OveFundinFan 4,145 Posted January 16, 2015 Whoops ! I am sure you know what I meant ie 2 min lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
E I Addio 15,849 Posted January 16, 2015 You speak for yourself. !! The time of speedway meetings vary considerably, There are many races run when the 2 mins warning is not given. The Starting Marshals appear too weak to enforce any strict time scheduling and although they stand there trying to bring riders under orders, without the authority the riders show no effort to hurry. If , when this rule is introduced, it will save a few minutes on the meeting timetable then that has to be a good thing. The referee has the power to fine riders or even exclude riders for wasting time at the start, but it rarely happens. A bigger problem than gardening is riders that hang around adjusting there clutches when being called to the line. A bit of balance and common sense is called for. If a rider is programmed to go out twice in three heats, and is given an extra ride between them, then obviously he needs a bit of a break to re-fuel, replace his tear-offs, swap his rear tyre round etc, but some are plainly wasting time, possibly to unsettle their opponents. Ultimately it is a bit like cricket where teams need to maintain an over rate to keep the flow going and the fans interested, and teams can be penalised for not bowling enough overs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scottyfan 824 Posted January 16, 2015 Think Rohan Tungate is going to struggle with the no gardening off the bike rule..........I see he has asked on twitter if the BSPA are going to provide leg extensions for him 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Barrycuda 184 Posted January 16, 2015 (edited) Post removed Edited June 2, 2015 by Barrycuda Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1 valve 558 Posted January 17, 2015 i hear ajustable seat heights are to be the rage this coming season. Start line material and tools to be sponsored by McAlpines, London Brick and Spear and Jackson tools accompanied by the Hokey Cokey song. Cue music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qK0M0v-j4-c Followed by the riders complaint song to referee. Cue music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yShvgXZQBTs Brilliant...especially Digging the hole....I would love some promoter to ensure this gets played when the gardening starts...tension build up is one thing and should be encouraged but this kind of p#~s take would add some fun...no doubt BSPA would fine the club for bringing the game into disute and being dangerously close to adding entertainment. oh well we can dream. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jenga 2,998 Posted January 17, 2015 i think bernarb cribbins (hole in the ground) should be played at all tracks before every race.could brighten up the garden fest. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
barrow boy 119 Posted January 17, 2015 Personally I think the only thing that was possibly wrong when Tai Woffinden did his shovelling during the British Final was that the referee's allowed it to happen in a meeting where there were more officials than normal including one on the center green. After a crash, one rider was back in the pits to do work on his bike so Tai used that time to run from the pits and prepare his gate. If the officials on duty didn't deem it wrong then he did not break any rules and as it wasn't during a race time but a break for mechanical repairs then that shouldn't be an issue really. I can see there being a few arguments at certain times on this, maybe only a few but excluding a rider who dismounts his bike when the two minute time allowance isn't even on or the other riders at the tapes will cause managers to phone the ref to complain, then time spent getting a replacement ready and then a fresh two minutes. Hardly stopping the time wasting is it ? There is one thing that I do feel could be done at all tracks is the track preparation at the starting gates. Apart from when the tractor goies over it, the gates are hardly touched but along the kickboard on the home straight there will be a massive amount of loose shale piled up to it. With at least three people on the starting gates, sometimes more, why can't this be raked back into the ruts after every heat or every other heat ? At the end of the meeting the starting grids are terribly rutted and it only means in the later heats riders have to dig to try and get a decent position by either filling in a rut or trying to find a decent patch to start from. Raking on the start grid every now and then would help stop this and riders can come to the gate each time to an evenly prepared starting position. Totally agree with you regarding raking the starting area etc. and regarding having to wait for a replacement rider perhaps there should not be one if a rider is disqualified for any starting procedure incident. Just remove the offending rider and get on with it. They'll realize then that they will have to do it right in future. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shale Searcher 1,264 Posted January 17, 2015 In the (good old days!!) At Leicesters old Blackbird Road Circuit, the tractor that dragged the (in meeting) grader, used to lift it off the racing surface from around 10 yards behind the tapes and not drop it back down until it had gone at least 10 yards past the tapes. So any start gate grading was done by the start gate staff, and sometimes an over zealous 4th bend raker!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HenryW 1,178 Posted January 18, 2015 Exactly, and that's what the rule wants to happen. You need the tension, you need the build up, you want the introductions, What you don't want is, after all that generation of excitement, one of the riders is still off his bike doing the 'gardening'. The presentation needs to flow. And yet the suggested rule would do nothing to fix this...After all that presentation, as long as the rider was still on his bike doing his gardening then he is safe, he is apparently only causing a problem if he is off his bike, which makes no sense. Do as the SGP does and get a clock out to show the 2 minutes...The riders can then take a look and know how long they can do their gardening for and can work out whether they have time to get off their bike to do it or not....The stadium announcer knows exactly how long he has to talk about each rider to build up the tension and the person in charge of the music also knows exactly how long they have to get their mood making music playing... Essentially, everything fits much better for presentation if there is a fixed and easily viewed time limit before a race is ready to start...Whether a rider gets off his bike during that time or not is utterly irrelevant. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brewer 159 Posted January 18, 2015 (edited) I would love it if all four riders at the first meetings got to the start and all got off their bikes to garden. Could be interesting as if all are excluded its going to pee everyone off and show how ridiculous a rule it is. Like has been said it's how long some riders take not how they go about it. Edited January 18, 2015 by brewer 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
R87 476 Posted January 18, 2015 I think the main obstacles to all of these rules will be how strictly the referees enforce them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
INCOGNITO 357 Posted January 18, 2015 Here is something that could benefit everyone. Why not have a line or tape roughly three yards before the start gate. All riders must wait at this line until all four are called forward together and must get in position straight away so the referee can put the green light on. The track staff have this area to level as best as possible in between heats using the loose dirt thrown out to the kick boards. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SCB 0 Posted January 18, 2015 I don't see what the problem is with getting off the bike to do a bit of gardening as long as by the end of the 2 minutes they are back on and ready to go! At the end of the day they have 2 minutes to be at the tapes and ready to race what they do at the gate before then I couldn't care less! I can't wait for the time a rider gets to the tapes, jumps off his bike to do some gardening while the other 3 riders are still in the pits he is excluded. Yeah, great idea. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr Blobby 2,678 Posted January 18, 2015 (edited) I can't wait for the time a rider gets to the tapes, jumps off his bike to do some gardening while the other 3 riders are still in the pits he is excluded. Yeah, great idea. I know. Gardening isn't the problem it's referees not being strict with the 2 minutes. All tracks should be made to have a 2 minute clock on the centre green and if not ready to race by then then exclude them. To say we will exclude you for getting of your bike is just stupid all that is going to acheive is more time wasted as the ref will then need to put on a fresh 2 minutes. Edited January 18, 2015 by Mr Blobby 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
E I Addio 15,849 Posted January 18, 2015 . To say we will exclude you for getting of your bike is just stupid all that is going to acheive is more time wasted as the ref will then need to put on a fresh 2 minutes. Obviously its not going to waste time if they don't get off their bikes and get themselves excluded , which clearly they won't be. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
