
Northern Exile
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Wolves V Rye House - 24th April 17
Northern Exile replied to Beowulf's topic in SGB Premiership Speedway League
We enjoyed our visit to Monmore Green last night though that North wind blowing onto the terrace was a real 'kniver'. Little wonder that so many fans took shelter in the bar and restaurant though we stayed outside to the bitter end. Really enjoyed the meeting and whilst the result was not the best for us Rye supporters, we thoroughly enjoyed the racing and the company of the friendly Wolves fans around us. It was a good meeting and Robbo's performance reminded us of of the massively entertaining evenings that he gave to the Rye faithful in days gone by. Another major positive in our books was the way that young Ellis Perks is shaping up. He has confounded many doubters with the number of points scored at home and after a disappointing heat two last night, came out subsequently and looked really good. The track at Wolves was in good nick and clearly well cared for. It certainly helps riders to deliver the goods i.e. entertainment, which is what the crowds want to see. Further, a very positive word of thanks to the referee and the promotion to for running the meeting in a proper and well-managed manner. The first race did not even begin until 7.40pm and post-heat 15, we were outside on the Bilston Road by 9.10pm. The 15 minute walk to the station warmed us up no end (by God we needed it) and we managed to get to New Street in time for the 10.10pm train back to Euston. If the meeting had dragged, we would have missed that train and been compelled to take the 11.10pm which was then subject to a delay of 90 minutes..... -
Cardiff 2017
Northern Exile replied to james1234's topic in Speedway Grand Prix and Speedway World Cup
Tickets booked. Suspect that the reason that some tickets get booked ahead so quickly is that some people's connections are quicker than others, mass e-mailings (such as the pre-sale notification) go out quickly (very quickly) but not all at exactly the same time thus some receive them ahead of others. Booked hotel too. Whilst not cheap, it never is, the BSI rooms offer (link on ticket confirmation) has plenty of rooms at prices which are acceptable (in the circumstances). Booked the same hotel as this year at prices which are slightly lower for 2017. That's a result, of sorts. -
Rockets V Somerset Sun 31st July 4pm Double Header
Northern Exile replied to waco's topic in SGB Championship League Speedway
With so many blank weekends, it is most annoying that we have to face a double header at the end of July. I left after the first match, thoroughly exasperated at the time it took to run the Rockets meeting and will not attend any afternoon double headers in the future unless changes take place. There were, of course, racing incidents that caused some of the delays. Of course I accept that. However, riders did not come out for the first heat until around 4.15pm following an inexplicable 'parade hold-up'. The previous evening at Belle Vue/NSS, 20 heats were run in less time with regular grading and 'time-outs' for television ad breaks.The authorities, through referees and clubs, need to get a grip on this sport quickly and run meetings properly and efficiently otherwise the tedium between heats will drive more fans away. Staying away can be easier than attending sometimes and those in charge would do well to make a note of that. Speedway can be a spectacle that has everything that both fanatical and casual spectators could want, the reactions of first timers at the NSS on Saturday proved that to me. However, Speedway is screaming out for somebody to take it by the scruff of the neck and haul it into the present day in terms of its rules, its administration and most importantly, its presentation, paying due deference, within reason, to the paying public. -
Cardiff 2017
Northern Exile replied to james1234's topic in Speedway Grand Prix and Speedway World Cup
I do feel that BSI should make some sort of statement to the effect that the date will be announced in due course/within a certain period/negotiations are still ongoing simply on the basis that the marketplace is accustomed to the next British GP date being announced within 48 hours of the previous one being completed. It will also stop me looking at the SGP website every couple of hours! -
Very much enjoyed the visit to Lakeside last evening and we made a late decision to attend from NW London as a direct result of the offer.Very good offer indeed and I hope that the promotion was reasonably satisfied with the attendance and programme sales. Been a while since we were there and we had forgotten that Arena always seems to attract a cooling breeze as darkness falls. That said, the racing and excitement certainly warmed us up and thanks to both teams for putting on a damn good show. Does anybody know why the catering outlet on the back straight was not open? Most irritating and inconvenient for it to be closed when surely a decent crowd was expected.
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Belle Vue National Stadium
Northern Exile replied to PHILIPRISING's topic in Speedway News and Discussions
Almost wet myself when I read this. Bloody hilarious. -
Rye House V Somerset 7th June
Northern Exile replied to Dave Stummings's topic in SGB Championship League Speedway
Rye House Rockets website and Rockets Twitter feed both stating from early afternoon that the meeting this evening is ON with an update promised if that changes so still ON. -
Rockets V Sheffield Pl 17/5/14 7.00pm
Northern Exile replied to Ben91's topic in SGB Championship League Speedway
Guess you also know what it is like to lose at Wembley having lost the FA Trophy Final in 2010. -
I like Kasper a lot, always gives lots of effort and can be very entertaining. However, his gating is shocking and he needs to focus on his technique very powerfully, possibly with the help of a mentor/sports psychologist. If he doesn't improve his technique and statistics at the tapes, the sport, I suspect, will leave him behind. Pontus was a breath of fresh air when he arrived mid-season and though he has not torn up any trees has been reasonably steady. That said, will the promotion want to be paying the air fares for three Scandinavian riders (assuming AM is retained) if there are other, more local and therefore potentially less costly options available? I guess until we all know the proposed 2014 structure of British Speedway only those genuinely ITK can speculate with any sense of reasonable odds on something actually happening or not.
