Leaderboard

I love these threads. Elsewhere we keep being told there are no characters in the sport, how great it used to be with controversy, riders throwing punches, brawls and more.. Yet as soon as anything happens everyone is up in arms.

Yeh and getting some abuse aswell.

Absolutely, have chatted to my in laws and then parents about these goings on this morning and both said how in the seventies it happened pretty much every week. I’m not saying that there wasn’t stuff last night which might have crossed the line but you almost feel like there are people around the forum and social media who are champing at the bit for the first opportunity to be outraged by something.

ONLY just joined the conversion, having been lucky enough to be in Wroclaw for what I consider to be the greatest speedway meeting I have witnessed. 23 outstanding races, fantastic atmosphere inside the stadium. The skill, the speed, the courage, no better form of motorsport. Sat with former F1 driver Mark Webber and he was drooling at the spectacle. The track at the Olympic Stadium must now be consided better than even Torun and the renovations that have taken place (first went there 49 years ago to see Ivan Mauger complete his World Finals hat-trick) are tremendous. What a night...

Just got home from the meeting. Going to 'try' and put an unbiased veiw on the meeting. Yes, I am an Eastbourne fan but I like to think I am pretty pragmatic and not afrais to say if our riders are out of orsder or if the track is not up to standard Got there tonight ready for a cracking meeting and feeling a little nervous despite only having a 4 point deficit. First thing I heard that there was issues was when the announcer said that the away team had complained about the track and did not want to ride it. There were several people down on turn 2 discussing and kicking dirt around so to speak. Then Jon Cook was interveiwed, he was seriously annoyed and dismayed that the fotness of the track and been called into question and clearly put the blame on Craig Cook (and his mates). At this stage I has no ill feelings about Glasgow or Craig Cook. I am no expert and certainly, I am not one to judge if the track is rideable by veiwing it from turn 1, on the stock car track, which is where I stand. That started to turn a bit when Martin Dugard explained that Jason and Alfi had been practising on the track that day. I must admit, I was less than impressed when we were told there would be a delay as the Glasgow riders had not yet changed. But still, no real drama. It was on the rider parade that it all started going a bit sour. For those of you that dont know, the way it done at Eastbourne is, the bikes are wheeled on to the track, then the riders are paraded out to 'Sussex by the Sea' and then introduced one by one, the away team first. This all takes place on the back straight as thats where the main stand is. When both teams have been announced, the riders are pushed off and have a few practice starts and the opputunity to slide into the turns to get a feel for the track. Tonight, after the Glasgow riders had been announced, some of them pushed off, before the Eastbourne team had been announced. They came down the straight and into turn . With people still on the track and the infield (including kids, who are the Eagles mascots) the track staff held out red flags to stop the Glasgow riders. Craig Cook ran straight into one of the track staff and then kicked off at him. Ot then all kicked off with several people involved. My lad went round the pits to see what was going on and saw people pleading with Craig to go and ride heat 1. He was refusing, talking about his injury and saying why should he ride an unsafe track! So, heat 1 started without him. As much as I feel he should be banned from the whole meeting, thats not what I want. I pay my money to see the likes of Bomber, Scotty and Craig Cook riding. I love them all, they are Brits and I support British riders through and through. The track rode fine. Even the reserves in heat 2 looked comfortable and were not struggling, Yes, there were some fallers but certainly was not more than you can often get. Someone on the updates site said its unusual to see 3 falls in 9 heats, really? I have seen 3 in one heat at times, and not just at Arlington. And Ed Kennet did not fall. He tagged the air fence riding a high line, stayed on and carried on, the air fence started to deflate and the race stopped, thats why he was excluded. Craig Cook, when he finally took to the track, rode it fine and looked classy and smooth. The races that he did not gate were the races of the night as he looked brilliant trying to make the pass. It was a real shame that the controversy ruined the night as it was great for Eastbourne to go through but I feel Glasgow were just deflated after the whole thing, it was really meeting over after a few races. Could have been so much better if Craig Cook had popped out and won heat one. I always think there are two sides to everything but the Glasgow manager having the guts to go on the mic and apologise afetr the meeting said it all and hats off to him for doing so.

