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LittleSpeed

Airhorn Thoughts

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Hi All,
 
I'm relatively new to Speedway and even newer to Air Horns!
 
Just a quick query, what is the general feeling/ protocol of air horns at speedway?
 
Our local track actively encourage them, however I like to be nice and try and check with our nearest neighbour if they have an issue with this, firstly should I do this? If I came up to you and said I had an air horn is that ok, would you just think I was odd?
 
Secondly at a recent meeting we were standing in our spot and used the air horn. There was a family with a baby who had turned up after us (so we had not positioned ourselves purposely near them) and I hadn't spotted them until it became obvious they were looking our way. After a few glances they start moving away. I felt bad that we must have upset them, so just wondering other people's thoughts.
 
I really enjoy Speedway and want to have a nice time / try not to annoy any fellow spectators so yeah just wondering what people think re air horns.
 
Thank you

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They were once very popular at speedway and used to creat a great atmosphere...not sure what the status is today however what with "noise nuisance" legislation and local by laws etc?

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Are you going to the British GP in Cardiff? If so prepare to be deafened. :D Air horns are great and help to create atmosphere but some tracks don't allow them.  You sound nice and conscientious so as long as you are pointing it upwards and not in someone's ear I would go ahead.  If you gradually find you're standing on your own  you will know other fans don't appreciate the noise. :P

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No air horns allowed at Berwick due planning consent 

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Not a fan of Air Horns.

Why do folk have to make a noise that upsets others who have no choice in the matter?

Sorry - but I would ban them.

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At cradley heath ,they used to have to beginning od wipeout , looped so than in the event of a cradley 5-1  they could play it as a derogotory jingle . we made a taped loop of the same thing .and took a ghetto blaster with us . when the beess got 5-1 s over them we pressed play on ghetto blaster !!!  wore a set of batteries out in no time :D

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2 hours ago, Gemini said:

Are you going to the British GP in Cardiff? If so prepare to be deafened. :D Air horns are great and help to create atmosphere but some tracks don't allow them.  You sound nice and conscientious so as long as you are pointing it upwards and not in someone's ear I would go ahead.  If you gradually find you're standing on your own  you will know other fans don't appreciate the noise. :P

Todays airhorns ,the ones you blow into are nowhere near as loud as the gas ones we used to use .Happy days at World Finals at Bradford and abroad and the Cardiff GP many years ago.. Ahh happy days before Health and safety .

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Near me-no. Apart from that i am ok. Adds to the atmosphere.

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Recall my brother using an air horn in the glass stand at Hsckney and getting rebuffed! Got the last laugh though...'The Rebels' were victorious!

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I'm for them. Even 5 or 6 air horns make a difference in a league meeting.

The riders hear them too.

Edited by Bald Bloke
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2 hours ago, iwright71 said:

Todays airhorns ,the ones you blow into are nowhere near as loud as the gas ones we used to use .Happy days at World Finals at Bradford and abroad and the Cardiff GP many years ago.. Ahh happy days before Health and safety .

Are they different now? Haven't been to a GP since I got Lucy in 2010. 

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11 hours ago, LittleSpeed said:
I really enjoy Speedway and want to have a nice time / try not to annoy any fellow spectators so yeah just wondering what people think re air horns.

The trouble is that while I respect the views of others, it doesn't mean that they are right - or have the right to stop others enjoying themselves.  I know that sounds harsh, but there are of course places where people SHOULDN'T be loud and obnoxious, such as walking down the street, on a bus, in a quiet park etc.  However, when you are at a sporting event, and you are supporting your favourites against the favourites of others, then it's all part of the fun!

If you ban air horns, then where does it stop?  Do we ban all noisemakers and instruments?  Shouting and cheering can be loud.  Do we ban them? Chants and war cries can annoy people. Do we ban them?  Should we just restrict it to polite applause?  I'm sure there are some miserable gits who would find THAT too much...

When I were a lad on t' terraces, I rigged up a large programme board with four or five air horns all connected to a single can.  Boy, I was loud, and the can used to last summat like four races!  Okay, slight exaggeration, but you get my drift...  Plus, I had a bugle (and I was pretty good on it, if I do say so myself!), and a very large and heavy bell.

Not long after I moved to the US, some rotten manky bahsta' broke into my dad's garage and stole the lot! :mad:  Thinking about it,  judging by his comments above, it was probably The White Knight!!! :rolleyes:

What made it worse was that they stole all my fishing gear, including some very old and rare (and very valuable) rods, but I digress....

Steve

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 Know one remember the Wembley roar back in the 50’s and 60’s when just cheering  and rattles (and I don’t mean babies rattles). 

No air horns then (thank goodness), but the atmosphere was fantastic. I stopped going to speedway early 80’s so probably missed the years when air horns got popular and developed into really loud devices.  Wife and I went to Cardiff in 2013-14-15 and the air horn noise was very loud, wife used to hate it and I was uncomfortable with it, and no one was really behind us blasting in our ear.  We were not young then, mid 60’s, and our hearing would have deteriorated from our younger days (I wore earring aid since 2000).  If we had been near the centre of the noise makers what would have been enjoyable speedway would have been unbearable.

i am used to noise, younger days I was in heavy engineering, and then had a grass track bike in the days just before silencers came into the sport, so in a busy paddock most weekends in the summer. But the air horn noise far surpassed all that.  Not a good environment, and I just wonder how many of those subject to regular air horn noise (like the Polish fans) will really suffer in later life.

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The atmosphere at speedway meetings needs a rocket up its ar$e - make as much noise as possible and get others to join you too :lol:

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21 minutes ago, dontforgetthefueltapsbruv said:

The atmosphere at speedway meetings needs a rocket up its ar$e - make as much noise as possible and get others to join you too :lol:

I do recall on one occasion a Coventry fan(s) blowing metal whistles at Cowley on at least one occasion...that got on my nerves I have to say!

Edited by steve roberts

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