Bunce

That's true, but look at the times of the races last night. I think they were all under 60 seconds, very consistent throughout the meeting and although there wasn't much passing, there were one or two decent races. I've seen the Lynn track in far worse condition than that after very heavy rain, and the riders still gave it a go with times much slower than last night. It wasn't heavy rain, more like drizzle which hardly dampened my programme. I guess we will never know what went on in the pits last night, but I for one won't be parting with my cash again for a farce like that.

For those of you not at Saddlebow Rd last night, have a look at this video of Heat 14, taken from the Lynn web site courtesy of Re-Run videos. Does this look like a crap, difficult to ride track? I think I could have managed 4 laps on that surface! http://www.kingslynnstars.co/news.php?extend.30482

In all my time this was without doubt the greatest demolition, the sport has ever seen. If ever there a was occasion when the self destruct button was pressed, then it was last night. Having scored an impressive away victory the previous night, what could possibly happen to stop us gaining a double over our bitter rivals. Thinking before the start, how nice the place looked with the new shale, and that wonderful new electric scoreboard. With Rain in the air, I expected we will start on time, and the proceedings to flow. Batch won Heat 1 in an ultra quick time, but Kasprsak struggled to a halt, Heat 2 Rose won in another quick time and Shanes struggled. Lambert impressively won ht 3 but Starke struggled. A pattern is emerging. the times are getting slower, the races are spread out with only 3 finishers. Heat 4 Andersen beat Chris Holder from the gate to win, Chris give up on the second lap....Lambert again wins ht 5 with Kasprsak giving up . Heat 6 we are on a 5-1 when Batch hits trouble, Jorgensen takes over before coming to grief causing a 3 man pile-up. The track is deterriating before our very eyes. Holder refuses to come out for ht 7 and is excluded. There is mayhem in the pits nobody knows what going on. The night has turned into a nightmare. Buster has to take the lions share of the responsibility. He was to blame for the state of the track. Unofficially, We have been told the old shale reacted with the new stuff and went solid with no give. The Ref has to take some blame for the way the meeting was drawn out. Even a blind man could see the track was wrong, yet it took 4 people refusing to ride, before the Ref went to the pits to confront the problem. And lastly the riders have to take some blame as well. There were other people who struggled but it was Chris Holder who initiated the proceedings of not wanting to ride. Lambert who had 2 comfortable race wins was got at, else he would have continued. But it was so obvious the 2 Aussie couldn't give a damn for the sport, the fans or the fact this was an important meeting. They wanted out.... We fans had to wait over an hour for track work to be done, that should have been completed prior to the meeting, without one word of reason from the officials. They expected us to stand around and wait.. Eventually the meeting was completed, long pass the finishing time. The few people that remained went home in silence. this had been a knife through the heart of the sport. Never seen such shambles in all my life. I feel no urge left to ever go again. this was that bad... It appeared the senior riders were complaining of the track, yet the younger ones relished the conditions and put on a decent showing. Holder had Batch really went down in my estimation. Pity Chris didn't have the same attitude as his brother. Kasprsak , didn't like the track but he stayed the course and won a couple of races.. I won't comment on Lamberts antics, but he has to learn you never go into the spectators pen ..... whatever the reason.... Finally, tonight was probably the last meeting many will bother to go again. We fans were treated terribly, We didn't know anything, we were not told anything, and were expected to do as they thought fit. Such a shame because tonight could have been a wonderful time when we as a club get noticed...... We sure did that..... What a superb post. Like you, I was one of those that stood in complete disbelief at what I was watching unfold in front of me. After an excellent win at Poole the night before, I couldn't see how we could loose this meeting. We had a full strength team, with the return of Simon Lambert. Remember he scored 7+2 on his last appearance at Saddlebow Rd. Poole were using R/R and their number one rider KK was erratic to say the least. The opening time of 58.12 was less than a second outside the track record, so what could possibly go wrong? After three heats we were 6 points up, it was all going according to plan, or so I thought! I won't go through what happened next, as its been beautifully summarised above, but sadly it was probably one of the blackest days I can remember at this stadium in many a long year. We were treated as if we didn't matter, and I for one won't be going any more this season. That was the final straw for me, and what's really sad is to be honest, I don't care.

Steve, I thought that was a fair and honest report of tonights match, and coming from a dedicated Poole supporter, that must have been a hard pill to swallow. Unfortunately when riders are injured its often very difficult to find a rider of the same standard to take their place, either on a permanent or temporary basis, its something all teams have to live with at some time, due to the shortage of quality riders available. Don't forget Lynn were without Simon Lambert tonight at reserve, and sadly I don't think Danny Ayres, for all his efforts, is a comparable replacement. It will be interesting to see how Poole do at Saddlebow Rd Thursday evening, lets hope for a good competitive match, what ever the result.