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Whatever the rights and gripes about ticket prices here there and everywhere, the KL event has to be decent value for money if you choose to stand (as the vast majority do) and buy in advance. Received our tickets in the post yesterday, 2x adults and 2 x 15 years old or under, packaged up into a family ticket for £35. This has be booked before the end of the June. We have always attended the KL event and really enjoyed it. Good crowd, well prepared track and some exciting racing.
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Cardiff Date For 2013
Northern Exile replied to lynnboy's topic in Speedway Grand Prix and Speedway World Cup
The link is an incorrect link and I believe the correct link will be sorted and hopfully emailed to all ticket holders soon. -
Kings Lynn World Cup 9 July
Northern Exile replied to steve19620's topic in Speedway Grand Prix and Speedway World Cup
Brilliant meeting last night, tremendous value for money and a great follow up to Saturday's entertainment. It's been a long time since we cheered a German sportsman and credit to them for putting in a fine effort. Damn good crowd considering the location of King's Lynn, the doubts in people's minds caused by the horrendous weather we have seen of late, the lack of Poles etc etc. Well done to the KL promotion for a superb effort and a particular mention must go to the track staff. Cracking surface resulted in equally cracking racing. No doubts last night about why we love speedway, that is for sure. Couple of minor items to consider for next year, if the event remains at Lynn and not all necessarily the responsibility of the Stars hierarchy: The fancy layout of the programme race card looked impressive from a design perspective but was damned confusing and had no contingency for substitute riders nor any space for race times. Please do not repeat this error. It was not always visually clear to the crowd (at least on bend 4) when Jokers were being played and similarly tannoy communication with the crowd was sometimes suspect. This could have been down to a lack of information reaching the announcer in a timely fashion. Am sure the catering turns a tidy profit for the stadium though when there is such a big crowd, the home straight Cafe (at least for people who do not want burgers) is awkward and slow and therefore frustrating especially during track grading/television intervals. Perhaps an additional catering outlet (temporary) would help. Above points are not meant to detract from what was a superb night of speedway and the bonus of turning right out of the main NA car park and totally avoiding the traffic queues at the end meant we were back in North London well before midnight. -
Swc Event 2, Peterborough 13.7.
Northern Exile replied to tomazpozrl's topic in Speedway Grand Prix and Speedway World Cup
http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/forecast/363?area=Peterborough Looks like it will clear up by 7pm. Perhaps somebody should have a work with Uncle Len, his weather infomation is, by all accounts, second to none. Come on GB!!! -
Swedish Gp 2009
Northern Exile replied to Ghostwalker's topic in Speedway Grand Prix and Speedway World Cup
Couple of things worth 'putting pen to paper' about. We attended the Swedish GP and really enjoyed it. Going away for the weekend to watch a sporting event is generally a pretty good experience overall. Gothenburg itself is a really great place to visit with superb public transport, friendly people, good grub, fine restaurants and even a proper theme park within the city boundaries (a massive benefit if you take children and an excellent wooden roller-coaster to boot). Whatever the rights and wrongs about the track, this GP was the best so far this year (okay, some may question the use of that yardstick!), with drama, passing and plenty of incident on and off track to keep those present in the stadium well away from the land of Nod. It was absolutely scorching, even well into the meeting and maybe the heat got to some of the Danish supporters in our section who entertainingly, in some cases, ranted, raved and unceremoniously stormed out of the stadium once Nicki Pederesen was excluded. Love him or hate him, as been suggested elsewhere, NP is a skilled rider whose character brings plenty of colour and drama into proceedings. Also wanted to mention IMG. A lot has been aired on here about the fiasco in Germany last October. We also travelled and were very disappointed, to say the least, at the cancellation. However, like many, we made the best of the weekend and awaited our promised ticket refund. It came very quickly. In addition, the communications concerning the 'free GP tickets' offer were dealt with efficiently and properly at the time and we chose to use the offer at the Ullevi meeting. Nobody was more surprised than me when we picked up our gratis tickets at the stadium at the arranged time and at the arranged place (that in itself was a pleasant surprise having had to go through similar procedures for football tickets whilst abroad watching England) and we received top tickets for top seats. I had fully expected to receive 'cheap seats' and was actually ready to upgrade them. However, full credit to the company. We had a superb view of the action overlooking the start/finish line and really enjoyed ourselves. It is possible to argue the toss about the Germany lark until the cows come home. As far as we are concerned, IMG did what it promised to do in the light of events (or non-events) in Germany and also went the extra mile with the seats it gave us. Well done to them and now roll on Cardiff. -
Last year, we flew BA (Heathrow) to Dusseldorf and caught a direct train from the airport to Gelsenkirschen. The trains run quite regularly on both Saturday and Sunday. Trams from the town centre take you straight to the stadium (home of Schalke 04 Football Club). We booked our 'kip' well in advance as there are not many hotels in the town itself (Essen and Dusseldorf offer much more and there are trains back after the meeting). Also, on Saturday afternoons, apart from some alehouses, cafes and restaurants, the town more or less shuts down but that can be advantageous. Must have been okay, we are going again. Just hope that the track is better than last time round, it was a shocker.