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SCORPIO

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  • Gender
    Male
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    Surrey
  • Interests
    Anything that doesn't involve having to have open wallet surgery, hahahaha
  • Team
    Former Wimbledon Don, Oxford Cheetah & Hackney Haw

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  1. Having just returned from Assen and seeing the curtain brought down on a run of 45 years of Ice Speedway racing in Assen, I thought this would be a good time for people to relive their memories of their visits to Assen. I first went in the early 2000s a couple of times and only having been told about it by Mum (Cheetahhawk) and Dad I went with an open mind. As we approached the stadium.... I found excitement welling up inside at the prospect of my first Ice Racing event. I went again once or twice more and it was to be about 14 years until I went again and it turns out to be the final Assen... for now. For my significant other.... the trouble and strife it was her first time, I think she enjoyed it apart from being cold, lol. For the Mother in Law... it was her first visit for many a year... last went in about 1980 or 1981 and could not believe how much it had changed in the intervening years, the roof, the walls as was totally open when she last went. So peoples of Speedway Forum Land...... the floor is open.... let's relive the memories and say farewell to Assen for now.
  2. Shame that Assen is to be the last for a while, let's hope a new circuit is up and running asap.
  3. I have asked this question twice now on both the official and unofficial twitter feeds but have had no response so am wondering if anyone on here knows the answer. In recent years I've only been to King's Lynn for the World Cup and have been subjected to what amounts to bully boys refusing to allow drinks or even a chocolate bar into the stadium. What I want to know is, is this just for the World Cup they do it or do they employ this tactic every week. It was especially worse on Saturday just gone, one of the hottest days of the year, couldn't take in tour own drinks and limited facilities available to purchase a tea or coffee whilst making announcements about drinking plenty to stay hydrated. Another question, how does this sit with discrimination because this policy effectively discriminates against those that might need to drink to take vital medication and to make them have to queue and pay for something that they have no choice but to take in my book is wrong, very wrong.
  4. I've got an idea on how tof get fans back and stop them from getting bored. Lower the admission by a couple of quid as for a night out at the speedway with my wife costs best part of £75 by the time fuel costs accounted for. Run the meetings quicker, stop all the farting about between races, get on with it, stop all the patting about at the gate gardening. Have a proper interval with parade of winning team then a few second half races and people will think they have got value for money. 2/3 hourso to run a meeting with no incident is ridiculously stupid. I also say go back to keep it simple, get rid of gimmicks like the tactical ride double points nonsense, what's wrong with the good old fashioned tactical substitute. If a rider excluded for exceeding the time allowance, breaking or touching tapes...tough, excluded, no replacement, no 15 metres. Get on with it.
  5. SCORPIO

    Czech Gp

    Oh Dear, a bit of a bore, almost fell asleep watching the Czech GP. The racing could've been better but it was really good to see Emil win it, a big star of the future and Freddie Lindgren come second. Hopefully this year will see the series a bit more open. As for Harris & Nicholls, why don't they just give up on the GP's, they will never be World Champion.
  6. I went straight after work after checking the forecast on the Met Office website which didn't look good. Rained on and off in various places throughout our drive up. Arrived in the Perry Barr car park at around 1550. Started to rain from around 1600. Had a look over the wall around 1630 and the track didn't look too bad. Around 1700 My Girlfriend & I had a wander over to the One Stop Centre and on the walk back about 1730 or so it eased up to almost nothing and whilst sat in the car it appeared to have stopped. Had another look over the wall at the track and I was quite surprised at how good it looked considering the last hour of rain we just had. That soon changed and I'm surprised they even opened the gates considering the forecast.
  7. SCORPIO

    Memories Of Waterden Road

    Mum would've been in here element on here, all the old Hackney memories and adding her own. It is down to Hackney that Mum & Dad met. Mum was a follower of the those Yellow Stars from South London, The mighty Dons of Wimbledon until Garry Middleton, her first speedway love moved across the river to East London to join the Hawks. Mum followed too, taking her support of Garry to Waterden Road and became a follower of the Hawks. Dad decided to go down Waterden Road, I don't think he was an avid follower of the Hawks until he met my Mum. It was on a coach trip to Coventry with the Hawks that my Dad asked Mum's brother if he could sit next to her which he duly did and that was that, they went on to date and eventually got Married in 1974. I arrived on the scene in November 1978 and my brothers put their appearance in in 1981. And as they say.....The rest is history Other memories I have are when we used to go by bus, we would get off before the Leyton Town Hall and Dad would go into the chippy and get some chips before we would walk down past Leyton Orient's ground and proceed towards Ruckholt Road & Waterden Road. Stars of Tomorrow meetings, the second half action with the Earlybird hawks and If my memory serves me correctly, the Broadway Centurions. 1988 was the best of all seasons sweeping all before us to clinch the NL title along with the KOC in an all London Final with Wimbledon and the London Cup. Travelling across to Plough Lane and hearing the EastEnders theme tune on the parade for Hackney. My Mum giving riders like Jeremy Doncaster, Lance King for various reasons. Our mates who sat in front of us, Sheila & Fred and their sons Jason & Soren. Playing speedway riders with my brothers using a drinks can as pur steel shoe and "riding" round in circles. Mum & Dad buying me and my brothers Hackney race jackets which we duly wore. Awwwwwwww, Happy Days.................. If there is ever another re-union, put me down for 5 tickets.
  8. SCORPIO