Lovely jubbly. But don't bet against Poole turning the tables tomorrow night. Don't forget the Stars should have Simon Lambert back tomorrow, and on his last match before getting injured, he scored 7+2 at Saddlebow Rd against Swindon, that could make a big difference. Also Batchelor and Lambert will score more at home than at Poole. I'm going for a good Stars victory.

I'm confused here, easy I know! My Sky planner shows the European Best Pairs from Landshut Germany from 5pm until 9pm on Eurosport 2, and no mention anywhere of tonight meeting from Torun? I looked on the Eurosport website, where it still has the Torun start time as 6pm, and to confuse me even more, my Sky box recorded tonights meeting at 2-05pm today, listing it as the first round of the European Championship from Torun, it ran for one hour, and when I played it back it was CYCLING! I think I had better book an appointment at the funny farm, or maybe just turn on the TV at 6pm and see what happens.

I must admit, as my trips to Lynn have got less, my visits to Mildenhall have become more frequent. Living south of Norwich I can go straight down the A11 and be there in less time than it takes me to get to Saddlebow Rd. Its a great little stadium, I take my own chair and sit in the sunshine having a lazy Sunday afternoon. I'm not a fan of small tracks preferring the wide open spaces of Kings Lynn, but as the racing at Lynn has become "gate & go" the entertainment value at Mildenhall more than makes up for it, and its cheaper. Add in the excellent chips, and the fact I'm not likely to have my bag searched or sandwiches confiscated, then for me its much better value for money. Entertainment and value for money is what its all about, and at the moment that seems to have been forgotten at Kings Lynn. Like Starboy 118, I have located the exit and found the new entrance at West Row.

Late start, rubbish racing and intervals would be three reasons for me to think again about going because there is no need for any of them. I totally agree. I've been a loyal supporter since 1967, I never used to miss a meeting, but the last couple of years have been dire. Now I'm retired my 100 mile round trips to watch this tripe have got less and less. What with admission money for myself and my wife, an overpriced programme and fuel for the round trip, its an expensive night out for very little entertainment. My blood used to boil every time they started late, "because fans were still queueing at the turnstiles" and as its been said on here many times, with delays for "the sun to go down" long intervals, long waits between races, more long waits while the riders go back to the pits after an exclusion to fiddle with their bikes yet again, I really have had enough. Add to that the terrible track, which has provided very little in the way of entertaining racing, and its a recipe for disaster. I forgot to mention the signs saying "no food or drink to be brought in to the stadium, all bags will be searched" which I think was the final straw. Its making me feel like a criminal! So I'm sorry Kings Lynn Speedway, I may attend again this year, but unless things improve dramatically, I think thats highly unlikely. Another fan lost to British Speedway.

Like many on here, I can be critical of the Managements lack of action at times, but praise where praise is due, I think this is a good signing and lets hope he does well. It will be interesting to see who steps in to Simon Lamberts boots now, and more importantly, when.

Nothing on the Stars web site? Goodness, what a surprise!

There was. Danny Phillips, which involved the Air Ambulance landing on the track and airlifting Danny to Addenbrooks!

I suspect the damage was done yesterday when it rained very hard for hours across Norfolk, although its a dry sunny and breezy day today. I guess Buster could blade the track and relay it, but if that doesn't go according to plan you then have a stadium full of irate fans and riders, so I guess he chose this option? One does wonder, if the track had been covered yesterday, and the drainage could cope with the run off of water, if we would have had a meeting tonight? Its back to the old chestnut of track covers again!

If we can keep the score close, we may stand a chance in the second leg. Hopefully Rose is OK after his crash at Ipswich last night, and Simon Lambert can score a few points which we probably wouldn't have got if Josh Bailey was still in the team. Porsing is a worry, but his last ride at Lynn on Wednesday was a stormer, so maybe its bike issues? Fingers crossed that we don't get slaughtered at Monmore Green!

Hope Rose is ok,see he has pulled out of his last ride at Ipswich tonight.Looks like discomfort to his wrist/arm according to the texter.Fingers crossed it's nothing to bad. Yes, I noticed that. Nothing on the Lynn website, but thats not unusual, hopefully nothing serious otherwise we could be in trouble as he is really pushing on this year.

Thanks for the updates Tsunami. I was at Mildenhall, and agree it was a nasty crash. A few feet earlier, and Danny would have hit the air fence, so it was really bad luck, it happened where it did. The medics did a great job, as did the the Air Ambulance crew in order to make things as safe and comfortable for Danny as they could. I was amazed to see him respond to the applauding crowd by waving from his stretcher, as he was put in to the helicopter, what a brave guy! May I wish you a full recovery from your injuries Danny, and lets hope we see you back on a bike sometime in the future.

