Wolverhampton v Peterborough - Prem Mon 22nd July

[Fortythirtyeight 838]

 

How can something be sorted if there isn't qualified/ experienced people to sort it?

There is no ' training scheme ' for the skill of track preparation. The few good ones still around are constantly bombarded with calls begging them to sort a track out somewhere in the country, usually for a pittance of a fee , and they are getting on in age doing a very physical job.

The Wolverhampton curator, Terry , does Wolves, Redcar and up until a week ago Birmingham. He has been asked to 'sort out' Stoke, Isle of Wight, Glasgow and a few others over this season already by the SCB and promoters and he is just one man relying on the track concerned to provide him with the machinery and the shale to do the job right. It has taken him years to learn his trade ,mainly from Doc Bridgett, but there is no apprentice scheme so when he retires who takes up the role?

The powers that be can't sort out the rule book never mind the tracks.

[Muffins Mum 0]

4 hours ago, Fortythirtyeight said:

What modern track curators?

Their average age must be 60 plus! Only one you could consider as being young is Jonathan Swales at much slated Newcastle ( the track shape is not his fault )

My nearest track tell me they are still getting their shale from the same source they have used for the last five years and never had an issue with supply . It's more a case of transport costs of the shale than the article and knowing how to lay it once you have it. Too many tracks lack a proper, time experienced track man who actually knows how to lay, repair and prepare a track rather than just grade it and water it.

its a ' black art' and a dying one at that.

.....you had one - designed and built tracks - both here and abroad - unfortunately free is deemed better in this game.

[Fortythirtyeight 838]

50 minutes ago, Muffins Mum said:

.....you had one - designed and built tracks - both here and abroad - unfortunately free is deemed better in this game.

Who? Hope your not talking about short cut G.T.? 

[Muffins Mum 0]

32 minutes ago, Fortythirtyeight said:

Who? Hope your not talking about short cut G.T.? 

Hahaha - enlighten me - who is G.T.? 

[Call me wolfie 677]

5 hours ago, Lefty said:

A well run show last night. All 15 heats ran without a single re-start needed. Praise to the referee and riders for that.

Given the longer interval of 25 mins for BEN fund collection and kids entertainment it was still all done and dusted in under two hours. 

It was indeed, also interesting that all the talk of track prep has surfaced again when actually I thought the track was excellent last night. Lots of decent racing and plenty of passes from the off. 

[Fortythirtyeight 838]

3 hours ago, Muffins Mum said:

Hahaha - enlighten me - who is G.T.? 

Ex rider, built Somerset , Redcar and possibly Leicester . Who were you referring too?

[Fortythirtyeight 838]

2 hours ago, Call me wolfie said:

It was indeed, also interesting that all the talk of track prep has surfaced again when actually I thought the track was excellent last night. Lots of decent racing and plenty of passes from the off. 

That's because the Trackman is the afore mentioned Terry!

[Muffins Mum 0]

1 hour ago, Fortythirtyeight said:

Ex rider, built Somerset , Redcar and possibly Leicester . Who were you referring too?

....thats the guy - a.k.a Glyn - I call him “my other half”......you were saying?

[Fourentee 987]

11 hours ago, Thecatalyst said:

Don't know what type of shale if any they use in Poland, but very sandy, and takes lots of water.  Has anyone over here tried giving polands mix a go? 

Steve Lawson at Workington brought back a coffee cup full last year! I believe he had it analysed and then sourced its domestic equivalent. Certainly a lot of praise for the Derwent Park circuit last season.

[Fortythirtyeight 838]

10 hours ago, Muffins Mum said:

....thats the guy - a.k.a Glyn - I call him “my other half”......you were saying?

Then you will be aware of his strengths and his weakness's.

[Rob B 1,245]

22 hours ago, Fortythirtyeight said:

What modern track curators?

Their average age must be 60 plus! Only one you could consider as being young is Jonathan Swales at much slated Newcastle ( the track shape is not his fault )

My nearest track tell me they are still getting their shale from the same source they have used for the last five years and never had an issue with supply . It's more a case of transport costs of the shale than the article and knowing how to lay it once you have it. Too many tracks lack a proper, time experienced track man who actually knows how to lay, repair and prepare a track rather than just grade it and water it.

its a ' black art' and a dying one at that.

You are forgetting about 'young' Andy Meredith at Belle Vue who prepares best track in the country. Obviously learnt it all from his dad Colin.

[noaksey 343]

Wolves track curator is Harry Clinton according to the prog 

[SPEEDY69 1,250]

On 7/23/2019 at 10:31 AM, stevebrum said:

I agree the bikes do struggle with the tracks here as well but that’s been an issue for a while now.

The lack of suitable shale over the past 2 seasons as seen quite a rise in fans of the home clubs complaining about the poor racing and acknowledged by a lot of promoters. There are still tracks that still get praise tho (like NSS, Peterborough, Scunthorpe) so for me the current issue was tracks as well as the current bikes.

That may well be true but having seen many of the Swedish meetings this year, they have by and large been awful as well - cannot be the same shale.  Maybe it's always been that way but we're just expecting too much these days.  When I ask for a burger people seem horrified if I don't add cheese, relish, tomato, gherkin etc. - I do stretch to onions  Years ago life seemed simpler.

[stevebrum 6,820]

23 minutes ago, SPEEDY69 said:

That may well be true but having seen many of the Swedish meetings this year, they have by and large been awful as well - cannot be the same shale.  Maybe it's always been that way but we're just expecting too much these days.  When I ask for a burger people seem horrified if I don't add cheese, relish, tomato, gherkin etc. - I do stretch to onions  Years ago life seemed simpler.

I must admit quite a lot of the Swedish meetings are overrated although late on they can offer good racing and sometimes the odd great match.  

We are a nation of moaners now so of course if every match (or game dependant on sport) isn’t full of quality action they will be met with torrents of complaints. Sometimes the consumer expects to much!

[foreverblue 6,081]

33 minutes ago, SPEEDY69 said:

That may well be true but having seen many of the Swedish meetings this year, they have by and large been awful as well - cannot be the same shale.  Maybe it's always been that way but we're just expecting too much these days.  When I ask for a burger people seem horrified if I don't add cheese, relish, tomato, gherkin etc. - I do stretch to onions  Years ago life seemed simpler.

And it seems quite a few have pretty low crowd levels too.