Belle Vue 2016

[PHILIPRISING 7,298]

Philip Rising's post above is no doubt a reasonable view of where we stand.

And there is no doubt that rather than being a guest of the management his skills would have been much better employed actually handing the PR side for DG and CM. They need someone in that department desparately.

 

The single fact that I am most surprised about is that revealed about the track.

We now learn that all the meticulous plans going back years had at the heart this rather bizarre element.

That the Soeedway track was going to be totally constructed and prepared for opening night by contractors who have nothing to do with a Speedway at all.

 

An English international of vast experience is a promoter and an SCB track inspector is the usual track curator.

But they were NEVER going to lay the track.

 

At least in Warsaw the track only went wrong after a genuine expert had tried his best to get it right.

 

Here is was being done by Paddy Murphy and his gang.

 

We were really very lucky that they got so much if it right, weren't we?

NOT exactly Paddy Murphy and his gang ... laying the base for the track was part of the whole construction remit and required considerable expertise not just by someone used to maintaining a speedway track but more akin to laying a road... laser guided machinery to ensure the right level of banking and levels all round. Of course, once the base was laid, Colin Meredith could supervise the laying of the actual racing surface.

[OveFundinFan 4,137]

The single fact that I am most surprised about is that revealed about the track.

We now learn that all the meticulous plans going back years had at the heart this rather bizarre element.

That the Soeedway track was going to be totally constructed and prepared for opening night by contractors who have nothing to do with a Speedway at all.

 

 

It has been stated the track laying was the responsibility of contractors.

Where has it been said the the contractors had no knowledge or experience of laying speedway tracks???.

I am in the dark as much as everyone else appears to be, but my mind tells me if I was the contractor with the responsibility to lay the track I would look at the resources I had. If none of those had track laying experience to a high level what would I do - employ some person(s) that had.

 

Too many assumptions going round here from too many people who are not in possession of all the facts of what really was going on through the contract leading up to Saturday night.

 

And if you think BV on Saturday night was a big mess, look at whats happened in Belgium this morning.

Last week in Brussels the leader of the attack on Paris last year was arrested.

It seems obvious that at least Belgium would put themselves on high alert, expecting some comeback for arresting that guy. But news reports, if true, say Belgium have only now put themselves on high alert.

Much more serious then postponement of a speedway meeting.

[Aces51 2,778]

On a slightly different aspect, interesting to see that an edited version of David Gordon's press release now appears on the BSPA website.

 

Interesting because his comments about the BSPA/SCB statement appear to have been censored and do not appear. My confidence in an impartial investigation grows by the minute.

[orion 7,612]

. My confidence in an impartial investigation grows by the minute.

In other words when it's found out that Belle Vue were at fault ( thou we know that already ) you can claim some kind of conspiracy .

[Aces51 2,778]

In other words when it's found out that Belle Vue were at fault ( thou we know that already ) you can claim some kind of conspiracy .

You're doing exactly what the BSPA/SCB has done, deciding guilt before knowing all of the facts. I prefer to wait and believe in the presumption of innocence on which our system of justice is founded.

 

If I think the findings of any enquiry are wrong there will be no conspiracy theory from me, it will be plain and simple, that those making the determination were biased and the evidence for that is literally now in black and white. What sort of open and democratic organisation censors a right of reply from those it has accused.

 

I daresay you'll be thinking of replying along the lines that you know enough to decide but plainly that is now known to be untrue. Until yesterday who knew that the problem was the sub base, nothing to do with the track needing time to settle. Any advice the promotion may or may not have received from the "experts" about the cause of the problem has proved to be wrong.

Edited March 22, 2016 by Aces51

[Starman2006 2,354]

I still think that track looked ok.

 

 

It seems criticism comes with a sense of glee from certain quarters. Some of the reactions are way over the top

Nobodys gloating mate, its just total incompetence. The track may have looked ok to you, but how it rode is another matter.

[Vic Meldrew 76]

In other words when it's found out that Belle Vue were at fault ( thou we know that already ) you can claim some kind of conspiracy .

 

Hello Eddie Shoestring - looks like your investigative skills are waning.

 

We do not have any real facts/explanations yet. Wait for the true facts to emerge before you jump to conclusions.

 

Suggest you change your name to (m) orion (ic) leaving out the first "i".

[Grand Central 2,654]

NOT exactly Paddy Murphy and his gang ... laying the base for the track was part of the whole construction remit and required considerable expertise not just by someone used to maintaining a speedway track but more akin to laying a road... laser guided machinery to ensure the right level of banking and levels all round. Of course, once the base was laid, Colin Meredith could supervise the laying of the actual racing surface.

.

I genuinely do not doubt a single word you say.

 

And I am equally genuinely grateful to you that my tongue-in-cheek provocation results in such a measured and reasonable explanation of more detail.

 

It just does lead me to reiterate how beneficial it would be, all round, if this sort of rational understanding was being offered from the official sources rather than by yourself.

 

A statement written in the right manner, as you have just done, would have been so much better if it carried Mr Gordon's own name.

Edited March 22, 2016 by Grand Central

[BWitcher 12,453]

You're doing exactly what the BSPA/SCB has done, deciding guilt before knowing all of the facts. I prefer to wait and believe in the presumption of innocence on which our system of justice is founded.

