Scunthorpe Speedway Track Activity 2014 - Practice, Amateur Meetings, Bike Hire, Mini Track & Main Track

[Scunny Stag 72]

Spaces still available with Wayne Carter this coming weekend. Mini track on Saturday and Main Track on Sunday

[Scunny Stag 72]

Wayne Carter's Mini track session for next Sunday is fully booked but I'm taking bookings for the amateur meeting on Sunday 29th June. See the first posting on this thread for details.

[Scunny Stag 72]

Another great amateur meeting today. Results will be on the website and facebook page late on Monday. Next one is Saturday 2nd August but next week the focus is on Wayne Carter and his excellent training days. Saturday (5th) is on the mini track and Sunday is on the main track (just a four hour track session rather than the full day version). Spaces are available on both. Easiest way to book is to text me on 07832-402167 or email richard@scunthorpespeedway.com. If you really need to speak to me please leave a message if I am unavailable and I will call back at the earliest opportunity.

[Scunny Stag 72]

Next events are Andy Meredith Training School (Saturday 26th July) and our amateur meeting (Saturday 2nd August). See posting on the first page for details.

[Scunny Stag 72]

Already got about two dozen entrants for next Saturday and I'm sure we'll double that by Thursday's 8pm cut off. Just text me on 07832-402167 if you are interested in entering.

[Scunny Stag 72]

Just one space remaining for the Wayne Carter Training school on Sunday 24th August. A few spaces remain on his minitrack session on Saturday 30th August and we are taking booking for the amateur meeting on the same day (main track). Text/call me on 07832-402167 to make bookings.

[Scunny Stag 72]

This coming weekend the EWR hosts a WISS Skids practice. Contact Ivan Howarth through Facebook or via 07909-086969. The week after we have an AMSA Training Day and a Wayne Carter session on the mini track before October 4th and out next amateur meeting. Text me on 07832-402167 or via Facebook regarding that one.

[Scunny Stag 72]

Mini track places available for the session with Wayne Carter on 25th October. No main track activity (because of car meetings) until the amateur meeting on Sunday 9th November.

[Scunny Stag 72]

Additional Wayne Carter mini track day added - Sunday 23rd November - because Sunday 9th November and Saturday 22nd November are already sold out.

[Scunny Stag 72]

Got 42 bookings so far for next Sunday's amateur meeting (9th November). Taking bookings until 6pm Saturday. Please text me on 07832-402167 if you are interested in joining the fun.

 

Details at https://www.facebook.com/events/327252777453679/

[Mr. Clemens 646]

Scunthorpe Amateur Meeting Sunday 17th December 2014

Or Richard Hollingsworth’s 115^th Dream

 

It’s a long time since I visited Eddie Wright stadium for an amateur meeting. Circumstance always dictates whether it’s convenient to do so or not. It wasn’t convenient in the past as I worked Sundays the day most of these meetings are held. Since I retired though, I can do what I want when I want, so I decided to go in November. I didn’t though but decided I would in December, seeing Richard was asking for assistance at the track.

I also had another motive for going, to get rid of numerous speedway books programs etc I had gathered together during the 70’s and 80’s. Numerous people have asked me why I wanted to unload all this stuff. Reason is they were gathering dust in the attic, we are having a clear out and the speedway memorabilia weren’t the only memories being passed on to those who may (or may not) appreciate them. You would have thought it would take about an hour to hand out all this stuff but it took six hours.

Saturday 6^th December was a fine crisp day. I hoped Sunday 7^th would be the same, but it was windy wet with a promise of better weather in the afternoon. It always seems to rain when I go to these amateur meetings. In the past I stood on the third bend of the track with red flag in hand, waving it at riders flying (or crawling) by as the need arose. Not that some took any notice if you were waving the flag or not, but people who have read these articles before will be aware the problems it caused and how it was resolved. But on this day I didn’t get near a red flag or the third bend for that matter.

Arriving at the stadium at 10 am, the wind and rain suggested there might not be any meeting at all. In contrast to the weather, the full car park and activity going on suggested those who had come were expecting to ride. In the end the weather settled down and it turned into a fine day, in more ways than one. It was nice to reacquaint myself with Richard and his wife. I advised him I had things to get rid of and when I had I would be there to assist.

Problem was who was I going to give all this stuff to? I had numerous programs mostly those of Halifax, Sheffield, Coventry, Ipswich and Belle Vue, along with programs from defunct tracks such as Wimbledon, Reading and Long Eaton. I had a fistful of programs from a load of other tracks to give out also. I also had a good few British League Riders Final programs along with all those World Final Programs. There were also old ‘Speedway Stars’ and a few ‘Backtrack’ magazines. But where did one begin with the ‘Great Speedway Give Away’ and what kind of reaction would I receive when trying to give someone an early Christmas present?

