nw42

Well you got that bit right.

Have been wondering myself, bit of weird posting style, slightly familiar but not enough to pinpoint. Anyway, thinking outside the box and it's a very long shot, Bigballs - Viz - Buster Gonad - Buster Chapm.... surely not...

Well I've heard Tebby has been in the gym all winter, lost half his body weight apparently. If the rumours are true then it's got to be Tebby. Mudge needs to stop wearing fancy blue leathers and concentrate on his racing if he's to improve.

They do Oyster cards?

Couldn't agree more Sid, thrill merchant he was. There isn't an awful lot of footage of him on youtube but I've just re-watched this meeting as it has always stuck in my mind as a decent meeting, even if it was just a glorified open pairs challenge. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIGbKOl_08g Couple of points of note, Jeremy Doncaster was made of tough stuff, admitted he was still suffering the aftereffects of a recent knock on the head but still rode, Tatum starting his tv career all those years ago, a natural in front of the camera when giving a description of the sport for new viewers. Carter was unbeatable in this meeting but Cook was sublime, his last bend pass on Alan Grahame in ht13 was top drawer, not many riders dared go round big Al. Last point, fantastic to hear the great Dave Lanning and his controlled enthusiasm for the sport, never bettered..

Wilkie was indeed all heart, a team captain in every sense of the word and a Belle Vue great. As for theatre, he also stormed through the stand at Kings Lynn and up the ladder to the referees box for a quiet word regarding an exclusion, then there was the famous on track brawl at home against Leicester, that was started when Alan Cowland forced Wilkie off his bike on the pit bend, Wilkie got up and confronted him as he was coasting towards the pits, within seconds there was a free for all in the middle of the track, riders, mechanics and fans involved. So yes, Wilkie was an entertainer, certainly a solid rider if not known for being spectacular but gave everything (and much more) to the Aces cause, if he'd not been a speedway rider he would probably have made a great professional wrestler in the bad guy role. Yes he was patchy but for some reason I can remember always looking forward to seeing him ride, like most of the Californians he loved interacting with the crowd and could do some amazing things on a speedway bike when he was on song.

Great shout for Declan, always seemed to be wearing grey overalls, great little rider. To those mentioned in the thread already I'd add Soren Sjosten, John Cook and Stonehewer.

It's not really about being PC though is it, it's more about common decency, you should be ashamed of yourself for placing your twisted views in a thread about Speedway. Surely 'General Discussions' is a more suitable platform for you to spout your bile. I've felt sorry for you in the past when you've been given a bit of grief on here but obviously I never saw the full picture, you deserve all the sh-t that comes your way.

You're a funny guy, just 40 or 50 years too late.

Gimme six you bumpkin.

That photo got me reminiscing while sat here, can remember that team well and had many Thursday evening trips over to the wrong side of the Pennines via Woodhead, my dad driving like a lunatic to get us there for the first race. Always loved going to Owlerton, the pits were so much more accessible than @ Hyde Rd, on the odd occasion that we got there early we would always go for a look over the low wall/fence into the pits, it reminded me of a stable rather than a pit area. Of course the racing there was nearly always top notch and the crowds were good. on a side note, I've always thought Bob Paulson wore glasses but he isn't wearing them in that photo, anyone confirm?

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Don't be daft, you know what you wrote. It's Sheikh, google is your friend.

Obviously I can't confirm any figures regarding how the money is divvied up from such meetings but, as Halifax Tiger has pointed out, the current arrangement must suit all as there don't appear to be any complaints. If you lived nowhere near Manchester then you would have to make a decision as to whether or not you were prepared to travel for a big meeting, just like everyone did when the BLRC was staged @ Hyde Rd. Let's have it right, there isn't another track/stadium combo in the country to touch what has been laid on in Manchester, SCB can have his digs about queues, toilets, food etc but I'm sure he is referring to the part of the stadium that was temporarily utilised for the World Cup, his complaints are never going to typify the general consensus. As for weddings etc, I think it was Phil the ace who said there have been some functions held there since it opened, also I don't see the problem with them attracting wedding receptions, birthdays etc but most wedding reception venues are booked at least 12 months in advance and nobody would take a chance on booking when the place was a building site. The lounge will make a decent venue for all sorts of corporate gatherings but again this takes time and proper marketing. So you've exhausted all your other negative aspects and decide to denigrate the locality, it's just as well Sheikh Mansour didn't adopt that attitude. edit, apologies HT, you type much faster than me and had already covered my points.

It's already been pointed out that the money can be shared around with the other operators, this doesn't necessarily mean they can't hold the vast majority of prestige meetings at Belle Vue, as others have said why not use the best venue available as long as the impact on other potentially viable tracks is minimised, seems fair to me.

Stick around, he can do much better than that. The point you were making was quite obvious to anyone with an ounce of common sense, unfortunately that poster seems to be short by about an ounce.

Therefore it's worthless.

Well I guess we're all of a certain age and our minds have a tendency to wander off on tangents, I'll consider myself told and try my best to stay on topic.

I know you're one for records, so you putting Carter ahead of Mort & PC is no doubt based on points etc but my rose tinted specs still can't get my head around that one. Carter was known for having fast machinery and on a track like Hyde Rd this was obviously imperative, he could also trap a lot better than Mort or PC but I just see them reeling him in over 3 laps and then lining him up with a big swoop on the top bend, so much speed on the back straight and going either side of Carter then team riding the pit bend to claim a 5-1 for the right side of the Pennines. Either way these match ups are mouthwatering prospects, PC, Mort, Screen & Loram would be a race I'd not want to miss.

Also being mentioned in darts circles. https://twitter.com/search/dave+lanning RIP Dave, the best speedway commentator there ever was, 'the flying hairpin', absolute quality. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFbpKyAyuCA

He's brought it on himself over recent months, the facade has slipped and we're seeing he's just like plenty of others. So no he's not that bad but he sure ain't what he has presented himself as for all these years. He couldn't have picked a worse time to do what he did in terms of this forum, there's hardly any speedway to digest, so he's the focus of attention.

Ah right, well in that case where can I sign the petition to strip Hancock of the title? Seriously though there should be a heavy price for what he did in walking out of the meeting.

Just got in and caught this thread, interesting but the burning question for me is, does this mean we may have to suffer Bjerre getting a place now? If so then it may be best to leave well alone and let Hancock keep the crown.

Well I'm not part of any brigade but you're right, he did help Holder to win the event, well spotted.

Don't you start on him too, I felt bad enough over 'ungroppious' but it did need addressing.