Ben Fund Meeting

[smelly 0]

The presentation of the meeting was something from the 70's. Things move on but Len hasn't. People expect more entertainment for their pound nowadays, not a bunch of blokes marching out to no music. I have seen more atmosphere in space ! There was no excuse for the track, the base was harder than the M1 so don't tell me they couldn't prepare a track because of the winter, when that dust cloud went up in heat 1 Len lost 3 months worth of dust, god knows were he is going to find some more for next week.

[flyin rocket 0]

I am pleased plenty of money will have been raised for a very worthy cause. I would have happily contributed more if I'd seen a collection - unfortunately I must have missed it.

I agree

they should have sent Briggo out with the collection bucket - I'd have willingly have dipped in a bit deeper!

 

[lucifer sam 3,960]

Arrived good and early,around 11.30,and just managed to get in the car park.Almost got fleeced by Ash and Paul,who were selling the programmes. Didnt see you Rob? Then we saw the 'Ben' character mincing around.............had to be you!

 

Hi Bob, I was over in Assen over the weekend for the Ice Racing, so unfortunately I was double-booked. To begin with, I felt a bit guilty to being with that I was going to miss the Ben Fund meeting, so when I found out that Paul Ackroyd was after a format for a 20-man line-up, I worked one out for him. It looks like the heat format worked quite well (it was designed to get off to a flyer in the opening race and then have some big races later on), it was a bonus that Eddie Kennett stayed unbeaten to give the Pedersen/Crump showdown in Heat 17 even more edge.

 

Glad to hear Rye was packed out yesterday to swell the coffers of the fund, and it sounds like there was some really good racing as well - there was certainly plenty of passing according to the updates.

 

All the best

Rob

Edited March 15, 2010 by lucifer sam

[Sandie 53]

Hi Bob, I was over in Assen over the weekend for the Ice Racing, so unfortunately I was double-booked. To begin with, I felt a bit guilty to being with that I was going to miss the Ben Fund meeting, so when I found out that Paul Ackroyd was after a format for a 20-man line-up, I worked one out for him. It looks like the heat format worked quite well (it was designed to get off to a flyer in the opening race and then have big races later on), it was a bonus that Eddie Kennett stayed unbeaten to give the Pedersen/Crump showdown in Heat 17 even more edge.

 

Glad to hear Rye was packed out yesterday to swell the coffers of the fund, and it sounds like there was some really good racing as well - there was certainly plenty of passing according to the updates.

 

All the best

Rob

But you didnt come up with a formula to decide who goes through in the event of equal scores!! DOH.

Three to final was my call as well. Seemed the right thing to do. BUt poor old Johno would have loved the chance of a semi. Did anyone check that Ben didnt supply a two headed coin for the toss up!

 

Good fun meeting though and I am sure LOTS was raised.

 

But as someone has just mentioned - why no collection buckets. Would have made a fortune.

The little lady with the raffle tickets tried -but bless her heart, she wasnt assertive - it was a case of "Raffle tickets anyone, or maybe not! Okay"

She was sweet, a lovely volunteer but not a goer!

 

Please do not take the above as critism as it most definately isnt. Lots of people doing lots of work yesterday for the cause - excellent work and thanks to all of them.

Just thoughts for future years.

[lucifer sam 3,960]

Hi Sandie, nope I didn't supply details of what happened in the case of riders finishing on the same points - I think in a meeting like this, a bit of fluidity and common sense is the better solution. Putting Crump & Kasprzak both into the final seems like a fair solution.

 

As for not having collection buckets, everybody attending yesterday was already contributing to the Ben Fund. Therefore it would have something of a cheek to also have a collection at the same meeting. Don't worry, we will be bugging you with a bucket later in the season (notes are easier, they are less heavy)

 

All the best

Rob

Edited March 15, 2010 by lucifer sam

[Sandie 53]

Hi Sandie, nope I didn't supply details of what happened in the case of riders finishing on the same points - I think in a meeting like this, a bit of fluidity and common sense is the better solution. Putting Crump & Kasprzak both into the final seems like a fair solution.

