Redcar V Glasgow 28th July 7.30 Pm

[boz 316]

Great win for the Bears - for the second home meeting on the bounce I thought the tactical had screwed us over.

 

Possibly fair to say the reserves were the difference, paid 9 from the excellent Bewley against the 0 from Phillips. Great battling display from the Bears though and Bellego and Bjerre were superb all night. I have said it before but Bellego is a joy to watch around the STMP and I'd be knocking on his door very heavily for next season already.

 

Thought Lawson and Summers had their worst Redcar meetings in a while, but would probably still have gone with them for heat 15.

 

Not the most passing in the world, but plenty of close racing and the close score towards the end kept it exciting.

[damosuzuki 696]

dunno why Summers wasn't in heat 15 just looking at the scores. CertainlyBach and Worral were terrific together last night but seems a strange one.

[boz 316]

Have to admit, we thought the same. Not complaining mind!

[Solidmango 188]

I suspect Stewart went with Worrall and Bach as they had 2 race wins each as opposed to the 1 each that Lawson and Summers had. Sounded like it was a bit gate and go.

[BuxtonTiger 122]

Lawson was injured after all the fun in heat 1.

[chopper 88]

Ok im not going to go into the wrongs of the number 7 rule , ive done that elsewhere but i draw the line at having a kid spend all day prepping bikes, driving 121 miles so 242 miles return, get bikes ready , gear on tyre changed , organised mechanic turned up at a cost to him , ready to go on track walk then told he cant ride.

Surely the powers that be can do better than that.

 

Chopper

[damosuzuki 696]

the #7's is a good thing but guests should be if the average fits use. It would have to be monitored closely but it would at least be a bit more fair.

[Mad Max 216]

Ok im not going to go into the wrongs of the number 7 rule , ive done that elsewhere but i draw the line at having a kid spend all day prepping bikes, driving 121 miles so 242 miles return, get bikes ready , gear on tyre changed , organised mechanic turned up at a cost to him , ready to go on track walk then told he cant ride.

Surely the powers that be can do better than that.

 

Chopper

 

 

Without knowing any of the background to how events unfolded I would pose a simple question

 

when booking rider to guest at #7

a) had confirmation been given by "powers that be" that this was acceptable and the rider eligible, or

b ) had Glasgow just assumed he was eligible

 

if a) then I agree totally with your comment, if b ) then I think you should be pointing your frustration in a different direction (although I would say it could come back to rule(s) not being very clear!)

Edited July 29, 2016 by Mad Max

[cyclone 943]

the #7's is a good thing but guests should be if the average fits use. It would have to be monitored closely but it would at least be a bit more fair.

The problem is that #7's have two protected races (2 & 4) against their opposite no. 7, so it could be argued that this arrangement is different from anyone that is not a #7 whose average might fit.

[Shadders 4,134]

Ok im not going to go into the wrongs of the number 7 rule , ive done that elsewhere but i draw the line at having a kid spend all day prepping bikes, driving 121 miles so 242 miles return, get bikes ready , gear on tyre changed , organised mechanic turned up at a cost to him , ready to go on track walk then told he cant ride.

Surely the powers that be can do better than that.

 

Chopper

Pretty sure Robs average is no more than Lee Paynes, so the ruling doesn't make sense

[Halifaxtiger 5,318]

 

 

Not the most passing in the world, but plenty of close racing and the close score towards the end kept it exciting.

 

I think you are right here - it was exciting because it was close but the racing was somewhat poor. Some might say that chasing back wheels is as good as passing but if you know that they can't pass the race is over after bend 2, and that's how it was (mostly) last night.

 

The sadness is STMP used to be a very fine race track - which means it could be again. The meeting against Plymouth last season, for instance, was one of the best that I saw in 2015. Its just a pity that they don't put the effort in to make it as good as it can be.

 

Big thanks for the weather report. Rained all the way up until it stopped just north of Yarm.

[Cubsforever 16]

The riders decide how they want a track preparing, and that's usually the case at all tracks. They want it how it is, slick! , Hence the improved performances from the home riders. When it was deep they didn't like it, neither did the majority of the fans watching.

Track maintenance is a black art and you will never prepare a track that suits all 7 riders.

Rain was forecast from 10am that day, it didn't come, so watering wasn't as heavily done as it usually is but the track was still good.

Plenty of effort goes into that track, from volunteers who don't get paid a penny. The budget at Redcar is well known so there isn't a paid track man or any paid staff at all.

Personally, and I was stood in the pits, I saw plenty of overtakes for those riders who know who to do it and thought it was a great match and none of the riders made any complaint about the track ( plenty of former Bears on show).

Even Bjerre didn't complain!

Having seen the World Cup meeting last night from Belle Vue, on a deep track, there was little or no entertainment at all!

The days of deep tracks are gone ( sadly) as modern machines and riders can't ride them.

[Halifaxtiger 5,318]

The riders decide how they want a track preparing, and that's usually the case at all tracks. They want it how it is, slick! , Hence the improved performances from the home riders. When it was deep they didn't like it, neither did the majority of the fans watching.

Track maintenance is a black art and you will never prepare a track that suits all 7 riders.

Rain was forecast from 10am that day, it didn't come, so watering wasn't as heavily done as it usually is but the track was still good.

Plenty of effort goes into that track, from volunteers who don't get paid a penny. The budget at Redcar is well known so there isn't a paid track man or any paid staff at all.

