Diamonds85 699 Posted March 31, 2023 (edited) The last couple of weeks... I really wanted to see Emil's first meeting back in this country so I booked Ipswich vs Peterborough last week (hotel booked, traveled down just for it to be called off as I was reaching Ipswich and about 10 minutes too late to cancel my premier inn... It was only being advertised that morning, surely the track must have been waterlogged all day as it wasn't really raining that much?) I was gutted by this so I stupidly decided to book this week up as a little speedway tour (I've been missing it greatly since mid last season when the Diamonds folded ) So I planned this week... Monday - Peterborough (on but a very delayed start with Nicki's crash, stadium issues, track issues, but was an ok meeting in the end) Tuesday - Day in Cornwall (p!ssed it down the whole time, expected) Wednesday - Poole (Off)/Thought about popping up to Oxford (Off) Thursday - Leicester (Off)/King's Lynn perhaps? (Off) Friday - Back home, across to Redcar (Off) Can't tell that the season's just started can you? Who's betting that Berwick will be off tomorrow also I will point out though because I know people will have a go at me, that I know all of these meetings were cancelled for rider safety, and I completely understand that, it's the most important part of speedway... Just typical though ain't it, driest winter on record followed by the wettest March Edited March 31, 2023 by Diamonds85 2 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TonyMac 720 Posted March 31, 2023 5 hours ago, salty said: So imagine my annoyance when the meeting, against Lakeside I think, was postponed at fairly short notice, not because of bad weather, but because holding the meeting would have caused difficulties with averages for Poole to make some planned team changes. What was the 'official' reason given by Poole for the cancellation? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TonyMac 720 Posted March 31, 2023 23 minutes ago, Diamonds85 said: The last couple of weeks... I really wanted to see Emil's first meeting back in this country so I booked Ipswich vs Peterborough last week (hotel booked, traveled down just for it to be called off as I was reaching Ipswich and about 10 minutes too late to cancel my premier inn... It was only being advertised that morning, surely the track must have been waterlogged all day as it wasn't really raining that much?) I was gutted by this so I stupidly decided to book this week up as a little speedway tour (I've been missing it greatly since mid last season when the Diamonds folded ) So I planned this week... Monday - Peterborough (on but a very delayed start with Nicki's crash, stadium issues, track issues, but was an ok meeting in the end) Tuesday - Day in Cornwall (p!ssed it down the whole time, expected) Wednesday - Poole (Off)/Thought about popping up to Oxford (Off) Thursday - Leicester (Off)/King's Lynn perhaps? (Off) Friday - Back home, across to Redcar (Off) Can't tell that the season's just started can you? Who's betting that Berwick will be off tomorrow also I will point out though because I know people will have a go at me, that I know all of these meetings were cancelled for rider safety, and I completely understand that, it's the most important part of speedway... Just typical though ain't it, driest winter on record followed by the wettest March Tough to take. Where did you initially set off from (your home base)? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
salty 2,202 Posted March 31, 2023 (edited) If memory serves, they were quite honest about it. I think a further meeting before the end of May and the effect on averages would have made it hard to make the team changes they wanted. I seem to recall Jon Cook who was the Lakeside promoter at the time had a few moans but I can't recall if there was any censure of the Poole promotion. I'm sure there are a couple of Poole fans on here who will have a better recall. Just realised it didn't really answer the original request you put in the OP for it to be a rain-off. Edit. Reply to Tony's question re Poole cancellation Edited March 31, 2023 by salty Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Diamonds85 699 Posted March 31, 2023 1 hour ago, TonyMac said: Tough to take. Where did you initially set off from (your home base)? Hello. I live near to Newcastle, but I like to try once a year to get down to Plymouth and Poole (I have family near Plymouth, and I love going to Poole) I would say my favourite team now that Newcastle have folded are the Gladiators, I just love their little set up they have down there Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steve roberts 9,246 Posted March 31, 2023 (edited) 19 hours ago, iainb said: it's like a drug isn't it... my most recent one was travelling up to Glasgow for the play off final in 2019, left home around 10:30 had a nice drive up north in nice weather, stopped at Gretna Green for a coffee, decided to look on Twitter only to discover it had been cancelled about half an hour after I left home, another 400+ mile trip and a horrendous journey back in the rain through the Friday rush ...yes I did 32 years of it (I'll leave that for "toady" to work out as he obviously has a fixation?) Edited April 1, 2023 by steve roberts 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lisa-colette 6,032 Posted March 31, 2023 (edited) 3 hours ago, TonyMac said: What was the 'official' reason given by Poole for the cancellation? Be interesting to see Salty's answer to this as I remember it being called off not not why! I would assume officially it would have been a dodgy forecast? I think Poole had to get Lakeside's permission though. Furthest for me was Birmingham but was only a riders champ meeting so not the end of the world. Been quite lucky as been to a fair few meetings that prob should have been called off lol. Would never go ahead now. The one I most remember would have been at Coventry for 2003 KOC Final. Was prob wetter than the sea! Edited March 31, 2023 by lisa-colette Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tsunami 10,219 Posted March 31, 2023 In the mid 60's we travelled down from Newcastle to an International meeting at West Ham stadium on a Tuesday. Never thought it would be raining, but when we got there it had been called off late. Not a lot to do near West Ham, so we just turned around and drove home. Got home early next day after a wasted 500 mile drive. Still went to work of course on the Wednesday. