The old saying "that as one door closes - another one opens" would sum up the Falcons start to the season when in January it was announced that Ivan Mauger would be joining Hull - and up stepped Scott Autrey to assume Captaincy of Exeter coupled with a switch to Weslake machinery.

In came Reider Eide in a swap deal with John Titman who went to Leicester, and it was announced that both Vaclav Verner and his brother John would be at the County Ground for the 1978 season whilst Cornish Grass Track champion Richard Eslick was also invited along for second half rides.

Rain washed out the pre season practice, but it didn't seem to bother Exeter as Autrey grabbed a maximum and Eide scored 11+1 in the opening Gauntlet Spring Gold Cup match against Bristol. Autrey sounded a warning when he won the Daily Express Spring Classic at Wimbledon, and Exeter grab an away win at Poole the next day.

Left, the 1978 Falcons. From L to R, Peter Oakes (manager), Vaclav Verner, Peter Prinsloo, Mike farrell (kneeling), Scott Autrey, Les Rumsey, Reidar Eide (kneeling), Jan Verner and Wally Mawdsley (Promoter).

In April, the track records fall to Scott Autrey at both Bristol and Wimbledon, but May got off to a bad start when Malcolm Bedkober broke his ankle riding at Barrow where he had been loaned out. Then a week later, a superb nine points from Les Rumsey sees Exeter win away at White City in a BL match and a week later, Eide picks up his first Maximum at the County Ground, whilst the very next day, Scott takes another track record, this time at Birmingham.

The track records were mounting for Scott as he clipped 0.4 off the County Ground Track record and was joined later in the season by Reider Eide who clocked exactly the same time of 67.4 secs. Both Jan Verner and Scott had qaulified for the World Final in July and Reider Eide gets into a dispute with the Exeter management and walked out just before a meeting.

He did however turn up at Sheffield to ride but was refused permission to ride. However, he was to be back in the Colours of Exeter a few days later. The falcons then met Hackney twice, once in a B.L match and once in a Cup match with Exeter ammassing 114pts over 26 Heats of racing. In the League match, Mike Farrell picked up his first maximum, whilst in the Cup win, both Les Rumsey and Jan Verner were unbeaten for the first time in Exeter colours. And of course, during a 4-Team round at Weymouth, Scott Autrey took yet another track record and took yet another at Reading at the end of August.

In the World Final in September, Scott finished on the Rostrum in third place whilst Jan was the best of the Czech contingent.

Complaints by the Exeter Camp regarding team strengths after Exeter beat Kings Lynn 61-17 at the County Ground looked rather unfounded when a week later they lost 50-28 at Sheffield and 55-23 at Kings Lynn two days later in the Inter League Cup Final second leg that Kings Lynn won 94-62 on aggregate.

A last Heat fall by Prinsloo robbed Exeter of a win at Hackney whilst Steve Koppe wins the NL Riders Championship. Then in October, Jan Verner was disciplined by the Czech authorities and would no longer be riding for Exeter and Mike Farrell slapped in a transfer request.

Exeter finsished sixth in the League and had won the Gauntlet Spring Gold Cup having beat Kings Lynn 88-68 on aggregate in the Final, a satisfactory season all round for the Falcon's.

List of other riders that appeared but are not mentioned include Bob Watts (2), Phil Collins (2), Sean Willmott (2), Mike Ferreira (5), Ian Robertson (2) and with Alan Sage, Tim Curnock, Steve lawson, Ian Clark, Graham Jones, Danny Kennedy, Steve Finch, Dave allen, John Barker, Geoff Pusey, Pip Lamb and Paul Woods all making one appearance each

Elsewhere in 1978

Coventry total 54pts to win the British League title ahead of runners up Belle Vue (52) and Hull (46) finished in third place. Canterbury took the National League title edging out Newcastle after both sides had scored 60pts with Rye House scoring 54 to finish in third spot.