First thing I wanted to do was find someone who would appreciate the Halifax/Bradford programs. Wayne Carter came to mind. He did a sterling job teaching people to ride bikes. Struck me as a man of infinite patience, did Wayne, to do a job like that, as consistently as he does, for has long has he has and still happy to do more. Most likely he wouldn’t have much time to talk to me as he was busy doing his thing that day.

I approached him explained I had Halifax/Bradford programs to give him if he wanted them. I was surprised at Wayne’s enthusiasm in receiving them. I imagined he would have said he’d already got all that kind of stuff and that he was busy. Far from it, he was willing to chat about things Halifax and we did speak of Kenny Carter. Wayne spoke of his interest in the 1982 World Final. I asked him if he had a program of that event. He said not. I said “You have now, I have one in the car I will fetch it.”

I fetched him a few other things too, well you have to give these things to the interested, don’t you. When I handed him the 1982 program, it struck me he was thinking, is this for real. Not that he was thinking I was pulling some practical joke. It was the cover of the program, it’s not much to look at and it was easy to think ‘this is not a program’. But it was. I asked him, by the way, if he had the 1981 World Final program. He said not, “you have now”, said I.

The interesting thing was a young rider was talking to Wayne as I arrived back, with the programs. Jordan was his name. He was looking at the programs, as I handed them to Wayne. I think he realized what they were, by the look on his face. Jordan departed and I spoke further with Wayne for a short while asked him who the lad was, then I went back to the car, for another load of memorabilia. Finding Jordan, I asked him if he was impressed with the 1981 program. It seemed that he was, so I said “well there’s one for you too”. I had two 1981 world final programs don’t ask me why, I have no idea.

After that I went looking for other interested people. The idea was to give them all out to the young people who were actually riding that day. Hopefully they would recognize them as significant pieces of interest along with the book they were given. Perhaps they would inspire them to reflect on the achievements of those past riders, in detail, and to emulate what they had done.

There was the odd program for the older speedway supporting person. I hope those two old Cradley Heathen programs reached the person I was told they would. I asked a number of people there if there were any Cradley supporters at Scunny that day. No one seemed to know of anyone, or of anyone, who knew a Cradley supporter. It struck me, there was something of an air of, ‘we try not to talk about Cradley Heathens supporters, if at all possible mate’ in the answers to my question. I try not to talk about a lot of things if I can help it, so there you go.

I had got rid of some stuff by the start of the first part of the amateur meeting. Problem was there were still three boxfuls of stuff in the car. I thought it doesn’t matter I will help them out in the second half. I should have got rid of it all by then. I said to Richard, about two hours into the meeting, “you wouldn’t think it would be so hard to give stuff away. Would you”!!! But we soldiered on walking round the pits area handing out bits and pieces to those who seemed as if they’d appreciate this kind of thing

I was advised I ought to put it all on E bay. I did put some records on there, sold them, then got complaints from female recipient, who e-mailed they were ‘devastated’ because they weren’t playable. You are devastated sweetheart when someone dies of cancer or gets killed in a road accident, not when some bleeding records have a few scratches on them. It was said quite clearly on the description they weren’t in mint condition, but in good playable condition. Just as all this speedway stuff is in good condition, but not in mint condition as recipients will testify no doubt.

Cutting a long story short E bay told us recipient would have to be refunded if their complaint was upheld. We advised E bay to tell recipient to simply send them all back regardless. When they were returned then they would be refunded. Needless to say they weren’t returned.

The moral of this story seemed to me that one sells something on E bay, recipient pays then a week later complains to E bay, re lack of quality etc. E bay then implies to seller recipient will be refunded immediately, because of their complaint. This is fine, only problem was said recipient not only wanted to be refunded but also wanted to keep said ‘useless records’. Nice work if you can get it!!!! My response to that of course was ‘F..that for a game of soldiers’, send ‘em back. Presumably E bay resolved this as recipient was given while December 1^st to respond and didn’t.

Therefore I decided I would just give all this speedway stuff away instead, noble or what eh? There was more satisfaction in handing all of it to the riders at Scunny. What ‘devastated of Kent’ didn’t know was I would have took all those records to the dump it site, if my son hadn’t have advised me to put them on E bay instead. I won’t be putting anything else on E bay.

People have asked me, how the riders and their parents reacted when they were handed things. They reacted in the manner expected, a little bemused by this person approaching them. But the riders were there to ride and active in getting their machines ready for the track. Realizing that I spoke to most briefly then moved on. Others took time to talk and it was a pleasure giving them things and knowing they would be appreciated.