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Speedway fan 206 Posted March 31, 2023 furthest rain off was at Gosford, Australia. Was staying with the Herne family who couldn't go that day and was due to get a lift off Chris Holder ... only to get the call when getting ready that it was off!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iainb 5,017 Posted March 31, 2023 (edited) 9 hours ago, iainb said: Late 80's or early 90's can't remember exactly when... it was Good Friday though, travelled over from Leicester for the 11am King's Lynn meeting, was rained off when we got there so decided to head off to Ippo for their 4 o'clocker, rolled into the car park, the heavens opened and it was cancelled... off to Arena for their 6 o'clock (?) kick off, arrived, rained off... back home up the A1 in the hope of pulling in the 7:30 Peterborough fixture only for it to be called off just before we got there, so back home, a round trip of around 400 miles, over 8 hours in the car and not 1 lap of Speedway seen... madness 9th of April 1993 King's Lynn v Ippo Ippo v King's Lynn Arena v Cradley Peterborough v Oxford Other matches washed out that day: Oxford v Peterborough Belle Vue v Wolverhampton Glasgow v Rye House Sheffield v Middlesborough Poole v Swindon Swindon v Poole The only match that started was Edinburgh v Middlesbrough and that was abandoned after heat 8. I wonder if this was the most weather affected day in Speedway history? And why didn't they call them off a couple of days before based on the weather forecast These were the days of course that you had to stop and find a phone box to phone the track if you wanted to know if it was still on or not, maybe give clubcall a ring if you were rockerfeller... no websites or weather apps to check and no BSF! Edited March 31, 2023 by iainb 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
40-38 307 Posted March 31, 2023 Premier League Fours at Leicester, 7th August 2011. Lions first season back, generally terrible results which culminated in the drubbing 28-62 at home to Glasgow. However on this day we were actually winning overall and Ilya "Bonky" Bondarenko was unbeaten for the Lions; it truly was a day of miracles. It had been a bit on off rain wise all day and even periods during the meeting but about 2/3rds of the way through it hammered it down, stair rods, causing them to stop racing and see if it "passed over". I think we were stood in the open for nearly an hour in unrelenting torrents of rain waiting for it to "pass over" with nary a word from anybody. The presentation staff, riders and management were nowhere to be seen, a few thousand people had taken on enough water to sink a battleship and eventually they called it off. I've never been so wet and miserable, and come the re-run in October we came second to Ipswich and Bonky never had another meeting like it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
salty 2,202 Posted March 31, 2023 3 hours ago, lisa-colette said: Be interesting to see Salty's answer to this as I remember it being called off not not why! I would assume officially it would have been a dodgy forecast? I think Poole had to get Lakeside's permission though. Furthest for me was Birmingham but was only a riders champ meeting so not the end of the world. Been quite lucky as been to a fair few meetings that prob should have been called off lol. Would never go ahead now. The one I most remember would have been at Coventry for 2003 KOC Final. Was prob wetter than the sea! Can't do a link, but if you look on Poole-speedway.com/club history you will see the incident mentioned in the review of 2013. Too detailed to relate the full details here, but it is much as I said earlier and was to protect their ability to make team changes. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
False dawn 2,298 Posted April 1, 2023 How about this one. I was scheduled to ride in a (sidecar) speedway meeting at Mildura in 2007 (you know, north-west Victoria, Australia, where Leigh Adams came from). And that was rained out (Oz for rained off). You won't (can't, actually) travel further than that from my then Coventry base for a rain off! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JC71 205 Posted April 1, 2023 Early to mid 80's, driving from Stamford to EOES (?12 miles), Hereward Radio on, unsure of the opponents, heard that the meeting was off because (?) a tornado had hit the pits and took the roof off........ turned round at the A47 ha......... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Biffa 84 Posted April 2, 2023 Craziest rain off/ not a rain off was a home meeting at Redcar, versus Plymouth. Turned up at 7 only to be told the meeting was off by car park staff. Meeting went ahead about 8-8.30 that evening. Never found out until a notification came up on phone to say The score was ? After so many heats. Loads must have missed that meeting that night. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