 

As for not having collection buckets, everybody attending yesterday was already contributing to the Ben Fund. Therefore it would have something of a cheek to also have a collection at the same meeting. Don't worry, we will be bugging you with a bucket later in the season (notes are easier, they are less heavy)

 

All the best

Rob

Haha Rob.

Okay no problem I'll have a written IOU ready for you

x

[spikethebike 9]

Overall a decent enough meeting, many of the races were competitive and only a handful were processsions. Thoroughly impressed and a little surprised by the performances of Neath and Johnno.

 

I agree with those that thought the presentation fell short of the mark - pathetic sound system and a somewhat amateurish feel to certain parts of the proceedings. Anyone could see the track was a dry as a bone at the start and a pre meeting sprinkling of water would not have jeopardised the meeting even if heavy showers had hit during the afternoon.

 

In terms of the racing - heat 1 was a cracker but the spill seemed to knock Leigh Adam's confidence way more than Nicki's and Leigh looked a little tentative and disinterested in getting in the thick of his more competitive rides after that - possibly a sign of things to come this season but the jury is out until we have seen more racing.

 

Crump looked scarily quick early on but seemed to tire as the meeting went on - not surprising given his fitness, and its likely he is a few weeks behind schedule compared to Nicky.

 

Nicky's gating was the key to his unbeaten tally. He always seemed to have the better reflexes from the gate and real drive into bend one. Looked very similar to the tenacious and well prepared Nicky of 2008, though I felt Crump had marginally better straightline speed for a couple of laps in their first heat match up.

 

Lindgren looked quick at times and slow at others. Did OK without impressing and will need to find major improvement again to become a top 5 GP rider.

 

KK looked sharp and I suspect this could be a breakthrough year for him consistency wise. The 20/1 on offer a BetFred for Highest GS seems to offer more value than many of the others at shorter prices, especially as he will be dominant at Lakeside.

 

Of the others Woffinden was woeful, as was Shields. NKI and Nicholls showed the odd glimpse of quality but generally poor. Eddie Kennett seemed at home on the small track and it will be interesting to see if he takes this form to the bigger tracks.

 

Of course the riders are experimenting with bikes and set ups, but these early meetings often show who is likely to start the season in decent fettle and whether any material improvement from 2009 is coming.

[Bryn 413]

But you didnt come up with a formula to decide who goes through in the event of equal scores!! DOH.

Three to final was my call as well. Seemed the right thing to do. BUt poor old Johno would have loved the chance of a semi. Did anyone check that Ben didnt supply a two headed coin for the toss up!

 

Good fun meeting though and I am sure LOTS was raised.

 

But as someone has just mentioned - why no collection buckets. Would have made a fortune.

The little lady with the raffle tickets tried -but bless her heart, she wasnt assertive - it was a case of "Raffle tickets anyone, or maybe not! Okay"

She was sweet, a lovely volunteer but not a goer!

 

Please do not take the above as critism as it most definately isnt. Lots of people doing lots of work yesterday for the cause - excellent work and thanks to all of them.

Just thoughts for future years.

 

And constructive thoughts Sandie which I would hope, in fact feel sure, will be noted and worked upon by the SRBF for next year's meeting.

 

No one involved 'behind the scenes' as it were in this great sport of ours, least of all myself I would hope, is above what I term as 'constructive criticism' - in fact I most certainly welcome it as indeed I'm sure others do, and am more than willing to discuss such matters face to face, by email phone or via the private message facility on this forum with those offering same and I'm sure most others would too.

 

But am I alone in thinking that it's all too easy, and increasingly prevalent, for some to post on this and other forums that 'such and such or so and so' was/were crap whilst hiding behind the comfort of some made up nickname to avoid identification?

Edited March 15, 2010 by Bryn

[zonkers 7]

But as someone has just mentioned - why no collection buckets. Would have made a fortune.

 

There was !! Ben was wandering around with a bucket !

