Jump to content
British Speedway Forum

fubar

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Content count

    157

  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by fubar

  1. Posted

    Raddog, as you say when Shelby had his accident at Stoke the electrics failed in just the same way as they did on Saturday night.

    You might have thought that the SCB would have taken some action to make sure it never happened again but sadly, they appear to have brushed the Shelby incident under the carpet, since surely such a débâcle would have to be forcefully reported to the SCB by the referee.

    As I said before, until someone gets seriously hurt then the authorities seem prepared tp look the other way.

    Having just spent a couple of hours sitting next to former Stoke rider Garry Stead at he NSS, it is a timely reminder that a rider's life can be dramatically changed in but a few seconds and if a  life-changing injury like Garry's were to be caused by people cutting corners or looking the other way then that would be unforgivable.

    The governing body really have to step up to the plate and deal with the situation at Stoke.

     

    • Like 1

  2. Posted

    7 minutes ago, bruno said:

    After reading this not sure whether to go next week Or watch the GP with a glass of wine

    Better still watch the GP with several glasses of wine!

    I can think of a thousand better ways of spending £15 rather than give it to the Gloomy Roadsters.

    They'll probably cancel it anyway because they have got banger racing (including double decker bangers) the following day and they will not want to overburden the Dickensian generator by cranking it up on two successive days.

  3. Posted

    37 minutes ago, griffo said:

    Pray Woofer why should I as Clerk of the Course having held a Licence since 1984 perhaps one of the longest serving one in the Modern era be Reported as The Referee Runs the Meeting not Myself, therefore I did not have any say in the Matter unless asked by the Referee, what the Referee puts or doesn`t put in his Report is up to him but Hey Ho what do I know

    I am sure you know a considerable amount and therefore could perhaps tell us why the referee appeared to be very keen to speak to the C of C 30 seconds before the start of heat 15?

  4. Posted · Edited by fubar
    spelling

    1 hour ago, coldace said:

    Fubar, if you don't mind a word on how Joe Lawlor went last night, how many rides did he take to score his 12.  Also, surprised that Rob Shuttleworth only scored 2, he's better than that surely?

     

     

    Joe was riding really well but had an engine failure in his first ride and was excluded after Atkin came down in heat 15. So 12 points from 6 rides.

    Joe was giving it 110% as usual.

    Rob Shuttleworth was totally useless and fell off 3 times.

    To be fair the track looked bumpy in parts and a lot of riders fell off. I'm sure Stoke is pretty good as a banger racing track but it sure knackers the track up.

     

  5. Posted

    I have only expressed my opinion based on my observations from last night.

    Perhaps there is an alternative explanation that may be forthcoming from the management in the fullness of time.

    It can be no coincidence though that these calamities see to affect Stoke on a very regular basis and there is no evidence that anybody is minded to do anything about it.

    If the lights were indeed faulty and as a result a rider (or marshal) suffered serious injury or worse then surely the referee, the clerk of course, the SCB and the promoter would be hard pressed to mount any credible defence should the matter be brought before the courts.

    I spoke with some long-standing Stoke supporters last night and they expressed the opinion that enough was enough and it is sad when even a club's die hard supporters have no faith in the club that they have supported for donkey's years.

  6. Posted

    Against my better judgement I found myself at Loomer Road last night and was disheartened to see that the place was even more dilapidated than when I last visited a couple of years ago. Surely somebody can at least work a lawn mower?

    It took the best part of an hour to get the first 4 heats away due to the sun being in the wrong place but at least we were able to marvel at Mr Tattum's tractor driving skills. Sadly, the centre green announcer couldn't make it last night so instead he sent his brother whose knowledge of speedway seemed a tad sparse. When it was announced that Ken Dicken was coming out  for the Belle Vue Aces in heat 2 it kind of signalled that the guy perhaps wasn't a great follower of NL speedway. It could have been worse, he could have announced that it was Ken Dodd who would be riding in white.

    We had a minute's silence for Roy Smallwood who had apparently gone to a better place . Happy to say that they didn't bother playing music through the period of silence as they did when Mr Plinge witnessed a similar "mark of respect" at a previous extravaganza at Gloomy Road. Interesting to see that the deceased was still listed in the programme as being the evening's Pits Gate Manager so perhaps they were hoping that he would be there in spirit at least.

    Moving on from the depressing and farcical to rather more serious matters. I think it must have been heat 14 when William O'Keefe once more carried out a close inspection of the air fence. The referee switched on the red lights and immediately all the track and stadium lights went out. Fortunately, the riders survived being plunged into a diminished light situation without incident. After a few minutes, the lights flickered back into life and no mention was made of this failure by the commentator.

