Elite Riders Championship - 25/09/2014

[Steve Shovlar 10,439]

Can the ELR be moved to Poole on Sunday? It doesn't seem that Coventry are capable of putting on a decent race strip for the occasion. seriously.

Why on earth didn't they take my advice? I was completely correct.

 

By all accounts it's in a right state. With heavy rain showers due throughout the day will the track staff be able to make it decent enough to have some racing?

Well it didn't need any rain either. What a shower these Coventry track staff are.

[Fromafar 10,368]

COVENTRY promoter Mick Horton has issued the following statement following the postponement of the Elite Riders’ Championship on Sunday.

“I have made the decision today that the teams representing Coventry Speedway will not be taking to the track at Brandon until such time as the stadium bring in the correct and proper track curator to prepare our track.

“The track has been totally unacceptable. I am embarrassed and humiliated and I am not prepared to take all of the criticism because this is 100 per cent down to the stadium.

“They got rid of our old track curator and brought in a new one and it simply hasn’t worked. I am totally humiliated and can only apologise.

“I have told the stadium staff what the situation is – it’s destroying me. We said early this morning that the track should be bladed but they decided to let it dry and pack it, and it was still rubbish.

“Television were here and I have taken a lot of criticism, and I know I’m going to get the flak. But I want to make it very clear that this was totally out of my control, this was 100 per cent down to the stadium.

“They brought in the track staff and assured Coventry Speedway that this track curator and track staff team was the best that we could get. The rest is history – it has been a total shambles starting on Friday with the Storm match and now on Sunday for a major national event.

“There is no way that I will allow a Coventry team on that track until it is correct, and until that time, until it is in a suitable condition to race on, we will decline any further shared events or TV meetings.

“In all my years of speedway, this is my lowest moment. I feel absolutely humiliated by something that is totally out of my control.”

Perhaps it would have been better to inform the "powers at BSPA" to call the meeting off this morning if he was not happy with present Track Staff.Interesting he refers to to the old track curator as "our" but the new staff don't seem to be "our".im afraid this a typical speedway situation nowadays. Testimonials are run in any conditions just to make sure they get the punters money into riders pockets.A cloud in the sky and the fans will just be sitting watching TV after all these fiascos.Who can blame them.

[Jacques 3,114]

 

 

Just got back after spending £25 for the most expensive piece of yellow paper ever.

 

They shouldn't have open the doors in the first place.

 

Why a BSPA official isn't on hand to ensure a meeting goes ahead or doesn't (in a proper customer friendly way) proves how unproffessional our speedway leaders are.

 

 

This is what's getting me. That track was never going to be right, so why the hell did they let people in the stadium in the first place??

[INCOGNITO 357]

Absolute joke that after a meeting was affected by the weather it was not touched until today. The surface should have been bladed and the racing surface sorted before being packed and prepared for this meeting.

 

I'm sure there is a local man / team that could have been hired to look after the Brandon track.

[BWitcher 12,453]

Well said Mick Horton, I feel for you.

 

Does this mean it was down to Sandhu and his people then??! Oh dear, if so there will be several on here saying 'We told you so'!!!

 

Greyhounds gone, Speedway ? Developers wanting to move in quickly??

 

Indirectly, Ford to blame again. He's the one who drove Sandhu out the sport and pissed the man off so much.

[Phil 303]

Restaged at peterborough I wonder

¿

[Haza 1,774]

Restaged at peterborough I wonder

¿

i can see bees switching to Pboro in 3 years time so why wait

[Pirate Nick 1,801]

Why on earth didn't they take my advice? I was completely correct.Well it didn't need any rain either. What a shower these Coventry track staff are.

 

Greyhound at Poole on Sundays.

 

Indirectly, Ford to blame again. He's the one who drove Sandhu out the sport and pissed the man off so much.

Well that didn't take long did it?

[yellowandblack 34]

Difficult one this.

Of course you've got to think of rider safety and it was riders who didn't want to ride - so it couldn't be called off until they'd seen the track and they'd made that decision.

As a spectator I was intensely disappointed especially as I spend my life sticking up for our sport and standing by the pits at 5.15pm the quality of the riders i was seeing milling about was pretty high IMO ......but then I'm not the one who would have broken bones at the start of the season.

 

I don't really understand all the track prep business...we live in a country with a damp climate, at this time of year it takes a while for dirt to dry out however this should be nothing new and a skilled team should be able to make the most of it. Is this the issue?