I've booked a hotel for 4-days down there, so as to take in the meeting, and it was non-refundable as from midnight last night!! Get yourself a touring caravan. Thousands of lovely sites all over the country, many near speedway tracks, and you will pay around £20 a night including all facilities and an electric hook up for the van. Pay per night as you go, and if plans change, hook up and come home. Job done! Any more news on the condition of Danny Phillips? I was at Mildenhall when he had his crash, and it was a nasty one.

They use to say ' Happiness is 40 -38 ' Ah, the good old 13 heat matches!

Very well put James. It was a nasty one, and Danny's welfare was the most important thing on everybody's mind. A superb idea to have a collection for the Air Ambulance, which raised almost £650. Lets hope Danny makes a full and speedy recovery.

I was pleased to see Chris Holder on the Stars web site today, admitting the start to this season has been awful for him. Reading the article, he is at least trying to do something positive about it, which is to his credit. Lets hope we soon see the Chris Holder of old, as we know he can be a match winner when on form. Hopefully results will soon be forthcoming from him, and we can all get off his back (me included!)

Missing NKI big time 100% but gotta get over it Chris must and will sort his gating out everywhere, it's not just for us. If we don't support him he'll never settle in, just imagine how he must feel about leaving a club that he's been with since his early days here, somewhere he thought he'd spend the rest of his career in the UK, somewhere he made his home, where his child was born and lives, just put yourself in his shoes. OK he's an Aussie, used to travelling but I think he has feelings, he's not a robot. Speedway is no ordinary 9-5 job, you can't fluke it or hide away til you are in a better place or pull a sickie or two. He's gotta tough it out, put things right, he deserves support doesn't he, he's a top rider, he'll sort it!! Totally agree Trees, I really feel for Chris, but unfortunately this is a ruthless sport, just how long do we wait for him to "settle in." I can understand moving tracks is unsettling, but the guy was a World Champion not so long ago and I think the fans expect more than they are getting at the moment. Several of the team are under performing, but to have your number one doing it, is a route to failure. I hope he shows us what he can really do, but just how long the fans and management can wait when other teams are surging ahead is the question? I hate getting on his case, because I admire him as a rider, and he has has gone through a lot recently, but in the grand scheme of things we all want what is best for our team and at the moment his performances are leading to a lot of frustration from the fans. What will happen next, is anybodys guess, but with memories of last seasons failed campaign fresh in my memory, I feel we need to sort this sooner, rather than later.

I would like to say a big thank you to Davey for the time he spent at Kings Lynn. Always an entertainer and fine racer. I felt sad to see his career go on a downward spiral and end up how it did. I'd like to remember the good times when he was a solid member of the Stars team. Have a good retirement from the sport Davey, and I wish you every success in whatever you choose to do in the future.

The issue is he hates every where. With his attitude it's not going to get any better. But why? He is a world class rider who must have ridden hundreds of different tracks in his career all over the world. I'm sure there are those he likes, and those he doesn't, but if he has a negative attitude to racing at the moment, we really don't want him as the No 1 rider in our team. It will drag the whole team down, and we will be in the same situation we were last year. Losing NKI was a huge blow and the sacking/replacing of Rory Schlein was a mistake we may live to regret.

Poor Chris. Gotta feel for him with all the stuff he's going through at the moment You don't say what those problems are, and I am not party to them, but the guy is a professional speedway rider who is paid handsomely by Kings Lynn to be their number one rider, and hopefully score lots of points. If he has problems that are affecting his ability to do that, then he is surely taking the michael. I think, on his day, Chris Holder is a great rider but my team comes before any individual rider and if he is going to continue to underperform, then the management need to look at the problem and find a solution quickly. There is nothing I would like better than to see Chris whack in some big scores and hopefully lead from the front, but at the moment there is no sign of that happening. With the exception of Robert Lambert tonights "performance" at Wolves was truly awful, and as others have already said, we need to act quickly to stop the rot or we will have a repeat of last season when we sat on our hands too long and paid the price.

A pitiful performance. Time for changes I think. Unless he suddenly hits form, the Management must be regretting signing Chris Holder on such a high average. Maybe Poole knew something we didn't?

I suspect that when the new averages come our then KL will make a rider ( or two swap ) because Chris Holders's average will have slumped/ Is it a scam? If a rider is on a very good per match fee ( not of course compared to Poland ) then no income is lost. I do hope that it is not really so cynical but we will see. It does make me a little suspicious, I thought Holder was doing well at the end of last season, but has been very average so far for Lynn. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt for now, after all he has signed for a new club, is riding a new home track etc, but it will be interesting to see how he does in the first GP of the season tomorrow. I'm sure in the back of his mind he thinks that if he gets his average down, then he could fit in back at Poole at some point in the future, but who knows, we can only speculate? Probably he is just not having a good start to the season!