘63
and then had it taken off you in the close season.
Any memories of that?
EH: Not really,
HJ: From what l can see you
were almost double figures in home matches during your time at Sun
Street so you must have liked the place?
EH: Any track’s a good track when you are winning. I expect most riders
would say that wouldn’t they?
HJ:Any memories of matches at
Stoke?
EH:To this day l will never forget that Ivan Mauger wiped me out and put
me through the pits fence at Sun Street and l broke my ankle.
It was a Britain vs. Overseas match in ‘63.
I was leading in my first race and he came along side me, and as l said
l ended up under the fence and on the greyhound track!
HJ: Where were you born and
when?
EH: I was actually born in Hammersmith in London on the 9th of September
1929, so l guess that makes me 80 too in a few months!
HJ: When did you retire
because sadly l never did see you ride?
EH: I spent the season after Sun Street closed (1964) with Cradley Heath
when we went black in the Provincial League.
Then in ‘65 and into ‘66 l stayed at Dudley Wood before joining
Sheffield, again in mid-season - another Northern track?
HJ:Why Sheffield?
EH: Well Frank Varey was keen for me to go there and we sorted things
out and off l
went.
Things at Cradley weren’t good for me at that time so a move was best
in both clubs interests.
I’m glad l did too!
Then l decided enough was enough at the end of the ‘67 season and l
packed it in.
HJ: Was speedway full time for
you back then, or did you have another job, and if so tell us about
that?
EH: Well l’d just started my own driving school, which incidently l’m
still doing at the age of 79 would you believe!
Everyone knows when you’ve had enough of a good thing and it just sort
of worked for me to call time on speedway.
I’d had some good times and wanted to do other things - it was
important l gave everything to the new business, which l did.
HJ:What’s the name of your
driving school?
EH: Trident Driving School!
HJ: Were you friendly with
anyone in particular in the Stoke team?
EH: Pete Jarman, Colin Pratt, Ken Adams, Ron Sharp and Ray Harris were
all good
friends.
Sadly they have all passed away now except Colin, who incidently l saw
about three weeks ago at the new Speedway Museum in Hertfordshire.
HJ: I understand you used to
have a pilot’s licence - tell us about that?
EH: Yes l’ve always liked the buzz of doing something different, so some
years ago l decided to take up flying.
I must have clocked more than 1,000 hours up there but recently l
called time on that too.
HJ:What aircraft did you fly?
EH:To begin with a Cessna, and then a Cherokee.
HJ: Why did you take it up,
was it for fun or a need to use it for your business?
EH: No just for fun.
HJ: Where do you live today
and perhaps more important, where did you live when you were riding for
Stoke?
EH: As l mentioned in Northolt in Middlesex - l’m still there after all
this time too!
HJ: Family?
EH: I have a daughter - Sandra and two grandchildren.
My wife died in 1986.
HJ: So what is Eric Hockaday
doing today?
EH: Well let’s just say my first driving lesson of the day starts at 10
o’clock this morning!
