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Kent 2022

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18 minutes ago, Old Crusader said:

Jack I see has signed for Mildenhall.

He has but doesn't mean i think he is any better prepared for NDL racing.

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Back to kent and huge credit to those where its due. Si Kellow has stepped up and delivered a competitive team at a venue at short notice when speedway in the south east looked buried. Graham at Iwade has transformed a once patchy bumpy track into a smooth fast surface with multiple lines. 

The volunteers who helped along every step of the way must all be delighted with the opening crowd and if most keep returning plus visitors then numbers should be strong throughout the year.

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On 4/18/2022 at 9:21 AM, marko said:

Feel sorry for any Hammers fans who went.

Staved of speedway for 4 years and you get a long drawn out meeting with six riders and rider replacement.

All the things that we used to detest about the sport.

 

 

I totally understand your comments but, as a Hammers fan who was present yesterday, it was an enjoyable day. 
Dont get me wrong, the meeting went on for a long time , longer than I had ever known previously. But, it was good to see The Hammers represented again and to be at a meeting, for the first time since we rode those few meetings at Rye House in 2018. In addition, seeing some of the guys I stood with for years for the first time since then was tremendous.

I am not sure it was totally down to the referee for the duration of the meeting. Hammers operating R/R didn’t help , neither did the regular spills and I was told there was an issue with riders seeing the green light, how true that is I don’t know. And the air fence also deflating was again something that can’t be helped. 

As for Iwade as a venue, it is basic facilities wise but the racing was good and we were close to the action. Possibly too close judging by the amount of track that found its way onto me during the meeting! 
The upshot from yesterday was that I got the bug for Speedway back through being there and can see me going to more meetings , certainly at Iwade as I loved the venue despite its limitations and the fact I live well into Essex , and the welcome was friendly. 
I really wish the Kent promotion well in this venture - having lost so many tracks in recent times including my beloved Arena Essex, the fact that Iwade is staging competitive speedway again is a huge bonus. 
 

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On 11/21/2021 at 10:25 PM, PotteringAround said:

i'd agree, Kent Kings/Royals belong at Central Park.     Sittingbourne Crusaders sounds ideal for a team out of Iwade.

The Kent Royals title sponsor was Iwade Garage which is owned by Si Kellow. As it’s Si that has taken on the role of joint promoter with Graham from Iwade, I guess that’s why the NDL has stayed as The Royals

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I went on Sunday and heard the announcements on the back straight. Everyone seemed very helpful, all the volunteers were welcoming. The ref was too slow keeping things moving along. I understand that the air fence was given to them by Len but without blowers. Apparently the blowers they used were nearly new and all tested and working on Saturday. Equipment failure happens, it’s a shame it happened at their opening meeting. There was a wait for food which needs addressing but they were friendly and very apologetic. Perhaps some changes to the food offering is required. I went to the ladies loo on the way in. They are in a portacabin type structure, very basic and a bit tired but they were clean, there was loo roll, hot water and soap. I went again a bit later and there was a broken loo seat which meant we were using only one loo. They were a bit scruffy by then but that’s partly down to the users who had dropped tissue and rubbish on the floor. Would have liked to have had a bar, a half or two of cider always goes down well at a meeting, and agree it was a bit dull between heats, think a roaming presenter is what’s needed, someone with a bit of energy and not a monotonous voice as one of the previous kent announcers had. All in all, the racing was close, Kent won, and I am just very grateful to have league racing in Kent. If we keep on supporting them then hopefully they can improve the facilities. 

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I was there on Sunday, my first live speedway for a few years. I went with my son and we stood on the back straight just at the exit of bend 2. 

It was my first visit to Iwade, although I'd been an occasional visitor to Central Park. Given that the track has been a training track for a good number of years I wasn't expecting the facilities to be up to much, that's not a criticism it's just a fact. We didn't have to use the loo or buy food although we did have a cup of coffee and a bottle of water from the small café just by the pits.  No issues with either. We had no real problems hearing the tannoy, once we'd got used to the level, I wear two hearing aids and my hearing is flakey at the best of times but I was able to pick up the race times without too much problem..

I enjoyed being close to the action, although it was very dusty. The sunny and windy weather didn't help with the track preparation, and maintenance. The track was watered before heat 13 and by the time the race had completed, due to the 2 reruns, it was bone dry again. We certainly took our fair share of dust home with us. 

