Peter Craven Memorial 21/03/22

[Col 850]

Good start to the season with some good racing, heat 20 was exceptional, hats off to the 4 riders involved!

Slightly disappointed Zagar didn't he was the best rider on the night, won the superb composed heat 20 despite being off gate 4 which had offered little in the previous few heats, just got into a battle with Woffinden that allowed MPT to catch and sneak past.  MPT was always in the mix in all his heats so not a surprise.  After a slow start Woffinden looked the quickest rider in his 3rd & 4th heats, then was no-where in his 5th off gate 4 - making Zagar's win in heat 20 all the more impressive.

Fricke, Bewley, Lambert, Wright, Kurtz, Harris all rode reasonably well & had their moments.

Iversen showed no signs of the catalogue of injuries of the past few years have affected him.

Brennan was good value.  Klindt was quick when he gated.  Etheridge struggled in this company but played his part in the excellent heat 20 scrap.

Ellis and to a lesser extent Musielak (first NSS visit?) were disappointing , they will need to ride better next week if the Aces have 7 riders!  But nothing on Doyle, if he gated first he won, if he didn't he was plum last by a long way.

Except for the SWC hosted at the NSS the first year it was open, that is by far the biggest crowd I have seen there, including playoffs, U21 SWC & SoN.

[topaz325 1,853]

As previously stated heat 20 wow

[Rob B 1,245]

6 hours ago, Col said:

 

Except for the SWC hosted at the NSS the first year it was open, that is by far the biggest crowd I have seen there, including playoffs, U21 SWC & SoN.

2800 last night good crowd but play offs have had similar if not more, SoN last year was bigger, south stand was sold out for that and 3rd and 4th bends were used too then. 

[iainb 4,962]

For me it wasn't as good as the weaker field line-up from the end of last season... but then this attracted double the crowd, so go figure. Heat 20! was worth the 3 hour trip up from Leicester including a 45 minute motorway closure and a 2 and a half hour trip home with another motorway closure!

To those that say fans have no appetite for individual meetings, last night was a near sell out, proving that if you can assemble the right line-up the fans will turn out

Edited March 22, 2022 by iainb

[Rob B 1,245]

Season opener is also much better then end of October, especially last year when it was after the high of the SoN. 

[mikebv 10,243]

1 hour ago, iainb said:

For me it wasn't as good as the weaker field line-up from the end of last season... but then this attracted double the crowd, so go figure. Heat 20! was worth the 3 hour trip up from Leicester including a 45 minute motorway closure and a 2 and a half hour trip home with another motorway closure!

To those that say fans have no appetite for individual meetings, last night was a near sell out, proving that if you can assemble the right line-up the fans will turn out

I an sure a lot of it was  "novelty factor" which gets brought on by some "big names" being there given it's been so long to have a domestic meeting with such riders, and the early season date will also have helped....

Woffy alone would have put a couple of hundred and maybe more on the gate I am sure...

Personally having say 10 individual, well promoted, well sponsored meetings through the season of this standard of rider, would be much more beneficial for the track, and the sport, than running 20 league and cup meetings with adhoc riders turning up to help clubs win competitions of very little value.. 

Woffy saying he could ride every Monday for the Aces was funny, but had some resonance, as I am sure crowds with him there each Monday would be much bigger than the crowds the Aces will get..

As mentioned before, I never know why when tracks get "bumper crowds" enlarged by many "lapsed fans" coming out of the woodwork at the start of the season, or on Bank Holidays, nothing is ever done to get them to make more repeat visits more regularly..

Attracting new fans to be regulars is often like pushing water uphill, so getting those who already know about you, and follow you, to attend more regularly must be the easier option yet it appears not worthwhile for so many promoters..

A strange outlook.. 

[topaz325 1,853]

1 hour ago, mikebv said:

I an sure a lot of it was  "novelty factor" which gets brought on by some "big names" being there given it's been so long to have a domestic meeting with such riders, and the early season date will also have helped....

Woffy alone would have put a couple of hundred and maybe more on the gate I am sure...

Personally having say 10 individual, well promoted, well sponsored meetings through the season of this standard of rider, would be much more beneficial for the track, and the sport, than running 20 league and cup meetings with adhoc riders turning up to help clubs win competitions of very little value.. 

Woffy saying he could ride every Monday for the Aces was funny, but had some resonance, as I am sure crowds with him there each Monday would be much bigger than the crowds the Aces will get..

As mentioned before, I never know why when tracks get "bumper crowds" enlarged by many "lapsed fans" coming out of the woodwork at the start of the season, or on Bank Holidays, nothing is ever done to get them to make more repeat visits more regularly..

Attracting new fans to be regulars is often like pushing water uphill, so getting those who already know about you, and follow you, to attend more regularly must be the easier option yet it appears not worthwhile for so many promoters..

A strange outlook.. 

Not a lapsed fan but fan without a local track, Bank holiday meetings are good for travelling and getting home at a sociable hour, the PC meeting had all the hallmarks of a good event with a top class field and a great track to perform on and for the most part didn't disappoint, can we have an earlier start time for the meetings  please.

Some top class racing and a few races strung out but on the whole an enjoyable night, well done Palm tree a well deserved win.

 

[PhilTheAce 498]

https://fb.watch/bVtSCIjNMN/

 

Heat 20

[iainb 4,962]

12 hours ago, speedwaysliders said:

anyone got any race footage they may upload to you tube?

 

[Panthers99 434]

Cracking heat that.

[OveFundinFan 4,137]

That ht 20 was amazing. Did I see Iversen come last? He was in the lead going on the back straight on the last lap.

I want a GP round at BV

[Rob B 1,245]

56 minutes ago, OveFundinFan said:

That ht 20 was amazing. Did I see Iversen come last? He was in the lead going on the back straight on the last lap.

I want a GP round at BV

He came 3rd

[mikebv 10,243]

56 minutes ago, OveFundinFan said:

That ht 20 was amazing. Did I see Iversen come last? He was in the lead going on the back straight on the last lap.

I want a GP round at BV

He came across the line shaking his head in, I presume, bemused bewilderment as to how the race went..... 

[Daniel Smith 5,646]

2 hours ago, iainb said:

 

People are easily pleased, seen better at King's Lynn

 

[OveFundinFan 4,137]

31 minutes ago, mikebv said:

He came across the line shaking his head in, I presume, bemused bewilderment as to how the race went..... 

I can understand why he shook his head.