E I Addio

You did. You said "that tells you the state of the rest." Lakeside are one of the rest. 22000 doesn't sound very cracking to me.

Lakeside have no ambition because they didn't sign Buckowski ? You really are a complete nincompoop. One might argue there are some shortcomings in Lakesides team building and there might be question marks over their ambition but failure to sign Buckowski isn't one of them. I cant think of a less likely track for him to cope with now that Eastbourne has left the EL. I think all he has ever done at Lakeside is make holes in the airfence. Is there no end to the shortsighted drivel you post ?

Kings Lynn nor as bad as some of their pessimistic fans are saying. The weak links were Robert Lambert and surprisingly Rory who usually goes so well at Lakeside. The scoreline looks bad but, apart from the aforementioned heat leaders I some of the lesser lights were really prepared to get stuck in and have a go so I think the Stars have potential. In particular I was impressed by Lewis Rose who was pretty good from the gate and pretty fearless and overall rode well considering he is not particularly familiar with the track. Huckenback also did well considering had has never seen the place before. On the pace most of the time. Mads was probably the best I have seen him ride at Lakeside. Pity it unravelled for him a bit in heat 15 but he did well for a second string without much heatleader support. Neils was pure class. No other way to describe it. For Lakeside, good performances from Lawson and Nilsson, especially Kim coming from the back to beat the seemingly invincible Iverson, and Rob Mear seemed like he had never been away. He managed a couple of cut backs that were straight out of the Peter Karlsson text book . Swiderski didn't put a wheel wrong. The two Lewis from Team Revolution were both trying a big to hard and getting into a tangle at times but once they settle down they will be fine So comiserations to the Stars who were better than the scoreline, and a solid start for the Hammers.

That is exactly what Jon Cook said in SS but BCD conveniently ignored that point when he made his predictable and tedious anti Lakeside dig. FWIW I don't think Lakeside will finish top, and I doubt if anyone else does. Jon Cook almost certainly in his heart of hearts knows that Lakeside will need a fair wind to finish up top but far better a promoter to at least show a bit of confidence outwardly than be seen to be throwing in the towel from day one. Fair play to Mick Horton and Colin Pratt who also backed their teams to finish top against the odds, but of course BCD doesn't mention them. His constant childish sniping towards Cook is says more about him than it says about Cook. If Lakeside finish bottom again someone has to be there. That's the way sport works

I think you are too pessimistic. The Stars are usually quite dominant at home and Lakeside are not usually good travellers.

Well, let's not go down the road of re-discussing what's already been said on the BV thread. I don't have a strong dislike or Chapman, apart from the fact that there had been occasions when his behaviour has been pretty appalling mainly his tantrum when Peter Karlsson was laying on the track with a broken back, and I can't bring myself to call a grown man "Buster" which is really a nickname one associates with a naughty schoolboy, but let's not go there for the moment. The one thing I do get wound up about is when words or phrases are not used properly, especially in official documents. We have endless trouble in this sport with officialdom being unable to express themselves clearly and in plain English. It's not difficult. Yet they still can't issue a simple and uncontroversial statement like the post AGM summary in a few sentences without it being contradictory or vague. You must notice it every year. I posted on the Lakeside thread a few months ago that having heard Jon Cook interviewed on Essex Radio I couldn't understand what was talking about, it was so garbled and full of ums and err and word whiskers, and there are others as bad , notably Rosco. These are the people running the sport. So when we come to the rule book which is so important if the sport is to have any fairness about it at all I think it's a valid point to say the words should have there literal meaning and not some ambiguity that means whatever they want it mean. I would hope that Keith Chapman sets the example on this. There has been too much trouble over rules for too many years. As I said in my last post maybe we are jumping the gun on this particular point as we can only speculate on Busk-Jacobsens role at the moment but if it does transpire that this is yet another rule that says one thing and means another it will drive me a step further towards giving up on the sport, and I amprobably a more regular fan than most. I dare say many others will feel the same way.

Why do you think that ? In plain language "Any Team Declaration" means what it says. It doesn't mean any Elite League Team Declaration. The new BSPA chairman had a massive interview in Speedwáy Star telling us all he was going to sort the sport out including the rule book. If he is now seen to be leading the way in twisting the rules to suit himself then he is going to lose any remaining shreds of credibility he may have left after the Belle Vue fiasco and his subsequent statement. Had better wait until it becomes clear what is happening but a lot people will be keeping a close eye on this.

Really ? Plenty of wealthy people wanting to back Speedwáy clubs ? Plymouth missed a trick there then didn't they? After the succession of fiascos culminating in the farce that was Belle Vue last week I doubt if even Starman in his wildest dreams believes there is a que of wealthy people waiting to pour money into a sport that doesn't even understand its own rule book and can't even hold on to the average Joe in the street let alone attract a string of wealthy backers.

Yep, all that plus a couple of millionaires on the promotional team, one of whom comes with his own assets and has already shown he doesn't mind pouring tens of thousands a year into a club in an effort to build a winning side.

Very difficult to judge the size of the crowd in the dark. It was probably lower than for an average league meeting but it was a bitterly cold night and no doubt that kept a lot away. I found it very difficult to assess the team. I think AJ and Lawson were terrific, especially Lawsons gating, and to some extent they overshadowed the others. Personally I think there is a question mark over Swidders. The guys gritty past performances have made him a bit of a folk hero at Lakeside but he didn't really seem his old self to me. Not sure about the reserves either, but it's difficult to tell when they were against AJ and Awesome Lawson. We'll find out on Friday.