Finally they were all handed out and I had time to watch some racing and take stock of the general situation at Scunthorpe speedway. Most times when I went to the amateur meetings, there was always a shortage of people willing to help out. Looking round the track, I saw they had the requisite amount of people needed to make it all work. It seemed to me there would have been no room at the inn for me anyway. I know that thought isn’t true but I did think if there were regulars there, they might take exception to me shoving my way in. I hadn’t been to Scunny since 2012.

When I started going to the amateur meetings they ran them in the afternoon from 1pm to 5pm. Later on the changed to the new routine with a section in the morning and early afternoon and second half through till 6pm. When using the old format they ran between 60 and 70 races. With the new format they run over a 100 races in one day. I think they rode 100 races on Sunday.

What anyone has to be impressed with is the professional way the meetings are run. It is obvious that it operates like a well oiled machine. The riders go out to race while the next riders assemble at the gate ready to go out as the previous come off the track. It goes on like this all day nonstop as it must to get through all the races and to satisfy all the riders, who have come from far and wide to race.

All of this is down to one man and that man is Richard Hollingsworth. Richard won’t take credit he’s not that type of person, to do so. But it is he who is the lynchpin of it all, around which the rest of it revolves. The reason it works is because all those who turn up to assist with the meeting realize how dedicated Richard is about speedway development. They apply themselves to making the meeting work BECAUSE they understand what Richard is doing and want to assist in helping Richard make it happen.

The riders and those there to help them also realize what Richard is trying to do and they respond by being ready to race when they should be ready to race. The truth of this is self evident because if any of these parts malfunctioned then the rest of it would fall apart. Anyone who rides a speedway bike or mechanics for anyone who does ride knows this.

One of the reasons I went to Scunthorpe on Sunday was because I am aware of the problems they are having there regarding the viability of running speedway after 2015. I said I was going while it was still there to go to. The only thing I really ever disbelieved involving speedway was when it was suggested to me that Halifax speedway was in danger of closing circa 1986/87.

I didn’t believe it would close because I thought the very idea of Halifax closing was insane. It was the best speedway track in the world (in my opinion) reason when I went there every Saturday, rather than go to Hyde road to watch Ivan, Soren, Peter, Chris Morton, Chris Pusey et al. It was 27 miles from where I lived to Halifax and 27 miles from where I lived to Belle Vue. I could have gone to either, but I went to Halifax. I thought it was insane that anyone would let Halifax close. I thought anyone who let it happen was insane, but it happened and it can happen to Scunthorpe speedway.

The moral of the tale being you can work your little cotton socks off, you can be as dedicated as the rest of them. You can produce a slick well oiled machine, run a 100 races and say to one and all ‘top that if you can’ but if no one is interested you can end up closing all the same. I write, I have lost count of the number of times people have asked me why it is I am not famous. I know the reason.

Years ago in 2002, my house was renovated, Clive the builder who did the job worked on the house for six weeks. We got on well because I let him get on with what he was doing without questioning him every five minutes on how professionally he was doing what he was doing. I played music all the time, music taped from the records I had, so I didn’t have to play the records and wear them out. Reason I knew there was nothing wrong with them when they were sold, so stitch that ‘Devastated of Kent’.

One day, for some reason, I played Ben his young worker some songs of mine I had recorded, while Clive was away sizing up their next job. Ben was amazed when he asked me who actually recorded the songs I was singing and I told him they were all mine and that I had thousands of them.

Clive returned and I said to Ben, ”don’t say anything and see what he says when he comes in”. Clive walked into the living room cocked his ear and listened. I said ‘now then Clive, who is that singing”? I have never forgotten his response which was “well tha’s no need to say it’s thee, tha couldn’t sing like that to save thi life.” I advised him to listen again and he realized it was me.

Clive thought to himself for awhile then said, “Can I ask you a question”? I said “and what question is that”? Though I already knew what is question was. “Why aren’t tha a multi millionaire”? And I said “I will tell thee why I am not a multi millionaire Clive. Because no one is interested in what I have written, that’s why Clive, if you really want to know mate. It’s the price you pay for writing the songs you want to write and not ‘commercial’ songs.” In other words if there is no response to what you do, some would say, there was no point in doing it. I never subscribed to that thought and neither will Richard Hollingsworth.

No matter how long the day of racing is it inevitably all comes to an end. The meeting concludes with a trio of finals for the different classes of riders. I had saved three books to hand out to the winner of the final and the runners up. How fortunate it was I had three books when I found out there were three finals. I told Richard he could give one to each winner. I don’t know how two of them were received but the winner of the middle final of the trio of finals, seemed genuinely pleased to receive his book. It is actually signed by Ove Fundin and Barry Briggs and Jason Crump too, if I recall correctly.