    Memories Of Waterden Road

    Make it a Date, Friday at Eight The strains of The Magnificent Seven bursting out on the PA system The cracked glass in the Grandstand The wooden fold down seats Hackney speedway.....It all started for me as a young baby when my dear old Mum (CH) and Dad took me in my pram to Waterden Road in 1979 and I apologise to all the people that got annoyed by a baby bawling his head orf as that was me, Well, Mum and Dad kept telling me I bawled me 'ead orf every time the tapes went up. Mum has told me many a time of that horrible night when a young Hackney legend lost his life, the late great Vic Harding. Moving swiftly on to my formative years, the Eighties. I don't remember much the first couple of years but I have recollections from around 1982/1983. The journey from our North London home was the same near enough every week, 123 Turnpike Lane to either Blackhorse Road or Walthamstow "Bell" then a 58A or 158 if Blackhorse Road or 69, 97 or 97A if the "Bell" to Leyton Town Hall then the walk down Ruckholt Road past the School on the corner, now a car sales place and has been for a while now, going over the railway where I used to look for locos in Temple Mills yards then over the River Lea before turning left down Waterden Road. Sometimes we used to get "Heathys" Hackney Special from Leyton. Me and my brothers would eagerly await with Mum (CH) and Dad, listening out for the footsteps of Iris and the undoing of bolts to open the door to the Season ticket holders, running up and getting my Kestrel News, racing up the stairs to "Our" seats and spread ourselves out to await the arrival of our friends then I would get some money and go to the track shop and buy the latest photo and run back to Mummy & Daddy (earlier years) walk back to Mum & Dad in later years. Watch some of the best racing including my namesake and favourite Barry Thomas sweeping round the last bend or coming last with everyone still cheering him on. At the end, it would be pack up the bags and get down to Leyton Town Hall and get whatever come up first, 58A, 158, 69, 97 or 97A and depending on what it was either the "Bell" or Blackhorse Road and then sometimes running to the 123 stop when we saw it waiting at the traffic lights. Sometimes we would go across the marshes and catch the 236 to Finsbury Park and get a 29 from there. I can't quite remember but I think it were 1989 and that's when Mum got the car and drove over to The Wick. Moved to High Wycombe in 1990 and the same Friday ritual continued, finish school, mad dash home and get ready for the drive up the M40 and A40 and across London to Waterden Road. Some of my memories also include "Big Arfur" and his loud booming voice "Buy ya weekly Speeeedwayy Mail" Snoopys under the grandstand hosting the Kiddies Christmas parties and riders dressing up as Santa Racing down to the pits get some autographs. The sad night in which a young man, Paul Muchene wearing the Hackney colours sadly lost his life in Hospital after crashing on the 4th bend which sent him down the home straight. Then that other sad night, the day when Hackney died. My beloved Hawks/Kestrels/Hawks were gone. No more Friday nights down the Wick shouting for my team wearing my Hackney scarf and clutching my Hackney programme board waiting for the winning time of yet another victorious rider wearing the red,white,yellow & blue of the Kestrels or Hawks. Roll forward 4 years to 1995............ London Stadium Hackney on a wet September evening to watch the inaugral British GP and the crowning of the 1995 World Champion. Could this really be happening, a world championship meeting being held at "my" stadium. Then came the announcement that 1996 a team would ride at Hackney and I thought "WOW" my Hackney Hawks are back but nope, sadly they were to be called the London Lions but support them I must and I was there for every official fixture in 1996 travelling up by train from High Wycombe and making a mad dash across London by Tube to Liverpool Street and cramming onto a 26 bus to Hackney Wick then a mad dash down the back of the factories. I was lucky enough via my Dad to get a job working as a track raker, Could this really be happening, Im working on the track at somewhere, where I stood/sat on the terraces as a wee nipper. It was certainly a different view from "down there" watching the riders whizz by quicker than what it seem's on the other side. As I said, I was on those terraces from the first meeting in 1995 the GP, then every match in 1996 up to and including the Belle Vue match when I was accepted as a track raker, starting work the following week on the 4th bend. It could only happen at Hackney, bright sunny evening and the match between London Lions and Scottish Monarchs got abandoned due to a power cut in the local area which also affected the nearby London Underground Central Line. The LAST ever speedway team racing that I can remember (date I can't) was against the team I was to support later in life, the Oxford Cheetahs. The meeting was abandoned after Heat 12 or 13 as the track had become unrideable after a fair bit of rain. Roll forward 9 Years to 2005 and the wonderful re union at Paradise Park. The magic was back if only for one night and not at Hackney Stadium and the The Magnificent Seven blasting out, the atmosphere, the lump in my throat and all the memories of days past come back. My last memory of Waterden Road was a couple of years back when I was on a drive with my mate and we stopped off there and to see what I saw, I was almost in tears. The place where it all started for me was now gone, reduced to piles of rubble.
  9. SCORPIO

