The Voice Of Reason

I can't imagine how the Coventry match on Sunday would have affected track prep for Monday night - had the weather remained dry. At Lakeside, we used to have the track ready for Monday night Sky Meetings - even after banger cars had been running on the Sunday afternoon/evening. That included building the fences and airbags up from scratch. And 5 hours of cars knocking 20 shades of the proverbial out of each other caused significantly more damage to the track than I'd imagine a National League meeting ever could.

The form goes to the meeting ref; and should be sent along with the Machine Examiner checks, meeting scorecard, etc. to the SCB. It no doubt then sits on someones desk in Rugby, before ending up in the shredder or paper recycling. Not quite sure how Jon Cook was apparently unaware of this 5 Grand underpayment. Are we honestly to believe that Kim Nilsson wasn't chasing this payment at anytime during the past two years?

If I can just correct one point Westhamboy66. Lakeside have not 'moved up' from the National League to the Premiership. In the words of Lakeside's website, it was 'a promotion'. On another point, I wonder if Lakeside will actually run all of their scheduled meetings this year? That possibly hinges on whether their riders get paid.

Not quite sure what price dilapidated airbags and knackered wooden fences would fetch.

Personally, I've always found the Grand Prix style of World Final an utter borefest. It's now just a pantomime of boring, characterless, prima donna riders; complete with an entourage of mechanics and other nobodies, in the pits. A one-off meeting was so much more exciting; and produced the occasional surprise - such as Egon Muller. Not sure about only holding the event in Wembley - particularly as this would now potentially be yet another manmade track.

I'll possibly go to away meetings now that the level of speedway has improved. Clearly you thought it was right to chuck the community manager into the team manager role at Belle Vue (arguably Lakeside's most important meeting of the season)? 'You can never upset a happy clappy'!

Whoever it is, here's hoping that they can actually be bothered to turn up at all away meetings......particularly if we get through to the play-offs.

Do what Lakeside do. Spend a tenner on cable-ties, and patch up airbags that are 10+ years past their expiry date. Refs will never give a toss....because they don't even know what they are looking at. Why? Simply because the SCB has no meaningful directive, within their regulations, as to what referees should even be checking for! Dispute this? I challenge the SCB to show me within their regulations where I am wrong. Cheers (Ex-Machine Examiner and Clerk of the Course, Lakeside Speedway).

Concrete starting grids at the gate to (as already mentioned) stop riders forever poncing around gardening. Tape-touching brought back - instead of this supposed sit still, and don't jump the gate 'time-saving initiative'.......sometimes now resulting in having two re-starts. If there is a re-start, straight back to the tapes unaided - instead of 3 or 4 mechanics fighting over who is going to adjust the clutch by 1mm. Who knows, with all the time saved, promoters may have to put on a second half; and give supporters value for money.

The 'Happy Clappies' are clearly ecstatic; as they probably would be if Jon Cook climbed up a 20 foot ladder and emptied his bowels over them. Clealry, no reason given why we failed to deliver the 14 promised meetings; withdrew from the K.O. Cup nor any updates on the new stadium location. But hey.........the clappies were clearly seduced by the 'finger buffet'. So who honesly gives a toss about the utter BS and lies.

It's a tad frustraring, as ex-track staff, how irrespective of the debate around best/ worse race nights, it's just automatically taken for granted that track helpers, machine examiners, etc. can just drop everything in their personal lives; and automatically turn up to meet the needs of riders. The fact is, without people performing these voluntary roles, then fans wouldn't be watching Speedway; nor riders actually racing it. Never once have I known a rider to even realise this fact. I used to do it for the love of the club - and because I didn't have work on Saturday Mornings. But as I used fo be on the road by 4am Weekdays, I'm sodded if I'd have been lumping away fences and air-bags in the peeing rain come Midnight Sunday to Thursday. Track Staff are a key component at any club - but particularly at Lakeside where the track has to be built and subsequently dismantled for EVERY meeting. And before anyone believes there'll always be a raft of volunteers, let me tell you that there wouldn't be. I've seen more people give up after their first week than stay for a season. It's dirty, tiring, physical work. But hey, you get a line of thanks in the programme at the end of the year.......sometimes!

Wasn't you a member of Kev's forum once Liam - until you threw your toys out the pram one day: because you didn't agree with the point of view expressed by others?

I would suggest that Nigel Pearson (and maybe some others) need to check out accounts held by Companies House then Liam. It's all in the public domain; and (one would hope) a tad more accurate than 'tweets' made by Lord Shoutalot.

How do you know that Lakeside doesn't make money Liam?

I thought they were sourcing a site for a new track; should Arena Essex sell-up. That should be an interesting update (at the 14th Home Meeting).