martinmauger

" And finally, on my self indulgent "down memory lane", I went to a long track meeting at Mariánské Lázně in the Czech Republic. From memory I think there were three full sized football pitches on the infield!" Was that the meeting showed on TV where the ZZ Top 'Eliminator' car was there and another car was dropped from a great height from a Skyhook military helicopter? Now THAT's what you call an interval attraction ....

Of course we are all forgetting THE BEST track around a football / rugby pitch; Belle Vue, Hyde Road I believe originally surrounded a rugby pitch. The new NSS at Belle Vue also has playing areas inside the white line and ain't too shabby either, to say the very least....

I'd say Halifax was prob the best-shaped track around a footie pitch, though I never saw Coatbridge which was apparently similar in shape / size, I saw some good racing at Bradford too. They have done a brilliant job at Glasgow Ashfield, not only stadium improvmenets but also making the most of available space whilst keeping a footie pitch on 'the centre green'.......

[Sorry, Text Editors Issues] Tracks around football / rugby pitches always tend to be a tad narrow & a bit square due to stadium design. At the Boulevard (415 yds / 379m), the track was a bit square around the line and the straights were a bit (a bit?) skinny but the bends were pretty wide. With Ivan's arrival the track was widened winter of 1977; the fence was taken out on the bends and back straight and the fence along the straights extended to allow better more entry and exit room on all 4 turns. Though the back straight gradually narrowed once more season on season as more and ever lighter in colour grass strips were laid on the inside. As is traditional due to lack of room the 'end zone' (?) corners were lifted then replaced for each speedway meeting. The surface tended to be a bit rough too for home advantage, all that said we see some good racing there. Speedway only ended after rugby club Hull FC's fortunes improved and was evicted end of 1981 but theroetically could have continued til 2008 until the stadium demolished to make way for an academy. In 1995 Hull KR's Craven Park , the track (378 yds / 346m - almost identical to Wembley) was sandwiched between the rugby pitch and dog track but only approx 6ft was taken off the touchlines and goalline (?) at each end of the rugby pitch, I know this to be true as I bunked off college to watch it happen. The end zone corners were also lifted then replaced for each speedway meeting and the track was bit wider on the straights (I paced them out !) at 8.5m / 28ft and about 14m / 46ft on the bends and was a better overall shape but also 'tight & technical' as Nige & Kelv would say, so the surface needed to be a bit slick. The surface and therefore the racing improved as time went on but annoyingly, it was not permitted to build much banking on the bends as apparently "it would have interferred with viewing the dog track", I went to greyhounds a few times and it wouldn't have. To be honest, as with the Boulevard and most tracks really, CP provided some great racing and also some average heats, it happens everywhere. Speedway ended once more end of 2005 as with greyhounds already gone, ironically to the Boulevard, the rugby pitch was enlarged and tentative plans were in place to lengthen the speedway track, similar to Workington's with each bend like Workys' turns 1 & 2. But again, like Workintgon, after winning the treble in 2004, the speedway faced big money problems and sadly was forced to close once more. Both rugby clubs appeared to have short memories, forgetting when they were more than grateful for the extra income. It was physically j-u-s-t possible to still fit in a speedway track so the sport could have continued until 2010 or so but the erection of new stand on turns 3 & 4 mean it is no longer possible. ASFAIK no footage exists of Hull White City (1930's) or Hull, Hedon (Hull Angels 1948/9) but posters and fellow track anoraks, can see the later 2 Hull circuits for themselves, won't bother with links as they often don't work but type into Youtube: Hull Speedway, Hull Speedway Yorkshire Television Trophy, Hull Speedway at Craven Park or Hull Vikings v Belle Vue Aces 1999 to see for yourself....

