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Hebbs

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Posts posted by Hebbs

  1. Posted

    I would have loved to go to this but as a keen motorcyclist I will be on the May Day Run to Hastings with 48,500 "motorcycle motivated visitors" (source Bike 1066 - 2012 report). It seems a strange day to pick when it clashes with such a large and long running event, perhaps motocyclist are only a small proportion of the target audiance.

     

    Anyway, I wish everyone all the best, and I look forward to coming to the next meeting.

  2. Posted · Edited by Hebbs

    Odds on more than ten!!!! :approve:

     

    Hope you are referring to Sittingbourne. Although based in Kent (Near Tunbridge Wells) it has always been quicker to get to Arlington than Canterbury, hence my allegiance. However I have been getting more an more bored with the Elite League over the past few years, and the recent goings on have made me decide to give it a miss for a while. If it goes ahead I shall definitely be there, even if they are called the Crusaders. :D

  3. Posted

    The El is not unsustainable at all ..not sure why but you some unknown reason to tend forget that many Pl are losing money as well as some of the El clubs ...if you think the Pl is doing well then your the one in cloud cuckoo land .

     

    Speedway is doing poor all round and it's about time you try to get your head round ithat rather than blameing one league .

     

    Personally I think the EL is unsustainable in its present form, otherwise we would not be having this very discussion time in and time out. If it were then we would be discussing the number of teams that wanted to join and how we could fit them into the league instead of the number of clubs that want to leave.

     

    From a purely business point of view and forgetting entertainment, number of teams, costs, entrance fees etc., the main problem is the lack of control that you have over how and when you sell your product to your market. The GP’s, other FIM events, and the number of riders that compete in overseas leagues restrict your ability as a promoter to sell your product at a time that suits your customers. The GP’s & World Cup have taken the prime summer weekends, the Polish league takes away Sundays and therefore in most cases Saturdays. For a lot of tracks this is prime time. I cannot imagine another business that would give its prime sites or trading times to anyone else without a huge fight. The EL has capitulated and is reaping the consequences. If they cannot compete against this then they must find another way. No GP riders, and no riders whose first commitment is to an overseas club. Speaking personally, and as an Eastbourne supporter (traditionally a weekend track), if that means PL speedway then fair enough, it’s better than what we get now.

  5. Posted

    Mac rode at Eastbourne in 1971 which was my first year of watching Speedway. I remember he was described as a former Swindon junior and was certainly English. I'm pretty sure he rode at #3 in the first match I saw.

     

    He had a bad crash at Workington (I think) mid season breaking bones in his neck which was the end of his career.

     

    Correct it was against Workington in the Cup, but it was at Arlington. He injured his neck and was replaced for the rest of the season by a certain youngster called Trevor Geer. It's funny I still remember Mac riding like it was yesterday, but it was 1970 & 71, and I was only 10/11 years old then. I saw his photo in the 75 years of Eastbourne Speedway book and recognised him immediately. Hope he is still alive & well.

  6. Posted

    I remember at Floppy’s testimonial a scuba diving mate of Dave’s was hiding submerged down the well on the centre green, unknown to most there. When David Norris was at the start doing his gardening he appeared out of the well, ran over to the start, pulled out his divers knife and stuck it into Dave’s back tyre. Very strange. :)

     

    As someone mentioned earlier, there was a time when you couldn’t go to a testimonial without seeing Shane Parker ride round in his jock strap! :D

  7. Posted

    I remember the first coloured leathers I saw in the 2nd Division. Easter Sunday 1969 Eastbourne Eagles v Kings Lynn Starlets, Graham Edmunds riding for KL wore white leathers.

     

    I was very impressed, I was only 9 at the time though :)

  10. Posted

    Wasn't able to post yesterday due to PC problems. I really enjoyed the meeting despite the time it took to complete. The young lads went for it and produced some good racing even though the track was very slick. I was impressed by the sportsmanship shown by the riders who when they fell made every effort to get up so the race could continue, you don't see that in the Elite League very often!

     

    Congratulations to Eddie who was the best rider on show by some margin. There was little home advantage for Eddie or Lewis as the track was totally diferent to the usual, with no outside line after 7 or 8 heats. I cannot remember it ever being so slick, I can only assume this was done under the event organisers instructions. Shame really as there were several lads out there who looked willing to have a blast round the outside.

     

    Finally it was nice to meet with SJL and partner who were on their first visit from Coventry. Hope to see you at Coventry later in the season, or maybe when Coventry visit next, you Bees always seem to take the points home with you :D

  14. Posted

    One that sticks in my mind was at Eastbourne many moons ago a Canterbury rider, (Graham Banks, or Graham Miles?) went wide and hit the fence a glancing blow. A bit of wire must have hooked around the chin strap of his helmet and he was pulled off his bike leaving his hat hanging on the fence. It looked at first like his head had come off, but he got up stretched his neck from side to side, collected his hat and walked back to the pits!

     

    He must have been the only Canterbury rider to get a standing ovation from the Eagles fans. ;)

  15. Posted

    I saw the Starlets against Eastbourne, Easter Sunday 1969. It was the first match I went to. I remember Graham Edmonds (sp?), he wore white leathers that made him really stand out from the others.

     

    The match was a narrow win for the Eagles, I've still got the program somewhere.

  17. Posted

    Another problem with a race night during the week is the catchment area that the club has for it's fans.

     

    Eastbourne for example has fans from Kent (myself included), there is no longer a Kent team, some from Surrey, West Sussex, and south London. This means it is very dificult to get to the match in good time, and the Kids are late to bed with school the next day. If we moved to a weekday a lot of our fans could not make it.

     

    As for the stadium, we are lucky as the Dugards own it. Arlington Stadium is used for stock cars on Wednesday, which brings in a bigger crowd than Speedway.

  20. Posted

    Does look like Eastbourne prior to the stock car track which was put in early seventies. By the trees and the high stands in the background it would be the back straight, about where the end of the current 2 tier stands / bar is. The old stands were lashed up out of scaffolding, can't see enough detail in the picture to be sure.

  21. Posted

    As an "old fart" I would say that the current problems are the outcome of a transition in our sport from team to individual racing.

     

    When I started to watch speedway the 1st & 2nd Division Champions were decided by a league system, whilst the World Champion was decided by a "one off" event.

     

    Sky, Benfield, and the internation powers to be have raised the profile of our sport by promoting the individual element of speedway. They have done a good job by getting speedway on TV, but they have missed the one thing that makes speedway different from other motor sports, and that is of course the team element. I know that we have weekly Elite League meetings on Sky, but I get the feeling that they are there to promote the GP's.

     

    As Martin said in his post we are going to have to live with it, and I would agree that a squad system is a way round the chaos that the GP's enflict on a team that runs at the weekend. With a squad sytem and no guests allowed for missing GP stars it would let teams make their own choice between stability and star men.

     

    We also need more teams in the EL!

     

    Right, anyone else want the soapbox? :D

  23. Posted

    My first ever away match was to Rayliegh. I went with my Dad on the Eastbourne supporters club coach.

     

    I can remember the track being black instead of the redish shale of Eastbourne. It was the 1969 season, a close match either a 39 all draw or 40-38 top the Rockets. Still got my program I'll have to check.

  24. Posted

    This thread makes great reading after the event! Some like Steve S, Salty & Rabbit had it worked out whilst some just showed their prejudice against Floppy and/or Eastbourne.

     

    Well done Floppy, and the rest of the GB boys.

     

    To the rider who "can't ride anywhere more than 15 minutes from Eastbourne" it's a good job you took your Tardis. :D

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