falkirkbandit

I remember watching that meeting at my parents house as they had Sky then. Ian Thomas's comment about the pit phone to the refs box being "from World War 2" is still fresh in my mind

My interest in British speedway has dwindled quite a bit this year. So much so, that i haven't even went down to Berwick this season at all. In fact, i've only attended three meetings this season. The Ben Fund at Glasgow, a Bandits meeting there a couple of months back and the Caledonian Riders Championship at Armadale on Friday past. Make no mistake, Berwick have had a torrid season with injuries etc, and a 170 mile round trip just hasn't been appealing at all if i'm honest. I'm really chuffed they've won the last four home meetings though. Onwards and upwards! The other reason that my interest is gone in domestic speedway. I changed jobs last summer. After five years working every weekend in a hotel, i now have every weekend off, bar the very occasional Saturday morning for two or three hours. I live a 25 minutes drive from Knockhill. Be it the Scottish car racing club, Super Touring Car festival, British Touring Car Championship, or as i attended yesterday, my first ever bike racing event on track. I absolutely loved it. The superbikes and sidecars were amazing to watch. And the admission? I was an advanced ticket at £13. On the gate on the day was £15. But that's from 9.30am until 5pm. You're £17 at Glasgow and Edinburgh for about 2 hours! Despite my dwindling interest, Speedway Star has still been the weekly regular when i get my weekly shopping. I'm very lucky that my local Tesco stocks it, as does Morrisons occasionally i believe. My interest isn't totally gone though. I'm still an avid viewer of all the televised GP's, SWC, Pairs and domestic league meetings. Tonight's meeting was a decent one. Hopefully i'll get my speedway "ooomph" back for next season. But when you have weekends off again, there's always other options rather than a 170 mile round trip for "home" meetings.

Thankfully, a better second half to the meeting from my point of view as the first half was painful to watch. I usually catch up with a good few of my Bandits pals at Ashfield, but sadly never saw any of them yesterday. On the plus side. I liked that new raised level on the backstraight. Much better viewing. And i do believe wee Geo and myself were the last to leave the Den as the boss was locking up. Some things never change, haha!

Yes, i believe a Russian billionaire bought them over two or three years back, after the HMV group sold them to try to raise funds to keep their failing music chain going. I was the goods in guy for 18 years and i loved the job. Booking in all the deliveries, seeing the reps for the various publishers to organise returns etc. That all changed when Waterstones took over Ottakar's. I remember that took a wee while to go through with the Monopolies and Mergers Commission. It was a sad day and it pretty much killed High Street bookselling for good. I had a great 10 years with James Thin before they went under, and after a few nervous months Ottakar's came to the rescue. They were great to work for. I got a whiff that they were opening a branch in Falkirk in 2004. My whole family is here and mum and dad moved back in '99. So i put in for a transfer down here from Inverness to help set up the shop and that was that. Great times. Every Ottakar's store was individual to that town or city. And as you mentioned above, you dealt with the staff who looked after that section and bought the stock for it. When Waterstones built the central warehouse down south, the writing was on the wall for us goods inner's. Rather than book various publishers deliveries onto the system, and off again for returns. One barcode to be scanned told you what was in the box, although before i got my jotters, it was very rarely 100% correct. One of my old colleagues is still in the Falkirk branch, and the shop floor staff have to deal with the deliveries still, including searching for customer orders that may be in the delivery. They basically turned vibrant Ottakar's shops into carbon copies of their HMV music shops. No individuality, just all looking the same. I used to say that it was more than just the outside paint job they turned black after the takeover! I'll give you an example of their centralised returns process. In ye olden days of seeing the reps for say Harper Collins. I'd check the sales of newer titles that were just over three months old. Say there were 15 copies of Stephen King's latest. I'd keep five and request to return 10. The centralised system requested 14 back, but then re-order and other 5. The one remaining copy would sell and then other customers would enquire, so sales were lost to WHS no doubt, which used to be next door. It was absolute madness. Funnily enough, the head honcho at the time that implemented all these ideas got the heave a while later himself i remember. I bet he didn't need to queue at the Job Centre twice a fortnight for 22 months though.

I worked for James Thin / Ottakar's / Waterstones continuously from 1991 to 2009. When Tempus Publishing released a good few speedway titles around 2000 ish onwards, my staff discount was well used, haha! In fact, when i was made redundant from Waterstones in 2009, i had a staff voucher to spend, so ordered the Crewe Kings book that was released around that time! I've bought a few Retro books, as well as others i've picked up at track stalls on my travels in recent years. I'd never sell it, but i've often wondered what i'd get IF i did sell my Kenny Carter book. Jeezo, just looked on Ebay and there's only one copy......... at £48! I'm still keeping it

Is he Simon's father? I enjoyed watching Simon race for us Bandits before he retired. I can't remember if Simon was injured or if it was after he retired, but i had a great chat with him on the 1st bend at Shielfield one Saturday evening. A nice bloke.

Roll on next Sunday. It's time to catch up with my speedway pals again

I only found out the sad news after work today, after going for the weekly Thursday shopping including Speedway Star then sitting down at home to read it. A lovely guy. It was great to see him at Armadale again in the last season or two when i was up for a Bandits meeting. R.I.P Dennis

Ah, good stuff. I spoke to Basil on Facebook after i posted about the Ben Fund the day it was announced, and he replied that he was thinking of coming up for it. As it's tapes up at 2pm, will we just meet up at the track instead of the Horseshoe? I was gutted to miss the recent bevvy there too with you guys. The first time i've had two weeks off work over the festivities since i left school in 1989, and that bug floored me for over two weeks. I'll make up for it at the Ben Fund though, haha!

