TonyE

I am deeply shocked. Sincere condolences to his loved ones.

Me too.

Very true but along the home straight said wall was too low so a wood and chicken wire addition was required.

No - I do not think the track is there - that is a very old photograph. At the time of the speedway opening, the larger, much larger (pictured in an earlier post) grandstand was in place as well as the four floodlight pylons (which are not in the above picture). What might appear to be a track is probably no more than 'chain mowing' lines. Plus, note the absence of cars in the surrounding roads.

I remember reading somewhere that, I think it was Maurice Morley in his memoirs or similar, the track was only 22 feet wide in places!

First of all, my compliments to all the riders for giving it a go. As a spectacle it was a horror show both if you were there in person or watching on TV. I understand, to a degree, why it went ahead but it must be so disappointing for Wolves fans in particular, to see a seasons' work effectively decided on a track which would have declared unfit under any other circumstances. Agree, the camera angles were really weird and show no understanding of how races should be portrayed. Parts of the track looked really dark, unusual where TV cameras normally compensate well for poor illumination. I don't recall that being an issue in other Wolves televised meetings (bend 2 was really dark last night). I suppose the one saving grace, if there is one, is that only speedway fans would have been watching and any supporter of a few years standing would not have been surprised by last night's events.

Lakeside had banking and a 'big kerb' - stock cars could still use the straights as a run off area. It can be done but obviously needs the consent of the other party.

Congratulations to Ipswich - always good to see the 'under dog' triumph. TV just emphasised how dark the track is in places as modern cameras usually make light (pun intended) of poor visibility.

Watching him at Arena when he missed the gate was a joy to behold. Enjoy your retirement AJ - you have left me with many great memories.

I don't agree - the third and fourth bends always seem much darker and, on the back straight approaching bend three, there is a bit of track quite well lit.

Speedway shoots itself in the leg again (the foot went a long time ago) - the Panthers line-up for this meeting fell far short of the standard/quality expected. On the plus side, Panthers' five man team put up a decent show and there were some decent races - Heat 9 in particular. My biggest gripe with Ipswich is the standard of track illumination which is capable of significant improvement in most areas.

Must have been a difficult one for Jon Cook (always thought he had a soft spot for Ben) - it was much the same for Ben at Lakeside, probably better in respect of home averages (6.00 excl. BPs and only 3.67 away). Not sure what it is about the bigger tracks though as he rides IoW on a regular basis!

Didn't look more than a couple of thousands.

First visit in many years to Eastie. The prospect of a decent evening weather wise was more of an influence than the opposition being under-strength. As others have said, Scorpions didn't INicol apart) really turn up until the last third of the meeting. All was well organised and the track well prepared with little to no dust evident during races. A couple of tape malfunctions plus riders anticipating the start extended things a bit but all finished well within two hours. Very impressed with Broc Nicol, looked as if he had been riding the track for years.

Given that a company was sponsoring the meeting, presumably at a rate the promotion were happy with, I don't think the promotion lost out. It was a win win situation for them as some of the newbies may have returned.