Michael Lee had won the British Final staged at Sheffield scoring 14pts with Dave Jessup runner up on 12 and Malcolm Simmons third on 11. Ole Olsen took the Intercontinental Final in Fredericia, Denmark. He beat Mauger in a run off after both had scored 13 points, third spot going to S.Autrey.

Ole Olsen (Pictured Right) then went on to win World Final at Wembley, his 13 pts beat Gordon Kennett 12 and S.Autrey's 11. There was a sad end however after the meeting when Harry Weslake collapsed and died aged 81.

Egon Muller won the World Longtrack Final staged in Muhldorf, West Germany after a run off with Alois Wiesbock, both having scored 26 points each. Third place went to Peter Collins, he too involved in a run off against Ivan Mauger both having scored 24pts.

Still on the topic of Longtrack, Norwegian Reidar Eide wins the first ever Longtrack meeting staged at the Haldon Racecourse in Devon. He picked up the £500 prize money after beating Phil Crump by a single point with Peter Collins in third.

Wimbledon won the Daily Mirror 4-Team Tournament scoring 26pts to beat Bristol (24) Reading (23) and Poole (23) whilst Peterborough retain the National League Fours title scoring 18 pts against Stoke 12, Canterbury 9 and Ellesmere Port 9.

Denmark (37) win the World team Championship comfortably beating fancied England (27), Poland (16) and Czechoslovakia (16). England however did retain the World Pairs Chamionship staged in Chorzow, Poland. Tney score 24pts to beat N.Zealand 24, Denmark 21 and Czechoslovakia 18.

Steve Koppe wins the NL Riders Championship at Wimbledon. He scored 14 to beat John Jackson on (13) and Ted Hubbard (12) after a run off with Dave Gooderham who had also scored 12. The Coventry duo of Olsen and Shirra win the B.L Best Pairs ahead of Cradley and B.Vue, the meeting being abandoned after Heat 14 beacuase of thick fog. Jackson and Finch of Ellesmere Port win the N.L Pairs beating Newcastle's Owen and Blackadder in the final.

Exeter win the Gaunlet Spring Gold Cup beating K.Lynn 88-68 on agg, Leicester take the Midland Cup beating Swindon 77-43 and Glasgow the Scottish Cup beating Edinburgh 85-71. King's lynn however got their revenge over Exeter in the Inter Divisional Cup winning comfortably 94-62 on aggregate.

Olsen won the Daily Mirror Open with a maximum to beat runner up Gordon Kennett (12) and Chris Morton (12), Scott Autrey (Pictured Left) won the Daily Express Spring Classic scoring 14pts to beat Peter Collins (13) and Gordon Kennett (12).

The Superama staged at Hackney saw Peter Collins (14) beat M.Shirra (14) and Ole Olsen (13), D.Gooderham won the KRC Trophy at Peterborough, Gordon Kennett the supporters Trophy at K.Lynn, Olsen the Midlands Riders Championship, P.Collins the Internationale at Wimbledon Mike Sampson the Teeside Open and T.Owen the Herts Gold Cup. Michael lee won the Golden Jubilee of Speedway meeting at Hackney. He scored 14pts to beat runner up Eric Broadbelt (12) and third was Vic Harding (12).

Ipswich win the Speedway Star K.O Cup beating B.Vue 92-64 and in the N.L KO Cup, Eastbourne beat Rye House 83-73 to lift the trophy. Ole Olsen (13) beat peter Collins (12) and Steve Bastable (12) to win the B.L Riders Championship held at Belle Vue. He also won the Pride of the East meeting at K.Lynn scoring 15pts to beat S.Autrey (12) and R.Hellsen (11).

Phil Collins won the Junior Championship of Gt.Britain having scored a maximum 15pts in the Final at Canterbury. Ian Gledhill was runner up after a run off with both Bobby Garrard and Malvyn Taylor, all having scored 10pts in the final.

Top of the B.L Averages was Malcolm Simmons on 10.78 ahead of Ole Olsen 10.71 and Scott Autrey on 10.59 whilst in the N.L, Tom Owen led the pack on 10.86 to win from Bob Humphreys on 10.59 and John Jackson on 10.39.