Personally, and I was stood in the pits, I saw plenty of overtakes for those riders who know who to do it and thought it was a great match and none of the riders made any complaint about the track ( plenty of former Bears on show).

Even Bjerre didn't complain!

Having seen the World Cup meeting last night from Belle Vue, on a deep track, there was little or no entertainment at all!

The days of deep tracks are gone ( sadly) as modern machines and riders can't ride them.

 

That's where Redcar are going wrong. Tracks should be prepared for those watching a meeting, not those taking part. After all, since when do the needs of paid employees come above those of paying customers ?

 

Prepare the track for racing (neither slick nor deep) not how riders want it and that goes for every circuit in the country, not just Redcar. Fans want to see good racing (preferably with a home win) and in my experience tracks good for racing and what riders want are not necessarily the same thing. If riders don't like it (and as long as it isn't dangerous), tough. As the great Ivan Mauger once said, 'a track's a track. Ride it'.

 

Certain riders regarded Scunthorpe's track of the season win last year with derision and amusement. Says everything about the differing views of fans and riders, because I think it is viewed by speedway fans as by far the best in the country.

 

Track preparation is a highly skilled job and refusing to pay someone who has the necessary skill and expertise is a massively false economy. STMP could be (and has been) a superb racing track but for the last few years (principally since Havelock took over) with a few exceptions its been nowhere near as good as that.

 

I hear all sorts of excuses about why tracks are rubbish and they usually involve wind, sun, rain and stock cars. At Scunny two weeks ago they had a stock car meeting on the Saturday and Sunday was a hot, windy day. Read the reports about just how fantastic that meeting against Edinburgh was. The same goes (without the stock cars) at Peterborough for the PL fours

 

Scunthorpe and Peterborough don't have a magic wand. If they can do it, so can everyone else.

[Cubsforever 16]

That a very simplistic view of track preparation and who's decision it is. Knowing four ' track- men' from around the country only one gets paid and they all prepare the track to the home riders requirements, not the crowd.

Even when Redcar had a paid track man, not everybody was happy and Redcar is built on rubbish tip with no special base and sits next to a large river which creates its own issues.

Scunthorpe is a great racing track but it's not deep, it's the type of shale they use that some riders don't like. Personally I think it's good, but it certainly does not attract a bigger crowd because of track preparation although it produces great racing.

The internet is full of praise for the quality of racing at Redcar this season. It appears every season we have a struggling team the racing is good because the home riders have to fight for every point. Even Mr.Havelock's biggest critics who have attended recently have made comment on the quality of the racing.

Peterbrough was not prepared for the crowds benefit but was prepared very well for the whole weekend by very knowledgable track staff.

It appears Redcar and many others don't do what you want them to do, probably all for the same reasons, lack of cash and riders demands.

[Halifaxtiger 5,318]

That a very simplistic view of track preparation and who's decision it is. Knowing four ' track- men' from around the country only one gets paid and they all prepare the track to the home riders requirements, not the crowd.

Even when Redcar had a paid track man, not everybody was happy and Redcar is built on rubbish tip with no special base and sits next to a large river which creates its own issues.

Scunthorpe is a great racing track but it's not deep, it's the type of shale they use that some riders don't like. Personally I think it's good, but it certainly does not attract a bigger crowd because of track preparation although it produces great racing.

The internet is full of praise for the quality of racing at Redcar this season. It appears every season we have a struggling team the racing is good because the home riders have to fight for every point. Even Mr.Havelock's biggest critics who have attended recently have made comment on the quality of the racing.

Peterbrough was not prepared for the crowds benefit but was prepared very well for the whole weekend by very knowledgable track staff.

It appears Redcar and many others don't do what you want them to do, probably all for the same reasons, lack of cash and riders demands.

 

That's because preparing tracks to suit paying customers needs rather than those of paid employees is a simple concept.

 

I have known two trackmen. Bob Ellis of Ipswich/Mildenhall is one and I pretty sure he gets paid. He prepares a track for racing, not riders - I have actually seen him tell a rider in no uncertain terms where he can go when he has tried to interfere. The other was Robert Huggins (known as Huggy) an acknowledged expert in track curation who loss to speedway is a bad one. No-one - absolutely no-one - told him how to prepare a track.

 

Scunthorpe most certainly does attract bigger crowds because of the quality of the racing, a direct result of quality preparation. Indeed, I sometimes think that neutrals in the crowd outnumber the home support and am pretty sure that without them the track would have closed by now. When I went against Ipswich, I was with a Berwick fan, a Sheffield one and an IOW one. Against Edinburgh, a Sheffield fan and a Workington one.

 

Peterborough was prepared for racing, not home riders and that's one of the principle reasons why the meeting was out of the top drawer.

 

This post on the SWC thread regarding Belle Vue says it all:

 

​'When considering 1,000's of fans are appreciative of the brilliant racing that Saturday produced, it just goes to show how important the track man is to the promotion of speedway. When the track is as good as last night, the concept of speedway is far more exciting and easy to sell. Promoters doing cost cutting on track preparation and the materials they use are on false pretence, when in fact they are destroying the excitement that fans crave for'.

 

The one thing that is consistent about the view of the Redcar fans that I know is that when Havelock took over the quality of the racing declined dramatically (apparently due to the wishes of Havelock junior). It has improved since but is still nowhere near as good as it was under Van Straaten and Taylor.

 

STMP has been and can be again a superb race track and penny pinching on the quality of preparation is nothing less than a false economy that, in the end, will backfire.

Edited July 31, 2016 by Halifaxtiger