Little Thumper

Yes, Sings4Kings, your observations are again accurate. It is quite possible that one of the factors that has contributed to the churn of riders this season may be resolved and hopefully, Buxton will be able to track a consistent team that covers the age and experience spectrum and adds something to the sport which is speedway. There are plenty of good young grass trackers in the north of England and it is just a matter of finding some way of getting these youngsters onto speedway bikes and doing so before the bigger fish gobble them up. If the governing body of speedway had anything about it, there would be a decent academy system in place and one of their top priorities would be to spot talent, bring the riders under their wing, mentor them and get them places in progressive, forward-thinking teams throughout the country. Keep the Faith.

Yes, Heathen 1984, I know that allegedly, he has virtually finalized his arrangements to ride in two leagues next year and that the only time we would see him at Buxton next year is when he comes to visit along with his team mates from a very strong NL side. But we Buxton supporters have to think positively and hope that we may be able to attract some talented riders, whether they be young or slightly more mature. Buxton has a lot going for it - a beautiful setting, lovely clean unpolluted air, top tunes and banter from the Bod in the Box, so I am quietly confident that next year Buxton will be able to attract some pretty decent riders to the amphitheatre in the clouds. I would like some of the riders who have made real progress this year, such as Lee Geary to be given a further chance to develop and you never know, perhaps young Mr Blacklock might just have a change of heart. And I really do hope that Tony Atkin might come back to the Hitmen as he has pots of experience and I believe would be able to cushion some of the less experienced team members from any internal politics. So Heathen 1984, perhaps young Lawlor might fancy his chances as a Heathen next year........but perhaps not. Just my opinion, obviously.

Sorry, Junior mate, but I don't have a website.

Ouch, Looks like Halifaxtiger was speaking tongue in cheek!

Well, what a superb afternoon's entertainment! The highlight was that the Bod in the Box was on great form and his banter with his side-kick, the Man in the Middle was top notch. I'm surprised that Bod hasn't been snapped up by the Speedway GP people , as I feel that he would add a totally fresh angle to the presentation. I'm sad to say that we didn't get too many Bachelors tunes today but the music chosen was high quality, if a little obscure. And you could tell it was the last meeting of the season because the PA system was superb! Oh, and I forgot to mention - the Limestone Lions gave our friends from Rye House a bit of a walloping which would have been even greater had we not given them a nice head start in heat 15. Nice to hear from Jason and the boys at the end of the meeting but it was sad to hear Ryan Blacklock announce hie retirement. As always, the riders gave it 100% today and I hope to see Buxton back in 2017 for what would have to be a slightly more successful season. A team with the huge experience of Tony Atkin and the youthful exuberance of Joe Lawlor would be a good starting point for me. Thank you to all at Buxton for all your efforts this year, it is truly appreciated. Be seeing you.

Junior, I can't see any mention of injuries on the Rye House site (0900 hours Sunday) but then I can't see any mention of the fixture at all! Rye House better had send a full strength side otherwise they are short-changing the paying customer. And if their side is going to be depleted for any genuine reason, then they should have to good manners to announce this fact in advance of the meeting so as potential customers can decide whether they are happy to pay full price to watch hired hands rather than the genuine article. And at the very least, there should be a prominent notice situated in advance of the turnstile which advises the customer of any material fact that may have a bearing on their decision whether or not to purchase a ticket, such as an understudy taking on one of the leading roles. To be honest, if I went to a venue and found that once I had paid my money the show that I was being offered differed markedly from that which I had anticipated, then I would never visit that venue again and I would make my displeasure known. So, junior, I remain confident that the Rye House management will be arriving with a full-strength squad, as that is what the customer is paying to see and to do otherwise would be misrepresentation. Anyway, must get my butties done and gird my loins as I ready myself to embark on my journey to the beautiful Peak District, the home of the Limestone Lions.

No idea what you are going on about but I'll have chips with mine.

Great news - the preview for this meeting has appeared on the website, so clearly Buxton have not had the same problems with damp that has scuppered our friends just a few miles down the road. And the amazing thing is that Buxton manage to get a race meeting on with very little resource and despite the fact that their little track is at high altitude! Nice to see a greater use of the paragraph in this week's offering and I have a feeling that someone other than Mr Pipe may have written it. It is a bit like musical chairs at Buxton, as soon as one rider re-appears another is absent for some reason or another. So Lee Dicken is skiving off to somebody's wedding which is a bit of a shame, as he was just coming into a bit of decent form. The Buxton Select Team welcomes back the usual suspects of Woolley and Lawlor from Belle Vue. I bet Tony Atkin is pleased that he didn't bin his Hitmen race suit at the end of last year as it will be getting yet another airing tomorrow. So it might be a bit of a mish mash of a Buxton team and they might struggle to record a victory. But the management have tried their hardest to get their meetings on and whichever riders have donned Buxton's colours throughout this difficult season have given it 100% I would far rather give my support to a team that tries it's hardest but doesn't win much rather than support an outfit which has more resources at it's disposal but treats it's two key assets (it's riders and supporters) with contempt. Just my opinion, obviously.

Halifaxtiger is a person of good repute so it must all be true.

Where? Have you been been exchanging pillow talk with the butcher's daughter? Or is it the lady in the Sue Ryder shop again? Reveal all or be damned.