    Barry Thomas

    Well it doesn't offend me, If Mum had still been here and got wind of Thommo being single, she would most likely have racked up a speeding fine in the race with LW to get to Wales, Somewhere amongst all my odds & sods I have a picture of me as a baby with my namesake taken at Rye House with Thommo holding me. As dear old Mum would say, Happy Memories.... All the best to Thommo and I bet if Mum's name were mentioned he would most probably remember her.
  10. SCORPIO

    N. Pedersen

    Eastbourne's gain as they signed a rider who will actually team ride with their partner if they are up with them. Scott Nicholls is a team man and will look after his team mate, Nicki will just go hell for leather for a win and sod his poor team mate who will have to fend for himself. Just look at the way Lewis Bridger has developed at Number Two riding with Scotty. It was the same at Oxford when he rode for the Silver Machine, out front and sod his partner. When I go to league speedway I like to see Team Riding if they are together either for a 3-3 or for a 5-1. As for Nicki being a bit rough, yes he does ride like a plonker at times and has been involved in a good many racing incidents in which he is to blame. Anyone remember the Coventry V Oxford meeting when Coventry were on for a 5-1 when Nicki come steaming up the inside and took out both Coventry riders?
  11. Although we can all brand Mr N Pedersen a cheat which I think he is, however it was the man on the button that got it wrong. Saying that, it would've taken a Man to ring the Referee and say that he was at fault and maybe would he re consider the decision, then apologising to his fellow competitor for getting him excluded. Overall, the Referee was nothing short of a disgrace last night and brought the SGP into disrepute. Nicki Pedersen was a very lucky man for not getting excluded on three occasions, Tape touching in his second ride, Heat 6 and dangerous riding in both Heat 17 and Heat 21 where he ran into the back of another rider causing himself to fall. The FIM should look at last nights GP and make some ammendments to Nicki Pedersen score so it should read as follows. Heat 3 2nd Place, 2 Points Heat 6 Excluded, Tape Touching 0 Points Heat 12 2nd place, 2 Points Heat 15 4th Place, 0 Points Heat 17 Excluded, Fell by riding into a fellow competitor A total of 4 Points which wouldn't get him into the Semi Final. 1 Point to be awarded to Lukas Dryml in Heat 6 taking his total for the night to 2 points. 2 Points to be awarded to Leigh Adams in Heat 17 taking his total for the night to 9 points. 1 Point to be awarded to Hans Andersen in Heat 21 (Semi Final 1) taking his total for the night to 10 points. 1 Point to be awarded to Bjarne Pedersen in Heat 21 (Semi Final 1) taking his total for the night to 15 points. World Championship Total Points should now read as follows Nicki Pedersen 73 Leigh Adams 51 Hans Andersen 49 Bjarne Pedersen 26 Lukas Dryml 17 Referee Marek Wojaczek to be removed from International Duties for the remainder of the 2008 season and strict supervision for 2009. I believe the above would restore some credibility to the GP for 2008.
  12. It's almost here, the showpiece of the British season. I will be hitting the roads quite early for the trip to Cardiff for my 14th British GP. I'm rather hopeful of arriving in the welsh capital sometime between 9 & 10. I forget where we are sitting but it's in one of the air horn free zones as I got rather hacked off last year with some drunken lout of whom kept blowing his hooter and almost deafening me.
  13. When I checked the other day for myself and my friend Becky 'cos we are driving down, the nearest we could get was Bristol or Bridgewater.
  14. Many thanks for the compliments, it's good to know that it's appreciated. I know most people will more than likely be travelling by car but those of whom that might have to or might want to use public transport and are planning to make a weekend of it by travelling on either the Thursday or Friday and coming back on Sunday or Monday please post here your requirements and I will endeavour to post the info here asap. Scorpio
  15. Just to let you all know that Arriva Trains Wales will be running additional Shuttle Services from Cardiff Central after the Grand Prix.
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