Kent Kings V American Internationals 6/5/13

[Shadders 4,135]

Huge crowd, approaching 3,000 I'd say. Great weather, marvellous stadium, but they will struggle to complete many 15 heat meetings with an 8.30pm curfew.

Garrity was a class apart, but Boxall kept him on his toes. Heat 13 was a cracker until Boxalls chain snapped enterIng the last lap.

Liked the look of young Sims, but who was the fat kid at 6 for the Yanks? If anyone says to me "if you think you can do better...", I probably could!

Kings have shot themselves in the foot with the line up. Coles should be at reserve. Very weak looking side Boxall and Morley excepted.

Couple of gripes: nothing to dry your hands on in the bogs and no PA on 1st bend.

Best of luck for the season ahead.

Edited May 6, 2013 by Shadders

[Triple.H. 1,986]

Well at least tbe toilets and PA meet all the BSPA requirements.

I heard on the grapevine that the BSPA are trying to persuade the millenium stadium to turn the lights off ,flood the floors and hide the toilet rolls in the ladies to give the fans an authentic British speedway experience.

Edited May 6, 2013 by Triple.H.

[stevec 300]

Well what a great afternoon.

Ok, the racng was not that great but the stadium is and the track looked fine. I have pretty much decided the Kent Kings will b my second team after Eastbourne. With the amount of fixtures at Arlo now, at least I can get up to see the Kings on a Monday.

 

Congrats to everyone who got this going.

 

Ditto about thelack of PA on one and two, It really needs something there.

[gaptooth 136]

anyone got a racecard they can post?

[lukasdrymllukas 135]

Well what a great afternoon.

Ok, the racng was not that great but the stadium is and the track looked fine. I have pretty much decided the Kent Kings will b my second team after Eastbourne. With the amount of fixtures at Arlo now, at least I can get up to see the Kings on a Monday.

 

Congrats to everyone who got this going.

 

Ditto about thelack of PA on one and two, It really needs something there.

 

Totally this

 

When the National League gets going I'm going to really enjoy watching speedway from Sittingbourne...

 

Bit of a drive from Brighton but, hey, it makes a change from the same old same old at Arlo...

 

A few Eagles supporters there today too

[Nikko 181]

Just a quick note from myself to thank the trackstaff, standholders, and stadium staff today for all your efforts.

 

Thanks to everyone who came to watch us today, I hope you enjoyed yourselves.

 

Couple of areas need improvement and already working on them.

 

Regards

Nikko

[gammy73 13]

Wow!!! Wat a great day! An AMAZING crowd! 3000 at least im hearing? Seriously impressed with the whole place and the way everything is being run! Yeah sure there were a few glitches 2day like PA and must say i thought track was a tad bumpy on 3rd and 4th bend but nothing that cant be sorted out im sure? Meeting itself took a while to get going wat with the incidents in first 3 heats but all in all i thought it was a good first match and hopefully for the newbies there the whole day has encouraged them to come along again. Shame the team lost but it was first match on a brand new track and to be honest would imagine nerves got to a few of the young lads with the size of the crowd watching them? Wouldnt imagine they have ever or will ever ride in front of that sort of crowd again? Steve Boxall and Ben Morley look like bein undisputed top 2 for us with David Mason backing them up well? Must say that Jack Kingston impressed me a bit? He seems a good gater? Just gotta learn to stay on now as lost a couple of 2nd places due to falling off when by himself but again new track and all that so will all come in time? Connor Coles looked steady and think there's plenty of improvement to come from him? Poor Adam Kirby must be black and blue 2nite!!! took a couple of nasty falls but fair play he got up from them, so cant really say much about him. Only one to disappoint me a bit was Sam Woods? Seemed good on his 1st ride and then rest of the day looked miles off the pace and very shakey etc? Think theres a lot of work to do there but again time will tell? Anyway thats just my reveiw of the day! all in all very very impressed and was great to see the legends going round before meeting! Especially Barney and co from Canterbury! Cant wait till next week and fingers crossed its another good crowd and the start of a very special era for kent speedway

[Shadders 4,135]

anyone got a racecard they can post?

http://speedwayupdates.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=kt13&action=display&thread=12180

 

There's a link on there to the Twitter heat details

[gaptooth 136]

thank you

[Shadders 4,135]

Just a quick note from myself to thank the trackstaff, standholders, and stadium staff today for all your efforts.

 

Thanks to everyone who came to watch us today, I hope you enjoyed yourselves.

 

Couple of areas need improvement and already working on them.

 

Regards

Nikko

Impresed with the set up. I'm sure the minor gripes will be sorted. Disappointed I can't make the regular Monday night's. Best of luck

[SteveEvans 248]

Impresed with the set up. I'm sure the minor gripes will be sorted. Disappointed I can't make the regular Monday night's. Best of luck

 

Can you make it if they open a pie and mash shop on the 2nd bend?

[Shadders 4,135]

Can you make it if they open a pie and mash shop on the 2nd bend?

I'm sure I'd find a way

[Mimmo 1,070]

As others have already posted, this was a great occassion to be apart of, and I agree with negatives that have been mentioned, and as Nikko says, they're working on those already, which they need to do. As for the tannoy on the 1st & 2nd bend, I wouldn't know, but I sat in the lower part of the main grandstand in front of the track-shop, and although I could hear the announcer reading out his various bits 'n pieces, it was completely inaudible, and couldn't hear any race times. Nobody else could hear either, so that combined with the inevitable delays that a hot afternoon brings, spoiled the afternoon to extent.

 

As for the stadium and it's facilities, it really is second to none, and the potential there is unbelievable, and there can't be many stadia in the country that can better it, but fear for the long term future unless they can move into a higher league within a year or two. It's difficult to see how National League, as much as I love it, could be a paying concern as the weeks and months go by.

 

So yes, as you'd expect for a first ever meeting it had its highs and lows.

 

Am I glad I went? - MOST DEFINITELY YES

Would I go again? - UNDECIDED

 

Although I only ever visit Kent for the British Youth Championship, I much prefer the actual track racing at Iwade.

 

Anyway, good luck for the future, and I hope it does all work out for everyone.

[westhamboy66 599]

Photos from today

 

 

[Dave Stummings 126]

So the Kent Kings have completed there first meeting. I don’t want to be negative but there weren’t that many positives today. Certainly the crowd was a positive, as was the main grandstand. Have to say the terracing especially around the 3^rd/4^th bend was extremely bad under foot in parts. No wonder why there where signs saying entering at own risk or similar. The PA system didn’t work on either the 1^st bend or the 3^rd/4^th and that was also the same last week for the behind close doors meeting. The PA system in the main grandstand was worse than Cardiff. So they need to be addressed, and what I find hard to believe that it wasn’t addressed before today meeting. The presentation was poor as well. The new people around me had no idea what was going on when the Harley’s just seem to ride around. There where a lot of new people to speedway and quite frankly they hadn’t a clue what was going on. The track cut up quite badly and the inexperienced riders showed. The top boys attacked the track, the others struggled. They'll sruggle to get a meeting over by 8.30. I think it’s going to be a very hard year for Kent Kings.

The paying public deserve better to be honest. How may will return next week? Well I guess if we new that we’d have won the lottery by now. Will I return? Honest answer probably not…..