philcrumpisgod

QM's a bit of a hike from the nearest bus stop. Anybody who was elderly or with mobility problems (for example) might find it a bit difficult to walk there. I just thought it would be a bit novel that's all, you know, a bit different......might make the papers, a bit of good publicity and all that.

Let's not introduce negativity into the matter eh? I'm sure there would be plenty of people with cars willing to give them a lift back into town

Well, BFD and crazysue have posted about getting to QM without their own transport and I'm sure their would be others tempted to go to the NL meeting if transport was taken care of. How about the Malletts contacting Simon Ringham at All Stretched Out (they sponsor David Gough of Plymouth Devils I believe) and get a stretch limo and driver for the evening in return for some free gratis advertising in the programme. They could run a loop from the town (sorry, city) centre and get a few more on the gate plus a load of good will. Just a thought.

Come on now Mr S, this was a stand alone comment from you about the Poole NYC and if you think that you have a very strong lineup then fair enough. I think, though, you have had a fair bit of latitude recently and the fuss appears to have died down from the dissenters so there is no real need to imply that your lineup is in any way better or "stronger" than previous NYC meetings. We had decent lineups with guys who were comitted to give the fans a good day's racing in all weathers (ask Wizzer about his win in 2000 ) Once again, good luck with your NYC......I bear no grudge and hope that the weather treats the south coast well and you get a corker of a meeting.

As a Newport fan, I'm afraid I have to agree with the most recent sentiments expressed in this thread. The way things stand is that we are yet to be 100% confirmed as saved (Steve Mallett's words in last week's Star) and it will be another couple of weeks (12th December according to Mr Mallett) before he believes everything will be done and he gets the keys to the stadium. Under those circumstances, we couldn't arrange to run the NYC even if we wanted to at such short notice and to expect other clubs to make their plans as necessary and then to drop them and break contracts with riders is extraordinary. Maybe things could have been handled more sensitively, maybe the timing of some matters was unfortunate, maybe the naming of the event isn't quite right but professional sport is a hard business with financial and commercial matters uppermost in its continued existence and Newport fans do themselves and their club no favours by continuously bleating about this, that and the other. Personally, I have a sneaking admiration for the way Poole go about their business. Professional speedway is not a charitable collective, it is a hard business and any club that forgets that faces extinction. If more promotors strived for the best for their clubs maybe we would all be in better shape.

I have no axe to grind with Poole Speedway. I've holidayed many a time in the region and been to Wimborne plenty of times and I too would like to have a successful speedway club that gets big crowds, has great nights like last Monday and wins trophies and I suspect many others would too. There is undoubtedly genuine upset amongst many Newport fans but I do not have the facts of the situation and that's why I choose not to bitch about it. When, or if, there is any official statement released by the BSPA, Poole Speedway and Mr Youngs and the Reading promotion about the correct chronology of the matter and it shows there has been shenanagins, then perhaps I'll have a different view. Until then, good luck Poole and I hope the meeting is a success.

Now, now Mr S....I might take that as back handed compliment

Well, I'm a Newport fan (of 43 years standing actually) and no bitching from me!

Not knowing the sequence of events I'm not going to make any comment on the rights or wrongs of Poole running a meeting early in the new year. There have been enough posts made split between 3 threads already, some reasonable, some not so reasonable and some downright hysterical and I'm not going to join the throngs. If Poole want to, have been allowed to and are able to run the meeting then good luck to them. My feelings stem from a point of encouragement with the article in the Star to one of disappointment at the "loss" of the meeting, even if it is for only one year, as I genuinely thought that the continuation of the New Year Classic, albeit under a different promotion, would be a fantastic starting point for the new, new era of Newport Wasps. Good luck to Poole, I won't be one of those hoping for a downpour, I hope it is a success. Just disappointed we miss out on another part of Newport Speedway tradition and the opportunity to keep ouselves firmly on the map. Here's to a better 2009.

Surely you've got that wrong, shouldn't it be "it'th a mythtery"??

Oh dear!!

Will you remember to ask Tim if a certain South Coast based former Wasp, no not Martin Willis, gets an invite too Tanya???

Flippin' heck Vince, I thought you were going to take me to task but I agree with (mostly) everything you said! Maybe your first sentence wasn't worded quite as you meant and you did mean to knock me back . Never mind, it was an enjoyable day, I didn't expect Phil to don a set of Jason's kevlars and blast around the track on one of his bikes!! The right man won, it was great to see the Swedes back, there was some exciting racing and the four guys on monkey bikes gave us all a laugh, young Sam giving us another overtaking manouvre even though he was being threatened with a hammering!! Here's to the next 10 years and beyond

Will the word "virtually" placate you, old chap?

Trees, it goes without saying that we, the fans, don't know the ins and outs. But from what's been made available on these forums, it seems like the "blame" for this is firmly in Tim's court. 1- Craig was listed as riding 2- Craig's name was dropped as soon as Michal was revealed as the new signing 3- Craig's best friend and a family member both post that Craig wanted to ride 4- Craig ends up not riding although in attendance 5- Craig's place in Newport Wasps' history airbrushed from existence Without anything to the contrary coming from the friends of Tim Stone, what other conclusion can we draw other than it was he who couldn't set aside whatever differences they had for the sake of the celebration and the fans.

