AFCB Wildcat

I don't think he was comparing was he? Just commenting on other posts making that comparison. I do agree with Phillips comments that the city centre in Cardiff embraces the Speedway and it would be hard to replicate the atmosphere at a remote London venue.

I know what you mean but it's those 4 stops on a tube that make a difference for me.At Cardiff you are there, I don't want to be bustled on a tube close to start time, I've done all that with football. Cardiff is about chilling in the city and strolling to the stadium. Not rubbishing Wembley just that it doesn't appeal to me over Cardiff.

Personally I would hate it to be moved to Wembley. Cardiff has everything going for it being right in a lively city centre. My wife takes little interest in any sport but always asks me to take her to Cardiff for the GP which to me says a lot about how right they've got it in terms of presentation and we both love the city. We actually went up Thursday this year and came back today and had great time. Wembley is a great stadium but not much around it. Cardiff for me every time.

Well at one point there was a real danger of me sobering up but thanks to there being no delays in the meeting and a thoroughly bloody nice taxi driver I managed to get back to the pub in time to down 4 pints of Thatchers gold and take a bottle of Magners back to our room but yeah I probably would have felt a lot worse this morning if things had gone to plan!

Thanks for sharing. No bottles left either by the time I got to the front of the queue!With counseling I'm sure I can get through the pain of this trauma and come out the other side but for now it's a bit raw.

Blimey I must have imagined the whole thing then! Perhaps I'd drunk too much and it was all just a dream. I know a lot of people come on here just to moan but believe me there wasn't a draught pint in sight where I was, it's quite an important thing to me so trust me I would have noticed!

Sounds like I was in the wrong place then. We were in U5 and the kiosks immediately behind us were closed. The steward directed me to the nearest one which was rubbish. Probably because it was one of the more sparsely populated areas I suppose.

I had missed the last couple of Cardiff GP's so enjoyed returning for this one and thought the presentation was superb. I expect to pay over the odds for accommodation etc. It goes with the territory but I was very disappointed with the catering in the stadium this time. There were no draught beers only cans that were being poured to order causing long delays and then when they ran out there were only bottles with about half the amount in for the same £4. By the time I got to the front of the queue they had ran out completely so I had to do without! I seem to remember in previous years that pints were pre poured and covered with lids and it was a lot slicker. I expect to be ripped off but when you are prevented from taking your own refreshments in and they can't even cater that's pretty poor. Perhaps I was just unlucky where we were in the stadium. I don't like moaning on here as overall it was a great night but it did take the edge of it for me especially as I missed a heat while queuing and came away empty handed. Hope it was better in other areas of the stadium?

I watched a lad delivering a free paper earlier on our industrial estate. His mum drove him into every car park and right up to each factory door as she does every week! The xbox generation; unbelievable!!

That was my understanding too. I said at the time I thought it would have to be rerun. I guess there must be some obscure rule that allowed it to stand. There usually is!

I have been trying to find this out myself. I have an engine that was converted to laydown and it has had significant changes made to the engine casing to re position the lug where the oil pipe goes in. I have also been told that the crankshaft would need re balancing. I've yet to ascertain what the impact on the oil pick up and circulation would be in mounting it upright again. I don't see carburettor or exhaust as being a problem as they are just different items for each configuration. I seem to remember an ad in the for sale section for a GM that said it could be mounted upright or laydown which is what I'd like to achieve but so far drawn a blank what would be required to do this.

Devastated by this news. I supported Poole throughout the 70's as a kid and Simmo took things to another level and was a legend in my eyes. Watched him on the shale and grass and he was a superb motorcyclist. RIP Simmo, thanks for the memories.

Speedway is sport and entertainment. I am passionate about my football team but I'm not bothered about watching football not involving my team but I will go out of my way to watch speedway at any level any time. I know riders ride for more than one team but even at amateur level when the teams are made up on the day no rider wants to let down their team and give their all to win so I don't see that it devalues speedway as a sport.

Perhaps worth mentioning the Holes Bay on Sterte Avenue west to anyone visiting Poole. It has a massive car park, a Premier Inn and Table Table restaurant. It is about as close to the stadium as any I reckon as there is a foot bridge over the railway line on Sterte road and a foot path that takes you straight to the stadium from the pits end.

Still open but I think it's reverted back to its original name The Sloop. Bit of a step from the stadium though if I'm thinking of the right place by the college?

Gutted about the Tatnam. I served my apprenticeship in Sterte Avenue before the Holes bay road was built and spent many pay day lunchtimes in there. Used to be paid cash in those days. More often than not we would return to work and be sent home! Pubs being taken over by supermarkets shouldn't be allowed! One of my post footy haunts the Dolphin on Holdenhurst road is now a Tesco express. Like we haven't got enough of them!!