 

If I think the findings of any enquiry are wrong there will be no conspiracy theory from me, it will be plain and simple, that those making the determination were biased and the evidence for that is literally now in black and white. What sort of open and democratic organisation censors a right of reply from those it has accused.

 

I daresay you'll be thinking of replying along the lines that you know enough to decide but plainly that is now known to be untrue. Until yesterday who knew that the problem was the sub base, nothing to do with the track needing time to settle. Any advice the promotion may or may not have received from the "experts" about the cause of the problem has proved to be wrong.

 

 

Belle Vue were the promoters of the meeting, as such it is their responsibility to ensure everything is in place for the meeting to go ahead.

 

That means thoroughly testing and checking all areas to ensure there will be no major problems on the day.

 

They failed to do that.

 

Whether or not the track, or base of the track, was not put down correctly by contractors is neither here nor there. It was the Belle Vue promotions responsibility to have checked this before running a meeting.

 

Belle Vue and some of its fans are doing themselves no favours at all by continuing this facade.

 

An error was made, it obviously wasn't intentional and no doubt too much faith was put into the contractors to get the job right. Some testing was done, clearly not enough to truly identify if the track was fit to race. It's a damn unfortunate chain of events.

 

What is needed now, or was needed was damage control and the subsequent statement from Belle Vue only enflamed the situation further. The post that Philip Rising made explains things far better, indeed E I Addio also posted something that the Belle Vue promotion could have used.

 

On the plus side, the facility looks magnificent, personally I still can't wait to visit later in the year and my enthusiasm for that visit hasn't been damaged in any way, shape or form.

 

I was truly gutted when I learned of these events on Saturday night, I truly hope Belle Vue can get over this and get things up and running at the stadium and that it hasn't done too much damage long term.

 

Continued denials of responsibility won't help.

Edited March 22, 2016 by BWitcher

[PHILIPRISING 7,298]

THANK you ... just trying to salvage something out of Saturday's debris because I honestly do believe that while the scars will remain we will still live to enjoy the whole experience of the National Speedway Stadium and, hopefully, a fantastic Speedway World Cup there.

[Stoke Potter 242]

No doubt Plymouth shutting is also David Gordon's fault!

[erniew 163]

Philip, were you able to inspect the whole stadium, or just the Grandstand and bar area? I was on the South terracing and magnificent is certainly not the word i would have used, new, yes but of questionable quality and apparently the ladies facilities were not supplied with water or toilet rolls, the car park, which Belle Vue patrons pay a season ticket charge for,was still half full of portakabins and construction materials so they couldn't park. It wasn't only the track that wasn't ready. Regarding the track, the rut on turn 3 appeared after the first 4 riders practice and would only have got worse very quickly.

[Star Lady 5,400]

 

 

Plainly the track should have undergone a more rigorous test by more that two riders, who apparently had differing views, one saying that he rode it flat out and it was fine.

 

 

 

 

So would it be correct to assume that the other rider didn't think it was fine? because that's what your statement implies

 

 

I did wonder whether it was suggested to the riders that if the offending areas, around the white line, were conned off that, given how wide and banked the corners are, there would still have been sufficient racing room.

 

 

Really after what happened to Chris Louis when a cone was left on a track!

[A ORLOV 8,628]

 

 

So would it be correct to assume that the other rider didn't think it was fine? because that's what your statement implies

 

 

 

Really after what happened to Chris Louis when a cone was left on a track!

That was funny, also a bit dangerous, but all the riders managed to ride round it.

[PHILIPRISING 7,298]

Nobodys gloating mate, its just total incompetence. The track may have looked ok to you, but how it rode is another matter.

MIGHT just point out that the hole in the Poole track, which seems to have been there forever, is apparently still there and riders aren't happy about it.

 

 

So would it be correct to assume that the other rider didn't think it was fine? because that's what your statement implies

 

 

 

Really after what happened to Chris Louis when a cone was left on a track!

ENTIRELY different ... for starters, he didn't know it was there.

Philip, were you able to inspect the whole stadium, or just the Grandstand and bar area? I was on the South terracing and magnificent is certainly not the word i would have used, new, yes but of questionable quality and apparently the ladies facilities were not supplied with water or toilet rolls, the car park, which Belle Vue patrons pay a season ticket charge for,was still half full of portakabins and construction materials so they couldn't park. It wasn't only the track that wasn't ready. Regarding the track, the rut on turn 3 appeared after the first 4 riders practice and would only have got worse very quickly.

 

Philip, were you able to inspect the whole stadium, or just the Grandstand and bar area? I was on the South terracing and magnificent is certainly not the word i would have used, new, yes but of questionable quality and apparently the ladies facilities were not supplied with water or toilet rolls, the car park, which Belle Vue patrons pay a season ticket charge for,was still half full of portakabins and construction materials so they couldn't park. It wasn't only the track that wasn't ready. Regarding the track, the rut on turn 3 appeared after the first 4 riders practice and would only have got worse very quickly.

ADMITTEDLY I didn't go to the south terracing and if there were teething troubles there need to be reported and rectified. But the pit area is terrific, both in terms of space and lighting, the floodlights are terrific, there is wi-fi available throughout the main grandstand at least. Car parking was always going to be a problem (tried parking at a London football club?) and despite having a car park pass I couldn't get in at 3.10 pm but was offered free parking at the adjacent school just a few yards away.