    As the riders were approaching the gate for heat 15, the commentator puts out an urgent call for the clerk of the course to contact the ref. Whether he did contact him, I know not.  The race gets under way and Lawlor and Atkin come down heavily at turn 3. No red lights come on but the commentator is shouting at the the corner marshals to put the red flags out which they do after a few seconds delay.

    Now my questions are these:-

    Were the red lights not turned on because the referee knew that if he pushed the switch then the track lights would probably go out again?

    Did the referee  know before he started the heat that there was a fault with the warning lights hence the urgent call out to the C of C?

    If the referee was aware that the safety systems were not in place then why was the race allowed to start?

    Perhaps there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for these events but I would be interested to know what it might be. Electrical failures appear to be a common occurrence at Loomer Road but the referees and the SCB  seem to take no heed of these potentially catastrophic defects. I just hope that it does not take a rider getting seriously hurt before action is taken to remedy the situation.

    I see no mention in Stoke's own match report of any of these failings and it is shame that they didn't take the opportunity to apologize to the customers for last night's failings and give an assurance that they would get things sorted out.

    A win for the Colts but numerous crashes, interminable delays and some genuinely frightening incidents mean that it wasn't one of my most enjoyable speedway jaunts. I spoke to a family (grandfather through to grandchildren) on the terraces who were attending speedway for the first time and asked them if they would be likely to come back again. Unsurprisingly, they indicated that they would not be returning and after last night's show you can understand why.

    Speedway is a better sport than this.

     

     

     

     

    • Like 6
    • Sad 1

  7. Posted

    It won't be called off because of rain.

    Probably be called off because it is so hot the cheapo shale has melted.

    How come Malcolm Vasey is not the team manager?

    Adam Isherwood is shown as TM so I hope nothing is wrong with Malcolm as he has always seemed pleasant enough on the couple of occasions that I have spoken with him.

    Anyway, for those of you off to Gloomy Road don't forget your sun tan lotion.

    The sun is going to be bouncing off them there slag heaps, duck.

  9. Posted

    I think Woodhull is shaping up really well. His brother was in the pits again last night helping him as usual and the lad seems to have a very positive attitude.

    As Sings so rightly says this might be the opportunity for the Colts to have a re-jig and make themselves genuine contenders.

    Paul Bowen looked to be in a considerable amount of pain as he walked back into the pits and I hope his injury doesn't interfere too much with his pie making.

    I felt a bit sorry for Plymouth last night as they had travelled a long way to get a pretty sound drubbing.

     

  10. Posted

    13 hours ago, gee jay said:

    you'll be more upset with yourself in the morning if the colts give them a hiding and you could have been there , and it's going to be sunny ,   B)

    gee jay I know what you are saying but the thought of handing over £15 to Stoke Speedway is bringing me out into a cold sweat.

    So I will follow the meeting on Speedway Updates and cheer the Colts on from the comfort of my armchair.

     

  11. Posted

    Well, the Colts won this pretty convincingly 55-35.

    Adam Roynon put up a bit of spirited resistance from Plymouth but the rest of them were somewhat lacking.

    Apart from it being freezing cold, it was a good night's entertainment  particularly in some races where the Colts were slow out of the gate and had to work their way to the front.

    I have had some doubts about Kean Dicken and although he only scored 2 points from 5 rides, there are some signs of improvement. He was painfully slow away from the tapes and I think he has a big fear of looping it. But once he gets going his race pace is not too far off that of his opponents. He seems to be getting plenty of mentoring from his dad so perhaps the lad may come good.

    Sorry to see Paul Bowen hit the deck in heat 6 and damage his wrist. Hope it isn't too serious and he will be back out again soon.

    Ben Woodhull continues to impress and his 11+2 was well-earned and he isn't afraid to have a go at anyone whatever their reputation.

    So another fine night's entertainment at the NSS and if all National League racing was as good and equally well presented as this then they would be queuing to get in at venues all over the country.

    Now if we could just reproduce some of this form away from home then we would have a chance of finishing in the top 4.

     

  13. Posted

    I'm in a bit of a quandary here because I really want to support the Colts on their visit to Gloomy Road.

    But I'm not sure that I can bring myself to hand over a handful of dosh to the cheerful chappies on the gate.

    I vowed I would never go to Gloomy Road again after some of my dreadful experiences there but my willpower seems to be waning and I am feeling myself being dragged over to the dark side.

    I know if I go I will hate myself the morning after but do I owe it to the Colts to endure the pain and suffering that visiting the home of the Gloomy Roadsters will surely cause me?

    Perhaps the weather Gods will make the decision for me........

