nobrakeshere1

Copy of a press release from Leicester: Next Saturday June 2nd Leicester are hosting the Veterans (Over 40) Team Championship. They are the defending champions having taken the title for the first time last year at the Slater Street track. Led by the current Veterans Individual Champion Jason Ashford, the team will include Mick Skinner, also a former Individual Champion and a current Sothern Track rider. Former World Veterans Champion Norman Venson, a recent winner of the Euro vets, plus Leicester Speedway promoter David Hemsley. David, a double World Champion and five times British title holder, is looking for his first title at Veteran level. He showed last Sunday in defeating British Champion Andy Angell that despite limited training he is still a difficult man to beat. Leicester compete in the first semi-final which starts at noon, with the final scheduled for 4pm. As always admittance is free and you are welcome to come along and enjoy the action . For further information about the club go to www.leicestermonarchs.co.uk

Thanks for the comments about the stadium Rich, the work we did over the winter increasing the banking seems to have paid off, anyone going too slow is likely to get passed around the outside and the fourth bend creates a great cut back. Did you see DH pass the British Champion Gemini.....just like the old days!

Leicester stage the Wil Burns memorial trophy on Sat. The senior best pairs kicks off at 11.30 with the first semi, semi final 2 is at 13.00 and will not doubt hold interest for speedway fans with the appearance od Lions promoter David Hemsley - and don't be surprised to see Ashley Birks at the track, this time in a role reversal as mechanic to brother Jono. The ladies event is at 15.00 with world champ Laura Watson and the senior pairs final at 16.30.

Wasn't there but I heard that both sides thought that the ref was abysmal with some home riders apologising for the way some of the decisions went

The Birmingham V Leicester match sounds interesting on Bank holiday Monday - not only does it clash with the holiday but also the U13 boys and girls championship up at Sheffield. I know that a combination of the two means that Leicester are struggling to raise a even slightly decent squad (second team included) and most of the Birmingham lads will only just have returned from Poland. Mind you I reckon that anyone -even with a full strength team - will find Birmingham hard work this year, particularly at home.

Most people who comment on here have a good idea of what's wrong with the track, the "experts" who talk to me certainly seem to know, I believe that even the Leicester management know. But the fact remains that nothing was done during the winter that was likely to rectify the problem - so there seems little hope of it being done during the summer. Best thing we can all do is accept the fact that what we have is what we have and just hope for better in the future. My only future comments about the Leicester track will be made via the £15 I pay/don't pay to go/not go to BP.

Six 30 min slots of Elite League action has been allocated for Sky to broadcast during the summer. The programmes will also be broadcast in Europe, USA, Australisia and Asia.

Olsen makes debut for Leicester The Midland Division 3 is all about rider development and Leicester took the opportunity to give debuts to five riders, all of them enjoyed the experience and acquitted themselves well. The match against Birmingham was entertaining throughout, Ewan Hancox and Dylan Hexley looking impressive for the visitors and debutant Sarah Olsen picking up a couple of wins for the home side. Leicester 64 (Luke Whitehead 14, Sarah Olsen 13+1, Elizabeth Rigley 10+1, Joel Duckham 9+1, Abbey Duckham 8, Matthew Walpole 7, George Olsen 3) Birmingham 62 (Ewan Hancox 17+2, Jake Ryan 14+1, Dylan Hexley 12, Reece Winwood 9+2, Ryan Winwood 9, Honey Whitehead 0) Leicester's next home meeting is the Wil Burns memorial on Sat May 12th. World champion Lukas Nowacki and British Champion Andy Angell are just two of the big names taking part in the senior pairs event. The ladies individual includes Leicesters other world champ Laura Watson.

Not 100% certain but I believe the logistics of putting on the event at the same time as the Olympics was a factor. You may well say that the council should have known that when they offered their support in the first place of course............................

Yep, the track could be a little on the wet side but after a few heats it usually produced great racing. I actually started to go before Leicester closed and always thought the racing was better there than Blackbird Road was towards the end. Mind you standing with John "Mooneyes" Cooper was entertainment in itself! Facilities were pretty terrible though!

Several clubs had applied to stage the Europen Champs, including Leicester who had the event fully sponsored. However it was allocated to East London - for all the right reasons given it's proximity to the OG - but after promising so much Newham(?) council pulled the plug and left them high and dry. The event is now in Ipswich.

Well it would be nice but I can't see it myself. We have had no support at all from anyone, whilst the British Cycling officials linked with CS push the cause those in charge (and Sky who give them the money) are only interested in medals at the OG, and as a non OG sport we count for nothing. The original idea to have a CS track built on site was rejected and we can't even gain access to do a demo. Unfortunatly we're a minority sport and it's very difficult to get noticed. The proposed deal to get on Sky TV involves CS providing all the footage at it's own cost, to pay someone to do it is out of the question and even using our (speedway) contacts we could do with a thousand pounds per match, and for this we have to find our own sponsor. Nothing is easy I'm afraid!!! Donations in an envelope please...................

Can't say too much as the outcome will be put out as a press release shortly, but "positive" talks have indeed now taken place

What's the average age of the Edinburgh team? I reckon adding up Chic, Johnny Murphy and Dave Baxter would make my calculator work pretty hard! I've had many long, but happy days and weekends up there whem we rode in the same league, always a friendly place to visit.

You have most of it covered there raceleader, Sweden, Ukraine and Russia can probably be added but at a very low level and New Zealand are just in the process of getting organised with the help of the Aussies

Yep, went there for the last Euro Championships, Heardy was my lads team partner in the England team. Difficult place to go and get any sort of result I can tell you! Hope to see you at Slater St soon.

Have a look at this Jack; http://www.cyclespeedwayhistory.org.uk/ Lots of info about old teams here including the Wings!

Hi Rich - assume you know Mark Winwood? If so have a word, he's arranging for some riders to come along to Leicester on the 28th for a div 3 match, we should have several riders making their debuts for us. We use this as a development league and taking part not winning is what it's all about so not like your Wednesfield match at all!!!!!

Some indoor action.............

Here's a couple of videos taken of Leicester's junior teams against Coventry, if the link don't work try to cut and paste into your browser http://www.youtube.com/user/LeicesterCSC?feature=watch

Not moved so quick in ages!! I think everyone standing on the 4th bend retreated pretty quickly, Hope the lads not too bruised. I thought I'd turn up as it was just a fiver and it was a good meeting. Not often i say that about BP.

The track, according to those who are supposed to know these things, is 30 or so meters too big. The entry to the bends is too tight and it needs taking in. To be fair it looked fine until the fence went in, but it's clearly not right and no amount of messing around with shale will help matters to a great extent. If we lose 50 people a week due to the lack of entertainment provided it seems that fairly simple maths would dictate that altering the track would be cost effective in the long term, and if figures I have been given are even half right, less than a season. It is a fact that Blackbird Road can be viewed with tinted specs, but up until 1980 the racing was top drawer, after that it could be horribly slick at times - but the shape was good. My view is that the track staff at BP are trying to give grip out wide and on the exits but the shape isn't allowing it to be used. Of course it's very easy to sit back and say what should be done, it's not our money. DH has already put a lot into BP and to change the track will mean more input, but I fear for the future of any supplier, be it goods or entertainment, that fails to adapt to the requirements of the customers who hand over the cash.