Shale Searcher 1,264 Posted December 1, 2014 Based on inflation, I would say £1.00 in today's terms would be about £3.50! Not even minimum wage. However, free entry (I presume) and you did get a chance to get 'up close and personal'. VERY!!!! And I still do do it now, + a raft of other race day jobs, and still thoroughly enjoy being damn close to the racing!!! (No remuneration these days!!) AKA No BFH! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The White Knight 9,039 Posted December 1, 2014 Based on inflation, I would say £1.00 in today's terms would be about £3.50! Not even minimum wage. However, free entry (I presume) and you did get a chance to get 'up close and personal'. At Sunderland we worked for nothing and payed to get for Admission. Anything to try to keep our Track open. That was forty years ago. That went well - didn't it? :sad: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
strife 153 Posted December 1, 2014 As a raker at Leicester s Blackbird Rd in 1983, we were paid £1, a free programme and cup of pits urn tea a the interval!!!! I don't think the rakers get paid at Foxhall, although they do get a race sheet (not a programme), and definitely a cup of lovely urn tea at the interval ... what a shame it was pits at Leicester Mind you, there are only a couple of rakers on each bend, which seems fewer than "the good old days" and I'm not convinced their languid efforts make any difference - would anyone notice if they weren't there? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BuzzCagney 310 Posted December 2, 2014 The biggest problem that we have is there are too many people in influential positions who don't think there is a problem with speedway. I know a sponsor who has put money into the sport for nearly 20 years. He pays up and goes along. Gets a bit of food plonked down in front of him and happily accepts all the nonsense of cancelled meetings, missing riders, poor entertainment and dwindling crowds without complaint. And when I ask him why he doesn't make the bosses more aware of these issues he just looks at me as if I'm the one who doesn't get it! I fear the sport is dying by a thousand cuts. One painful slice is accepted after another and if something isn't done soon this once proud sport will have bled to death. To me its already probably too late to save it but there might be someone out there with the vision and power to save it. I certainly hope so. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted December 2, 2014 (edited) The biggest problem that we have is there are too many people in influential positions who don't think there is a problem with speedway. I know a sponsor who has put money into the sport for nearly 20 years. He pays up and goes along. Gets a bit of food plonked down in front of him and happily accepts all the nonsense of cancelled meetings, missing riders, poor entertainment and dwindling crowds without complaint. And when I ask him why he doesn't make the bosses more aware of these issues he just looks at me as if I'm the one who doesn't get it! I fear the sport is dying by a thousand cuts. One painful slice is accepted after another and if something isn't done soon this once proud sport will have bled to death. To me its already probably too late to save it but there might be someone out there with the vision and power to save it. I certainly hope so. There's an old saying that may apply to British speedway: "...it's dead but it won't lie down...!" Edited December 2, 2014 by Guest Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shale Searcher 1,264 Posted December 2, 2014 (edited) I don't think the rakers get paid at Foxhall, although they do get a race sheet (not a programme), and definitely a cup of lovely urn tea at the interval ... what a shame it was pits at Leicester Mind you, there are only a couple of rakers on each bend, which seems fewer than "the good old days" and I'm not convinced their languid efforts make any difference - would anyone notice if they weren't there? In Blackbird Road days, there were 4 rakers each end, and we had other duties then, red flags were ONLY used in daytime meetings, we also had to try and remove riderless machines from the track DURING the racing, remove helmet colours during the racing, chain guards, chains, steel shoes, and anything else that fell off during the racing, now, we are NOT allowed on to the track once the green light has come on and not go on it untill the chequered flag has dropped and riders speed reduced to helmetless parade speed... Health and safelty and all that. Although I did venture on to the track this season during a race, coming out the second turn to safely retrieve a riderless steel shoe that had lodged in some deep dirt and on the racing line, I did it quickly and was never in any danger, the steel shoe could have caused serious injury to any number of riders, officials and spectators had it been spat out by a high revving rear wheel!! Also, we are NOT allowed to take loose dirt back onto the racing line now, the riders don't want it there, it causes sudden loss of traction as the wheels skate over it like F1 tyre marbles.... Anyway, that's for another thread .........!! Edited December 2, 2014 by Shale Searcher Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
