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AndyO

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Posts posted by AndyO


  1. On 8/26/2021 at 7:07 PM, singy13 said:

    We can always live in hope of a Comets return..but...your mention of Iwade brought back some nice memories....My late wife had an Auntie residing in Sittingbourne, so after the Comets had finished on a Friday night we would speed off to stay with her (not too fast in an Austin1300 _ but it was ok) this was to take in the Comets weekenders v Canterbury and then on to Eastbourne. On our first such trip we called in at Iwade on the Saturday afternoon (after a nice kip on Aunties sofa lol)...correct me if I'm wrong, it was 50 years ago, but I think it was grass track racing? Very entertaining whatever. The Comets put up good performances too..it was a long trek back to Cumbria on Sunday evening though.

    Hi Singy, there was definitely a grass track at Iwade prior to the speedway training  track being opened by Barry Thomas and his brother, not sure if it was on the same sight or nearby?

    Doubt it would have been a grass track meeting on a Saturday afternoon though so maybe it was the training track when you visited? Not sure of the year that it was opened ...

     

    • Like 1

  2. On 8/26/2021 at 10:22 AM, steve roberts said:

    Just been informed by my brother. An interesting character and, if I recall, won the very first race in the old Second Division?

    RIP

    Ye he did, against Canterbury... he was one of the first 'star' opposition riders I related to as a very young Canterbury fan in 68. R.I.P.

    • Thanks 1

  3. 16 hours ago, old bob at herne bay said:

    Why Speedway is failing?   .......how about   not enough people want to pay to watch it ?

    Spot on Bob... let's face it regular league speedway is an outdated attraction that does not work in the 21st century except for long term enthusiasts.. The only model that might attract reasonable and potentially some news fans would be six or seven tracks spaced out around the country which held 5 or 6 meetings a year, a mix of individual and 'team' meetings.. However for all of the reasons mentioned by others this can't happen unless the stadium is fully owned and the owner can afford to run in this way...

    • Like 3

  4. 4 minutes ago, iainb said:

    The trouble with that is that the Start Marshall is provided by the home club and will probably be a member of the supporters club and be regaled from head to toe in club merchandise (if available :lol:) under their stripey tops. They'd have to be "supplied" to each meeting in the same way that an "impartial" referee is, much like in Football with the lino's.

    Good point


  5. 44 minutes ago, steve roberts said:

    Always remember the story when one of the assistants lined up behind the bikes at the tapes picked up Bily Sanders rear mudguard using the grab rail in a subtle way so when the tapes rose Billy's wheel wasn't in contact with the track momentarily thus gaining a disadvantage. Billy wanted to make an issue of it with the person responsible but John Berry took him aside explaining to him that anyone who was able to lift a bike while at full revs was someone who obviously possessd a bit of muscle and best avoided...of course the ref didin't see anything!

    My memories of Canterbury in the late 60's were a team of start line crew who used to line up behind all 4 riders, plus the start Marshal and assistant (to hand him the flags obviously) plus numerous track rakers on the bends and pit staff to push the riders out... all volunteers presumably..

    I think if you had that now they would outnumber the crowd!

     

    • Haha 2

  6. 9 minutes ago, mikebv said:

    Our ratio of 'false starts' and first bend incidents must be much higher than Polands where start marshals seem to weild some power (supported visually and audibly by the referee)..

    Riders dont fly off in all directions like they seem to do over here, with their bikes strictly aligned straight, and their front wheels practically touching the tapes (akin to cycle speedway), meaning no roll backs to help preempt the start..

    And the 2 mins is sacrosanct. If you are not ready you are out.. 

    'Professional' is a good word to describe it..

    Seriously I think they should be an extension of the referee on the track... what they say at the start goes and if ignored they have the power to exclude, no point otherwise..

    • Like 5

  7. 8 hours ago, iainb said:

    Actually come to think of it they do make sure that riders don't encroach on each others gates, can't think of much else though other than to be ignored by the riders on everything else

    They always remind me of a sad dad who is trying to make the kids do what he wants and they are completely ignoring him!

    • Haha 1

  8. 6 minutes ago, phillipsr said:

    Definitely retired and i believe sold his equipment, had some corrective surgery fairly recently, just become a father and has a decent job outside of Speedway so not sure theres much to tempt him back  

    Thanks didn't know the background but that makes sense, shame though as a fully functioning 747 would have made a good replacement!