The racing was entertaining, Alfie Bowtell stood head and shoulders above everybody else although from where we were standing he looked a little fortunate to not be excluded in heat 10. I liked the look of Ben Trigger for Lakeside, he looks a good prospect.

Yes, the meeting did take too long to complete, and it was fortunate that it was a pleasant day. Having said that I'm sure that the promotion will get on top of the technical issues and the next meeting will run much smoother.

We will be back, unfortunately we can't be there on 1st May but will be there on 15th.  My relationship with live speedway has been rekindled.

 

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17 hours ago, Come on the Skipper said:

The racing was entertaining, Alfie Bowtell stood head and shoulders above everybody else although from where we were standing he looked a little fortunate to not be excluded in heat 10. I liked the look of Ben Trigger for Lakeside, he looks a good prospect.

 

 

 

Totally agree re Alfie - and good to see as he is a lovely guy. 
Is there any truth in the rumours that Trigger has had the same bike for 20 years...17 new frames and 14 new engines....but the same bike. 
I’ll get my coat....

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Went along today. Good crowd tbh I don't think many more good get in there and all get a good view.

Alfie was a class above, I wonder what happened to make him miss the two minutes in the vital heat 15?

One thing I love about Iwade is how close you get to the racing, ...no greyhound track.

One gripe, there seemed to be a long gap before the second half racing.

Si deserves  a lot of credit for getting this off the ground & deserves support.

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I went yesterday.Good to see cars queuing to get when I arrived (crowd looked decent).Went far side thought I would be fine from getting filled in with shale....ok for a couple of heats...then the shale gates flew open!!!!!!

Nice to see Leicester and Birmingham fans there (long journey?).

Bowtell class as usual...good support from Ben and Alcock.Obvious weaknesses in team (but haven`t they all).

Wonder why Kent never got Warren back?

As Finn said you do really feel close to the action.

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Good crowd,,excellent prepared track ,and some pretty decent racing for this level ..Kent have a decent side and as someone has already said there are a couple of riders that need to improve but most sides have the same problem..Mildenhall are one of the strongest sides in the league so on this showing i would expect Kent to be up there as well ,,Looking forward to the rest of the season,,considering the limited facilities they have at Iwade they are doing a good job in putting on an enjoyable afternoons racing...

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Good home result against a good side and in front of a good crowd. No lack of effort or improvement from any rider. Warren was the stand out visitor and has come on huge strides with this showing. Poor returns from Kinsley and Spooner having a mare on a track he usually excels on made the contest closer than it should have been. Mildenhall can be pleased to progress in the cup Kent can be pleased with a good win and continued good home support.

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On 5/2/2022 at 9:42 AM, blueherb777 said:

I went yesterday.Good to see cars queuing to get when I arrived (crowd looked decent).Went far side thought I would be fine from getting filled in with shale....ok for a couple of heats...then the shale gates flew open!!!!!!

Nice to see Leicester and Birmingham fans there (long journey?).

Bowtell class as usual...good support from Ben and Alcock.Obvious weaknesses in team (but haven`t they all).

Wonder why Kent never got Warren back?

As Finn said you do really feel close to the action.

1) I believe Mildenhall signed Warren before Kent were running

2) based on his scoring last year, you wouldn't have expected a score like that, he's certainly improved over the winter

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Disaster for Kent with Alcock injured at Scunthorpe.

Alcock was averaging over 8.5, but they'll only be able to use r/r (Halder & reserves) to cover him!

Get well soon Joe!

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At least Si has filled the spot left after Joe's injuries. The r/r last Sunday did not fill the numbers that Joe would have generated. Connor with a bit of support could well settle in and find his feet. Sadly there is now little chance of Danno being extended in order to hold down that third heat leader spot. A good win on an extremely hot afternoon by the team out front in the league and surprisingly led by their guest reserve!

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Joe was in the form of his life so no rider available  (maybe Jody Scott but Kent far too slow for him) would have been a fair average replacement.  

With Sam injured Connor can slot in at reserve but RR is still likely. With Danno and Jamies averages sliding there is work to do. That said its much earlier in the campaign for Kent (having completed half as many fixtures as some) so plenty of time for improvements all round.

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