He is quality. We must have the only managers in league who when they have a rider of that ability and when 5 or 6 of your other riders are struggling for consistency don’t give him 7 rides! The other lads are struggling for consistency at the min unfortunately and a lot of pressure is on Worrall, Wethers and Clegg to win us meetings as Jorgensen and bjerre generally only score 5 to 7 points a match.

I'm not sure Pedersen ever attacked an innocent member of the track staff, that's not right in any decade imo...

Anyone else enjoying this thread?

So? Does that devalue the meeting in any way? Of course not! The meeting shall be remembered (and rightly so) for the racing, not for any commentary. Is it really that bad for commentators to get excited? Anyway, I can't really say I noticed anything wrong with their commentary, as I couldn't hear them over my own "whoas" and "wows"!!!

I take it this is a reply to my post? I would of loved to Driven at speed on a bike with no brakes, it was an ambition of mine as a youngster. I’ll answer the question I think you were trying to ask, I would not like to be driven at by someone on a bike with no brakes. However I would not be stupid enough to put myself in that position. You are wrong on both counts I have not yet reached 40 and I have a fairly mature head on my shoulders. I don’t have any kids so I don’t have any responsibility to shield anyone from anything. I am saying that kids are exposed to a lot more violence/blood/guts during their internet/gaming escapades than I was. The internet is ruining children’s childhoods. I don’t condone it but I am wise enough to realise what is happening in the world and nothing we can do will change it. i am in no way part of a cult, I have not been brainwashed by anyone. I merely appreciate my speedway team and everything that the owners have done for us. The same way you appreciated Laura before she buried your team. you should really take a day off of hating Glasgow and enjoy the sport from afar. Everyone wants to moan about our great sport even when people are investing in it. Your backward thinking country bumpkin views are chronic, all they do is show bitter jealousy towards Glasgow. I sorely miss my trips to Workington but there is a tiny(minute) bit of me that is happy that you don’t have any speedway to watch as you blatantly don’t deserve it

Jon Cook has always been a slimy wide boy, and Craig Cook has always had some screws loose. Let's face it, sane people don't go for a drive whilst naked and drunk...

Oh well i like pearson and tatum But i am old and easily pleased

When riders assault track staff(allegedly) ,that’s a different ball game though.

Well done to the Gems - 2019 NJL Champions

Just back after a thoroughly enjoyable night down there as a neutral. Others have described the events well, and it was directly in front of us so we had a ringside seat of it all. Cook pathetic frankly and should get a ban, although there were a few swings and a few kicks aimed by others. I thought one of the boot swingers was Martin Dugard but it happened so quick it might have been someone else similarly dressed. The comments made pre-meeting over the mic by Jon Cook, Dugard and the announcer wound things up definitely tho and i even said to the person i was with, that Craig Cook is unstable at the best of times and i forecast some kind of kick off with him at some point. That some point was about a minute later tho which was a bit quicker than i figured tho. No idea what went on with Cook and his 2 mins exclusion but instead of perhaps winning his first and shutting the crowd up for a bit, by the time he came out the meeting was pretty much gone. it was as if the whole team had lost their nerve and the tie was a dead duck very early really. Lovely day in general tho - fish and chips, ice cream, few lagers and the speedway all made for a good day out. Kudos to the glasgow fans who travelled - and also very sane words from their promoter chap who spoke and spoke well after the meeting. I was a neutral tonight and loved every minute of it tho.

Blimy I would have thaught his nose would have got in the way

Yeah slick. Grip is a myth Grip might have been perfect for the old japs and uprights, but the new laydowns cant handle grip. They perform better on slick tracks. As u say.... buster take note

Somerset were much sharper out of the gate than us tonight even making Harris look like an unreal starter... that said Jorgensen and Bjerre were pretty pathetic. Worrall wasn’t much better and he looked really slow and wasn’t making starts at all. 1 win off 13 rides from your heatleaders at home and it’s not hard to see why we lost the meeting. Luckily we had Clegg if we didn’t who knows what the score would’ve been.