 

Coventry is a great club and a good venue. Speedway needs to learn from this although I had thought that adequate, careful track preparation, especially for such a big meeting was perhaps something we already knew.

[racers and royals 8,730]

 

 

Greyhound at Poole on Sundays.

 

 

Well that didn't take long did it?

I was just going to say that -18.04 to 21.11

[screm 8,057]

Retweeted by Nicolai Klindt

Matt Williamson ‏@matt_w_racing 28m

Shame the ELRC is cancelled for riders safety. They didn't have that attitude when they sent us out on it on Friday

[markyb 323]

COVENTRY promoter Mick Horton has issued the following statement following the postponement of the Elite Riders’ Championship on Sunday.

“I have made the decision today that the teams representing Coventry Speedway will not be taking to the track at Brandon until such time as the stadium bring in the correct and proper track curator to prepare our track.

“The track has been totally unacceptable. I am embarrassed and humiliated and I am not prepared to take all of the criticism because this is 100 per cent down to the stadium.

“They got rid of our old track curator and brought in a new one and it simply hasn’t worked. I am totally humiliated and can only apologise.

“I have told the stadium staff what the situation is – it’s destroying me. We said early this morning that the track should be bladed but they decided to let it dry and pack it, and it was still rubbish.

“Television were here and I have taken a lot of criticism, and I know I’m going to get the flak. But I want to make it very clear that this w

 

 

 

as totally out of my control, this was 100 per cent down to the stadium.

“They brought in the track staff and assured Coventry Speedway that this track curator and track staff team was the best that we could get. The rest is history – it has been a total shambles starting on Friday with the Storm match and now on Sunday for a major national event.

“There is no way that I will allow a Coventry team on that track until it is correct, and until that time, until it is in a suitable condition to race on, we will decline any further shared events or TV meetings.

“In all my years of speedway, this is my lowest moment. I feel absolutely humiliated by something that is totally out of my control.”

 

 

Blah, blah blah and more blah. At the end of the day the speedway supporters get shafted. Could care less who the blame is shifted to - I as a spectator deserve better than the shoddy actions to date from the people who "run" in inverted comma's who run this this so called sport - guys lining their pockets.

Horton you just another pawn in this embarrassing episode .

 

Makes Sky look rubbishe too.

 

So what, only the true supporters seem to care hey !

[John Leslie 3,213]

Neil,Watson and mick Horton I must apologise for my posts previously referring to you as muppets- of course you should be laurel and hardy .

 

That's a disgraceful thing to say. Laurel and Hardy were total professionals, and masters of their art.

 

Watson and Horton are more Mike and Bernie Winters.

 

 

 

And that rubbish from Horton doesn't wash with me.

If there is a serious accident at a Coventry meeting, it's the promoter who ends up in the coroner's court. A feeble excuse of I didn't prepare the track won't wash. It's his ultimate responsibility.

[The H Man 252]

Surely the BSPA were aware of these problems?

Good point Rob! Seeing it was an SGB event they bloody well should be!

It's fine for BSPA loving journos to post on social media about the track man, but the buck needs to stop much further up the chain, not with the stadium for employing him, not with Horton for believing the stadium but with the event promotion!

Common sense have someone at stadium Friday to check all well, when obviously it wasn't as clearly stated on here (and we know that senior BSPA figures watch this site like a hawk) then you still have almost 48 hours to address the problem. Don't just show up 2 hours before the event to hob nob it and act amazed when track not fit for purpose.

 

Failure to prepare - prepare to fail (again)

 

So pleased I'm not involved with the sport I adored for years. Feel sorry for those who again have been ripped off!

[mikebv 10,286]

It's no good parts of the sport pointing fingers at others. The sport as a whole had the job of ensuring this meeting was properly staged. Apportioning individual blame is irrelevant although I do feel some sympathy for the Bees' promotion.

 

Surely these behind the scenes problems were known in wider circles outside Coventry and surely Friday night's problems must have sounded alarms?

 

If your flagship seasonal launch is threatened unnecessarily surely you intervene to make sure it's dealt with?

 

absolutely spot on..

 

the only issue though is 'who' intervenes??

 

simply no leadership in the sport, no one person takes the big bold decisions that need to be made..

 

rudderless ship.....

 

and its sinking fast....