Tsunami

I have been at the track working most of the day. Alan's family set up the track shop after lunch and Alan arrived later. After the calloff with a heavy downpour, I lelt the track and Alan was in the office with George discussing future fixtures which is going to be a problem. I would have said, knowing both George and Alan very well, that everything was usual and normal in their demeanour and comments. We just took delivery of a brand new power washer for fence cleaning and banners, so that would be a bit strange if the rumour was true. The original person to post it was a Scottish lass but removed it after a short period. It was also stated that Redcar were going to be awarded 4 points for a win, as Newcastle without Alan were not going to restate the meeting. Utter bollocks. Methinks there is a Scottish troll inventing a situation which replicated what happened to the result of the meeting between Redcar and Glasgow and was awarded.These sort of people are trouble making and can seriously damage a club financially.

Opening meeting in 1999 was against my Newcastle Diamonds with a crowd of 4400. Even when it averaged out with just the Worky fans, in the days of Stoney and Karlsson, gates average about 2200 and they came in their droves to away meetings. We all made money on their away meetings and they created a great atmosphere. Same with Newport two years earlier.

and Sheffield.

You are just about 2 or 3 decades out with that comment.

As did Rachel Helliwell, and a certain Kate McAuley( Mason) who rode at Hackney and Weymouth at the same time as Mark Loram. Kate only stopped riding about 4to5 years ago.

I agree it can happen, but not on a wide scale. Most riders are still needing money for food, family and bikes and just like racing. All sports have that few who won't give their all leading up to a big final, or end of season looking forward to their holidays.

Could be worse if he was going to Worky of course. They couldn't even beat us at home last week.

No it's not. If there were no playoffs, the other teams would still be riding for nothing, so instead of lose/lose it would be same /same. Teams in say 5th 6th and 7th in the no playoffs senario are just riding the season out, but with playoffs they still have a chance to get into the playoffs and bumper meetings. In a no playoffs situation what happens when teams like Reading and Peterborough did in 1997 and 1998 and were runaway winners all season. For most of the others their seasons were over in July, but with playoffs there would have still been 3 places to go for.

The stats say otherwise. Teams in the playoffs usually get good gates, sometimes their biggest gates in that year, just because it is a shootout completion. The meetings allow the teams involved to bring more money in to help them keep afloat. There are many varied sports that go for the playoffs as a good season ender. The other teams not in them, just finish their meetings as usual so no change there, but the playoffs give the season a pinnacle to end the season on with more money in and a televised event for the TV company. Sticking with the old doesn't bring in one penny extra. That's business, and works for a lot of other sports. Despite the efforts/opinions of some, it has to be run as a business to try and keep tracks open.

But with no playoffs, the season would have petered out for every team. They would all have last meetings, but no climax.

I was wondering what namens are. New species to add to men and women ?

Interesting. Ivan said he had a book with details of all international refs, and knew their techniques in terms of holding the tapes. In the 1973 race off it counted for nothing as the ref was very early with the tapes and Ivan was left and fell trying to catch up. It is possible that the ref did it deliberately just to catch Ivan out. I think Ivan's answer is very diplomatic, and he would not want to sour Szczakiel success as it wasn't his fault that Ivan lost.

Except in the race off in 1973 in Poland.

Both are correct. Hitchen was in second place and his engine seized, causing McKenna to rear end him. Hitchen was excluded as being the primary cause.

Didn't Oxford under Waggy go bust, and new promoters in the shape of the Purchases take over as a new company.

I remember him being the referee in the PL Pairs meeting at Newport in mid 00's which was rain affected. The rider were humming and harring about riding with some like Stoney very active. Frank assembled them in the middle of the pits and gave them 'instructions'. Stoney ripped off his race bib and threw it on the ground saying 'I'm not riding'. A few quiet words from Frank and the meeting started with Stoney in about 10 minutes later.

He was the 'fastest referee in the West', that is with the 2 minute button.

NORTHSIDE Stars 19 NEWCASTLE Gems 16 Northside Stars James Hitchen 2, 1+1, X. = 2+1 Luke McKenna 1+1, 2, 2 = 5+1 Corban Pavitt. 2, 2+1, 2 = 6+1 Gregor Millar. 1+1, 3, 1+1 = 5+2 Newcastle Gems Josh Embleton 3, 3, 3 = 9 Dean Douglas. X (withdrawn) Archie Freeman 3, 1, 3 = 7 Danny Smith 0, 0, 0 = 0 Heat 1 Embleton, Hitchen, McKenna, Douglas X 3-3 Heat 2 Freeman, Pavitt, Millar, Smith 3-3 6-6 Heat 3 Embleton, McKenna, Hitchen 3-3 9-9 Heat 4 Millar, Pavitt, Freeman, Smith 5-1 14-10 Heat 5 Embleton, McKenna, Hitchen X 2-3 16-13 Heat 6 Freeman, Pavitt, Millar, Smith 3-3 19-16 A close encounter with very even teams Douglas in heat 1 flipped at the gate and was withdrawn from the meeting due to bike damage. Heat 4 started unexpectedly !!!!! Heat 5 Hitchen on a smoking seizing engine stopped dead, causing McKenna to run into him

I think you are probably right SL.

What a sad statement and it says more about you than it does about Newcastle.

THE TRUTH. You stopped going when your association with the Speedway Mail ceased, and you have previously stated on here you stopped going because you were expected to pay to get in. To follow that up you have more recently said that you wouldn't go back even if they gave you a season ticket for life. You watch Speedway on the TV that is all.

I think Mark Blackwell did as well late 90/early 00's, and eventually went to live there.

Quite agree. You have the same old repeating the same stuff thread after thread, and when one thread dies down another one starts and they all move to the new one. Yes, there are problems, but all sports have certain problems, but their fans don't go on and on and .......... Different people want different things so a consensus on issues cannot really be established. Raise the leagues points, or lower them. Keep laydowns, bring back the uprights. Race suits or back to black. 13, 14. 15 16 or 18 heats per meeting. Bring back second halfs. Usual race night or a previous one. Guests, no guests. Bring on the youths or weak foreigners. If YOU were a promoter would you try to implement some of the things suggested, and like Labour's manifesto, clean out the treasury like in 2010. No matter what you think on issues, you have to accept you are wrong in the eye of the critics.Yes promoters get things wrong, and it frustrates me as well, but sometimes the problem and their solutions are internally not acceptable , whether that is right or wrong or not for publication.

We are planning a working party for Sunday 10th September at Brough to carry out some work on the air fence and also washing the fence. We will be digging out some shale from the base of the 2nd and 4th bends, and pressure washing the fence. Everything is in place, but we need a good sized group to carry out the work. if you can help please get in touch with me by the BSF, FB or my mobile to let me know if you can make it. We intend to start at 10.00am, and finish sometime after lunch. The usual biccies and hot drinks will be provided, and you should need old or dirty clothing. The more the merrier, and the easy and quicker the jobs can get done. It is important that this work does take place as erecting the fence is starting to be a bit difficult. PLEASE TRY AND HELP US OUT Remember the Great North Run is on this Sunday, so you might need to change the route you usually come to the track. Dave Rowland

Bellend lives up to his name once again.