I did not attend this meeting, but have viewed the video of the Craig Cook incident, I am not a Craig Cook fan but the footage clearly shows the marshal step into the path of Cook and his bike (with no brakes). While none of the ensuing mayhem can be condoned, none of this would have happened had the marshal not stepped in front of Cooks bike as he went to pass on the left hand side of the marshal

You seem to be relishing at the prospect of a ban - having raised the subject on at least 3 threads that I’ve looked at

Loving it. First meeting i go to in years and finally i can take part in a decent discussion that doesn't involve me calling starman a pillock!

First, who pushed the Glasgow rider off, was it themselves? Second, why was the trackstaff member standing on the track? H&S dictates that they must stay lnside the markers {3mtrs}{?}

If people are saying Glasgow were wrong in initially complaining about the track, then why was there work carried out on the track after the complaint and before the start? Just curious.....

Nearly but not quite, poor from kennett and extremely good from redcar, i would like them to win the league tbh

Except you

I gather at Eastbourne you can get a battered sausage with a chip on your shoulder and a Glasgow kiss!!

Of course we do. As Steve says above, we attend many events and shows with a top class stand, including a running TV with a meeting on to show people what it's all about. In addition we have usually 3 bikes on show, one a current riders league standard bike, the second bike a working Westlake from Alan Roberts and my show bike which also has a reaction machine for starts timing. It's good fun. We issue flyers to the public, and concession tickets to encourage new people to give the sport a try especially if they have young family they can bring. By issuing special tickets we can monitor if they were used, and who uses them. We occasionally have riders with us. Ludde was always very accommodating and was good value for his appearance, often taking the mic and also being asked to make presentations to the organisers choices. We also visit schools if we are asked, and have also been at the Heaton Music Festiva as well as many local schools. We are currently trying to make a visit to the Metro Centre or the Eldon Square complex. We are always up for more suggestions and if you or anyone else needs to contact us, can you see either Dave Rowland or Steve Brock. If we can we will. NB. if anybody is interested, we usually post a photo of our stand on Facebook as soon as it is erected. This is to tell everyone where we are on that day in case existing fans want to come down to see us or join us. Look for 'Newcastle Speedway' posts.

Congratulations to the Bears getting into top 4 hope you can stay there till the playoffs

Been sat here for three quarters of an hour.... It opens at 11.... Going to use Tesco's website next time...

The Redcar management should be congratulated on their recent team changes, they now look a very handy team.

Wouldnt be a loss either... incredible arrogance from such an average rider.

Good job we're not riding in Poland then

Floppy was great I remember him falling at least 3 times at Foxhall one year so in the return at Arlington I took the opportunity during the riders introductions to shout an offer of some stabilisers He answered by offering me a Nescafe - at least thats what I think he meant

At least Norris and Ott had some charisma and charm about them, whereas Craig Cook has the personality of barbed wire coated in novichok.

A don't think Steve Worrall was upto much tonight either, would have definitely put Wethers in ht15.

Surely that rule only applies during racing. Otherwise how would they get onto the centre green in the first place? Airlifted by helicopter?

Perks/Vissing are no pushovers also you have no big hitters heat 13/15 you will be struggling .Also Klintd and Josh G are not reliable anough i would pick Poole all day long over two legs i recon we would beat you by 12 Pts plus at home.

Which do u think is the wosrt crime someome setting off fire alarm or ignoring a red flag fighting with staff and being a pain in the arse, if the glasgow management had any spine cook would be out the door , and u and every other glasgow fan knows it.

Giving Shovler plenty of time to think up his usual waffle.

I would hazard a guess at the track was sh*ite.

Its getting a bit tedious now lets just wait and see what transpires then all guilty or innocent parties can move on. Whether punishments are given to any or all is down to the powers that decide this , as for Glasgow sacking Craig Cook that is just absurd i am sure our management team will deal with it internally and PRIVATELY.

Thank you for your reply. I don’t think anything from last night, apart from the final result, is black and white. Gutted I missed it.

