martinmauger

Local heroes were riding on a nearby field, a public park for several hours this morning. No point in calling plod, even if they attend the riders simply scatter down back alleys and into woods no chance of catching them....

I'll just add this: due to a change in circumstances, largely overcoming 2 years of endless battles on every front you can possibly imagine (and a few more), but I'm still here so put the tiny violins away, I made serious plans, or so I thought, to take in many more meetings, not just at the obvious nearby Scunny, but at up to 4 other tracks . That went well . Stuff got real though and Covid-19 sadly impacted my family. But all my family members agree that life goes on, it has to, one day we will return to some kind or normality and we'll all see some speedway, hopefully this season if / when the authorities (read scientists and proper specialists) inform us it's safe to do so. Til then stay safe folks, this ain't no joke....

I had International Speedway on tape for my Commodore C64 (wish I'd kept it, had literally 100's of games) and somewhere I still have League Champions on disk for the Commodore Amiga, still have my original Amiga A500 (not the A500+) and an A1200 I bought for £12 at a car boot sale. Used to have an A600 too that I bought for £6 (!) in a charity shop but don't know what happened to it. I also have FIM SGP Speedway Grand Prix 2 for the PC, ran ok on my wonderful Win98 & WinXP PCs but not got around to installing it on newer machine yet as I'm told it's an absolute swine to configure for Win10. However I remain utterly hopeless at the online Speedway Turbo Sliders ....

In it to win it (hopefully), good luck to the lad....

I (kinda) get it, cricket - day out and all that bit like Cardiff, I'm not a ball games fan at all, but in any case as I keep telling you (if you are who I think you are) 'speedway really is a silly sport' <- joking, actually I love it . Though your lad ain't half bad at it . To say the least....

A guy I know who watches live cricket and says many spectators get bored, partake a good few lemonades and then hold 'how many empty plastic beer glasses can I pile up before they fall over' competitions....

To be honest I agree with the ACU's stance on this, having been in the unfortunate position of having bikes stolen in the past. I doubt reporting such activities with have much effect though, as in many areas youths can be seen riding illegally on clearly stolen motorcycles / mopeds on roads, footpaths and across school fields and little or no action is taken by the fuzz....

Another was a windy, gusty nite in Hull v Coventry in 1999, riders were noticably slower down the backstraight at times but a sudden strong gust as Sam Ermolenko entered turn 3 (imagine not riding around the corner but just taking a sharp left as into a side street) took him across the bend and into the home straight fence taking the unfortunate Su Robson with him. Both riders finished up sitting on the track, arms outstetched in the universal 'what the flip' expression, just batterd and bruised apparently. More biazarre and much worse was David Walsh, again at Hull in 2001. He was following close behind Peterbrough rider Jan Andersen, again in turns 3 & 4, Andersen suffered an engine failure and the unfortunate Walsh literally had nowhere to go, collected Andersen and carried on towards the start line and coming to a sudden stop on the track but his bike's cut-out failed to operate and it turned a sharp left across the rugby pitch, acclerated by itself travelling the full length of the pitch until coming to rest on its side against the fence at turn 2, engine screaming at max revs until a member of track staff manage to stop it. One of those times I was pleased to be in the main stand and not closer as I'm told Walsh's distress could clearly be heard from the terracing. The crash ended his career and I believe Andersen broke his leg though recovered and rode on for a few more years....

Seen a few but one spectacular / unusual crash was Jamie Smith at Mildenhall v Newport, in 2007 I think. 1st bend melee, Jamie hit the fence went straight up vertically and cleared the row of fancy coloured fairy lights high up above the fence, made front page of the Star....

An ex-girlfriend once did the same to me, but only the once. She gleefully informed me "I threw out all those music, speedway & motorbike magazines while you were at work, the dustmen arrived and took them all away". I informed her with equal glee that if she did anything like that again all her clothes would go into said dusbin for the dustmen to take away, was but one of very many reasons she became an ex-girlfriend and is no more. I replaced the lady in question and time replaced all the mags too. So, hah! . Was tempted but no, she didn't end up in the dustbin ....

A similar thing happened at Hull in 2000. I found out too late but Ivan turned up unannounced (as was his wont) to the Hull's press day, with Peter Collins and Dave Jessup (though not 100% sure about DJ), and wandered around the pits talking to the riders about bikes, the track, etc. When Ivan spoke us lesser mortals listened, right ? Well one rider (name wittheld) asked "who is that bloke and what does he know about speedway ?" I intended mentioning this to Ivan at his Hull book singing / 'meet & greet' in 2010 as he was known for his wry sense of humour, but I'm afraid I bottled it as I'd already bent his ear for 10mins+ talking about my photos I took of of him which I gave to him, but I'm sure he would have laughed when hearing about the Hull pits episode ....