 

 

[i_support_no_team 0]

I hadn't been speedway since I was a kid (mid thirties now) at hackney but I watch all the televised meetings throughout the year and decided to go to Rye House as it's quite local, there was a quality line up and it was for a good cause.

 

I was almost put off going by some of the posters on here talking about drunken behaviour however Im glad I wasnt. I hardly saw anyone drinking let alone bad behaviour so i cant understand why people feel they have to be negative all the time.

 

I found the racing enjoyable, the people friendly and if I could make a recommendation it would be to put in a play area for the kids as my were bored quite quickly, and maybe turn up the volume on the sound system a tiny bit.

 

I came away thinking, I will definitely be coming back to watch the speedway

[Glenn 26]

What were people expecting - A GP Meeting !

Scott Nicholls sumed it up with his comments -'I'm here to support the fund

and have a good time.

 

And the fund will benefit greatly from having it at Rye as opposed to a track where a rental

for the meeting would have taken a large slice of the profit.

 

[srbramble 0]

It seems that a lot of folk attended yesterdays meeting didn't expect to be entertained, and are quite happy with a couple of passes out of 22 heats of racing. Not me. I would quite happily put my £15 quid in an envelope and sent it to the fund managers, if I'd known what we were going to get. I must have imagined the adverts in the Star that got our juices flowing about the class field. What they should have said was; " first meeting of the year teething problems, riders a bit rusty and still to dial their bikes in after a long winter, track my be a little devoid of dirt, but come along anyway, give us your £15 quid, it is for a good cause after all, but don't expect anything special".

No, the fans were properly mugged yesterday, and if they wheel out the same excuses each year, then hold it in the middle of the season, so we get the best entertainment possible.

[Bryn 413]

It seems that a lot of folk attended yesterdays meeting didn't expect to be entertained, and are quite happy with a couple of passes out of 22 heats of racing. Not me. I would quite happily put my £15 quid in an envelope and sent it to the fund managers, if I'd known what we were going to get. I must have imagined the adverts in the Star that got our juices flowing about the class field. What they should have said was; " first meeting of the year teething problems, riders a bit rusty and still to dial their bikes in after a long winter, track my be a little devoid of dirt, but come along anyway, give us your £15 quid, it is for a good cause after all, but don't expect anything special".

No, the fans were properly mugged yesterday, and if they wheel out the same excuses each year, then hold it in the middle of the season, so we get the best entertainment possible.

 

And how exactly would you expect them, i.e. the SRBF, to be able to attract a huge turn out of fans from all parts of the country such as we witnessed yesterday at whatever track such a mid-season meeting was held, let alone put together a star studded line up with matches taking place up and down this country on the same day and given riders foreign league, Grand Prix, World Team Cup etc etc commitments?

 

[Sandie 53]

There was !! Ben was wandering around with a bucket !

oh confuzzled!

Im sure the commentator guy said, as Ben walked passed him with an empty bucket, that he had run out of sweets and was going back to fill it up!!! And I believed that, although he never came near us with the refill.

In fact, if it was a bucket he never came to the first bend side of the pits all meeting!

 

Seriously, although I paid to get in, paid for my programme etc I was still ready to add a few quid to a bucket.

WIll do it on the next venture to a stadium.

[orion 7,621]

And constructive thoughts Sandie which I would hope, in fact feel sure, will be noted and worked upon by the SRBF for next year's meeting.

 

No one involved 'behind the scenes' as it were in this great sport of ours, least of all myself I would hope, is above what I term as 'constructive criticism' - in fact I most certainly welcome it as indeed I'm sure others do, and am more than willing to discuss such matters face to face, by email phone or via the private message facility on this forum with those offering same and I'm sure most others would too.

 

But am I alone in thinking that it's all too easy, and increasingly prevalent, for some to post on this and other forums that 'such and such or so and so' was/were crap whilst hiding behind the comfort of some made up nickname to avoid identification?

 

 

ZZZZZZZZZZZ change the record if had a pound for every time you posted the same thing ....as you be told before if you don't like people who voice there criticism behind a screen names then don't go on forums ...then you won't have to worry about it will you ?