Tsunami

So who is the 'rich' these days. Much more level playing ground now with less 'rich' and a smaller influence on the rest.

But that was the agreement to the decision, and those who missed out, Middlesbrough for one, felt that they could not compete with only a second string as their no 1 ride..

There was some big players who called out the shots by not releasing top riders to the lesser teams to allow them to compete fairly. That situation has gradually changed with a more urgent need to work together, or go under. That wasn't a choice in them in the 90's.

Josh has been here and there trying to get a NL league whilst still trying to earn a living. 3 days and three meetings with the IOW being the middle fixture would suggest he is trying and not struggling. He is in the Stoke 1 -7 but seemed to be used as an alternative pick to O 'Keefe, who now seems to be a Kent rider. Josh gets rides only when he is picked, which is hardly convenient to either him of me(his TM for the Newcastle Gems NJL team).

Was Tony Richardsson not bought for a similar figure as Crumps ?

Especially if there is one big league next year, or the current numbers in the Championship are maintained and have A and B fixtures.

Still a few at Northside track.

...and Ray Harris of Stoke fame.

Bike transponders were going to be mandatory in about 2002 to allow a real meeting to be transmitted in graphic form to the Fair East to faciliate their lucrative betting industry. That was the only reason why a green helmet cover was brought in to allow punters to bet using their TV remotes. The green cover was to allow the idea to proceed with an expected new input of new big money. When it didn't happen, the green helmet cover was dropped as there was no real purpose for it then, much to the ire and amusement of the usual suspects. Perhaps the reason it was not pursued was the risk of tampering or damage/dislodging of the transponder, resulting in void races which was not acceptable to the broadcaster or betting firms involved. Perhaps the same could be said with such a clinical issue as starting which has to be right every time regardless.

Yes, it doesn't matter what era a song is from, as long as it is appropriate and generates excitement. Great old tunes like Wipeout and Blur's Song 2 are played everywhere.

I've known this accident happen many times after the ban was introduced, but the difficulty is that you had to have at least one receipt of having an oil drum taken away by the environment agency. Difficult to stop these sort of accidents.

Did very well. Great final round from the stand-in.

Yes at Newcastle. We opened Newcastle in 1997 and had a local Aluminium smelter, Alcan, on the coast at Newbiggin. We trialled 'furnace bottoms' on a path in Northumberland during the winter and it looked Ok to do the job. The new track and the fence were put in, and the track compacted like shale tracks. A difficulty was found on P % P day, when a hole appeared which caused Andre Compton to fall and he receive a spiral fracture on the leg bone. More work was carried out and during our first opening meeting, the track broke up badly and the riders were not happy, but with intervention from my 'friend' Ian Thomas he helped us to get thought the meeting with the riders agreeing to see the meeting out with a new inside line down to avoid the holes. The problem was that the furnace bottoms doesn't bind like shale. despite any amount of compaction. In fact compaction only toughened up the top surface, but it you spun the rear wheel it went through the toughened surface, and dropped into a new hole created by the spinning. During the following week this material was dug out and scattered around the car park and interior areas to get rid of it whilst the then closed Cleveland Park was opened up and all it's shale transported to Brough by lorries. This was compacted in layers, and meant we are fit enough to open up with our second meeting the following week with massive praise from all the riders at such good track. Later on in 1999, Newport had a similar problem with compaction of their 'oatmeal' looking shale, and Tim Stone had to stop riders warming their tyres on the home straight. The main issue with a material is compaction, and the materials ability to bind under pressure. Old engine oil from 'loss' engine systems, and some later on, helped this sticky problem, but that is now not allowed under the H % S environment rules. The test of any track is to squeeze a handful of shale to see it is sucks together, and hope that the pinky/red shale is dark during a meeting as a change to pink means it is now too dry and needs some water.

Used to be called Vulture Races to decide who was at number 7 in the following meeting. Was outlawed sometime after that, and went back to natural selection process. Seem to remember a similar race was run immediately after the main meeting to secure a ride in the organised second half competition.

In the early 00's KL used to pear 3 types of track. They were in the then Premier League and the track was heavy and grippy with a lot of clay in it, and it was difficult to ride on if you were a lightweight and 'a slider in' type of style. KL later on say for a Friday meeting, all the top surface was removed by Huggy and Buster, and it was piled high off track to make it easier for the CL teams to ride on. At the weekend, some weeks they held Stox meetings and a mixture of tracks was prepared for them. All with the same material, but differently prepared, watered and compacted. Possibly the newer shale isn't as adaptable as the old stuff.

Usually mixing them up I think, to give the engines a bit of cooling time.

Same night as the British Youth Championships at Belle Vue.

It's the 'rich' that keep the sport going. Surely your reply should be in the Political Section.

Well done to Carl Nicklen for getting his tweet on the Swedish Meeting tonight, and thanks a lot for getting my junior GEM Archie Freemen a mention for being chosen to attend the SGP Academy at this year's GP at the weekend. Many thanks.

That rider used to live with me.

Or not convinced it would happen. In that case why make the situation worse whilst making the debts bigger.

What happens when you dispense with the services of a Visa rider such as Rumi. Is there not a quoted term of the visa and a fixed payment for the duration of the visa regardless.

To bring you back to what was obviously being discussed. WE weren't talking about the 'last 5 years' of the SKY deal. The discussion was about the claims by 'leading riders' USA riders who decided they should up their demands with the promoters having 'new money' and some promoters acceded to their demands, and the rest followed.

Nils wasn't a leading rider in the UK when the SKY deal was signed. So how could he receive the largest share of Kings Lynn SKY monies ?

Rode on Sunday afternoon at Brough and rode well.