     


  9. with Len Silver admitting in this weeks Speedway Star that Paul Hurry is struggling quote 'he knows it, we know it and the public knows it' makes you wonder what Luke Bowen is doing these days? Assume that he has retired however if not he might be good for a few points away and certainly knows the best way around Central Park? Probably not possible but options are very limited and would certainly be at least a slight up-grade?


  10. 7 hours ago, hawks 1975 said:

    Really sorry to see that Rob has decided to quit at Kent. As somebody who remembers him fondly as a kid at Arena where he gave his all in every race, it was amazing to then see him years later return to the sport at Central Park well past his 40th birthday and perform as if he was twenty years younger.

    On track he was always worth watching, and off it, I believe he gave a lot to the team. It was a shame that he suddenly lost his Championship place pre-season, but I did wonder how he could possibly make it worthwhile to continue just in the National League, given the crazy situation with the fixtures this year. Having ridden in the Royal's opener on May 31st, his next home meeting was not until the end of July. He was not due to get any regular track action until September. That might be okay for a junior managing a few rides elsewhere, but at 50, with two or three good quality bikes to maintain? 

    Good luck Rob in the future, and thanks for the enjoyment you gave us on two wheels - 24 years apart!

    Sorry to see Rob go but really pleased that Alex Spooner is back wit the Royals..


  11. 9 hours ago, arnieg said:

    Supporters club coach away trips (even the ones where we broke down)

    Foreign riders felt genuinely exotic (with the 70s seeing the Danes and Americans going from nowhere to world beaters in the space of a decade)

    Most of your team re-signing for the following season

    The roar of the crowd during an exciting race (as opposed to today when all you get is the tutting of your nearest neighbour on the terraces 10 metres away)

    The ability to go to a different track every night without travelling the entire length of the country (my 1974 holiday itinery - 6 tracks in 7 days all within an hour's drive of our Coventry base)

    totally agree, I remember when the Young Czechoslovakia team came to Canterbury in 1969 it felt like they were from another world, and also seeing our local heroes who had by and large been second halfers and grass track riders 18 months previously representing England!


  12. Reading some old speedway stars the other day got me thinking about what I really miss most about going to meetings back in the day, and whilst there is loads of stuff I think one of the things that was wonderful for a kid was to be able to stand up against the solid safety fence and feel the speed of the riders as they came past.. except on the bends when you had to duck down at the last minute to avoid a face full of shale!

    • Like 4

  13. Well with Wolves threatening to close and now Birmingham putting their season on hold with immediate effect due to unsustainable losses due to COVID restrictions it is clear to even the most optimistic that this is a crisis, in fact to quote Blackadder 'This is a crisis. A large crisis. In fact, if you got a moment, it's a twelve-storey crisis with a magnificent entrance hall, carpeting throughout, 24-hour portage, and an enormous sign on the roof, saying 'This Is a Large Crisis'.!

     


  14. 16 hours ago, brianbuck said:

    Going some way further back (to the 1940's and early 1950's) any rider who had scored less that 50% of possible points over the previous six matches could be named as reserve, and most clubs used that rule to best advantage, especially for away matches. There was never any kind of restriction on how the top six of a team could be listed, so there was consequently, a lot more scope for the more astute team managers in those days. 

    Well as everyone is saying that the main priority for this season is to just get speedway going again, and who wins is probably less important than ever before, it would be interesting if this arrangement was tried in a few meetings, and while we are at it also go back to 13 heats with a second half... and also nudging the tapes allowed!!


  15. Just been looking at some old Canterbury programmes from 1968 and whilst I attended the meetings, as a ten year old i didn't pay too much attention to the rules regarding team strengths (if there were any?) It seemed that the Crusaders could bring in new riders as and when they wanted regardless of how good they were .. also the best riders could be riding at number 1 and then number 2 followed by being at reserve all in the space of a few weeks? Can anyone enlighten me as to any rules regarding team building in place in the new second division in 1968?

    Cheers


  16. 1 hour ago, Sings4Speedway said:

    Surprisingly nothing lined up for Alex yet, i suspect he will pick up a spot before the season is out though as there are one or two riders who already look shakey with commitment.

    Hope so.. I think it's a real tragedy if a young rider like Alex gets left out due to the rules...

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