The 4 Hours Speedway Meeting....

[Trees 2,814]

I'm sure they did, I wasn't particularly watching my watch, just had a laugh in between heats, spoke to people I haven't seen since last season, read the prog, contemplated the heats, etc etc .... I guess I must be a little odd just being glad to be back watching speedway ;D

[Gemini 4,894]

Fair point, and that's the reason I don't go to testimonials.

They don't interest me either but I did make an exception for the Chris Harris one last season and very enjoyable it was too.

[stevehone 3,430]

Testimonials always take longer than a regular meeting, lots of presentations and interviews, lots of extra photos, support races etc, so it was expected.

I saw some good racing today though, so came home happy

[Bagpuss 10,781]

I think the main problem yesterday was the first heat wasn't completed until 45 minutes after the start time. Of course testimonials are different but bearing in mind there were 27 heats yesterday it probably should have been a bit slicker in its running. Different people will have different opinions of course but I'd say that three hours ought to be the absolute maximum for a meeting of this kind and two for a regular team match.

[Halifaxtiger 5,318]

It long been a pet hate of mine but these days, working 2 hours from the nearest speedway tracks (taking into account traffic conditions) the last thing I want after having been in work all day is to get to a track, eat a manky burger that just cost £5-6 and then stand around for 2+ hours knowing I have to travel home another hour or more after the meeting. It just puts me off attending. They can't do anything about how far I work from a track and there probably very little they can do about the crap food on offer but they could get meetings over in a timely fashion so I can be home at a semi reasonable time so I can eat when I get home.

 

If it irks me, how much does it annoy and put off kids and far more casual fans that me? That said, I am only a causal fan these days, they need to be asking why.

 

Unnecessary delay annoys everyone. Standing at Ipswich on Saturday the lads I was with all complained about the interval, all the more so because it was a cold night.

 

Scunthorpe rarely have a meeting that takes longer than 90 minutes because they get on with it - I have even heard Rob Godfrey tell the referee to put the 2 minutes on - and have no interval. No reason why everyone else can't do the same.

 

As to food, get Mr Anderson to supply it. The burgers and pies at Berwick are amazing.

[OveFundinFan 4,143]

Yes it went on a bit but we had a few falls, we had junior races, presentations to riders and committee, interviews with Kings Lynn legends as well as 23 heats of senior races. Testimonials are not meetings to be rushed through, they should be to celebrate a rider's 10 years with a club as they see fit ......

Well then, holder such meetings at a time of year when weather is going to be more conducive to watching a 4 hour open air event. Cant think of a time in the past when I was at BV for 4 hours. 4 hours - ridiculous.

 

And as for food, if the catering is provided by the stadium - sack the staff if food is not up to a standard. If its Joe Bloggs Burger Van - get shut and allow another to take its place.

 

Got to keep the customer happy or they dont turn up again - plain business sense.

Edited March 27, 2017 by OveFundinFan

[steve roberts 9,246]

I think that the longest meeting I ever attended was the Fours Semi-Finals and Final at Wolves in the early late nineties/early eighties (?)...but it did consist of 48 heats!

[cityrebel 2,960]

1980 Steve, good job it was on a Sunday!

[Sidney the robin 4,735]

I heard from someone who went to Berwick on Saturday saying that it was superb.The promotion had done a great job great racing the Vissing/Lambert clashes and the meeting finished in a hour and a half it can be done.

[Steve Shovlar 10,439]

Kings Lynn have form for this. Last years U21 went on and on and on..... watching online it was way after 11. Problem is Kings Lynn have no curfew to speed things along. Pity the poor souls that attended the U21.

[teaboy279 1,038]

Don't see the problem tbh (I mean a 15 heat meeting should be a 90 min job, that is fact)

But I d love a festival of speedway, I could sit there and watch 5 or six matches back to back. Especially if we ve travelled a few hundred miles, I want the event to last longer then my journey.

 

To counter the bored kids theme, my daughter (turned 7 a few weeks ago) usually moans when it gets towards the later heats as she don't want it finish. (Tbf quite the opposite when it's cold or damp, she then moans cause it's not finished)

 

As long as there is action happening I d happily watch all day.

[A ORLOV 8,628]

I think the Berwick-Newcastle meeting on Saturday seemed to be completed in 90 mins which is good. With the weather as it is at the moment, ie cold and usually windy, most fans want the meeting over as fast as possible. A longer meeting on a nice sunny afternoon is not too bad, but the delays at many meetings are ridiculous, frustrating and can so easily be stopped. One of the most frustrating is on a false start that the two min warning, or pref a one min warning, should go on straight away and the pit gates should not be opened.

Edited March 27, 2017 by A ORLOV

[Gunner85 603]

When I started watching at Hyde road , there used to be 13 heats for the league match, approx 10 min interval and 10 races in the second half.

Start 1900 hrs , always out before 2100 hrs as they wanted people spending money on the fairground.

[*JJ 512]

In amateur racing, the riders are waiting at the pit gates with their engines running as the previous heat finishes, and go out on to the track when the previous riders exit it. If amateurs can do this, why not the professionals?

[Mimmo 1,070]

I agree to a point - but - FOUR HOURS is ridiculous. Allowing for the 'extras' at a Testimonial Meeting - I reckon two and a half to three hours with three hours being the absolute limit.

 

You are right when you say that you have to consider the Rider whose Testimonial is being celebrated - but surely you should consider the paying public too. Without them - it wouldn't be much of a Testimonial.

YEP!!

 

Unnecessary delay annoys everyone. Standing at Ipswich on Saturday the lads I was with all complained about the interval, all the more so because it was a cold night.

 

Scunthorpe rarely have a meeting that takes longer than 90 minutes because they get on with it - I have even heard Rob Godfrey tell the referee to put the 2 minutes on - and have no interval. No reason why everyone else can't do the same.

 

As to food, get Mr Anderson to supply it. The burgers and pies at Berwick are amazing.

Trouble is, I'm a vegetarian and for medical reasons can't eat much fried food, so the like of me aren't catered for.