     

  15. Posted

    20 hours ago, Piotr Pyszny said:

    Someone trails all the way from Birmingham to Buxton, for the express purpose of watching a speedway meeting. That meeting is called off in farcical circumstances. Not the slightest demur. Sole reaction: well, I enjoyed the trip and the scenery. Sorry, still baffled.

    To Jayne (presumably Moss): how do we go about getting a full refund? Can you give me an address to which we can post our readmission and trackside parking tickets?

    If you look inside the meeting programme you will find the correspondence address to which you can probably send your request for a refund.

  16. Posted

    Belle Vue have got it right. Either swap your ticket for another meeting or get a full refund.

    It is rather hard to see a case where a club could argue that the customer is not entitled to their money back.

    I wonder how other clubs deal with this kind of thing?

    Belle Vue Speedway 2017 Ltd – National Speedway Stadium
    Meeting Abandonment Policy
    All meetings abandoned prior to the start will entitle ticket holders to a full refund or exchange for a future
    meeting within 12 months from the date of the abandoned meeting at the club (excluding BSPA, ACU
    and/or FIM events). In order to obtain a refund, you must visit the ticket office or send your ticket to the
    office in order for the refund to be arranged. Ticket exchanges and refunds will only be given on
    production of the original ticket from the abandoned race meeting.
    Management
    Belle Vue Speedway 2017 Limited

  17. Posted

    6 hours ago, Gemini said:

    Yes, that's correct. If you do have any problems just ask SCB for advice as he's never paid his fine......that's if you can find him as he seems to have disappeared at the moment.  :lol:

    He's doing a 6 month stretch for non payment of fines.

    He should be out in November just in time for the last of the Stoke Potters' fixtures.

    • Haha 3

  18. Posted

    3 hours ago, RS50 said:

    Do they still have the burger van there on match days?

    Well they had a catering van last Sunday but it wasn't the usual bloke in the green transit.

    He was parked at the Cat & Fiddle selling teas to frozen cyclists and his place has been taken by a rather snazzier looking operator who seems to have something to do with the banger racing wallahs.

    Can't comment on the prices because they seemed to have forgotten to put them on the board.

    A burger van is not much help to me because I'm a vegetarian but hopefully, they can dish something up for you RS50.

  21. Posted

    I somehow expected more from Connor Coles.

    4 points on Friday and 6 points on Sunday was hardly stunning and I am not sure that there is much more to come.

    He shouldn't really be struggling to get round other teams' reserves.

    Buxton always seem to be in the same position where they run out of steam before the train even leaves the station.

    Sadly, there is not a lot they can do to improve their situation and apart from divine intervention, they just have to hope that one of the reserves bursts into dynamic action.

    I don't fancy their chances against Birmingham on Sunday but hopefully by then, the Bod in the Box will have thrown his bumper cd of cover versions in the bin and play some proper banging tunes!

  22. Posted

    Andy Mellish was there in the crowd and he seems to pitch up for most of the Colts meetings.

    Andy always comes across as a very pleasant chap and it was a shame he got injured just when he seemed to have made real progress.

    The great thing about watching NL racing is that you get to see the new talent as it emerges and this year's Colts team is proving to be more exciting than I had expected. Who needs to go and see the over-paid Johnny Foreigner types in the Premier League when you can witness home-grown talent giving it their all.

     

  23. Posted

    Lawlor put on a very polished performance and apart from Ben Wilson getting the better of him in heat 10, he was untouchable.

    To see him and Bickley riding together was a pleasure to see - two enthusiastic, talented riders giving it 100%.

    I like the cut of Bowen's jib. He is totally inconsistent but if he can temper his enthusiasm a little, he will rack up some good points. He won ht8 but his only opposition was Ben Woodhull really.

    Jayne, thank you for the update on David Wallinger. It is hoped that he makes a speedy recovery because Buxton could certainly do with him.

  24. Posted

    Another rather one sided affair, I'm afraid.

    Again only Ben Wilson was much use for Buxton.

    They used RR for Wallinger but I didn't hear the Bod in the Box say why Wallinger was AWOL but perhaps suffering from his Friday night smash up.

    The only weak link in the Colts line up seems to be young Dicken with both Bowen and Woodhull showing enough promise to make up for their inconsistency.

    I thought the Bod in the Box was going to lose it at one stage when some Belle Vue supporters were giving him a bit of stick and he did threaten to come down from his perch and insert his roving microphone somewhere in their anatomy.

    Nice to see Buxton have now got half a dozen or so working loudspeakers but was a bit disappointed that the music being played seemed to be cover versions of the proper records. I think somebody must have got Best of the Mike Sammes Singers for Christmas.

    All in all, a pretty entertaining afternoon and another good performance by the Colts which bodes well for the season.

     

×

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. Privacy Policy

  I accept