Little Thumper

A day's motor sport at 3 Sisters for £6 is pretty good value. Cars, bikes, karts - take your pick.

I haven't got a Triple Champions Badge but if it makes you happy, I'll have a look on Fleabay and see if I can pick one up for a couple of quid.

We'll have to bow to your superior knowledge in this area, pete cc.

Perhaps he enjoys the witty repartee and that warm inner glow that you experience when you are in the company of caring, like-minded souls?

I've just strayed on to Buxton's Farcebook page and there is a picture of a smiling Jason Pipe in a pub holding up a Buxton No.1 race jacket. Also holding on to this race jacket is some guy in a lumberjack shirt who we must assume is either some drunk in Mr Pipe's local tavern or is the new International Man of Mystery who will be spearheading Buxton's challenge for honours in 2017. Any idea who this mystery man could be? Looking at the hands, I would suggest that he has passed the age of puberty and could be one of Mr Pipe's army of veterans. On the Buxton site, it stated, "Pipe remains at the helm". Rather worryingly, on the wall to the right of our lumberjack friend is a lifebelt and what appears to be an oar! Surely, Pipe's boat is not sinking already or perhaps he likes to surround himself with nice hello sailor stuff. If I had to put 10p on identifying our new friend, I would plump for Kenny Eyre. Any better guesses?

I hear that things have improved since your day, matey. It's now £5 a point, all the red diesel that you can get in your van tank, a key to the executive toilet facilities and heat leaders get first choice of sheep. What's not to like?

Hey, ouch. Are you still on that work experience placement down at the Sue Ryder shop? Are you hearing any whispers from the woman in the know? If you hear anything, be sure to let us know.

i think your average would be too high!

As Don Truman C of C at Mallory Park used to say at the end of his Drivers' Briefing:- Motor racing is dangerous - Let's keep it that way. Yes, Skidder1, let's keep it raw and noisy!

Fair point, redandyellow. But I would rather Mr Pipe say something rather than nothing. Lots of clubs seem to work on a need to know basis and often the long-suffering supporters don't need to know. Buxton haven't got a lot of money to slosh about and perhaps, we don't need to be reminded of the fact in each of Mr Pipe's monologues. Whilst Mr Pipe may not be perfect, I don't envy his task of trying to cobble a team together every week. But perhaps this year, we shall a team comprising of some experienced hands and some fresh young hopefuls. But I would rather that any team that I try and support had a small club mentality and survived rather than having a big club mentality and perhaps disappearing faster than a very fast thing.

There is quite a bit of money in Speedway but sadly, the bulk of the money seems to go to those highest up the pecking order. There are two solutions, either make the money flow down through the sport so that all the participants benefit more equally and the money doesn't disappear into the ether or form a breakaway operation which operates a simplified, community-based business model and where there is no requirement for various boards and associations to shove their beak in and syphon the money off. Wouldn't you like to have some kind of share-holding in your local speedway team and wouldn't local business want to be involved with a community focussed sport?

I think we will have to send them both to the Naughty Step.

There's life, Jim but not as we know it. The future of speedway is National League.

Nice photos! I've not seen a yellow Ford Cortina estate for quite a while.....wow! With regard to flash photography, I remember when we used to work on the night forest stages of the RAC Rally. You should have seen the flashguns going off there when the big boys were going through! To be honest, we relied on all these flashguns going off all the time, as it was the only way that you could see what was going on in the stage. You could always tell when you were getting to the tail-enders - there would be hardly any flashes going off. All this flashing didn't seem to bother the drivers too much as I think they were just focussed in their own zone and could block out what they didn't need.

I have been to motor sport events all over this country and abroad and I have never been told that I can't use my camera. I can't see why a speedway venue would seek to impose restrictions (with the possible exception of flash photography in the riders' faces) on spectators indulging in what is pretty normal behaviour at most motor sport events. I feel sure that this must be something that perhaps happened in the past.

Oh don't let's start that all over again. Somebody came on here and said that there had been a BIG meeting and everything had been sorted out, so clearly there is nothing to worry about. If you carry on like this, that OUCH character will be popping up saying that some woman down at the Sue Ryder shop had told him something or other. I really can't face all that drivel for a second time. Give me an "A", Give me a .................................

Yes, it is always like that at BTCC and BSB at Oulton Park. There are bods with whacking great lenses, tripods and all the other gubbins. A lot of people are into motor sport photography, so it would seem a little perverse for speedway promoters to discourage potential customers by prohibiting the activity. Speedway is a colourful and photogenic sport and the more speedway photographs that appear on the various media, the greater the chance that potential spectators might be attracted to marvel at the spectacle.

Will the real Slim Shady please stand up? I repeat, will the Real slim Shady please stand up? We're going to have a problem here. 'Cause I'm Slim Shady.yes I'm the real Shady. All you other Slim Shadys are just imitating. So won't the real Slim Shady please stand up. Please stand up. Please stand up. Eminem - 2000 It was a joke. I wouldn't worry about it. Sincerely, wishing you and Mark every success with the Devils and hope you get through your NL AGM interview without too much grief. It is reassuring that good people such as yourself are prepared to do their utmost to keep speedway alive and kicking and the National League is surely the future of our sport. Give it LARGE.

Well, if you think that a miscreant may be passing them-self off as someone else for whatever reason, perhaps you should report it to the moderators. I mean the last thing we need in a respectable place like this is for people to be trolling about with multiple or made-up identities and causing trouble. No, no, no that would never do!

Well, so as to save you the trouble of investigating, I have done it for you. Laurence Rogers has at least two user names on this forum, his old one Laurence Rogers and his new one LaurenceRogers. Now why Mr Rogers has chosen to have two or more identities, I know not. Anyway, I still welcome Mr Rogers in his latest incarnation and wish Plymouth Devils every success.

So why does it say it in the forum stats that he is the forum's newest member and that he joined yesterday at 9.24 p.m.? Perhaps he likes it so much on here that he has joined twice so as to enjoy some kind of stereo effect. So, Darcys Onion, what was Laurence's previous user name?

I see that Laurence Rogers has joined the forum. A very warm welcome to you, Laurence and wishing you every success in the coming season.

Well, obviously if someone is filming on a commercial basis without permission then that is understandable. Wow, who is the draconian individual to whom you refer?

And so they should. I notice that the British Speedway Propaganda Association do post up the outcome of disciplinary action they have taken from time to time. I'm not sure that I have spotted their posting where they announced what fines were being imposed on the clubs who short-changed their supporters by conveniently dropping meetings that they couldn't be bothered to put on. Perhaps, for the sake of good housekeeping, they post all this information at the end of the year in their annual report to speedway supporters and if so, I look forward to seeing it.

I can't remember having seen any No Photography signs at any speedway tracks that I have visited this year but perhaps my powers of observation are failing. I shall make a note to look for these signs when I attend speedway meetings next year. Perhaps they are stuck on the same poles that carry the Don't Eat Your Own Butties signs.