dave1075 56 Posted July 20, 2018 1 hour ago, dazzafl said: Mark Phillips response on this subject on the Plymouth Forum... Mike , more water was put down today to try to stem the dust in the hot conditions(whatever next), when water penetrates the surface we obviously get more dirt, then the away team blames the track , then like Chinese whispers, they all hear it and decide it must be true....... ok blame the track , ironically the teams answer was ‘spike it please” what a load of bollox...I was watering at the time, the referee at that time wanted more water... when tracks are tricky the riders must attack the track and ride through the dirt, all the lads remarked that the track was good after their nerves got used to it . morley crashed on his own first on bend 3/4 he decided he did not need any power on at that time ..oops... the second time he came off was heat 15 and that was only due to pressure from Ellis...oops.. Macauley wiped out in heat 2 entering turn one hard then shutting the throttle off.. oops , I did ask Macauley if he was fed up with crashing, he replied yes, hopefully he will now listen to some advise , alter his riding style a little . He will be awesome then in my opinion... There was no atmosphere tonight , winging in the opening heats did not help, getting me to play silly buggers in the tractors did not help for continuation either . I was at the meeting as I was spannering for Ben Morley & I think you'll find it was Alfie Bowtell who fell in Heat 15 as Ben was not even in the line up and as for Heat 1 Ben was riding as you say through the dirt and was leading comfortably until he picked up some grip upon hitting a hole going into bend 3 on lap 4 & by the time he gained some control he spun his back end around. He sustained a badly twisted knee resulting in him pushing ( limping ) over the finish line. Ben spoke to the clerk of the course & the referee to see if some track work could be done before racing commenced only to find that the hole would be filled, which was pointless as it appeared again the very next race. This was a quick fix so that racing could continue. There was further falls from other riders during the meeting & even Plymouth captain Henry Atkins spoke to Ben after Heat 5 when they met each other to say that he felt the track was rough after both himself & Ben had lifted coming out of bend 2 after avoiding the fallen Callum Walker. After chatting with Ben during the meeting we were only to happy to get through the meeting unscathed. I can appreciate that the sun & heat we are experiencing at the moment negates getting moisture into the track but the track that night was not great and a rider of Ben's experience does not come off his bike that often. Dave Longman ( Ben Morleys mechanic ) 2 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dazzafl 212 Posted July 20, 2018 2 hours ago, dave1075 said: I was at the meeting as I was spannering for Ben Morley & I think you'll find it was Alfie Bowtell who fell in Heat 15 as Ben was not even in the line up and as for Heat 1 Ben was riding as you say through the dirt and was leading comfortably until he picked up some grip upon hitting a hole going into bend 3 on lap 4 & by the time he gained some control he spun his back end around. He sustained a badly twisted knee resulting in him pushing ( limping ) over the finish line. Ben spoke to the clerk of the course & the referee to see if some track work could be done before racing commenced only to find that the hole would be filled, which was pointless as it appeared again the very next race. This was a quick fix so that racing could continue. There was further falls from other riders during the meeting & even Plymouth captain Henry Atkins spoke to Ben after Heat 5 when they met each other to say that he felt the track was rough after both himself & Ben had lifted coming out of bend 2 after avoiding the fallen Callum Walker. After chatting with Ben during the meeting we were only to happy to get through the meeting unscathed. I can appreciate that the sun & heat we are experiencing at the moment negates getting moisture into the track but the track that night was not great and a rider of Ben's experience does not come off his bike that often. Dave Longman ( Ben Morleys mechanic ) mate i only quoted Mark Phillips from the Plymouth Devils Forum.. i wasn't at the meeting.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waco 1,026 Posted July 20, 2018 I see there are loads of fallers in tonight's meeting against Kent. Including the top boys,,is it safe . .? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
alan6870 2 Posted July 20, 2018 NO and getting worse meeting by meeting. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
griffo 20 Posted July 21, 2018 If this meeting had been at Stoke with all the Falls the forums would have been on Fire slagging one thing or another off as it seems only Stoke gets the Flack. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bagpuss 10,783 Posted July 21, 2018 31 minutes ago, griffo said: If this meeting had been at Stoke with all the Falls the forums would have been on Fire slagging one thing or another off as it seems only Stoke gets the Flack. Stoke get the flak because the club and track has been in a downward spiral for years. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Halifaxtiger 5,318 Posted July 22, 2018 Its true that tracks have had deliveries of poor quality shale but as far as I am aware that has been resolved now. Word I have from Plymouth is that the dust is terrible. My pals down there are some of the most reliable that the club has but it has got to the point where they are now picking and choosing meetings, leaving early or not going at all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waco 1,026 Posted July 22, 2018 (edited) Poor track maintenance is just another reason the fans are deserting this great sport in droves..It definately needs a massive shake from the top,....,Even that may now be to late to save the sport i have loved for 68yrs,,,,, Edited July 22, 2018 by waco Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
greyhoundp 990 Posted July 22, 2018 58 minutes ago, waco said: Poor track maintenance is just another reason the fans are deserting this great sport in droves..It definately needs a massive shake from the top,....,Even that may now be to late to save the sport i have loved for 68yrs,,,,, Have to say i agree with you Waco, and it saddens me to say it, Doubling between the Top two Leagues has a lot to do with it, how the heck can a rider be riding for your Team tonight, then someone else tomorrow night, try explaining that to a none Speedway Fan. Harry Kane is playing for Tottenham tonight, but playing for Bolton tomorrow absolutely ridiculous.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cityrebel 2,960 Posted July 22, 2018 Poor track preparation and doubling up are just two of many reasons why fans don't go anymore. The annual razzamataz at Cardiff still appeals to a lot of people as a one off event. I don't know if it would be as popular if it was staged on a regular basis. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
teaboy279 1,038 Posted July 22, 2018 Spoken to a number of lads and apparently the ref nearly did not start the meeting as the track was terrible.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jonnybegood 258 Posted July 22, 2018 11 hours ago, teaboy279 said: Spoken to a number of lads and apparently the ref nearly did not start the meeting as the track was terrible.... Only complained the track was wet and did not want any more water to make it slippery. Have a look on Plymouth’s Facebook page , there is a video on there for your appraisal....dusty Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
teaboy279 1,038 Posted July 26, 2018 On 7/22/2018 at 11:37 PM, Jonnybegood said: Only complained the track was wet and did not want any more water to make it slippery. Have a look on Plymouth’s Facebook page , there is a video on there for your appraisal....dusty The riders I have spoken too said the track was way to heavy on the inside. As I say I was not there, and only spoke to the lads after a few beers on Saturday in Cardiff.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites