Toad

The middle of the Fens at midnight a couple of nights before Halloween is the last place I'd want to be! Its just a ridiculous situation to be in and missing the number 1 just tops it off.

Hi Rob, good to see you back and hope you are feeling healthier. I'm sure I speak for every Rockets fan by wishing you and Steve all the best with your fantastic efforts and we really do appreciate the work you are putting in. Don't let those t*ats grind you down! Hopefully we can all enjoy those summer Sunday afternoons again soon and the quote from Karl Fiala in the recent Speedway Star article on the history of the KO cup sums it up for all of us; he said he really got Rye House, the big crowds full of families and sunny afternoons. That sums up Rye House to me. Thanks also for the update, hopefully there is not a shift in the thinking of the leaseholders and the track can be reinstated asap. Thanks again!

https://youtu.be/tfv6MmlW_W0 Some interesting stats from the Office of National Statistics...

Thanks Rob for all you post, your words are informative and give heart to those of us who miss speedway at Hoddesdon greatly. It certainly looks positive regarding a return and let's hope we soon can enjoy another chapter in thevery history of our club.

Would be fantastic to get the bikes back at Rye, Sunday afternoon racing would certainly bring in enough support to sustain a Championship level side and it would be a fitting if a few open or trophy meetings took place this year as it's 40 years since that great team won the National League.

Pretty sure he said a bone in his wrist was fractured...

Yes the racing was good once the track settled down and some of the moves were incredible and it's why we love the sport but you could virtually pick 3 of the finalists before the start and apart from TW and RL we have no one remotely near international class.

Recorded it and when I watched the final I thought I was watching the SON again with Cook and Harris 3rd and 4th! Well done Charles Wright but my word, the quality of riders in the 80's and 90's that contested the British Final compared to last night shows the mess we are in!

Very sad news, so many fantastic memories from that golden era at Hoddesdon with Kelvin in the forefront of most! One that stands out for me was a second half final at Rye and Kelvin and a young Andrew Silver were in the race. Kelvin gated and rode every inch of the track to keep the much faster Silver behind him, on a bike that was popping and spluttering away! It was as if he had wing mirrors and he had this ability to control a race, holding the white line and moving at what looked like walking pace. The young Silver was not best pleased after the race but he had learnt a lesson in trackcraft! But Kelvin was a very good NL rider as well, boasting 9+ point averages in the days that the National Leagues was exceptionally tough, featuring riders of the the ability and standing that Steve mentions above and leading a young, precocious group of mainly home grown talent to the top of the league. Rye House and speedway have lost a true legend, easy to say but in this case fully warranted. RIP Kelvin and thanks for the memories.

Back in 1986 Rye House were riding at Canterbury and had recently signed Alan Mogridge from the Crusaders. Canterbury were - for some reason - still using r/r for Moggo so in one heat he was riding for Rye against a rider replacement for himself! So not much has really changed in 31 years...

Agree Lambert has time on his side and may well make a GP rider in the future but I fear Cook has reached his peak, it will be difficult for him to get a ride in Poland now. We may well take some hammerings by riding test matches abroad but there are no quick fixes for Team GB and we will benefit in the long term.

Let's be honest, the only reason Team GB are in the final is because of the draw. If we'd have been in the second qualifier we wouldn't have made the race off let alone the final. We need test matches against the Swedes, Poles and Danes but in their countries on their tracks if we are to improve and be competitive.

Fantastic racing, makes all the difference when all four teams are competitive. Good job Team GB weren't in this round, would have struggled to make the race off.

I'd have him at Rye House in a heartbeat, great to watch. Well done lad!

Like I said earlier, get Kyle Newman in no matter what the format for next year. Superb again tonight, on a small track too.

I'd have Kyle Newman in the 2017 line up in a heartbeat; can ride inside and out, never gives up and was absolutely superb in Poole's play off first leg win earlier this week. Get him dialled in and I reckon he could make the step up to a PL top liner.

With the current Rye House season sliding into mediocrity once again, I got to reminiscing about the great sides we used to have; and arguably the greatest were the seven Rockets who romped to the 1980 National League Championship. Oh for a team like that today! Anyone know what those legendary Rockets are doing now, all of 35 years later? Obviously we have lost Ashley Pullen but it would be interesting to know what Karl Fiala, Bobby Garrad, Kelvin Mullarkey, Kevin Smith, Peter Tarrant and Andy Fines have been doing. Even better, get them all down to Rye House before the end of the season and give us something to look forward to! That will bring a crowd in for sure.

Ridiculous! Andrew Silver is the future of Rye House, not Len. The sooner Warren Scott sorts the place out the better. He's obviously taking some interest as the Lambert signing isn't a Len/Sampford move.

Just seen the DVD of Lambert in the Newcastle match. Astonishing performance, get him in for the rest of this season if possible but definitely next.

The very top riders and perfectly prepared tracks. It's a simple sport, don't make it complicated!

Elite League 2016? Just copy what they do in Sweden, they seem to have it spot on!

What about creating a real Elite League with the real top boys and all racing on one night? A final throw of the dice if you like as if this doesn't work, there obviously is not enough support to sustain this standard of speedway in the UK. The last two televised Swedish Elite League matches on Eurosport have produced some of the best races I have seen in a long time, far far better than anything on Sky. The teams are bursting with real top class riders and the tracks are superb, with numerous tractors returning the track to heat one standard regularly through the meeting. The stadiums are packed too, no deserted third and fourth bends so common in the UK. If we build it, they will come.

Kelvin could ride a bike too, even though his machine sounded as rough as guts and popped round the track! He had the knack of making his bike twice as wide as it should be and seemed to know just where the opposition would be coming from and where to ride to block them, a skill sadly lacking in the highly tuned sport we have now. One second half final I will always remember at Rye is when he held off a young Andrew Silver (must have been '84) who was just starting to make a name for himself and was twice as fast, by blocking his every attempt to get past. Silver jnr was not best pleased in the pits afterwards!

Gleen Baxter went from a West Row second string into a Hoddesdon heatleader, he developed into a cracking little rider. His brother Wayne had his moments but he was only really reserve standard and Trevor needs no introduction, he is right up there with the greats when it comes to Rye House. One Aussie around at that time was Jamie Fagg and he looked like he might go places but had a couple of nasty injuries. Bob Garrad's testimonial was in '86 but he had wound down by then which was hard to watch on occasions. He had one rollback prrformance with a 12 point max though. What an opening pair Bobby G and Marvyn Cox made back in '83 with their blak and white chequered leathers! Robbo and Eddie Kennett in 2005 is the best since!

I think the unexpected retirement of Karl Fiala really set the seal on the unfortunate 1981 season as it was nailed on that Garrad and Smith would be going BL and Len had Mullarkey and Fiala inked in as a very acceptable top two. The injury to Andy Fines didn't help - it may have been so different for him - but Fiala was never adequately replaced. Shads; unfortunately you missed seeing Bob Garrad in his prime, a superb small track rider who could and should have gone much further. And don't mention Mel Taylor! Always a thorn in our side when riding against us and crap when riding for us!