Bobbin' Along

I'm far too young to know where that is, but I'm guessing it's probably been covered by new housing/shopping complex etc. More's the pity. I'd also hazard a guess that taking spare underwear was a must, standing that close to the safety fence. Reminded me of the first time I visited Exeter (RIP).

Every year I get my tickets nice and early, and every year I am panicking come April because I haven't got 'em. You'd have thought I'd learnt by now. The problem is that I get a whole load for other people at the same time, and they are always mithering me as to where they are.

I agree with nearly all of what you suggest, but having been in the unenviable position of supporting the only team in recent history to have been relegated I can't agree with this one!

Good heavens - something that we both agree with! I've been to Cardiff every year that it's been held so far, having once said that I'd never go to a GP. The first year was just me, Mr Bobbin' and two friends, then we took our daughter and then we persuaded the Outlaws to go as well. We now make a day of it, leaving Swindon really early in the morning, taking a picnic lunch and mother-in-law and said daughter spend hours just gazing into the pits, looking out for their favourtite riders (TRick and Tomasz). One year we were particularly lucky and got into the pits just after they had finished - our daughter got Tomasz's autograph and a photo of him, and he even shared his chocolates with us! The atmosphere gets better and better each year, but it has to be experienced to be enjoyed. Whilst watching it on telly and being able to listen to Havelock's commentary may be amusing, you can't beat the noise and spectacle.

I'm lucky to live close enough to Cardiff so that I don't have to stay overnight. I had toyed with the idea (friends of ours are staying in Bridgend Friday and Saturday nights and using the park and ride) but quite frankly was put off by the extortionate prices. It seemed from my enquiries that the crappier the hotel, the more expensive it was. You can't stay in the really close hotels, 'cos the likes of BSI have already booked all the rooms for Tomasz Gollob and his crew (happened the last 2 years). Anyway, it's much cheaper to hire a mini van and drive down with a load of mates - you can share the driving. Having said that, as a non-drinker I probably don't fully appreciate the pull that an all-night party city like Cardiff has on someone who enjoys a bevvy or 2!

Couldn't agree more hon! I've only just caught up on this thread after the best beloved described it to me. Firstly I thought it was a joke, then I thought "well, at least Leigh was willing to give it a go" and now I'm all confused. I suppose the only people who can give the definitive answer on what happened, to whom, and why, are the people involved. As they all see things from different points of view, we'll probably never really know exactly what went on. I have to say there is a part of me that rubbed my hands in salacious glee at reading some hot and juicy goss to warm up my evening in the middle of winter, but there is also another part of me that felt it was unfair to name and shame when the riders involved cannot defend themselves - this is the bit that feels dead guilty now. Loved the comment from Rory's Ma about toilet paper though! Anyway - I'm gonna lie down until all the fuss has subsided and it's closer to spring....

Ha ha, ha ha, ha ha, ha ha, ha ha. Sorry Bryn - it must have felt like being at home for a while there!

Ooh, jealousy is soooo ugly!

I was dragged along to Swindon by a good friend and the rest of herfamily on 19 September 1983. I had been living in the Midlands, and we saw Speedway regularly on the local news back then, and it always struck me as mucky and boring. I saw Leicester in their last season. We actually beat them, and two young riders happened to catch my eye - one was Bjorn Andersson and the other Per Sorensen. W also had the Man who was God - Crumpie! I was hooked on the smell, as well as the thought of young men in leathers (still does something to me now, I confess). My first away meeting was (I think) the Ole Olsen Farewell. Saw Michael Lee ride for the first time.

The one I was thinking of was Julie Cross, but she may have been 90's?

Fair comment. I stand by what I said about TR being the best bar none at the moment tho'. I came late to speedway, so consequently the only time I ever heard of Mauger was when he had that ridiculous clause in his contract saying he would only ride home matches for Exeter. My impression of him wasn't that great to be honest!

This sounds like it should be another thread - who is the best ever rider. No doubt about it, Trick is the best rider bar none at the moment. I also think that winning a GP shows how consistent a rider has to be. In the old one-off world finals, you could have a rider who had been consistent during the year yet stuff it up on the night (Phil Crump springs to mind here). Trick has had to be at the top of his game all year- to start and finish the series with 7 ride maximums, and only drop 28 points over the whole year. Well, I'd would like to see if any of the other world champions of the past 50 years would be able to doit. Loram came close - didn't win a single GP all year but ended up as World Champion through consistency. Don't get me wrong - Ivan Mauger was, without doubt, one of the greatest the world has ever seen (and coincidentally the answer to the only speedway question in the original Trivial Pursuit) but as to whether he'd be able to be that consistent over 9 rounds.... It was also nice to see TR didn't drop his game once he had won the title in August. It would have been easy to sit back and relax, but he just went for it. Well done TR. Now, let's see if Leigh can go 2 better next year!

Blimey, and there was me thinking that we speedway supporters were a nice friendly bunch. How wrong was I? What a strange thing to say - sour grapes from a GB supporter after teh SWC perhaps? Before I get letters I should say that I am a GB supporter who was absolutely gutted that we didn't get a medal in the SWC but the Poles are/were quite simply superb. And who can honestly say that they haven't urged their rider to stay down to get a re-run, or been ecstatic when dodgy refereeing decisions have gone their way. 'Nuff said on that one from me. The refereeing decisions were quite - how shall I put it - Interesting. But nothing that I wouldn't have expected from the ref (as he appeared to be the same one from Cardiff) or any other ref these days. Yes, I agree that Mr Clean was very lucky in the first run of that heat, and that Nicky P probably got the rough end of the deal in the re-run, but even my hubby and I took different sides in that decision (I was with the ref, he wasn't) so it must have been incredibly hard for him to make it - although he did seem a tad quick on the exclusion lights, to be fair. I wonder how the meeting would have gone had they not had all the rain and had to do all the extensive damage limitation to the track?