Technik

For Great VFM I'd recomend the Golden Helmet weekend in Pardubice, Czech Republic. in 2022 they will host the final round of the SEC on the Friday, On Saturday there will be the FIM Flat Track GP round & their U21 Golden Helmet event followed on Sunday with The Golden Helmet. That will be around 80 speedway stars from around the World on show + the Flat Track riders all taking part in over 100 races over three days. All on the same track. If that is still not enough On the Monday night you can get to Prague for the Lubos Tomicek Memorial meeting. This will normally feature many SGP stars + some that will have ridden in the previous events in Pardubice.

The working enviroment for most of us has changed so much, Where I was working when I used to go all over to watch Speedway there were 12 to 15 blokes on the floor so if I wanted to shoot off early to a speedway track there was cover as long as I stepped in when they wanted to get away early, Now there are only 4 blokes & 2 of them are drivers so the cover is not there. Then there is the cost of fuel now at record prices. But the biggest issue is plain & simple the timing & the VFM I used to go & expect to see the first race at 7:30 with the parade 15 minutes earlier then there would be a whole meeting 13/15 races, To the bar for a pint & a chat & watch 6/8 second half races & I could leave happy at 9:30 latest. For speedway to save it's self & encourage people like Steve Roberts back as regulars it needs to be run in a manner that gives the paying public any chance to believe they are getting VFM

Pavel Karnas passed away 14.02.2022 after a long illness. He was a member of the Czech team for many years & has always supported his club at Pardubice. He will be greatly missed. best wishes to his family & friends.

Yes you are correct. I checked their history & they have been called by many names in the past but not Chargers. However I was playing in 79 - 84 of which part is before the history page starts. back then there were many teams that started & due to the numbers involved many clubs joined each other to make a bigger club. I started in Newbury & we never had a match before joining forces with Reading & a few from a Maidenhead based club. I can remember going to play in a friendly at Oxford just off the A34 where its 50MPH. The Reading team is now part of the university sports clubs.

I'm not sure that they are still a going concern but I believe that the American football team in Oxford were also called the Chargers. Sorry it's taken a while to come to light but today is Superb Owl day.

Just to throw another name into the ring. Ellis Perks. I know he missed last season but he was training. If that has finished could he be able to make a return?

I think speedway lost it's way completly when the TV got involved. We used to get a parade at 7:15 & the first race at 7:30 now your lucky to see a race before 7:50 at some tracks. Following this will be a 10 minute grading sessions & an interval after Ht 10 for another 20 minutes then a 10 minute wait to decide who will race in Ht 15. We need to get back to running the slick show that made Speedway popular & throw the TV handbook in the bin. Four blokes going sideways around an oval how can that be complicated. If it's done properly speedway is the most exciting motor cycle sport ever & it's ideal for TV. But unfortunetly they slowed it down & what we used to see in 90 minutes now takes two & a half hours at some tracks

I'm shocked by this choice. I fully expected Peterborough to name Tony Atkin as their your up & coming number 8

No point trying to fix what's not broke

I don't believe the consistent closure of circuits will be the death of speedway as the tracks that remain will pull the riders in as required. I believe the bigger problem is the fuel, unless we start to explore the use of electric motors in speedway I think in the ten years as already mentioned the whole speedway world could be in trouble. I am aware they are testing in Denmark but this is the only progress I have heard of

I fully agree. It was a single page index that was easy to navigate. but I guess this is progress & I can now read it from a mile away.

What they are doing on the island is fantastic. Yes I agree I to would like to see IoW back in NDL but if the current owners cannot agree with the politics then this is their best option. I may not enjoy grass bikes or Flat track machines on a speedway track but I see the business plan in that this allows access to more competitors it is a system that has worked across the world of motorcycle racing. In Australia NZ USA & SA all different types & standards will come together to produce the whole event & nobody can argue that anything upto 50 races is better value than 15 no matter what standard or discipline.

It would be nice to get as many former riders to attend over the course of the season. I'm sure everyone would love to see Hans, Dag & Gordon Kennett but I'm sure some of the former lesser known have a story to tell as well. Spencer Timmo & Jon Surman are still living fairly local, I know Marvyn Cox comes back to these shores each year. Armando Castanga is here for the SGP just a few ex Oxford riders to start working on.

Maybe the "Dons" for the Uni Professors Or The "Blues" as the Uni boatrace team are called

As I remember the Olsen boots were made by Daytona. Usually red with a white shin big zip up the back with a buckle on the heel.

I'm not sure about Kemp. When he started he looked like the next British superstar & at 15/16 he was head & shoulders above those of the same age range. As he has got older his progress has slowed & in my opinion last season went backwards. I wonder if he has reached his potential & now is in a position where he is beaten before the tapes rise. This season at Wolves he will be with one of his biggest rivals in Leon Flint so maybe they can draw the best out of each other.

I really do not like this new site. It's like trying to read the Times in a train toilet.

Both items have been quoted in copies of the Speedway Star dated Dec 18 & Dec 25 in Mr Oakes pages. I remember Lloyd Goffe he had a motor cycle shop in Berkshire I belive in Twyford just outside Reading it was very popular with the whizz kids of the 70s & 80s

I'm sure it was mentioned in Peter Oaks "Off the beaten track" pages within the Speedway Star. It is a race jacket & it has letters rather than a number on the rear. It is believed that the whole team wore their initials rather than a number. I can't remember what team it was but Bristol seems to be sticking in my head.

Where is it stated that the Grandstand has not or will not be ready in April. In your posts you have said that it will not be open for dog trials in April. & this you have gained from a Greyhound forum. Myself & others have replied to your posts & given you valid reasons as to why the stand would not be required for dog trials.

Lets give the guy a fighting chance. All Horton had to do was convince the BSPA that he could host speedway. The new bloke had to present a business plan to the council to obtain a ten year lease. The stadium has stood empty for 14 years he will have some issues & if we make them bigger than they already are who is left to support him in this quest I'm sure your knowledge of greyhound racing is unrivaled. Your quote told us that the grandstand would not be open for dog trials. I'm sure that everything has to be inspected at a dog track from the surface to the jumps, the preperation equipment & the kennels this will also involve dog trials to insure the safety of the equipment. Only then can an application for on track gambling be submitted. So for April there will be no requirement for the grandstand to be open as there will be no racing.

Ladbrokes own Monmore stadium & have dog meetings in the daytime with no paying public. They film it for use in betting shops & the ever growing need for on-line gambling. As Oxford are only stating they are having open trials at that stage there would not be any gambling so no reason to open the grandstand

I don't like to say it BUT this is a very weak looking team & I can see by mid May BWD will loose interest leaving only Starke as anywhere near heatleader status. I'm sure there is a budget to work to & that will provide its own limitations but I hope the promotion won't take it out on the fans when they don't come through the gates to see their team suffer.

I'd like to see a new face in the Oxford line-up. There are a few youngsters in Europe that I believe will be ready for Championship racing in 2022. I understand the Poles are to opperate an U24 league but they will still have a squad of which only 7 will race so I think some riders would be better in British racing where they will be in the team each week. In Denmark Tim Sorensen has been flying under the radar but I think British speedway could take him to the top. From Sweden Casper Henriksen has been scoring at reserve in the top flight for 2 seasons. Then there is Petr Chlupac from the Czech Republic he has excellent equipment & is very willing to learn. Any of these would start on a 5.00 average, Maybe Henriksen would be better starting as reserve but the other two could fit straight into the top 5.

Sometimes you have to ask yourself a question. Should I race hard on a track I believe to be unfit or stay safe to race tomorrow