Excellent to see Michal continue his great form around QM with a win yesterday and in such exciting style. It was fitting really that a Wasp won, I suppose the numerical odds of 3/1 in the final helped, and that it was Michal, who is such an exciting rider. Credit must go to Tony Atkin who looked sharp all day and who seemed to have an endless supply of his machinery on show for the various "old timers" without their own equipment. Well done Tony. Tom continues to show flashes of excellent form, indicating that we have another good rider for the long term. He needs a bit of good luck with his engines and some consistency but he's only a young lad so no problem there. Phil was a bit up and down as was Schrammy but in these guys we have the nucleus of a team that can consistently win at home and that, I think, should be the key to seeing a gradual improvement in the crowds and atmosphere. More meetings like the Brum KO Cup win and more people will hopefully want to come and see what's going on.

I didn't want to be the first to refer to this because I have had a lot to say on this matter but now that Trees and Tanya have mentioned it I will add my piece. To have Craig dropped from the lineup was poor, to have other non Wasps in the original lineup whilst he was excluded was disrespectful, and to have other riders with absolutely no affiliation to the Wasps brought in as last minute replacements whilst Craig was in the pits helping out Emil was disgraceful. I mean no disrespect to Kauko Niemenen and Steve Boxhall who both turned in good performances but this situation was a slap in the face to many long suffering fans who have watched this man give his all and suffer apalling injuries whilst representing Newport Speedway over the 10 years this celebration was designed to recognise. Maybe after all that has happened Craig might not have wanted to ride but we don't get an explanation do we. From the information that has been made available via these forums Craig wanted to ride, he didn't withdraw from the meeting. We must therefore deduce that it was Tim's decision to exclude him. One can only imagine what Neathy must have asked him when they spoke in the pits before the meeting....."How come you aren't riding Craig?" "Ask Tim, I don't know"........ Of course, that's conjecture but without Tim giving us his side of the story and the reason why Craig was in his jeans and not his kevlars we'll have to guess. No radio mic interview, no reference to him at all by Bob Radford or Jason Harrold that I heard (apologies if I missed it), hardly a mention in the programme and only one photo of him and that in a Welsh Open race jacket. Not one photograph of Newport's longest ever serving rider (probably all time record points scorer as well) and number 1 in the modern era in a Wasps racejacket. This little vignette seems to accurately describe why Tim Stone has an attitude problem and why he has fallen out with so many people down the years. He can't even bury the hatchet and create a situation where the man who has often carried the team throughout the period we were celebrating can be allowed to ride and that we the fans can be allowed to honour and thank for his services. Shameful, absolutely shameful.

Well here we are, 10 years (almost) to the day that Newport Wasps arose from their 20 year hibernation. We have had a lot of ups (mostly in the earlier years but last week against Brum was definately one of them) and a lot of downs but at least we have had 10 years of speedway when there was a long time when us longstanding fans would imagine that there would be more chance of flying to the moon than ever seeing Newport getting back on track. All you fans out there with defunct tracks, have faith. Today will see the return to the track of Newport's greatest ever rider, the one and only Phil Crump, albeit in demonstration mode. In 1999, the local paper asked if the then Wasps were the best ever Newport team, conveniently forgetting that although we had a great season, we were still only a second division side. To all fans who never had the good fortune (or the correct dates on your birth certificate) to see Newport in 1974, 1975 or 1976, you missed sensational speedway at the highest level and Phil was one of the very best around. Piling up points everywhere he rode, winning individual meetings all over the country, Golden Helmet Match Race holder, number 1 for his country and culminating in finishing 3rd in the 1976 World Final behind Collins and Simmons in one of his last acts as a Newport rider. Phil, I salute and thank you for all of your efforts and the highs you gave us through those 3 years and beyond to Bristol and then Swindon. A huge thank you must also go to Tim Stone for making all of this possible and although I have been critical of some aspects of his regime in recent years, I have never lost site of the fact that without him none of this would have happened, so thanks to Tim also. Although I would like to keep this a completely positive post, I cannot let the matter of Craig Watson go without comment. Although he and Tim obviously couldn't strike a deal for this season, I think it is absolutely scandalous that he has been omitted from today's proceedings. Whilst Phil is Newport's greatest ever rider, Craig is undoubtedly the number 1 rider in our modern era and that is what today's celebration is essentially all about, celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Wasps at Queensway Meadows. Quite how Tim explains this one away is beyond me, it will be interesting to see if he has been airbrushed from the programme content as well. So welcome to all the guys who served us so well in recent years, the weather is good so let's hope that a great day is had by all.

This has surely got to be a fix . How come the mighty Wasps aren't in there? Just look at our top four: Wizzer, Simmons, Schramm and Atkin, total circa 22 points Bound to have a chance of winning, surely......................

Tanya, you are such a tease . Please tell us that Phil ISN'T going to don a set of Jason's kevlars, borrow two of his bikes and have a few races around QM??? Or is he????

Will the auction include Craig's contract so that we can collectively buy it, and him, back???

With some friends, I went to the BLRC at Belle Vue (would it have been the day after Gary lost his life, Wolverhampton being on the Friday night and the BLRC on the Saturday?) and seem to remember Ole Olsen withdrawing from the meeting out of respect for Gary.

We could celebrate the fact that David Howe seems to have become an honorary Wasp for the day ...... .........could he not arrange for his elite average to drop to four and a half so we could sign him as our number 1?

I've had my adversarial ding dongs with a couple of people on here in the past but this is taking the biscuit. Any chance of a comment on the subject matter now?

Pleased to see the Brummies back on track. Congratulations to Andre and also to Craig. Winner of the first race at Brum in the new era and a credible third overall after a terrible two years. Well done to all concerned.