old bob at herne bay

Yes the referee should have called it off ……….but the issue I guess is that both Bottell and Morley ( both CL riders) would have said it’s rideable. The other dozen novices are way out of their depth on the well soaked Mildenhall stock car/ speedway track. Once again the public let down with endless delays. Isn’t it av pbout time the finishing times of meetings were officially published ?

Mildenhall stock car , sorry speedway track AGAIN providing poor entertainment, long delays and causing injury and expensive repair bills, This is not the first time the Mildenhall track has had problems. Surely with so many rider collisions, falls and delays the referee has reported that the tracK wasn’t fit for racing at NDL level

Ippo beaten by Kings poor performance. With Riss not available for a misdemeanour for Redcar ( nowt to do with Ippo) you do need your other team members to score their average . Rain affected track wouldnt have helped the less experienced riders.

England vs USA Test Match of Foxhole Stadium Ipswich. Exact year eludes me now - but on a warm sunny Thursday afternoon I set off for Foxhole on my trusty Honda CB400/4 from sunny Herne Bay in great expectation of a fascinating test match against a USA side including my Arena Essex favourite Josh Larsen. Arriving early in Ipswich I called at a local foxhall newsagent to get some sweets. By chance I noticed the headline on the bundle of local papers that had just been dumped on the counter. Test Match Off ! My heart sank - here i was in bright warm sunshine staring at a scarcely believable headline. USA couldn't raise a team.... apparently . Fine time to tell everyone 2 hours before the start of the meeting ? Rode tot he track and yup not a soul there. Sunny ride home on the bike - cursing Ipswich speedway under my breath the whole way home. Wrote a letter of complaint to Ipswich Speedway - and guess what I am still waiting for a reply from John Louis or anyone associated with the fiasco. Promised myself never to go to Ipswich Speedway again .... and never have gone near the place nor will I ever again. .

Harris rode as a gust to replace Scott Nicholls for Wolves ...... And the "paramedic" didnt turn up ....... delaying the meeting start ......that is a FACT .... thanks for your explantion of WHY the paramedic didnt turn up on time and the meeting was delayed. All in the first 2 weeks of the new season ......... it can only get better ...........

What’s up with Danny Bewley - season away from the “National Speedway Stadium” seems to have done him no good at all? Best bikes still in Poland?

Well on my now infrequent returns to this forum to see the changes being brought in by the new CEO Phil Morris……….. Nothing has Changed ….. tactical call offs …. Riders lasting half a lap …….then packing up……. Rider replacement making an early return …replacement riders used illegally over points limits …. Tracks not ready for racing on opening meeting and “being modified “… oh and yes paramedic being very late for opening meeting … In a brewery. piss ups and couldn’t organise one come to mind

What a shambles. As if we didn’t know, some minor league polish club calls the shots on where and when “their riders “ can ride. British “promoters” cannot be arsed to let their supporters know what is going on…. Indeed if they are actually bovvered?.? How long before Danny Budeley is banned from riding for BV ? Still only a few more meetings and Pboro will join the growing list of defunct tracks.

iainb, I would beg to differ on your assessment. A KO Cup quarter final opening meeting of the season featuring the top two in the PL in the opposition (including the controversial russian Sayfootdinoff)is a high profile PL meeting to be ridden at the end of winter. In my memory, which has become a little jaded recently, most clubs opened their fixtures with a "challenge" fixture. Leicester track clearly is not a good drainer and the promoters have lost a good crowd for an opening fixture.

The Leicester track has history of being a poor draining track. Seems it needs a week to beraceable after a days heavy rain. Don’t know why they start their season so early with high profile nmeetings. Always a high risk strategy.

Take a look at this Sully ….. keep an eye on Worrall in red.

Thought fans paid to watch 14 riders race in a meeting ? Would have been a far better meeting had Mr N Pedersen NOT pulled out of meeting. Would have been better entertainment to see him race alongside sayfootinoff and Doyle ? As for ref - needs glasses - leaving the track limits is an exclusion offence. Home riders at pboro have been doing it for years . Makes the sport look “amateurish “ as per usual.

Mystifies me why in 2023 clubs want to have thousands of pounds cash around at the stadium? Security risk surely. Online ticketing with or without programme should be available at a small discount up until tapes up, and cash and contactless card facilities available at full price available at the stadium. Surely most people pay using Apple Pay on their phones nowadays ? Or contactless cards? Speedway really needs to smarten up its act to make it easier to buy tickets instead of queueing at the “turnstiles” to handover cash . Sounds like £30 to get into Poole for second tier racing ……if you include car parking and prog. ☹️ It’s too much IMHO for what is now only 15 heats of racing.

Oh dear - after all the excitement Mr N Pedersen loses it in heat 1 and pulls out of the meeting injured ☹️ Rather destroyed the meeting - although amazes me how a speedway track can be so pants after having all winter to get it right. was Phil Morris in attendance tonight ?

Searching the East Sussex and the Brighton and Hove planning register shows no applications relevant to Arlington Stadium BN27 3RE .

For the first time in many a year , this match looks to have a "Premiership" line up with 2 decent international standard heat leaders per side. May the racing reflect the line ups and give the hardy souls who turn up to these late winter meetings plenty of entertainment.

Here we are on the verge of World War 3, and folks are suggesting all my posts are negative !

Excellent idea - Phil has shown he can manage the SGP - but think he has a harder set of “nuts to crack” with the “premiership” promoters. will be intersting to see how long this lasts :-)

Don’t know how anyone could put a positive spin on “ the stadium is no longer available for speedway.” ? Unless Elon Musk takes an interest in buying the entire site from Eric for e cars and likes speedway enough to retain the stadium it ain’t gonna happen.

What surprises me is that it has taken so long for the Dugard family to make this decision to drop speedway once and for all at Arlington. If we are to believe the current bunch of “promoters”, none make an operating profit … they just throw their money in as some sort of hobby, and then whinge at the lack of support from fans. Why would the Dugard family ( who are very successful businessmen) want to be involved in such a poor and high risk investment as renting out their stadium for speedway ? Never blessed with good crowds in recent years…. I would guess that the late Bob Dugard personally kept the speedway going with his £££.. That era is now over. Reading the SS this week Len Silver reckons 250k will be needed to revive Sittingbourne Central Park … a figure which must apply to restarting Eastbourne ( and any other hopeful venues) so DREAM ON folks ……..

Poole to win everything again is my prediction. How many clubs will complete season 2023 ?

As the closest PL club track to me in Herne Bay suppose I should take more interest in Ippo . IF ever I could be bovvered guess its my obvious place to visit. Sadly the racing at Foxhall has never inspired me in my 40+ years of following speedway, and the team line ups in recent years always seem to have a same old, same old, stale look about them. 2023 looks like the same. Back comes Danny King, Rohan Tungate, again. Must be cheap deals. Always pleading poverty to be able to build a top side like the Belle Vue Aces, yet pin a large part of their allegedly small budget on THE top number 1 in the league. Never been a fan of Chris Louis as speedway promoter, but in his day a superb Speedway Rider. Seem to be a club " just happy to be taking part " without ever really threatening to win much .

What at Foxhole ? Didnt know Foxhole had an "outside" ?? He'll be in the burger van on the first bend. Hope the lad's injuries aren't as serious as first feared.

Has anyone seen any sign of redevelopment at the Lakeside bowl ? could it not re open as a training track ?

Nothing to stop Bomber being sponsored by a local distillery for a bottle a point, a local butcher for one haggis a point ?? No limit on “sponsorship” afaik.