To clarify: Ian Thomas comfirmed in his excellent book Wheels And Deals that he cut foot off the end of his tape measure at track inspection time in 1971. John Berry used his own tape measure to confirm the width of Hull's track in 1977, confirmed in his equally excellent book Confessions Of A Speedway Promoter. Berry was the only promoter to call Thomas out on Hull's track width issues. And despite Neil McFarlane's 'up the sleeve tape measure illusion', Paisley were still forced to widen their circuit, there are pics of this unexpected pre-meeting track work in Speedway Express. Fun times. Yeah the sport needs more Ian Thomas, John Berry & Neil Mcfarlane type of promoters, proof: 40-odd years later we are still discussing sadly long closed circuits being a foot or under the required width. So, Glasgow 2019 onwards then - a club defo promoting themselves....

That, plus losing Kelly Moran to injury. Ivan was in sublime form, got the team really going and the league was ours to lose that year and we actually beat ourselves.. Sigh ...

I think Ian Thomas' own tape measure was used at the initial SCB track inspection at Hull, Boulevard in 1971 by Bill KIichen. The area of interest would have been the back straight which did appear a tad narrow by about a foot, apparently. When John Berry & his 'tape measure crew' went to work at Hull (v Ipswich) in 1977, which also included investigating the height of the tapes & safety fence, he may well have been helpfully provided with Thomas' own trusty tape measure. Further, it could be argued that Thomas' objections in regard to the Paisley circuit (v Newcastle) and alledged width issues were possibly a bit rich, all things considered, though somehow he managed to have the home promotion forced into immediately widening the track. During the actual meeting . No doubt St Mirren FC queried this unexpected narrowing of their pitch afterwards. Still, it was all good fun I'm sure ....

Allen Millyard is a very clever man, as is Sam Lovegrove. Without blowing my own family's trumpet (too much), my father had already built his own outboard motor using a Mobylette moped engine attached to a home-made shaft and gearbox. He then built a 100cc twin cylinder Mobylette engine (joined 2 50cc moped engines) for a more powerful outboard. I mostly lack such skills, my only claim to such mechanical engineering fame was converting a 125cc Yamaha (DT-E 125) from extremely troublesome 12v battery coil igntion to a more reliable 6v flywheel magneto set up using parts from a 100cc Yamaha (DT100) with totally different stroke, so the strator plate had to be altered and new slot cut in the flywheel to achieve the correct ognition timing. Total & utter faff but needs musted at the time. I also once rebuilt a motorcycle engine then a car gearbox in my bedroom, but that's another story....

I try to follow the Motorbike Show but often forget when it's on so not seen all the episodes. [putting on serious speedway anorak] I once recall someone in the Rovers mentioning that someone "used to ride speedway at Belle Vue and he was very good", I'm bored at work and speedway is off tonite (sigh). I saw a spectator during the IOM TT coverage wearing a Belle Vue Aces hoody, though it could easily have been an Ace Cafe garment....

As were we 3. Still, better that getting there then called off or only going a few heats....

Posters who've seen The Motorbike Show on ITV4 will know it mostly covers road going bikes but speedway had kinda 1 1/2 mentions last nite (Thursday 6th June). Presenter Henry Cole visited The Ace Cafe in London and the owner said "after the speedway had finshed at Wembley on Thursday nites, motorcyclists would pop in for a cup of tea then blast up and down the road on their bikes". He must have been referring to league speedway, but surprising that so many bikers apparently went to Wembley, so few road bikes are seen at the tracks. Henry also visited Lewis Leathers in London and as the camera panned across rack of old vintage leather jackets, one could be seen with Hackney Hawks painted on the back, not with the familiar logo but must have been the speedway team. The Motorbike Show is repeated, at least in the East Yorkshire area, ITV4 next Wednesday 12th June 12:00 midnite..

Says prices start at £22 for Top Fuel Funny Cars (cars with bodies, look a bit like regular cars but bigger) for adults, up to 3 children under 16 go free with each paying adult. Varying race events, seem to be every 2 weeks....

