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Ipswich have 3.27 left for their final rider, as Keynan Rew is assessed at 5:00 and not 4:00 Chris Louis confirmed this at the staff signing-on night on Thursday.

Chris Louis was on the telephone to the printers at 9.00am on Friday as he had a number of issues with the programme on Thursday, one being the presentation of the race card. The issues are being addressed and an improvement should be noticed on Thursday

I am the "guy on the mike" - I have no idea what you are referring to here, but I certainly did not, or would never, say anything along these lines.

I'm sure Danny's club will see him right and conduct a collection to assist him. The impromptu decision to conduct a collect yesterday (raising £650) was taken as everyone could witness, first hand, the skills and professionalism of all involved in helping Danny. Bearing in mind that the Air Ambulance services are charities and rely on donations to fund their work, I'm sure yesterday's collection from all the supporters in the stadium, will help in some way.

Who'd be a promoter eh? There is always plenty of speculation when any team makes changes (whether that's through poor form or bad luck) You can be sure of one thing; whatever Chris Louis decides to do, there will be still be a lot of the "shoulda, woulda, coulda" crowd quick to have their say. Of which, naturally, they are entitled to do. Best wishes for a speedy recovery to both Danyon and Nico and hope that they are both personally back to full fitness soon, so that we may enjoy watching them in action again in the near future.

https://www.facebook.com/nicolas.covatti/posts/10155400161679015

I'll make just two observations from yesterday's meeting: The weather was unseasonably hot (23 by the time we started at 3.00pm) - so very hot with a strong cross wind. The track had received a good soaking the night before and was being constantly watered from first thing Sunday In the past the first few heats have had to be sacrificed in a way in order to keep the moisture in. But everyone was confident that with the preparations in place the track would hold up for the meeting. A 20 heat format, so an additional five heats However, the more telling factor (I believe) was the referee. At a time when speedway is losing far too many referees, the sport needs to find and train new ones. At yesterday's meeting Mick Bates had a probationer referee with him, which would account for some of the delays/decisions. As there would naturally be consultation between the two of them. Running day time meetings is far more challenging and the track staff work tirelessly to keep the show on the road. The dust was becoming an issue (especially on 3rd/4th bend as the wind was blowing in this direction). But, to be honest, supporters could consider the circumstances and could relocate to a different area of the stadium Yes, I know they shouldn't have to, but that is an option open to them in order to avoid any dust clouds Overall the racing was keen, with some riders really getting stuck in and providing good racing. It was a very healthy crowd, and one would hope that the majority can evaluate the circumstances and return to enjoy more meetings at West Row Regards

I write to express my gratitude to Richard Garrett from Sound 4 Pro Audio and Ian King from Kingsound, who are the guys that have come in to Foxhall and sorted out the PA system. Without going into a load of detail, they found numerous faults with the system that have now been rectified and I think you will agree if you were in attendance last night (vs Berwick) that the PA is the best it has sounded in a very long time. We spent time before the meeting going round the entire stadium, balancing the amplifiers in each area to ensure we had the optimum settings in each area. There is just one area that remains to be recified (round the 3rd/4th bends) where the actual speaker units themselves need to be replaced. Richard has begun discussions with Deane Wood (from Spedeworth) and has put forward some initial proposals in terms of replacement of the entire system, as in Richard's words "He has got the car through the MOT, but with numerous advisories!" The system (in its current setting) will not be effective in the stands on the backstraight (owing to the angle of the speakers etc) and as has been said before, this would require a detailed site survey and proposal agreed with Suffolk Coastal District Council, who have a very strict noise abatement policy and procedure in place for the entire stadium. But the foundation for future works has now begun and I, for one, will continue to campaign for a satisfactory, long term resolution for all concerned. But when I visited "The Massif" last night, I noticed the difference in the audibility of the system, so I think progress has been made and we are working in the right direction. I certainly have received numerous positive comments from many supporters following last night's meeting, who have said how much their enjoyment of the event was enhanced by being able to hear the announcements etc - along with more clarity from the system. So thanks again to Richard and Ian for conducting the work and also to both Ipswich Speedway and Spedeworth for commissioning the improvements. Regards

To add a little more detail to the PA system. At last week's meeting we only had one of the three amplifiers working. So there was limited PA in some areas of the stadium which was disappointing, given the size of the opening night crowd. I had also spent time with Richard from Sound 4 ProAudio, during the week helping to install external ariels etc for the new microphone system, which was going to offer more clarity and range. Again, owing to the system failure, the benefit of this new system was negated. After the meeting on Saturday, Chris Louis (in conjunction with Spedeworth) arranged for Richard to conduct a site survery of the system and arrange for a repair to be conducted. The survey was conducted on Monday with Richard returning on Tuesday to undertake the work. It was clear that the amplifiers and associated equipment had not been regularily mantained, which has been a contributory factor in the poor quality of the PA system. Along with a colleague, Richard completed the works required and lead two members of the stadium team to comment that it was the best he had heard in years, whilst another could not believe the difference in quality. All of this through the existing system. However, Richard has reported his findings back to Spedeworth and explained the issues he found and informed them that "the car has passed teh MOT but with numerous advisories!" So, the stadium PA is back up and running, and the longer term goal would be to get the entire system updated and replaced. But let's be grateful that this work has been undertaken, so quickly and professionally in order for our next meeting on Thursday. In regard to the repositioning of speakers on the backstraight (in order to service the "Massif" area for example), this would require a lot more detailed planning and consultation with the SCDC (Suffolk Coastal District Council) who have for a long time had a very detailed operating formular that covers all aspects of activities within the stadium (including the PA), which satisfies all the requirements of noise abaitment etc. So, in a nutshell, that is a summary of what has taken place this week at the stadium and let's collectively hope that the results are as impressive as being reported. Cheers for now

Practice OFF today - will now be Tuesday and Wednesday

Not at all! Just EVERYBODY ! (Which still remains my favourite phrase)

I never nicknamed Kim "Kimakazee" - but Kim Jansson EVERYBODY ! Was me

Sending my warmest wishes for a cool Yule! Merry Christmas, everybody! Xx

12.45pm - Weather Update A lot clearer now, with the angry black clouds being replaced with some nice white fluffy ones - even some blue sky and hints of sunshine Still blowy though, so wrap up warm tonight folks!

I'm at work at Trinity Park (Home of the Suffolk Show! - Christmas Parties still available folks!!) and current at 9.45am there are dark clouds looming and we have just had a very light shower. The positive thing weather wise today is that it is fairly windy, which is moving on said clouds quite quickly. If you go by the forecast, then after lunch it is supposed to clear out and leave a dry afternoon/evening.