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I used to frequent the toilets down the bank on the exit of the fourth bend!

To much imformation mate... :D

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And at old Leicester (Blackbird Rd) think it was 10p or 15p to transfer from the uncovered terraces to the covered terraces and grandstand.... Again, they used to open the transfer gate after around heat 10, but they always opened the stadium gates around heat 10!! So you could walk in, watch 3 heats of the match, and the whole 2nd half, which had star of the night, which had 3 qualifying races, from which the race winners & the fastest 2nd place contested the final. It also contained 2 reserve races, a 3 heat Lions cubs match.. And then, the novices came out!! old battered bikes, torn black leathers, who screamed round the track, sometimes crashing horrifically!! (They usually stopped after rendering the safety fence unservicable, or the floodlights were turned off!!

 

So, a full night was usually:

13 heat league match

9 or 10 second half races

20 ish minutes of complete novices!

 

Very good value.

And if you didn't want to pay or couldn't afford it, you could see the last 2 or 3 races from the main match, and the whole 2nd half and novices for free!!!

 

How many new fans were gained from seeing those latter races for free?

 

Something to learn from that?

Edited by Shale Searcher
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Used to annoy me promotions that charged a two rate system...Poole comes to mind if one wished to sit in the grand stand as did Coventry and Peterborough amongst others If I recall?

 

Can't ever remember paying extra for the stand at EoES for Panthers' meetings. It costs more to sit in the stand for shared events, or whatever they're called, like the4s and World Team Cup events.

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Were you there in 1968 GB v Sweden?..more queuing to climb in on the bog roof than at the turnstiles. Official attendance around 12000...more like 15000 packed onto the Abbey grassbanks.

No i first went with my uncle he loved speedway and Briggo but i did not go to that GB v Sweden meeting.I can remember the New Zealand v Sweden test meeting packed one in 72 Briggo injured and one 73 Briggo rode he scored 8 great days.Beefy you know more about the size of crowds than me England v USA at Swindon for a few years was jam packed solid massive crowds.

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No i first went with my uncle he loved speedway and Briggo but i did not go to that GB v Sweden meeting.I can remember the New Zealand v Sweden test meeting packed one in 72 Briggo injured and one 73 Briggo rode he scored 8 great days.Beefy you know more about the size of crowds than me England v USA at Swindon for a few years was jam packed solid massive crowds.

An England USA meeting probably in the 80s was the main one I remember where you could not move, there must have been 15,000+ fans there, what was a surprise was how many USA flags there were, a lot must have come from the USA base at Fairford.

Edited by A ORLOV

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Was there a point at Dudley Wood where you paid extra to get into the side where the starting gate was or am I imagining that

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A lot of british fans used to support the yanks in those days. I thought it was very unpatriotic at the time.

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To much imformation mate... :D

Ah but you remember these things when you were a lad...like the fact that the one at Poole I remember not having a light which caused an obvious dilemma!

 

 

Can't ever remember paying extra for the stand at EoES for Panthers' meetings. It costs more to sit in the stand for shared events, or whatever they're called, like the4s and World Team Cup events.

I may have been incorrect...memory and all that but wasn't it the case during the 70's?

Was there a point at Dudley Wood where you paid extra to get into the side where the starting gate was or am I imagining that

...or those that didn't pay at all viewing from above the third and fourth bends if i recall. Was it known as Scotsman's Hill or something or other?

Edited by steve roberts

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Was there a point at Dudley Wood where you paid extra to get into the side where the starting gate was or am I imagining that

No your mind is ok. I was very young but do remember that once you had got in you had to pay again to get over to the other side.Hence i was always on the cheap side.

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Can remember England v Usa around 1981, a lot of USA banners displayed by English fans. England were behind but a great display by then Robin Stevie Bastable and Lee and Jessup smashed the yanks, who lost the series. Wasnt a big crowd there that night.

Biggest I've seen at The Abbey was late 70s, think it was Golden Helmet showdown between Crump and Collins and a league match. The gates were shut, it was said there were 16-17000 inside and hundreds locked out, fantastic atmosphere. Swindon took hundreds to away matches, 500 travelled on the Mad Wellie Express train up to Edinburgh with riders and bikes. Be lucky to get 50 travelling now. But still one of speedways best supported clubs.

Edited by beefy keefy
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No your mind is ok. I was very young but do remember that once you had got in you had to pay again to get over to the other side.Hence i was always on the cheap side.

 

The Heated Seated and Licensed Grandstand! Yes you had to pay to get in, that is why the Bar on the first bend had a wrought iron fence through the middle of it! To keep the great unwashed in the cheap part of the stadium. We couldn't even access the toilets in that building originally. There is a picture in existance of people seating right up to the kennels, which shows the whole of the home straight as seated at one point, now I never saw that so it was before 1969!

Edited by BUDGIE

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The sadly missed Newport must've been the last when they charged 50p to sit in the stand

You have to pay £1 to go on the stand at Kings Lynn: the only place where you can see over that bloody fence!

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I may have been incorrect...memory and all that but wasn't it the case during the 70's?

 

No.

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No.

Thank you!

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