GeneralMelchett 482 Posted August 30, 2023 18 hours ago, ruckerroo said: i reckon 99% of speedway enthusiasts are team sport orientated, its a sign of the times with what these companys are doing, motivated by money and balance sheets and seemingly years of tradition mean zero . Its a dreadful state of affairs really. The thing that really pisses on my chips as a casual fan is there is no regular saturday speedway club in the uk bar berwick. The day of the week where anybody can go with the family and be under no pressure time wise . Lets hope a rye house or eastbourne miracle takes place close season A few weeks back I had a free weekend, wife was away visiting her father down in Devon, the was 0 meetings on a Saturday for whatever reason, I think Redcar were running on the Friday but I didn't fancy driving up there on a Friday after work and there was also no meeting on the Sunday within a reasonable drive. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StarBoy 165 Posted August 30, 2023 1 hour ago, Baldyman said: Yes through nsport and eleven sport,,,, plus get the canal channels anyway. Cheers. I have canal channels but for some reason every one except the one speedway is on Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iainb 5,023 Posted August 30, 2023 40 minutes ago, GeneralMelchett said: Is that when they were running at the old Belle Vue as in Kirkmanshulme Lane? If so yes busy, but not on the Coventry level. No, it was back in the mid 70's when Aces ran at Hyde Road... it then switched to a Sunday afternoon for a couple of decades, probably because crowds found it difficult to get on a Wednesday night, back then you could draw from Coventry, Wolves, Birmingham, Cradley, Leicester, Stoke, Oxford, Reading, Swindon and pretty much guarantee a sell out Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bellevueace 913 Posted August 30, 2023 49 minutes ago, GeneralMelchett said: Is that when they were running at the old Belle Vue as in Kirkmanshulme Lane? If so yes busy, but not on the Coventry level. No at Coventry when the final was full of top class riders, compare those days of the British final to recent years. No wonder the crowds came out in force mid week in those days. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GeneralMelchett 482 Posted August 30, 2023 8 minutes ago, iainb said: No, it was back in the mid 70's when Aces ran at Hyde Road... it then switched to a Sunday afternoon for a couple of decades, probably because crowds found it difficult to get on a Wednesday night, back then you could draw from Coventry, Wolves, Birmingham, Cradley, Leicester, Stoke, Oxford, Reading, Swindon and pretty much guarantee a sell out ah right - that's pre my time. Yes we used to holiday on the Welsh / Shropshire borders for a few years (late 80s) and we had a pick of meetings to attend Wolves, Cradley H - there wasnt a night where there wasnt a meeting on somewhere Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bellevueace 913 Posted August 30, 2023 5 hours ago, mikebv said: And all the riders due to be there actually turned up.. If they wanted to progress in the world championship they had to. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GeneralMelchett 482 Posted August 30, 2023 2 minutes ago, bellevueace said: No at Coventry when the final was full of top class riders, compare those days of the British final to recent years. No wonder the crowds came out in force mid week in those days. The other thing about those Coventry ones I attended was the riders really wanted to win it or qualify so the racing was often frantic 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
topaz325 1,859 Posted August 30, 2023 Also no Berwick bullets next year and doubts about Sittingbourne running. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iainb 5,023 Posted August 30, 2023 1 minute ago, GeneralMelchett said: ah right - that's pre my time. Yes we used to holiday on the Welsh / Shropshire borders for a few years (late 80s) and we had a pick of meetings to attend Wolves, Cradley H - there wasnt a night where there wasnt a meeting on somewhere Back in the day, I could regularly go to Wolves on a Monday, Milton Keynes on a Tuesday, Long Eaton on a Wednesday, Sheffield on a Thursday, Peterborough on a Friday, Coventry on a Saturday and an open meeting/world championship qualifier on a Sunday... all from my Leicester base. These days I get to Leicester on a Thursday and Peterborough on a Thursday/Monday when Leicester aren't riding... or Leicester away and that's it! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GeneralMelchett 482 Posted August 30, 2023 1 minute ago, iainb said: Back in the day, I could regularly go to Wolves on a Monday, Milton Keynes on a Tuesday, Long Eaton on a Wednesday, Sheffield on a Thursday, Peterborough on a Friday, Coventry on a Saturday and an open meeting/world championship qualifier on a Sunday... all from my Leicester base. These days I get to Leicester on a Thursday and Peterborough on a Thursday/Monday when Leicester aren't riding... or Leicester away and that's it! For me i do i have a fair few tracks about 1 hr to 90 minutes away but they have diminished in options tho - but Scunthorpe, Peterborough, Wolves, Belle Vue, Leicester and Sheffield are all within 90 minutes approx my my house. I suspect Birmingham too. Stoke closed - I made a couple of trips there in the mid 2000s and really enjoyed both. Coventry was probably also about 90 minutes as well, Long Eaton was probably even closer but they have been goen for some time. Of course (sadly) Wolves will join them after this year! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikebv 10,292 Posted August 30, 2023 10 minutes ago, GeneralMelchett said: For me i do i have a fair few tracks about 1 hr to 90 minutes away but they have diminished in options tho - but Scunthorpe, Peterborough, Wolves, Belle Vue, Leicester and Sheffield are all within 90 minutes approx my my house. I suspect Birmingham too. Stoke closed - I made a couple of trips there in the mid 2000s and really enjoyed both. Coventry was probably also about 90 minutes as well, Long Eaton was probably even closer but they have been goen for some time. Of course (sadly) Wolves will join them after this year! And sadly down the years, far too many "Nero's" have fiddled whilst Rome burned bit by bit, year by year, around them... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MartinBSN 617 Posted August 30, 2023 18 hours ago, Baldyman said: Think I prefer individual racing myself,,,, team racing is an utter shower of schitt with the way it's been allowed to implode. I haven't missed a single gp on the TV,,, but I get free BSN on my dodgy firestick and eurosport and I think I've watched 2 british league meetings,,, although I have watched nearly all the Polish leagues meetings,, so it must just be the crap way it's run over here why I don't bother anymore Nice of you to admit you steal from us 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baxiboy 5 Posted August 30, 2023 6 hours ago, iainb said: Back in the day, I could regularly go to Wolves on a Monday, Milton Keynes on a Tuesday, Long Eaton on a Wednesday, Sheffield on a Thursday, Peterborough on a Friday, Coventry on a Saturday and an open meeting/world championship qualifier on a Sunday... all from my Leicester base. These days I get to Leicester on a Thursday and Peterborough on a Thursday/Monday when Leicester aren't riding... or Leicester away and that's it! That would be £140 or so a week on speedway these days. I used to do Belle Vue Monday, Sheffield Thursday, Scunthorpe Friday, Stoke/Workington or if Belle Vue were racing Coventry on a Saturday & Buxton Sunday. I often went to Milton Keynes, Northampton or Oxford on training courses & have done Reading Monday, Peterborough Pumas Tuesday & either Kings Lynn/Poole/Arena Essex or Birmingham Wednesday. I’ve still never seen Speedway at Oxford. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iainb 5,023 Posted August 30, 2023 3 hours ago, baxiboy said: That would be £140 or so a week on speedway these days. Good point, I was forgetting that Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beowulf 1,513 Posted August 31, 2023 (edited) On 8/30/2023 at 9:44 AM, GeneralMelchett said: For me i do i have a fair few tracks about 1 hr to 90 minutes away but they have diminished in options tho - but Scunthorpe, Peterborough, Wolves, Belle Vue, Leicester and Sheffield are all within 90 minutes approx my my house. I suspect Birmingham too. Stoke closed - I made a couple of trips there in the mid 2000s and really enjoyed both. Coventry was probably also about 90 minutes as well, Long Eaton was probably even closer but they have been goen for some time. Of course (sadly) Wolves will join them after this year! An old friend of mine every week used to go to Wolves Friday, Cradley Saturday, Birmingham Monday. Somewhere in the region of 90 meetings in the year and probably no more than 15 miles to the furthest track ! Edited August 31, 2023 by Beowulf 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