Only one day to go! Weather looking good for tomorrow so the excitement is building. Eagerly awaiting the meeting preview on the Buxton website and we shouldn't be short of riders because some of our friends from the Potteries are at a bit of a loose end. I have heard it rumoured that Jason Pipe's farewell karaoke with the Bod in the Box is scheduled for the interval and the number chosen is, "You're The One That I Want" from the block buster, Grease. Bring it on.

I don't want more meetings. I want better meetings. Make it so.

Well, I'm sure he will do requests! The Belle Vue wallahs sometimes shout up some requests but I am not sure that they are of a musical nature as the response from the bod in the box can be a little stroppy.

Yes, that is very well put Humphrey!. Secrecy breeds suspicion and in most cases there is nothing of great interest to be seen anyway. Your mention of the owner's light aircraft has just reminded me of the days that I used to be a servant of Oulton Park. It would be the early 80s when half way through the morning's practice sessions, the radio message would come in that John Webb, the owner of Brands and Oulton was about to arrive. If necessary the session was curtailed early, cars cleared off the circuit and Mr Webb's pilot would land the little plane with the chequered tail fin on the bottom straight! After a couple of hours counting the takings, the process would be reversed and Mr Webb would wing his way back to his grand residence in the south of England. John Webb famously is once alleged to have stated that, "marshals are spectators who haven't paid to get in". Not surprisingly, I don't remember John getting many cheery waves from the orange-clad souls on the ground as his metal bird took off and looped the circuit before retreating to his lair in the leafy suburbs. Be careful out there,

I was hoping that Jayne would be brave enough to chip into this discussion as she is one of the few (only) promoters who is prepared to express an opinion. I think that the one conclusion that one could draw from this topic is that there is quite a lot of money in speedway but the majority of it is at the top of the pyramid and there is very little at the bottom. Yes, there are one or two promotions where there may be some interesting accounting practices but sooner or later, they will come a cropper. as HMRC are taking more of an interest in areas where previously they looked the other way. Even an accounting ignoramus such as myself can see that the Buxtons of this world are hardly raking it in and when you consider the effort that the Jaynes of the speedway world put in on top of all their other occupations and responsibilities, you do really wonder why they keep doing it year after year. But, at the risk of repeating myself, I truly appreciate the effort that the small promoter puts in and I do value their continued passion for the sport despite all the challenges. So I disagree with Jayne in one respect and I think it is important that the speedway supporter has at least some understanding of the financial position of the club that they follow and to which they hand over their money each week. Perhaps with this knowledge, the supporters will clearly see which clubs are being run by passionate, speedway-loving promoters and which are being run by accountants and make their spending choices accordingly. Just my opinion, obviously.

Yeah, right. :rofl:

Getting really quite excited now! Weather forecast for Sunday - sunny but a tad on the chilly side. Nothing on the Rye House site about them bottling out. Looks like we are good to go, my friends. Eagerly awaiting Mr Pipe's (last?) monologue. I bet the bod in the box has got his Best of the Bachelors CD primed and ready to pump out them monster tunes! Bring it on. :party:

Very funny! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Well, I have been out today and splashed out £2-30 on this week's Motor Cycle News. Some quite good stuff in their including an article on the great Joey Dunlop. Sadly, my friends, pretty well the square root of nothing about speedway. But wait, what do I see here? Tai Woofington is in the list of 15 bods who are up for MCN Man of the Year! But seeing he is up against the likes of Rossi, Marquez, Byrne etc etc, his chances of winning are slim to nil. Why does speedway have to be the poor relation in the motor sport family?

I see what you are saying, MrMungo! You wouldn't think that importing Jawas could be such a nice little earner. I have it on very good authority that Taffy Owen used to import speedway bikes through Ireland to sell in his Hyde Road emporium. The method that he used could be called "creative and tax efficient".

Thanks for that. So the abbreviated accounts for Stoke Speedway (Crewsline Ltd) will be equally uninformative? https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/03549190 There don't seem to be any great stashes of money anywhere...........argh!

So, perhaps one of my clever friends would have a little look at Buxton's (Buxspeed Ltd.) abbreviated accounts and tell me what all those numbers mean! https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/03951057 Many thanks.

I don't think Rolf will be going again any time soon as I believe that he moves in different circles these days. Anyway, on to more important matters - I have just checked on the Rye House site and although they have not yet previewed this great meeting, there is no hint of any illnesses or other distractions, so I think we can be quietly confident that the Raiders will be at full strength. On the basis of information received, I have no reason to alter my prediction of a healthy win for the Limestone Lions and their triumphant roars will be heard over the hills and through the valleys. Be seeing you.

uk martin, you are so very helpful! And of course, yet again, I bow to your superior knowledge in these matters. Just between the two of us, you might perhaps like to have a quick look at some advice that I gave to another tortured soul:- http://www.speedway-forum.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=76007 Hope it helps! And don't forget, dear uk martin, you are among friends here, so don't feel inhibited and don't be scared about letting it all pour out. Always remember, a problem shared is a problem doubled. Be careful out there.

Fair cop, Gov. Yes I am from HMRC and I shall be knocking on some doors in Perry Barr very soon, as we have received a tip off that a Big Knob is operating in the area. Nuff said.