old bob at herne bay

The situation with Kings Lynn not able to field a team seems to occur every year. Seem to have dreadfully bad luck (??) with their riding staff for the past two seasons. I am surprised (well only a little) that a rule hasn't been introduced whereby if a team are unable to field a team and call off the meeting they should automatically forfeit the league points in that fixture. If the meeting is subsequently run then no league points will be at stake, but riders would still be paid and the spectators would still see the meeting. The p. offs could then still be run as scheduled. If it's a cup match then they automatically give the opposing team a bye into the next round, but should have to restage the meeting, without progression to the next round at stake.

On a thread I started entitled NORA speedway teams, it was suggested in one reply that NORA racing was "only glorified amateur racing". Obviously not the sort of stuff that goes by the name of "professional league speedway" in the "Championship" then ?

Looking at recent Bell Vue results the English boy Bewdley seems to have tailed off in performance in the English leagues since he started his career in the GP. He was nigh on unbeatable at BV a few seasons back. Now quie mediocre compared to Austalian Brad Kurtz who is the top dog for BV.

Seems Kent Kings prefer Facebook .... from their meeting on Sunday ..... Official Kent Kings Speedway Spronteosd518c90256hfct92mu3h5iaf81g556lh61m0gi3la51mu286mla · Meeting report: Kent 26, Wimbledon 24, Hackney 18, White City 14 'The London Tournament' Sunday 4th. August It was Carnival time at the Old Gun Site on Sunday (4/8) where a crowd topping the 560 mark saw yet another last heat decider in this inaugural NORA season for the Kent Kings – this one going the way of the hosts, winning The London Tournament by two points from Wimbledon. It was the Dons who were the most supported from the many London-based fans who ventured into Swale for this one – bolstered by the Routemaster bus which brought a group of intrepid travellers from the site of the south-east’s most famous ever Speedway venue, in London SW17, to its (currently) sole remaining track, in Iwade. And has there ever been a more remarkable sight in the now getting close to 100 years of Speedway in the UK than when coming out in red, it was no. 98: the London double decker, which did some celebratory laps after the close of racing?! The racing itself had been fiercely competitive with two stand out riders. The Kings’ number one, Ben Morley was again in imperious form – continuing his long unbeaten winning streak on his home circuit, with a flawless maximum, followed by taking victory in the Vic Harding Memorial Trophy top scorers final. And in the Heritage class (for riders mounted on the classic Uprights which were the machines in use when these London tracks were in their pomp) Graham Knowler reprised his previous life as a Wimbledon rider back in the 1970s by also max-ing out for the Dons. The four bonus points contributed by Knowler’s efforts put the Dons in pole position going into the final three heats with a four point lead over the hosts - but a fall by Henning Loof and two vital points to Sam Woods turned the tables in favour of the Kings. Over then to skipper Rhys Naylor and then Morley to bring home the much-acclaimed victory. Naylor’s heat 15 win was richly deserved reward for the captain’s travails, as he had been involved in epic races with Dayle Wood (in Hackney colours this time) and Parick Hamilton (for the Dons) in his previous two rides – both narrowly going the way of the Aussies. The other London outfit, White City had started well and were still holding their own at the halfway point, with Luke Harris, Jamie Etherington and skipper (himself for a spell a Rebels rider back in the mid-‘70s) Robert Hollingworth scoring consistently – but the loss of Hollingworth to a damaged bike after a heavy prang in heat 11 and then the teenaged Etherington to illness meant the West Londoners faded away somewhat. Jack Kingston impressed for Hackney alongside the ever combative Wood and there was a very welcome win contributed by that great trier, Nathan Hargrave; and for the Dons, Jacob Clouting again looked mightily impressive around a circuit he must clearly count as one his favourites. At the end, Kings’ supremo Steve Ribbons disembarking from his bus ride around the track, was able to announce big news for Kent’s season closing meeting next month, “We will be staging on September the 1st. possibly the biggest meeting ever put on at Iwade: a NORA representative match England versus Australia - over 18 Heats with six man teams. “There will be national anthems to be played and sung , representative caps to be awarded, a special souvenir programme printed. The meeting we hope will be televised by KMTV to be shown on the whole of their sports programme - with also, special guests in the form of England World Cup winner Dave Jessup and hopefully others.” Kent Kings 26 Ben Morley 3 3 3 3 12 [M] Rhys Naylor 2 2 2 3 9 Sam Woods 1 0 0 2 3 Daniel Owen [H] 1 {4}* Hackney Hawks 18 Dayle Wood 0 3 3 1 7 Jack Kingston 3 2 1 1 7 Nathan Hargrave 0 0 0 3 3 Keith Hill [H] 1 {2}* White City Rebels 14 Luke Harris 1 1 1 1 2 6 Jamie Etherington 1 1 1 3 Rob Hollingworth 1 0 FX 2 Dave Johnson 3 {6}* Wimbledon Dons 24 Jacob Clouting 2 3 2 2 9 Patrick Harrison 0 2 3 0 5 Henning Loof 3 1 2 FX 6 Graham Knowler 4 {12 [M]}* Heat details 1 Loof, Hollingworth, Woods, Hargrave 61.3 [K:1; H:0; WC:2; W:3] 2 Kingston, Naylor, Etherington, Hamilton 60.6 [K:3; H:3; WC:3; W: 3] 3 Morley, Clouting, Harris, Wood 59.9 [K:6; H:3; WC:4; W:5] 5 Clouting, Kingston, Etherington, Woods 61.3 [K:6; H:5; WC:5; W:8] 6 Wood, Naylor, Loof, Hollingworth 61.9 [K:8; H:8; WC:5; W:9] 7 Morley, Hamilton, Harris, Hargrave 60.8 [K:11; H:8; WC:6; W:11] 9 Wood, Loof, Etherington, Woods (fell rem.) 63.4 [K:11; H:11; WC:7; W:13] 10 Hamilton, Naylor, Harris, Hargrave 61.6 [K:13; H:11; WC:8; W:16] 11 (stpd, awarded) Morley, Clouting, Kingston, Hollingworth (fell exc.) no time [K:16; H:12; WC:8; W:18] Bonus points from Heritage races – see below for heat details Knowler 4; Johnson 3; Owen 2; Hill 1 [K:18; H:13; WC:11; W:22] 14 (stpd, awarded) Hargrave, Wood, Harris, Loof (fell exc.) no time [K:20; H:16; WC:12; W:22] 15 Naylor, Harris, Kingston, Hamilton 61.5 [K:23; H:17; WC:14; W:22] 16 Morley, Clouting, Wood, Harris (NS) 62.4 [K:26; H:18; WC:14; W:24] * Heritage Racing heats: 4 Knowler, Owen, Johnson, Hill 69.9 8 Knowler. Johnson, Hill, Owen (exc. lpd) 73.2 12 Knowler, Johnson, Hill, Owen (fell) 69.6 13 Knowler, Owen, Johnson, Hill 72.3 Vic Harding Memorial Trophy 1st. Morley; 2nd. Wood; 3rd. Clouting; 4th. Harris 62.4

Scunthorpe again ? wasnt this last week as well ?

1 valve, don't want the SCB "sanctioning meetings" just letting other businesses under the NORA framework run meetings under their own rules and regulations. Surely the SCB don't "own" the tracks ? Most are rented by the owners to run SCB approved meetings. Why cannot the owners of the tracks rent out their stadia to whosoever they like? The rent them out to dog racing, stock car racing, why not NORA racing. How many more tracks will be lost to the sport if the SCB continue on this self centred approach. Arguments about insurance are just a smokescreen to deflect the issue. No sorry 1 valve the "ban" is IMO wholly non enforceable and restraint of trade by the SCB who are running scared that some competition will upset their cosy little kwango. Being old enough to remember the days of the beginnings of the "provincial league" I have seen this selfish behaviour previosulsy , with the National League "black listing" riders who rode in the Provincial League.

