Phil Morris CEO of British Speedway.

[BuxtonTiger 122]

8 minutes ago, LesR said:

At Canterbury, back in the 70's and 80's, there was a 2 hour curfew as part of the planning permission and most meetings were completed in that time. This included.

7.00pm - Introduction of riders and one lap parade.

13 Heat match, including 4 track grades often.

Interval.

Junior race.

Reserves race - 2 home reserves and 2 best juniors.

Heats 1 - 4 of second half final qualification, heat winners to final.

Junior race.

Second Half Final - One the hardest races of the night - even though the points were normally split ( race points 6 /4 = one and a half points each in your pay), nobody wanted to be beaten by a team mate or opposition rider, and wanted that all important trophy...lol. The home promoter often hated them for fear of losing one of his top riders through some over zealous riding to win the race. 

Total 21 races and the 2 minutes didn't get used all the time, because bikes were brought out onto the track as soon as the riders were returning to the pits. No returning to the pits after a restart by the ref.

Happy days and fans not complaining of drawn out meetings.

 

Les, I know it's a long time ago but through the mists of time I recall all second half races were three laps at Canterbury. 

[LesR 139]

1 minute ago, BuxtonTiger said:

Les, I know it's a long time ago but through the mists of time I recall all second half races were three laps at Canterbury. 

As far as I can remember, not in my time up to '78, but with the mist's of time I may be wrong....lol

 

[Grand Central 2,654]

1 hour ago, LesR said:

As far as I can remember, not in my time up to '78, but with the mist's of time I may be wrong....lol

 

'fraid you are wrong.
3 lap heats in the second halves througout the seventies (sometimes the final was 4 laps)

[Grand Central 2,654]

1 hour ago, BuxtonTiger said:

Les, I know it's a long time ago but through the mists of time I recall all second half races were three laps at Canterbury. 

Your recall is spot on.

[LesR 139]

37 minutes ago, Grand Central said:

Your recall is spot on.

Apologies for the error, must be getting old.....

[Chadster 221]

There was something similar at Hyde Road, with often a 21 heat programme and questions would be asked by the management if fans weren't out and in the bars and amusement park by 9.00. I've heard it said that the Clerk of the course had his own 2 minute button in the pits to get people moving.

[old bob at herne bay 828]

I often wonder whether any speedway meeting today would ever start if the referee didn't sound the 2 minute warning  ??

It's almost as though the riders don't actually want to race ?

 

[Sings4Speedway 3,247]

15 hours ago, old bob at herne bay said:

I often wonder whether any speedway meeting today would ever start if the referee didn't sound the 2 minute warning  ??

It's almost as though the riders don't actually want to race ?

 

Its not that riders don't want to race its that 3 of them don't want to head out to the start line whilst that 1 (and there is always one) leaves them hanging around until the very last second. Hot engines, clutches etc aside its mostly because they don't want to be sat at the start getting fustrated waiting for someone who is deliberately winding them up.

[Rustington 6]

I was a member of the track staff at Rochdale.  As soon as race was over Allan morrey would be on your back if all 4 bikes were not out on the track easy for the next race

He would go around the pits chivvying the riders to get out ready to race. 

I never remember be late home. Meetings always 3ere finished within 2 hours

 

[LesR 139]

2 hours ago, Sings4Speedway said:

Its not that riders don't want to race its that 3 of them don't want to head out to the start line whilst that 1 (and there is always one) leaves them hanging around until the very last second. Hot engines, clutches etc aside its mostly because they don't want to be sat at the start getting fustrated waiting for someone who is deliberately winding them up.

Then why no adopt the FIM regulation, 2 minutes and up to the tapes ready to race. Not 2 minutes to get onto the track and then however long preparing your starting place.

 

[Fromafar 10,363]

12 minutes ago, LesR said:

Then why no adopt the FIM regulation, 2 minutes and up to the tapes ready to race. Not 2 minutes to get onto the track and then however long preparing your starting place.

 

To easy.

[Wee Eck 703]

21 hours ago, old bob at herne bay said:

I often wonder whether any speedway meeting today would ever start if the referee didn't sound the 2 minute warning  ??

It's almost as though the riders don't actually want to race ?

 

I don’t think you understand either the rules or safe operation. Rule 011.1.3 lays most of it out but this is augmented by riders not being allowed on track when there is any machinery there. 
At most if not all tracks, the riders prepare themselves in the pits and only set off from there when the 2 minute warning is sounded. This is effectively the same in Poland and in the GPs.

The riders have no say in when a race will start so, for once you might be right (but for the wrong reason) - no meeting (or race) will start without the referee first of all indicating the two minute countdown 

[midlandred 206]

8 hours ago, Sings4Speedway said:

Its not that riders don't want to race its that 3 of them don't want to head out to the start line whilst that 1 (and there is always one) leaves them hanging around until the very last second. Hot engines, clutches etc aside its mostly because they don't want to be sat at the start getting fustrated waiting for someone who is deliberately winding them up.

That’s easily overcome. Wheel the four bikes onto the track. Riders walk to bikes. When they’re all there, put the 2 mins on, riders pushed off together. Pit gate closed.

[steve roberts 9,246]

On 6/10/2023 at 11:10 AM, LesR said:

At Canterbury, back in the 70's and 80's, there was a 2 hour curfew as part of the planning permission and most meetings were completed in that time. This included.

7.00pm - Introduction of riders and one lap parade.

13 Heat match, including 4 track grades often.

Interval.

Junior race.

Reserves race - 2 home reserves and 2 best juniors.

Heats 1 - 4 of second half final qualification, heat winners to final.

Junior race.

Second Half Final - One the hardest races of the night - even though the points were normally split ( race points 6 /4 = one and a half points each in your pay), nobody wanted to be beaten by a team mate or opposition rider, and wanted that all important trophy...lol. The home promoter often hated them for fear of losing one of his top riders through some over zealous riding to win the race. 

Total 21 races and the 2 minutes didn't get used all the time, because bikes were brought out onto the track as soon as the riders were returning to the pits. No returning to the pits after a restart by the ref.

Happy days and fans not complaining of drawn out meetings.

 

Happy days! At Cowley the parade used to take place at 7-45pm (always thought that was an odd start?) folllowed by 13 heats of the main match and more often than not three qualifying heats and a Grand Final interspersed by two, sometimes three, junior/Eastbourne and/or Peterborough rider heats and over by 10pm although it sometimes overran due to unforeseen circumstances.

[old bob at herne bay 828]

Wee eck, thanks for your reply. Sadly your response pretty much sums up the dire  state of speedway today. As soon as I saw you accuse me of not understanding “rules for safe operation” ……sad. What a stupid rule . 
 

when I first watched speedway the 2 minute warning was rarely sounded …… only used if a rider clearly had machine trouble or some other incident was delaying the start of a race. The warning today seems “de rigeur” to get the  riders to race, whilst the paying public sit or stand twiddling their thumbs. 

The pit Marshall, the clerk of the course and probably the Promoter would ensure ALL riders were ready to get onto the track in a timely manner after track grading had been completed and it was SAFE to do so.it’s called entertainment after all ……now these officials seem superfluous and as for the promoter…. Probably not even in the stadium. 

Nowadays the 2 minute warning has to be used to get every heat started. Delay after delay, and that is my friend why this former fan no longer has the patience to attend a speedway meeting. The riders need to be reminded that they are putting on a show for the paying public and to get their a***s on the track and race not sit in the pits looking pretty in their multi coloured race suits amongst their sponsors adverts.