mikebv

Damn that last minute Rider Replacement...

Home made proggy board... Nice bit of 24 inch by 12 inch wooden board, painted in white, (two coats and then varnished so as not to chip)... With stickers on them of riders from the 70's and a huge bulldog clip to keep my programme in place, which also allows for three different coloured pens to be held there tightly and securely.... I do obviously keep spare pens (of the same three colours obviously) in my corduroy jackets top pocket... I have boxes of SS's for each season, and all boxes are clearly labelled in chronological order in my loft. (As you say all the contents are in date order too).... Meaning if today I suddenly felt that I needed to review for example how well Bob Valentine did in 1975 then all I need to do is open that box, and hey presto I can read through all his performances for that season, including his Aussie season... Happy Days... Happy Days....

The dog ate my bike..

Can only presume it wasnt over here then....

People who have never met get together to run Speedway? Makes sense....

You would maybe have expected an official press release from the "governing body" about something so fundamental as having 4 riders missing wouldn't you? Still, rinse and repeat for the next time... Years ago you only found out that "superstar x" was not there when you had paid your money to get in.. At least now with the internet we find out before hand..

I have a 30 year old Wulf Sport jacket and a matching tartan blanket and flask set that all still have a lot of wear in them so why would I not attend and pay them money? My sleeve less denim jacket full of sew patches ("Speedway riders do it sideways" is my favourite), also will stand me in good stead on the terraces for a few years yet, so don't want to waste that money spent.. And I currently have 53 years of "Year Bars" on my admittedly well faded Red (Pinkish) and White scarf.. I do walk now with a stoop though given the weight of it.. Cannot wait for next season to see what exciting unique innovations the promoters will bring... Completing all the qualification fixtures BEFORE the finals they relate to maybe? (Radical).. Or having finalists actually attending the finals they qualify for possibly? (Equally, if not more, radical but you never know).... Roll on 2023....

Kings Lynn won... There was according to some there some "good races"... Two boxes well and truly ticked... All you can really expect as a fan... I would pay double...

Which is a shame... However.. If the meeting had been ran before the final of the competition that it was actually a qualification meeting for... Rather than a fortnight after the competition "finished".. Maybe they would have seen a full Aces septet? And a full septet of their own team too..? Just a thought...

At last... Someone gets it.... Nail on the head.... There will be the usual crowd on here, some within the "inner sanctum", who will no doubt defend what happens and that fans really dont know how "bloody hard" the promoters work... Thw reality of course was that a "meaningless event" was always going to be treated like a "meaningless event", hence it was an opportunity to make several pish taking comments on here before hand because the vast majority of us knew exactly what would happen.. Really dont know why so many who help fund the promoters through their regular payments, and therefore condone the nonsense that takes place, (and all year round remember, not just in October), seem to be unhappy about something that was always going to happen.. And will happen again... And again... And again.. Ad Infinitum... Guess what? UK Speedway doesnt really matter in any "league context", as the promoters themselves destroy any credibility by their own hand, and therefore eliminate any kudos in winning "titles"... Come next April though the same people complaining will be chomping at the bit to pay season ticket money or get down to their local track for the first meeting.. I will be one of those attending the first night, and happy to do so, as I dont take it seriously, so can happily watch the four riders per race put on an entertainment show... I will then go and watch GP's, SON, and Polish League racing through next summer and go to the NSS as and when "someone decent" is there and the weather is set fair... No one should feel "aggrieved", "angry" or "let down" about tonight as it was always going to be thus... Some fans really do get the sport they deserve... PS. Best wishes to all the riders missing tonight.. Good luck in your recovery...

Smith in for Robert Lambert? Really? Has this been confirmed? If that is true the Aces must be devastated... This could put a big dent in their title hopes... If they didnt have bad luck they would have no luck at all would they?...

Mystical powers me... Now for six numbers for tomorrow night... On a roll now.... In line with my mystical prediction that Bomber would be riding I now predict that tomorrow (which I predict will be called Tuesday), will start dark at 12am, then become light around 8am... Mystical powers ...

Lot of it about... I have a cough...

Is Bomber getting his bikes ready?

That will be it!!! Nail on the head... Run them in December then and stretch our glorious weather through to November...

Well climate change really has so much to answer for doesnt it? I remember when I was growing up, loads of hot dry days and lovely evenings in October with the barometer often reaching the mid thirties.. Off I went to Hyde Rd each Saturday in shorts, T shirts and flip flops, looking forward to a "Senor Whippy" ice cream... (Yum Yum)... With a Flake obviously... Sometimes I had a tub instead, but they cost a bit more... Raspberry sauce too, goes without saying... Nowadays, incredibly, the back end of October has almost become like "the start of winter" hasnt it? Cold, dark, damp nights with the threat of a huge downpour seemingly always imminent, and the temperature often getting into single figures... "All of a sudden", that appears to be the norm doesnt it? When did THAT happen?

Correct... Should have been 2-0....

Running the league play offs in September would be the perfect scenario.. Just after the summer hols and kids back at school so maximum possible adult attendance... And whilst the weather is still decent too... The Cups should take place in April and be done and dusted by mid May.. Again, hopefully in decent weather.. Spreading the competitions keeps publicity throughout the season and not just in one block when Speedway closes just afterwards.. Win a trophy in May, get some local publicity, then advertise yourself as "x" cup winners for the rest of the season.. Fans like to latch on to something successful... Run all the individual comps in October...

They should make a sport that is so reliant on the weather a summer sport.... Wonder if anyone has ever thought of that...?

Who will run the first leg? Very exciting isn't it?

Look At Me! Look At Me! Look At Me! Not Them! Me! Etc, etc, etc Ad Infinitum... Best of luck to Poole in the final... A victory for Poole will really be a "Victory for Speedway"... And resonate far and wide, bringing huge publicity for the sport.. The Dorchester Reporter could even do a half page spread just above the local Meat raffle results from the British Legion...

The only thing professional about UK Speedway is those riders who only ride Speedway for a living... The non riding aspect of the sport wouldnt even pass as semi professional... Even many amateur leagues in other sports would be offended to be measured against UK Speedway's operating model and rules and regulations' implementation...

If it goes back to the "Summer Cup" next year, would the amount of "sunny days" we get determine whether the finalists stay in the competion or not? Could be 50/50 if that's the case to be honest...

Let's hope that going forward the promoters think very, very carefully about naming their competitions after someone, or some event... Otherwise none of them may ever get completed again.......

I admire your optimism.....