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mikebv

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Posts posted by mikebv

  2. Posted

    Very sad news...

    One of the best English riders ever, and won many times, both individually and as a team man, domestically and internationally, in an era with many of the best riders who ever rode a speedway bike...

    Condolences, and Best Wishes, to Chris and the rest of the Louis family...

    R.I.P. "Tiger"....

  5. Posted

    30 minutes ago, 1Tsunami said:

    I think Stoke lost their track due to the expansion of the industrial estate. They only rented their land. 

    Dave did an incredible job for many years to keep Stoke running and competitive...

    A true unsung stalwart of UK Speedway..

    • Like 6

  10. Posted

    12 hours ago, tyke said:

    and me. Not a chance I'm going now.

    Some advice...

    Just get there early..

    Before everyone else...

    Although...

    If everyone gets there early..

    Before everyone else...

    Everyone will already be there...

    Another cunning plan thwarted....

     

  11. Posted

    2 hours ago, TMW said:

    The fact that any fan wants to walk away should be a concern ! For every one that says they are walking away there are 10 just doing it without so much as a bye or leave.

    this is where the problem lies with the NDL people keep trotting out this line ‘it’s only a training league’ okay then make it free. People are expected to pay good money they would like to see a return on that investment.

    with regards to the riders, it’s easy to belittle the league but,  they take it very seriously as they want to progress but unless the powers that be stop using it as a political football and focus on making it a league that riders can be proud to be part of then the higher league clubs will carry on having to fly riders half way round the world at great cost. 

     

    end of chat

    It's paid practice, and gives the lads some experience of riding in a (however contrived:D), team concept...

    If fans don't want to watch it, then it will stop..

    If fans want to take any of the UK leagues ultra seriously then they are a very accommodating of the way the promoters run them, and obviously happy to collude in the "made up stuff"....

    Therefore. Let's just let 14 lads turn up and ride, some with dreams of stardom, and some with a desire to keep riding because they love it, with some also wanting to help out the new ones..

    It still costs these lads a fair few.quid to compete, so some payment to help offset those costs is more than reasonable, therefore an admission fee is also reasonable given you can still get some excellent entertainment, particularly at the NSS..

     

    • Like 1

  12. Posted · Edited by mikebv

    1 hour ago, secsy1 said:

    So you are one of the Lemony snicket lickers and a :icon_smile_clown: to boost.

    If it is Amateur Level then we are being robbed, it should be free :icon_smile_clown:

    It does not matter where I sat, if you have a bad back a :icon_smile_clown: like you will not mind paying for 2 seats then.

    Wolverhampton has closed unfortunately :cry:

    Well if you understand half of the garbage that comes out of a horses mouth well good for you, 99.9% can not understand horse talk :rofl:

    Bless....:D

    Its the NDL mate..

    Maybe these lads get their expenses covered at best...

    And I cannot see the Aces making too much out of it, in fact, probably subsidising it..

    But, it may deliver several Championship level reserves and SS's over the next few years, and maybe even some of a standard higher..

    Personally, couldn't give a monkeys about any of the leagues given the way they are ran, but Speedway is still a good night out, especially at the NSS..

    • Like 1
    • Confused 1

  14. Posted · Edited by mikebv

    14 hours ago, iainb said:

    If you'd tuned into Sports Day on the BBC News channel at 6:30 yesterday you would have seen a report on the World Coal Carrying Championships being held earlier in the day... and no, sadly it was no April Fool :D

    Instead of criticising, I'd like to see you coal carrying for our entertainment like the brave coal carriers do..

    Risking bad backs each time they compete just so that we can watch our favourite sport..

    Although, they now use that smokeless coal which doesnt give off the same smell and amount of dirt on your hands and face that I remember when I first started watching coal carrying in the late 60's...

    And since the 80's and all Thatcher's pit closures, chances for young British coal carriiers have reduced massively, with many now working in Poland as the Poles have kept most of their coal mines open, with the result being coal carrying is still really popular over there..

    And dont get me started on the ridiculous guest coal carriers rule, and the CCR facilty, both of which get used far too many times to cover missing coal carriers., many of whom are coal carrying elsewhere on the same days UK competitions takes place..

    Or they cannot attend due to following their own international coal carrying dreams and ambitions on the world coal carrying stage...

    Arthur Scargill must be turning in his grave..

    Edit (If he was dead, thanks RJ72):D

     

     

     

    • Haha 4

  16. Posted

    15 hours ago, foreverblue said:

    Really surprised how bad Steve Worrall was, hope Pawlicki scores well or it will be a very long season fof Birmingham.

    To be fair to him, he isn't a HL..

    As a No2 he can do a solid job, but even when he rode for the Aces at No3, he often struggled..

    And that was at a time when hardly any "top riders" rode over here..

    A Div 1 HL now has to be at an "international level" I would say, rather than being a Div 2 No1 level...

  17. Posted · Edited by mikebv

    5 hours ago, GiveusaB said:

    Apologies....for my rant last night...I got hammered and sulked/acted like an immature top-hat!

    Of course, I don't blame LR for last nights poor performance....'weak' of me to point the finger....

    You're quite right...I need to get down there and support, as opposed to criticize!

    Well done...

    Get yourself down to the track and watch some of the best riders in the world, even if they are riding for the opposition...

    I certainly didn't see last night mentioned on any satellite or MSM outlets, with the result being commiserated or celebrated by maybe 4,000 at most from both teams...