I doubt that the kids were especially traumatised by the events, but that isn't the point. The point was their physical safety could have been endangered. As for Craig Cook, I wouldn't be half so harsh with him if it had just been a bust up between two riders in the heat of battle. It wasn't. He assaulted a member of track staff and started a brawl. That's what I find unacceptable.

Having two riders squaring up after a race or an incident is one thing, when a rider gets into a scuffle with a member of the track staff is quite another.

In Perks/Hume they have great strength in heats 13/15 also the Thompson twins will progress as the season goes along.Surely Hume will get another chance in the Championship at some stage they need to change the rules to stop riders like him being punished because of the points limit.

I was there last night and I've read all the comments on here, most being pretty accurate. I was in the stadium from 6pm and the only thing wrong with the track was, as Jon Cooke said, all the holes dug in it by the Glasgow riders, which I was witness too. I was watching from the back straight and it was obvious to me and others that Glasgow were going to make a fuss, but that said I didn't see Craig Cook fall off or have any problems riding the track he was complaining about. The referee said the track was fine for racing and that should have been the end of the matter, unfortunately it wasn't. I've only been supporting Eagles this year since losing my local teams (my original team West Ham years ago and then Rye House). Not since West Ham have I actually felt I really supported a team, Eastbourne management and the announcer make us fans feel really a part of the club. I've never booed an opposing team until last night but after the antics I saw Glasgow deserved the boos they got but good on their owner at the end of the meeting apologising for the antics, I hope he throws the book at Craig Cook. Re our announcer, it seems to me he, like all the fans, supports Eastbourne and good on him. Over the last few meetings he's managed to increase the use of air horns and now there is a really good atmosphere, isn't that why we go speedway to have a good night out not sit in silence like a load of zombies, and us home fans always usually applause good rides even by away riders last night being the exception.

Craig Cook has very little between the ears. He feels the need to prove this on a fairly regular basis these days.

Only the third occasion this season we havent hit 40 points on the road. Sounds like we were beaten before we took the bikes out of the vans, or at least one rider was. He has form for this and over recent weeks the disastrous SoN, a couple of uncharacteristic falls and not winning the British Final have IMO seen his mood go down and we are seeing the legacy of that, very unfortunately. The culture within GLA now is the best racing possible on a smooth track, and the best spectator experience. This is the exception and by all accounts tonight Eastbourne set their track up for home advantage. That is still for us to be professional, rise above it, adapt to the conditions, get stuck in and show we can ride any track. Despite being unhappy with the track before the meeting it seems at no point did we request a track inspection. If it was that bad we would have. This tie was lost in the home meeting a few weeks ago. Tonight it seems we have dented our own hard won reputation. More repercussions are likely to follow.

I was at the run-off in 1967..... As for tonight, I have to say, for sheer racing and sustained excitement throughout the whole meeting, it was probably the best meeting I have ever seen going back to 1960. Just amazing and shows why, at its best, Speedway is the best sport in the world. More like this please!

Well wasn`t that fun !!!! we only lose one with 17 carrying on to Malilla, however quite a few wallets have been substantially emptied tonight !!! Leaderboard after round 5 Wroclaw GP Robbie B £2800 Both spread stretchers used Grand Central £2360 Both spread stretchers used Susans 1 £2150 Both spread stretchers used iand £1690 Both spread stretchers used Mark £1500 Both spread stretchers used Hilly £1235 1 spread stretcher used June 01 £1100 Both spread stretchers used Teabody 279 £1050 1 spread stretcher used James Carter £1025 1 spread stretcher used Psycho 3a £910 Both spread stretchers used Icescot £875 Both spread stretchers used Pepsi £850 Both spread stretchers used Panthers 89 £725 Both spread stretchers used Skippy £460 Both spread stretchers used Col £234 1 spread stretcher used Matt K £140 Both spread stretchers used Mickthemuppet £25 WE LOSE Phillip sr -£200 We move on to another great racetrack(if it stays dry) at Malilla on Saturday August 17th