I may have misunderstood but wasn't the OP saying that only GP standard riders would be exluded from the Premier league fixtures. Current double up riders would still be eligible as they will only be representing one club in this system.Certainly more riders will be needed to fill the gaps when the current double up riders have to commit to one team but is it as many as 50?

I think the point Bryn was making is that if Lambert is considered man enough to compete professionally in a dangerous sport with riders potentially twice his age then he shouldn't and probably doesn't expect to be treated any differently to any other rider. Bridger would have reacted the same way whoever was involved in the incident but it would have been a non event if it was an older rider. Equally im sure Lambert is probably embarrassed by the patronising portrayals of him being an abused child rather than a professional sportsman and is more than capable of dealing with this type of handbags situation that incidents on track often provoke.

Only my experience but I was disappointed by the response to our enquiries to our local clubs on how to get started when my lad first took an interest in speedway and we gave up. We looked at grasstrack but without significant outlay there didn't seem to be a way of just giving it a try. Only a chance conversation with a contractor at work put me on to Sittingbourne where you can have a go for little outlay including hire of all the kit and I know there are other similar venues around the country. Why did our league clubs not seem to know this? It also makes me wonder why the bigger clubs couldn't hire these training tracks in much the same way as the amateur clubs do and run junior events or offer trials.

Thanks rainman. How is this done? I have balanced shafts before but only about their centre of rotation which makes their operating position irrelevant. Are the flywheels biased in some way to allow for the different configuration?

I have a redundant Jawa 898 engine which has been converted to a laydown. I would now like to mount it back in an upright chassis but apart from the obvious positioning of the drain plug and oil level tube I am unsure what else would have been involved in the original conversion and now need reversing in order to use it as an upright again. Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Dean, I always enjoy your posts as it’s good to hear things from a rider’s perspective and I’m sure you know the rules better than me but can I ask the following question? You say that Nikki had every right to clamp Holder but his lead was very slender as they entered turn 1, perhaps half a wheel? If you were half a wheel behind from the inside gate would you or could you back off? If a rider off gate 3 left the rider off gate 4 as little track on the outside to race on as Nikki left Chris on the inside the rider off 4 would have been forced into the fence and gone down with the referee probably Calling all 4 back at best or excluding the rider off 3? Just because there is no physical barrier on the inside of the track is the circumstance not the same? I fully accept that it is legal for the front wheel to be on the grass and that in the right conditions Chris may have gained an advantage from it but the fact remains he was forced off the track which may not have been his preference given the track conditions. No doubt that Chris lifting and hitting Nikki was the cause of the stoppage but surely the referee has to consider the circumstances leading up to that. If a referee has the option for all four back isn’t that better than the ridiculous first corner exclusions of Leigh Adams and Bjarne Pedersen at Cardiff a few years back? I’m sure Chris’s comments about being lucky to be in the re run were in view of previous refereeing decisions rather than an admission of causing the incident.

But in my opinion Chris had little option other than to put his wheel on the grass as Nicki came across him and left him nowhere to go. There was only half a wheel in it as the entered the corner so i don't think he had time to back off. Yes I accept he picked up drive which caused the crash but feel that he was forced off the track which was the cause of the incident.

I must admit my first reaction was Holder should have been excluded but having watched all the replays from all the different angles my opinion has changed. It amazes me how the same incident looks so different from a different camera angle. It is clear from most shots that they are side by as they enter the corner with Nicki slightly in front but there is a replay shot from the rear that shows that Holder was forced onto the grass and his front wheel is a good 2 feet onto the green with his back wheel in the line at which point he had no option but to rejoin the track and with Nicki tight to the line the collision was inevitable. If the incident had been on the second lap I would not have liked to of called it. Sure Holder hit Nicki but aren't you supposed to give your opponent room to race especially if they are along side? Given that the referee has the facility to re run with all 4 for first bend incidents I think it was the only sensible call.

I guess Blade's post backs up my first point in that it depends on how quickly he is likely to progress which is an unknown quantity and I suppose you can only base this on his previous experience on bikes. My lad didn't start until 14 and had not even ridden a motorcycle of any type before riding a 125 on a training track. We went down the Honda CG125 route and it served him well for learning because with his lack of previous experience he was unlikely to be riding it flat out after a couple of outings. Rider ability is a bigger factor than the type of bike so I'm not saying you can't compete on the Hondas but the pit bike engines can be very quick in the right hands! At competitive youth level you will find that a lot of 14 year olds have been riding bikes for many years and are only on a smaller engine because as Blade says they cant ride a 500 until they are 15 rather than they aren't ready for one so its hard to be competitive as a beginner when the catagories are age based. At 15 it is often easier to be competitive as a beginner because the adult catagories are ability based rather than age based and a little success spurs you on! Good luck with what ever you decide. I don't know where you are based but it's good to join an amateur club and you will find plenty of choice in the 'training track/amateur' section of the forum.