    So just watch the racing, particularly at Brum, as I seem to remember they didn't exactly "pull up any trees"' in Div 2 too regularly, so, even if another "no success season", you get to watch  Messrs Sayfutdinov, Doyle, Bewley, Holder et al..

    Be a shame to lose another track due to fan indifference, particularly in a small sport where the team who finishes bottom won't be missing out on any major financial rewards nor face any relegation risk..

    A track where the owner has put his hand so deep into his pocket, and wants to see the club move to its own site...

    Will hopefully get down to Brum when the Aces are in town...

     

    • Thanks 2

  19. Posted

    17 hours ago, skydog said:

    Not really, he's got a pretty good record for getting what he wanted. I know he failed with Oxford years ago but he was nothing to do with it this time around. And he was only involved in Cov because BE knew he was good at closing Speedway tracks down! Dont get me wrong  I'm not a fan of his, in fact I'm  Reading fan. If I saw him on fire I'd go fill a jerry can and make sure the job was done properly! But hes obviously a devious bastard and very good at it.

    Weak locally elected bodies allow such things to happen all the time..

    Often, due to saving the cost of going to court..

    And with virtually zero protestations from the Swindon fan base, and zero fight back, we are where we are..

    In fact, the lack of a vocal response and clear protest targeted action taken, could help the cause of Osbourne who can turn around and say "it wont be missed"..

    • Thanks 1

  20. Posted

    5 minutes ago, secsy1 said:

    It is far too easy for most posters to iron over the problems and make excuses instead of addressing them.

    Or even asking what a problem is when they already know the answer

    Surely after the down pour it would have been advisable to scrape the top off and tyre pack the track from the start.

    No messing around or problems and as long as the announcer tells everyone what is going on they can understand and appreciate the problem.

    It was a poor advert for speedway and anyone new visiting speedway for the first time would be put off.

    A dying sport and this is partially the reason why and with fans up their own backsides defending mediocrity how can it survive.

    I am done with Belle Vue Speedway after many years as a visiting fan, never again.

    Mark Lemon will be devastated....:D

    An "amateur level" speedway meeting didn't quite go to plan and you will never attend again? :D

    Is your seat an "end of aisle" one, by the way?

    If so, can you let me know the seat number, I have a bad back so need the leg room of the aisle...:D

     

  21. Posted

    2 hours ago, ouch said:

    One rider from each side was guilty of exceeding the time allowance. One rider was informed by his team manager that he was to go off 15m and he duly arrived at the start using the 15m marker set out by the marshals. 

    One rider was not informed by his manager and he incorrectly arrived at tapes to start the race. The marshals & ref didn’t know if this was the original rider or a reserve replacement as the manager hadn’t let anyone know how his team was to be formulated for this heat, indeed this was announced over the PA system. There was then a delay whilst confirmation was sort from the manager and once this was established the rider was shown to his starting position by the start marshals. Not really an issue on a sunny afternoon but I can see how the managers  actions could cause dissatisfaction from some of the crowd. I’m sure he will learn from it. 

    Well done to the riders for provided some great entertainment and the track staff and promotion for provided track time for these future league riders when so few don’t invest in the future of the sport. 

    Spot on...

    It's the THIRD level of a small minority sport..

    Where even the top two leagues hardly register any recognition from the national media..

    "Paid/Subsidised Training" for new lads is my take on the NDL, augmented by a few lads who still like a blast round after riding for many years but never really getting any better than NDL standard..

    Go along, pay your money, and watch the racing, and hopefully it is good (at the NSS it almost always is),..

    And that stands for all leagues..

     

    • Like 1

  22. Posted · Edited by mikebv

    2 hours ago, crescent girl said:

    Everybody's got a great plan, a superb solution.  Until they get punched in the nose.

    What happens when you have two six-man teams, each using r/r, and there's a four-man pile-up in Heats 1 or 2?

    What happens when you have two seven man teams, not even using RR, and there's a four-man pile up in Heats 1 or 2?

    It's then five a side....

    And if they are using RR it then becomes four a side (exactly as it would with six man teams)..

    However, as four man pile ups occur once every Preston Guild, the vast majority of meetings would never be impacted..

    And if it does then "tough luck, but guess what? That is sport"...

    And, if you run six man (I mean rider teams, sorry Celina) you would then have "subs on the bench" to come in and not need RR in the first place..

    The issue facing the sport is too few riders being available at the right ability level that Div 2 want to race at...

    Div 1 are "just about" getting away with it by having only seven teams in the league..

    Any more and they would struggle too...

     

     

    • Like 4

  24. Posted

    It is very much "rinse and repeat" on here isn't it when it comes to the same old issues being outlined...

    The comments made could have come from any meetings ran in similar circumstances over the past heaven knows how many decades..

    The only real surprise I have is that some still seem surprised...:D

    It is UK Speedway after all, a very small minority sport, ran, in the main, by well meaning amateurs, who use the sport as an "expensive hobby", with very little skill set around leading "the customer experience" at a public event...

    So don't set your expectations too high, and that way you won't be too disappointed..;)

    Any "newbies" may not go back again, but the "die hards" who persuade them to go there, will, so no real net loss to the business..

    Maybe it's worth copying and pasting some comments on this thread, ready  for the next similar occurrence, to save time..

    Then just change the names...:D

    • Like 1
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