4thbender

Very sorry to hear of the passing of Freddie Starr who, in the 1970s, could often be found watching speedway from the Panorama Room at Owlerton. This invariably led to him doing an impromptu performance after the match, entertaining the crowds with his wild antics. My wife has fond memories of being co-opted into joining him in a conga line which went all the way round the Panorama Room - until it disappeared into the men's toilets! Whether he actually ate the hamster or not, his unique talents will be sadly missed.

Bears co-promoter Jitendra Duffill said after last night's match: "I honestly feel that you will not see a better speedway meeting anywhere in the country this year. The racing was absolutely phenomenal and we are so lucky to have such a special race track here on Teesside.” Why can't we have some of that (like we used to)?

Many of us spent most of last season saying precisely that.

That's the thing about Scunny - it's run on the back of Sheffield's cast-offs!

As long as the promoters don't ban you.

Sheffield's track woes were once again to the fore in today's Top Gun event. The stadium was reduced to a dust bowl for the second week in succession, the resulting slick state of the track making competing almost impossible and spectating equally difficult. I fear this is just one more unintended consequence of afternoon racing. With the sun still high in the sky, the aerosol effect causes any moisture in the track to evaporate as soon as the surface covering becomes airborn under the impact of tyres. At 4.00pm this afternoon the track looked well watered and perfect for racing, but after three heats it was bone dry with dust clouds swirling around. The benefit of evening racing is that the sun is lower in the sky and the latent heat in the ground is dispersing, allowing any remaining moisture to retain the particulate integrity of the track surface for a much longer period. On Thursday nights, only in the very hottest weeks of the year was dust a problem but I fear this will not be the case in the afternoons. I predict that unless we have a particularly damp summer (in itself a problem for racing), dust and drying out of the track will become a recurrent problem. Incidentally, can anyone shed light on the reasons for the removal of the edging stones from the inside of the track?

Before the days of "press releases" (which turned press reporters into press repeaters) we used to have these people called investigative journalists who would sniff out local stories and print the results in the local rag for all to see. Why don't some of you Worky fans get on to the sports reporter of the News and Star (might I suggest jon.colman@newsquest.co.uk) and suggest to him that, for once, rather than waiting for the news to come to him, he might consider getting his finger out and going out to discover what the hell is happening to Workington Comets.

Not an inspiring start to the season. Track was as slick as a board, hence 22 processional races. There will need to be a heap more shale put down if the season is to produce any excitement.

Wasn't Josh G lined up to be part of today's celebration? Have I missed something?

Good to see Josh Bates was top-scorer for Leicester last night.

Sheffield Speedway are urging speedway fans everywhere to back brave young Jack Lacey to give the terminally ill toddler the send-off he deserves. Jack, three, has a rare type of brain tumour called a Diffuse Pontine Glioma and has been given six months to a year to live. The aim of raising money is so Jack can enjoy day trips, holidays, meals out, his first trip to the cinema a new dog and - hopefully - his first trip to speedway. According to The Brain Tumour Charity, DIPG affects between 20 to 30 children in the UK every year and there is no effective treatment. So come on, dig deep and donate to a worthwhile non-speedway cause.To donate to Jack’s GoFundMe page visit: https://tinyurl.com/y56tt56y

With all the chat on here about food, you'd think we were discussing the Michelin guide. Who goes to speedway to buy food anyway? If you want food you go to a restaurant; speedway is about muck and bullets, not the comparative gastronomic delights of the stadium burger bar. Get a grip!

Nose bleeds? Don't worry, Owlerton has the best medical facility of any UK speedway venue (totally in keeping with the best team on the best track at the best venue in the best city in the UK). Riders are queueing up to have a crash at Sheffield just to sample the delights of the state-of-the-art medical facility. Nose bleeds? Not a problem.