At the end of the meeting I actually got time to speak with Richard and asked him how things were at Scunthorpe. He confirmed that things were as serious as the general public were informed they were and if things didn’t pick up in 2015 there may not be any speedway in 2016. No doubt Richard will contrive things to continue to run some kind of speedway there. It’s down to the public in the area to respond to the plea for sustained support. I don’t know what the answer is. I know what kind of speedway I want to see and that’s all I will say about that.

Now the wheel turns full circle and I go back to the beginning of the tale and the process of divesting myself of speedway memorabilia. I said I had a number of world final programs. I had most of the programs regarding the world finals of the 70’s and those of 1981 and 1982. I also had a vinyl recording of the 1974 world final, for me the best world final I ever saw. Anders Michanek was superb that day. Problem was not only had I to find someone who would appreciate it but someone who had a record player to play it on.

I was asking around if anyone had a record player. It didn’t take long to realize it had to be an older person most likely to have a record player. I was asking “do you have a record player mate”, getting a negative most of the time? Then this old guy in leathers walked past. I asked him he said he had one. I asked him if he wanted a record. He asked if it was Mantovani? I said, “near enough mate it’s Michanek”. He finally realized what it was about and said “I went to that final” I told him so did I and now you will be able to relive it. I hope the bleeding thing plays ok don’t you.

Besides the worlds final programs mentioned above I had two others I was trying to find the appropriate person to give them to. Reflecting on all those I had given previous out to I decided there was only one person I would give them to, Wayne Carter. He’d been thrilled by those already given to him, so I thought I would thrill him some more. So once again I approached him. He smiled an expectant smile as I approached, no doubt thinking to himself ‘what’s be bleedin’ got for me this time’?

The main prize Wayne that’s what!!! “This program Wayne”, I said to him as I held out a 52 year old program, “is a bit special Wayne. It’s a 1962 world final program, so handle it with care.” It took him a few moments, I think to compute who won that world final, but he realized in the end. Now you would think that would be the best bit of the day, but it wasn’t. I had another world final program from the 1960’s. The other program was a 1965 world final program.

“Who won that final”, asked Wayne? “Bjorn Knutson”, said I. Wayne looked puzzled, “never heard of him”!!!. I wanted to say, “well he’s probably never heard of you either, so there you are,” but I didn’t. But Wayne was perturbed that there was a world champion he had never heard of before. I told him he’d retired aged 27 that he rode at Southampton with Barry Briggs for a time. He wasn’t aware of one of the ‘Big Five’ of the 50’s and 60’s. I told him to google him then he would be able to fill in the blanks in his knowledge. Then with all that it was time to go, so I went. Who knows when I will go again, as the ‘Strolling Bones’ once sang ‘this could be the last time, maybe the last time I don’t know’.

[Guest]

Mr Clemens I really enjoyed the Previous post. What a change to read something of this calibre on the BSF.

I was especially interested in the comment about Bjorn Knutsson and that a recipient of an item had never heard of him. I am not surprised to hear that. The difference from the 1960s date to the present is 49 years - in my dealings with speedway historians many have subscribed to an opinion that most followers of a sport can go back 25 years in historical recollections and that's it.

On those terms the 25 year "start" theory for present day fans would be around 1988 or 1989. The recollection theory it seems applies to all sports - not just speedway. And if the follower started going to speedway when aged about 10 years, riders like Knutsson and Co. would still have ridden and retired long before they were born.

I remember once at a Conference League Wimbledon practice session I said to Chris Hunt after he had done a couple of laps "You remind me of the way Alec Statham used to ride Plough Lane." He looked blankly at me and then said, "I have never heard of him. Who was he?" I looked equally as blank at Hunt and just changed the subject.

Aside from that Mr Clemens, a really good Post and I could go on far longer but "my personal followers on here" may accuse me of writing more pointless boring rubbish? Again, on your part, a great and interesting Post - something really different and worthwhile.

Edited December 11, 2014 by Guest

[Mr. Clemens 646]

Glad you liked it Gustix. I used to write these reflections on the meetings I went to regularly and post them on the BSF. I haven't seen much speedway in the last 2 years though for one reason or another, so there's nothing for me to post most of the time.

People say post elsewhere other than the BSF but I always found the BSF set up suits the length of them best. I also posted for people to have something different to read than the norm.

[*JJ 512]

Very interesting, Mr. C: and thanks for the programme!

[Mr. Clemens 646]

Very interesting, Mr. C: and thanks for the programme!

 

My pleasure