I'm looking forward to a couple of the bigger events being at Glasgow this season, although i will miss the Sheffield jaunt for the renamed PLRC this year. But, no petrol or hotel costs for me this year. Just a return ticket on the train required. Here's hoping i make the last train home, haha!

Last seasons finale against Rye House was a cracking meeting. Roll on 2017!

I'll never forget that pub in Scunthorpe too, haha! That was the first meeting with the new silencers too wasn't it? Birmingham was scorching outside that pub, but did get bloomin' chilly by dark. Have a great Christmas mate and i'll see you guys in the Horseshoe on Thursday!

Roll on the 2017 season!

I'll miss the New Barrack Tavern next year, but not the four hour drive home next day feeling worse for wear, haha. Last train home for me then.....maybe

Cheers! Aye, that Cortina was parked down by our warehouse. When i got back from that days deliveries and saw that, i jumped out of the cab to take a photo on my phone, haha. I remember dad having a yellow Cortina, but not the estate version. I always upload photos to Google+ too. Easier to share if you don't have people on Facebook. Roll on motor sports 2017!

BTCC at Knockhill is a great day. I'd love to get to other tracks some day to experience it elsewhere. I'll get to the Superbikes next year too now i'm Monday - Friday in my new job. I completely understand the "no flash photography" issue. That's just common sense for rider safety surely. But as you say, speedway is a photogenic sport, and capturing a great sideways shot is always pleasing. I went to the Scottish Drifting Championship final round at Knockhill on Bonfire night, and to be fair, unless you've got the proper gear, photography didn't really work well for me from a distance when it got dark, haha. Here's the link to my Google+ page. If you keep scrolling, my BTCC albums etc are there if you fancied a look. https://plus.google.com/u/0/+MartinHastings

I've often taken a camera with me to Glasgow in recent seasons when Berwick are there, and no one has complained. In fact, there's a good spot coming off the second bend where you see a few punters with camera's snapping away. I've taken photos up at Armadale too but only on the lighter nights. I think taking photos is a no no at Berwick though. No such problems at Knockhill though. When i was there in the summer for the Touring Cars and the Super Tourer's, you'd be hard pushed to find someone who hasn't got a camera around their neck. The bigger the lense the better!

Agreed. I've been buying the Star on a weekly basis since my teens in the 80's in Berwick. And i've lived in Banbury, 16 years in Inverness, then back to Falkirk since 2004. I've been in a new job since July 1st, full time contracted hours again. But was in a zero hours contract job before that for five years, weekly paid every friday. But every thursday, i cobbled together the loose change for my weekly Star. Yes, we live in the internet age, and i'm as active on it as anyone else for a 43 year old. But i don't follow every club on Twitter or Faceache, nor do i really want to to be honest. And yes, i know the news from friends that retweet or share news on social media or the pages that i do follow. But Speedway Star is still the first thing in my trolley when i go shopping after work every Thursday. For £2.90 a week, it's a bargain whether you read it all or not!

A fantastic site, and one that i look forward to kicking into life again every March after the previous season ends. I did the texting a couple of times a few years back, when i made it down to Berwick most weeks, and i can tell you that it is hard work. If i was just filling in my programme during a meeting, it's just the basic progressive scoreline, heat time etc. I really had to listen when doing the texting. Often telling pals to "shoosht", until i heard it all then texted, haha. I doff my cap to the work Sue and her team of texters and updaters do. Roll on March 2017 !!

Brilliant news!

I visited again before the TV meeting last season and there's nothing left. There's four photos in the middle of this album that i took that day. You can see the difference in colour of the old centre green grass and what's been planted on the old track. It was very eerie being there that day. A strange feeling. My childhood memories will never fade though. https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipPmwF05FaaogKZ_J7-norC3G2hZX2BBVa3r7otM

Was Paul not there? I thought he was in the car with Elaine, Alan & Bill. I went to the BTCC at Knockhill last month, first time i've seen it live as i was always working at the hotel when it was on. I loved it, so when i saw the Super Tourer's clashed with today, i knew i'd have a problem haha. £30 in the tank for Berwick last night and Knockhill today, and admission to both was all still cheaper than what my fuel would've been to Sheffield and back, before i'd paid my hotel or bought a pint. 17 races today at Knockhill from 9.45am - 6pm, all for £17 admission. Speedway could learn a lesson there. We'll organise it better for next year though mate. I can't say i thought of the speedway today, but i did think of the banter at the NBT i'd be missing

I'm glad i never missed you then mate. I cancelled my Sheffield hotel on Friday night, and saw a cracking meeting at Berwick last night, and then went to Knockhill today for the Super Touring Car Festival instead. I've seen some great racing this weekend!

The one day of the year that i'm actually happy to hear my alarm clock go off at 5am! I love the drive down early morning, and in the New Barrack Tavern for (almost) opening time. The drive home after checking out of the Garrison i don't enjoy quite so much, haha! Great line up. Should be a cracking day

That was quite a good meeting. No passing as such, but some close racing and the scoreline was never that great that i lost interest. I've seen us get a good few thumpings up there, but that's twice i've seen Berwick hit 40 at Armadale THIS SEASON !!! Great finish to Heat 13 too. Plenty of applause from all around me. I'm just glad it was on with some of the showers we've had today. I had another three minute monsoon when i was driving home after the meeting. Apparently it's July!