Sorry, they're all wrong! It has to be Sheffield. Great knowledgeable supporters and a team which, along with Belle Vue, is the longest established in the UK. Owlerton has the best viewing facilities available to any team in the country, currently being further developed with the addition of a banqueting suite to open later this summer. The only venue where you can enjoy a silver-service carvery whilst watching the speedway. The track is the fastest in the country and Ricky Ashworth is still the fastest man in British speedway with his record of 59.1 seconds around the 361metre track, achieved on 15th October 2010 (giving him an unmatched average speed of 54.66mph over 4 laps). The real clincher for any speedway fan is that Sheffield is at the very geographical epicentre of UK speedway, being equidistant from the furthest-flung speedway outposts. Plot 'em out on a map if you don't believe me!

Ah Mothers' Day. It's a good job we'll be away on a cruise - I could just imagine what response I'd get if at 5.00pm on Mothers' Day (when 'er indoors expects to be wined and dined) I announced that I'd be off out to t'speedway! Same thing on Easter Sunday (21st April) which also happens to be her ladyship's birthday, so I'll be missing Leicester. Another holiday weekend is Mayday weekend on 5th May (Birmingham on that day). I reckon t'switch to Sunday racing might see me ending up in t'divorce court.

Good point! As a Sheffield supporter I'll be paying £16 entry fee. If I'd bought a season ticket I'd be paying £215 for 13 matches (£16.54 per match!)

Fixtures just released - another abysmal year of fixtures. The management's claim of wanting to attract more kids by racing on Sundays is rather negated by the fact that there will only be three meetings throughout the entire school holidays in July/August.

Clearly you DON'T know how councils operate. Every council has a department which seeks to attract investment through sport and tourism. If a strong enough following can be demonstrated, councils are duty-bound to support viable initiatives. Thurrock Council says it supports Thurrock's business base, local enterprise, innovation and economic growth which raises the profile of Thurrock as an innovative and progressive place to invest. Through this petition the speedway family is attempting to show that a speedway venue in the town fulfils these aims. Fans of our great sport - wherever they happen to live - can assist in this by signing the petition and expressing their support for a new venue.

There is a petition online at https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/support-the-return-of-lakeside-hammers-speedway calling on Thurrock Council to find a new home for Lakeside Hammers following the closure of Arena Essex for housing development. Since Essex is the spiritual home of British speedway (the very first speedway meeting in Britain took place at High Beech in February 1928) I hope that every contributor to this forum will sign the petition (if you haven't already done so). Having lost the facility for the Lakeside team in order to make way for redevelopment, Essex has become just one more speedway backwater. As lovers of our fantastic sport, we can't afford any more track closures. Therefore, despite the fact that you may not feel that Lakeside is "home turf," please nevertheless sign the petition in honour of Essex's speedway heritage and in recognition of its founding contribution to 90 years of British motor sport, restoring the long tradition of speedway racing in the county.

Speedway fans the world over would want to support the growth of the sport wherever it occurs. As a Sheffield fan nothing would please me more than to see new tracks opening in Essex.... or Liverpool, Bournemouth and Aberdeen for that matter. I suspect many of the signatories are of the same opinion.

Has it ever been known in past years for all teams to be declared before Christmas?

Any intelligence on where Lasse is going to rock up next season?

Here's hoping you're 50% right.

Since Essex is the spiritual home of British speedway (the very first speedway meeting in Britain took place at High Beech in February 1928) local speedway fans ought to be lobbying Essex County Council to identify an alternative venue in the county. Having driven out the Lakeside team in order to make way for "redevelopment," Essex is at risk of becoming a sporting backwater. The County Council could be encouraged to put in a bid for funding from Sport England to restore the county's speedway heritage by building a new stadium in honour of Essex's founding contribution to 90 years of British motor sport, restoring their long tradition of speedway racing in the county. Come on all you former Lakeside fans, get to work! We in the wider speedway fraternity will be delighted to give you our support.

I think raising the quality, competitiveness and entertainment level of British speedway should be the goal of every British rider if they want the sport to survive in this country. Deserting the sinking ship is the very spirit of defeatism. We should be aiming to defeat the poles, not sell out to them.