Thanks and inrteresting stuff, 'in a former life' I did car & motorcycle mechanicking so know a little about such things. From what I remember, it was in a former life. So a kind of 'launch control system' then, which surprisingly is a standard option mode in some new cars with automatic gearboxes. I know Sam Ermolenko had such a switch fitted to the left handlebar one of his bikes in Hull's 1999 Elite League season, he explained it to Kelv & Nige live on Sky that it was to select 1of 2 ignition timing settings. It was the June '99 match v Belle Vue, the one where Joe Screen post race went 'handlebar to handlebar' with Jimmy Nielsen on the back straight, yes that one....

The problem with standardised motors, good idea it may be, is what to do with existing engines. My suggestion would a BHP limit together with soon-ish the to be introduced rev liniters. Riders would get their power read outs carried out as proof at a local motorcyle test centre or a speedway tuner, with random testing done by SCB or ACU using a rolling road in order to police such limits. That way riders could keep existing engines but change internal component(a) at their own discretion in order to reach any hoursepower limit.....

Care to explain in broad what these gizmos were, vaugely not in detail obviously don't want anyone compromising themselves. On a similar subject I bought some jackets of a guy who told me he was developing a 'special ignition system which help riders make better starts' in conjunction with a top English rider' (name witheld) mentioned to me and is very well known. That same rider is still in action in two leagues, though not currently, but neiher his starting nor his form in general really improved, so either he didn't use the new system or it offered no real benefit.....

I once asked the late, great Ivan Mauger, who knew a thing or two million about the Brough Park / Newcastle Stadium track, why he chose Newcastle for son Kym's first club. He replied (words to the effect) "it's a bit of a tricky track but if you master it you should ride all tracks better or at least you will improve as a rider. Plus the Geordies up there are great, friendly people and if they can see you are trying your best, then they will support you all the way which is very important especially when you are starting out". Couldn't have put it better myself....

Fasinating stuff, Mr Ore. Oops, turnpikes, standpipes, any kind of pipe really . Point taken, my bad, '76 was a long time ago . There has been the odd water leak in Hull with water gushing powerfully into the air, like you see in American movies with kids playing in it til the Fire Dept turn the water off, often gushing many gallons for a full day creating a stream flowing along the road....

Sarcasm aside I recall way back in '1976 - the year of summer', there were turnpikes in the streets and and on the news they would show water levels in resevoirs were down "and for the first time in many years ruins from the lost village of whatever can be seen from when the valley was flooded to create the resevoir". We've had (relatively) decentish warm summers since '76, no turnpikes I'm aware of but still news reports still sometimes say "ruins of the lost village of whatever can be seen from when the valley was flooded to create the resevoir". Global warming ?...

Other than 'that summer' in 1976, which will be spoken about as almost a fable by elders to disbelieving young children seated in circle in front of the fireside for many years. It was the year it didn't rain for few days (or weeks or months) and even the temperature stayed more than 10 degrees above freezing for while, I seem to recall 1995 was pretty good weather-wise....

Think the above is the main future issue. Social distancing is certainly doable in outdoor speedway stadia, possibly not the more enclosed arenas like Cardiff, but think medical cover will be very difficult to secure....

Really hope the Speedway Star gets many more subscriptions and is able to continue for 2020 season and beyond. I'm still pleased I 'Sub the Star', and 99/100 the mag arrives crisp, dry and sharp (no biffed corners) each and every Thursday. A great read and something I very much look forward to each week, especially in these difficult times. Keep up the good work Phil Rising & Co ....

(Non) fun fact: pretty sure Stoney's blue & pink kevlars were stolen. Anyone know what Ian Thomas is pointing at on and finds amusing Stoney's neck ? ....

Same here, sadly almost word for word, especialy hi-lited emboldened part, + a much younger family member hospitalised with full-on Covid-19 symptoms. You could also add staff wandering from department to department and and / or standing around in huddles gossiping - all without the sometimes 'fashion item regarded' PPE gear that some bleat on they so desperately need. There are of course many very caring, dedicated and hard-working NHS staff too. I'll stop in order to calm down and before I say something I may later regret, except s*** got real....

Yeah, brilliant issue of the Speedway Star this week, including part 1 of a UK track anorak's paradise . I do love reading rider's opinions of the tracks, 'Subscribe To The Star'; you know it makes sense....

Ah that's a shame, I enjoyed reading his speedway articles (and agreed with a lot of what he said). RIP....

Me too, as I spend mot of my work hours staring at a screen. I often read at work where peeps will sometimes ask "did you see last nite's match, wasn't it great" I deliberately reply "Oh you mean Belle Vue v Swindon (or whoever) when Fricke came from nowhere to win , brilliant!" . They often reply "no, Man U v Liverpool or (whoever)" . But whatever works for you, great read either way....