And back to the start, yesterday (Monday) I picked up a Santa Pod 2019 events leaflet....

Not trying to make the thread all about Hull / Ivan (honest), but you couldn't 'bounce' off an air fence or give it a clout, like at Exeter or Halifax, as it would prob pull you in. But Emil (& TRick at Cardiff) had his wheels tight along the bottom so it worked. But it really is 'small potatoes' . [pauses for effect] At Hull in 2004 Emiliano Sanchez at least once rode 2ft UP the fence . He went into turn 1 way too hot, realised he was unable to make it round turn 2 and made a 'split second speedway riders' decision' and rode up the fence 'wall of death style' and even maintained his position in the race. Like 'did he really just do that ?!' Obviously 'Poty' Sanchez probably didn't intend his move but Ivan, TRick & Emil certainly did....

Ok right, thanx for replies....

While my interest in speedway remains I don't study the minutiae (yes, had to look up the spelling) as much but why does it appear Jedd List is stuck on a 4pt CMA seemingly no matter what. Surely if he gets to ride a few matches, 3H & 3A or whatever, he will attain 'true' average. Apologies for calling anyone 'Shirley', hey it's a bank holiday....

I was being kind. A lot of people in the UK don't know what speedway is either; "speedway ? what's that" still gets asked, that and "speedway, is it still going?", like why shouldn't it still be in existance. But yeah, most Amercians presume 'a speedway' i.e. one of the bigger tarmac ovals, but speedway as we know it (Jim) is very much a small potatoes sport 'the states and sadly not hugely bigger over here anymore....

Ivan was known to deliberately give the Exeter steel fence a clout exiting the bends, sometimes bending his silencer, or when going into them for added speed. Vaclav Verner did the same at Hull, a loud 'thud' denoting his successful exit from the bend, accompanied by a cloud of shale thrown into the air....

^^ This, though they are vaguely aware of the sport of speedway but with very few tracks & riders it just ain't that big in 'the states' , a bit like baseball in this country I guess. Though some motorsports like Nascar, drag racing & especially drifting (high-speed powersliding) rule over there....

Could have I suppose, strange my friends & relatives in 'the states' have never mentioned the brand, perhaps I've finally 'turned them right off speedway, the sport' . Mind, in Hull we have Speedway Couriers with no actual speedway connection as far as I know.....

I just read there are Speedway Gas Stations in the USA, had to check if it was true. It is so had to post, obviously (hope links work) .... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speedway_LLC https://www.google.com/search?q=speedway+gas+stations&tbm=isch&source=univ&client=firefox-b-d&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjDofKE6LbiAhUVShUIHay-DzUQsAR6BAgHEAE&biw=1024&bih=604 https://www.marathonpetroleum.com/Operations/Retail-Gas-Stations/

This is true....

A thrilling race for sure and without taking anything away Joe Screen often rode a smilar line around Craven Park, Hull in 1999....

So sad, almost identical to what happened at Hull after winning the treble in 2004, least we had most of the next season, though with 2 matches outstanding ....

Never seen drag racing and it doesn't really appeal as its' almost literally 'blink and you missed the race', that said I'm told the noise of the big engines, acceleration and atmosphere are incredible. Seen road racing though, exciting but as we are aware one cannot see all of the track, a couple of corners and straight if you are lucky, confusing regs for the different classes. Literally "oh, no.2 is in front of no.3 now wonder how that happened but no.4 hasn't turned up on this lap, wonder what happened to them, etc". A mate has been to Silverstone; brilliant day out and craic with motorsport enthusiasts, but he watched from Stowe corner, 1/4 mile away from the actual circuit and so didn't see much racing. Speedway has the advantage of being able to see all of the track all of the time, mostly straight forward rules (mostly) and any less-than-thrilling race will soon be over to be followed by a new one. The sport 'just' needs acually promoting. 'Promoters' run their tracks ok, but how many actually 'promote'; seemingly only when their track is on TV....