martinmauger

I have relatives & friends in the USA and in Florida is a race circuit named '?????? Speedway' (I forget exactly), they have frequented commented "Martin would probably love this place". No, he probabaly wouldn't....

Thanks, though it likely to be concering Aarnio....

At the risk of being slightly annoying; whilst perusing Scunny v Poole proggie half saw a report on BBC2 Newsnight Friday night about the political situation in Workington, something about "the football & rugby club are working together to save their ground" then a brief shot of what MAY have been Derwent Park, back straight stand. No mention of speedway or the Comets though....

My first meeting for 2 years less 2 days due to, reasons, spoiled by wet weather quite a bit but still enjoyed it. Hye, it's speedway ! So, with some EWR speakers still a bit hit & miss half heard Rob Godfrey say something to effeect of "our local MP who has helped us before & will help us with this also............." Anyone know what he was referring to, methinks possibly a visa issue with Tero Aarnio ?...

Thanks THJ. New track nutshell: even having £9m burning a hole in one's pocket (we wish!) is almost the easy bit, so many hoops & hurdles to jump, most folk that wouldn't believe....

It's surprising how with a basic 'track in a field with fence around it + a few Portacabins set-up' the costs can quickly multiply. As a matter of interest THJ, how much would you estimate the two stands on the Scunny home straight would have cost to build ? A builder mate reckoned in the region of £15k or so for the two, which seems a bit cheap to me.....

This ^^. I offered the same argument / viewpoint on a car forum and was 'shouted down'. EVs, or electric vehicles, may, just may, be a future option in the mid to far future, but not 'the now'. Ironically EVs could well be an option worth looking into for a 'formula' of speedway, 'E-Speedway' if you like, but as for common or garden EVs, no, not yet....

And me. Like at Scunny, Redcar & Leicester (& others I've forgotten) before, shows if one never gives up it can be done....

Adding my 2p worth, such a freaking shame, always had a soft spot for Newcastle due to Ivan Mauger, Ian Thomas & Hull connections. Gotta feel for Grant Jnr; he took a punt, had a go and tried his best running Newcastle Speedway but seems like at many times if he didn't have bad luck he'd have had no luck at all. Sometimes life just kicks you over and over, until it stops or you stop it. Sigh....

Safe to say neither Ian Thomas nor Ivan were pleased (to say the least), Ivan was 'the man' in 1979 winning his 6th World Championship and took New Zealand to win the WTC.. Ian Thomas explained at a supporters 'do' that the 3 who didn't make it (Bobby Beaton, Frank Auffret & Graham Drury) to Wimbledon had transport issues. Beaton was collecting Auffret on the way down from Scotland but broke down on the way and Drury, travelling alone, came across a big car accident and was understandably held up in all the traffic there. Must have been a 'fun'(!) and more than stressful occasion - no mobile phones in those days, just public telephone boxes. Think the Swindon match, which was a 39-all draw, Joe Owen broke down on the way. It could be said the issue was finally adressed when Hull won the Premier League treble in 2004 (League, KOC & Young Shield) , and while we in Hull we don't still 'dine out' (or whine and cry) over it, but darn it to 'lose' the league due to car break downs . Sometimes you only ever get the one chance. Posssibly John Berry, not really a close pal of Thomas, may not have been too cut up over it, we'll never know as sadly neither are here to discuss the matter but I think most in speedway at least sympathised a bit with Hull at the time....

And good afternoon to you. I was commenting generally, not really about your lad (who is already a bit good !), and he would do well and kick on with the Poultec scheme, but yeh just riding on a slick track young riders won't learn as much as by riding in different conditions. I prob should have prob said that in the first place, not posted in the early hours when quite tired ...

Adding to the chap above's comments : I would have thought when the Poultec sessions take place, based at King's Lynn I beleive, that the track time would be on a circuit prepared for an offical meeting i.e. starting off grippy and possibly a tad damp, then gradually drying out & becoming slick so as to give the riders experience of the changing track conditions, as they would encounter in a proper meeting, and being instructed in the set-up changes required. I've also heard that such training sessions, in Poland for example, the rider coaches & riders themselves are asked how they'd like the tracks prepared so as to gain experience of the different conditions which occur.....

I've also visited Newcastle & Workington, 2 venues with a lot of speedway history, I enjoyed both tracks and was so glad I made the effort. Sadly I never made it to Wimbledon, another venue of much history of course. On enquiring of a possible Hull Speedway Supporters Club coach trip in either 1980 or 1981 I was informed "we are not sure whether we are taking a coach to the Wimbledon v Hull match, but then again we are not sure whether the Hull team will even be there" (!). A caustic, yet accurate remark referring to the (in)famous match Dons v Vikings match in 1979 when 3 Hull riders didn't make it to Plough Lane and the remaining Vikings (Ivan Mauger, Kelly Moran, Dennis Sigalos, Joe Owen + guest Graeme Stapelton) battled on, losing 41-36. Many still beleive this meeting cost Hull Vikings the League Title in 1979, the final match of that season was lost before an estimated 20,000 crowd (!) at Coventry, another venue of great history....

Shame. I also recall trips to Belle Vue, Hyde Road; before the meeting pop across the road to 'Taffys Super Cool Speedway Shop', Track In Spares actually, to drool over all the super cool speedway stuff for sale, chat with riders picking up bits & pieces, chat with Taffy himself, maybe buy the odd sticker, then back across the road for the speedway. RIP Taffy....

I always knew him as 'Dave Ratt'', for obvious reasons, he also ran the track shop at Hull for a few years and he was certainly an amusing & interesting character....