I see little or no information on here regarding the speedway staged at IoW or Kent , or any other NORA speedway?

This "tractor racing " nonsense actually made me pack up attending speedway meetings. Standing on the grassy bank on the back straight at Lakeside watching the tractor and the water cart do endless bloody laps every 4 heats drove me away. You get fed up counting the planes into London City airport after heat 4 coz it starts to get dark. Listening to the inane converation asking riders " hows the track tonight" or "bet you were glad to win your first race" drivel did NOT help. How the modern supporters stand it .. well it seems they have been driven to drink. :-)

Doesn't need Neil Vatcher's help to continue British Speedway's demise ... it's doing that already season by season. Not sure Neil is capable of doing that much tbh ...he was a pretty ineffectual TM at Lakeside (aka Arena Essex) for a while and now seems to have been promoted to be a messenger boy for the SCB. They have extinguished all "SCB" speedway in the South East of England, assisting the closure of Kent and the well publiiised saga of Isle of Wight. Their insistence that "SCB" tracks cannot run separate Amateur "NORA" meetings really is not helping the sports survival in the UK. Seems purely a decision based on self interest of the SCB running scared that the "NORA" meetings may attract bigger crowds that the usual dross of 15 heats FTG with a selection of gusts and R/R in every team.

Thanks Steve, looking at the Blitzortung website - looks pretty lively all across the region !

i am seeing thunderstorm activity in the Oxford aea currently - any locals on here for weather reports ?

Apart from a few GP sooperstars aren't the majority of the riders the same in the PL as the CL :-) doubling up or doubling down whatever its called this season?

OMG ... everyone knows its Eastbourne Eagles

Will Buster allow C Holder into the car park :-) :-)

Poole are riding well at the moment ... but let's remember it's all about end of season p.offs and cup finals. Not sure that they performed too well last year ?

The main reason why I dont subscribe to BSN.... cannot stand the non stop gabble.

KL have every chance of winning this ..... Ipswich riders aside from Sayfootdinoff are average at best and very inconsistent away. Old boy King can havea good night or a very bad night. Roynon Kew scores all or sod all, and my old pal Adam Ellis of lakeside fame still is very inconsistent. KL have picked some good gusts and Lwisi Kerr know the KL track very well. Cook will no doubt give 1005. Let Emil race away and pack the lower order places, and I can see KL winning this 48- 42

Very low key on the Kings Lynn website - just mentions that tonights fixture is against the Witches . No match preview. More page space is given to the net away meeting at Birmingham being brought forward by one week !

Thank you Sir Sidney. How strange Mr N Pedersen should come up on a thread involving dangerous riding :-) Wagging his rear wheel as he went past and stuffing them in the fence his speciality :-)

used to be the case that when both sides were using R/R they cancelled out and teams had to field a junior rider (their no 8 I think ) With the current fixed race nights and the shortage of gusts maybe this rule should be reinstated. It would at least provide spectators with 7 man teams. KL could use Palm-Toft or Lampart ? Palm Toft an ex KL rider might be the best option.

SO .... does anyone know if there is still a rule of unfair or dangerous riding. IMO since the advent of air fences riders take liberties with their manouevres, a combination of the inflexible high revving narrow power band machines, track conditions and poor machine control

Long forgotten ... did any of the current team ride then ? Old moaner Middleditch would have been TM. ... did any of the current team ride then ?

Is there a water shortage in the Birmingham area? Every match report I read from Birmingham in the summer months involves complaints of clouds of dust from early in the meetings. seems a good way to diss any new fans to the sport….

Historically Birmingham has never been a major spedway town. On and off throughout the years. But given the closure of nearby Cradley Heath and Wolverhampton, not to mention Coventry you would think that some of those supporters might have migrated to support the away sides visiting Birmingham :-)