If the statement was framed that way for legal reasons they made a hopeless job of it. Look at the way it's worded; its links a tabloid newspaper. It talks about "furious " David Gordon who "hit back " at critics and they were "locked in " discussions. Those sort of expressions might sell extra copies of the Sun or Daily Star but I can assure you they won't cut any ice before a court. If it was it was done with legal claims in mind it should have been on the lines of :- "On behalf of Belle Vue Speedwáy we would like to acknowledge the loyal fans who came to support the opening night of our National a Speedway Stsdium . We are very sorry and deeply regret that the opening night was not the great occasion we had all hoped and of course we pay tribute to, and apologise to the many fans that were disappointed. For legal reasons we cannot give full information at this stage but inquiries are being undertaken and it is Belle Vue Speedways contention that the fault lay with a contractor. Our investigations are continuing but we will keep our fans and supporters fully updated as the full information unfolds. In the meantime we thank you all for your patience and will be advising on refunds within the next few days" There, how does that sound ? It protects the legal position and thanks fans at the same time , plus it's something I have just done off the top of my head. With a bit of thought Gordon and/or a proper press officer could hav e improv ed on it without shooting themselves in the foot . Is that reasonable ?

Exactly. Those of us on the outside don't have enough information to come to a considered judgment on how any blame should be apportioned but Belle Vue, or more precisely Gordon and Morton, are the public face of the project and need to acknowledge some degree of overall responsibility even if we fing at a future date that there are others that have messed up. Gordon and Morton are human, they make mistakes as we all do. If press releases and public statements were handled properly they could get a fair bit of public sympathy instead of animosity. Gordon in particular is starting to look a fool.

Well, despite the "Nuffink to do wiv me guv " tone it does throw a little bit more light on the situation , and some of the knee jerk reactions on this thread especially those about track licensing are beginning to look a little mis-placed, and even more so those that blame the riders. One of speedways many problems is forum warriors who jump on the band wagon before all the facts are known Two things we can say with certainty is that Chapman is beginning to prove to be a disaster as BSPA chairman and both he and Gordon are clueless as PR men and why on earth with all that is at stake they didn't get a proper company or press officer to handle these statements is beyond me. I am pretty sure that Nigel Pearson has company that deals with this sort of thing if not, it surely is not too difficult to get someone to handle professional press releases on a £7milion project. It quite possible that some sub-contractor is at fault somewhere down the line and it is perhaps possible (we don't know yet) that Gordon and Morton could not reasonably have foreseen all this, but that is something to be sorted out in the course of time, but the fact remains that the bottom line is that it is Gordons project, he is the public face of what has gone wrong and a bit of contrition from him coupled with an genuine apology would go a long way to keeping the fans on side. As for Chapman, I don't know what to make of his statement. I suspect the underlying theme might well be correct, and the buck may well stop with Belle Vue but to my mind the statement is so muddled it borders on gobbledegook. All he needed to say was that it was regrettable, an inquiry was being carried out and he would INFORM THE FA NS when more facts were to hand and in the meantime ask the fans for patience pending the outcome of the inquiry. That would cut out much of the speculation that is damaging to the sport. .

He said more than that . He said it was rideable not raceable. The public didn't pay to come and see people riding round, they came to see racing. Instead of playing with words it might be more sensible to see what any inquiry says about, based on fact.

o As always, a balance and reasoned view from Aces 51. I am not sure I am totally convinced by it and the jury is still out on who was responsible, but an opinion from someone who was there is appreciated . I don't agree with the witch hunt that some are intent on starting and I agree that all this talk about nails in the coffin is OTT but the bottom line is that management are there to manage and the buck stops with them. A lot of ordinary folk have lost a lot of money and there needs to be some cogent explanations and heartfelt apologies from those in charge, as opposed to finger pointing.

Here we go again. Someone who knows someone who knows something. So the three riders who refused to ride were? Or don't you or your mate know?

No. If had gone ahead people would have complained that the racing was rubbish and that it was just a ploy to avoid giving people their money back. If it had got halfway through and had to be abandoned because the track had cut up too badly then what ? Send the crowd home with no refund ? The crowd would have loved that. There is only one party to blame. The clue is in the word "management".

So you also agree that that he is a 1-5 rider and too good to be an EDR reserve. Unlike his promoter who is just plain bent.

Garrity was fourth in last years British Final and aGrand Prix reserve. The more you argue that Newmanis a higher calibre than that the more you reinforce and support the point that he is far too good to be an EDR reserve and should, like Garrity be in the 1-5.

Hang on, I didn't say all the others. Newman and Garrity were the stand out riders last year and should both be capable of holding down a bona fide second string spot with the option of dropping to reserve when appropriate. The rest we can all have deferent opinions about but it makes a mockery of it to put Newman as EDR reserve, as it would if Garrity was at reserve.

At the time it was being discussed and being brought in costs cutting was given as the main reason. In fact we were being told that clubs would go under if it didn't happen. It was only shortly after it was brought in that the story about bringing young Brits on started to be put out. If it's a cost cutting measure that's fair enough as long as they are up front about it, but we still come back to the fact that there is no way in the world that either Garrity or Newman could genuinely be called EDR riders any longer. They are both too good for that, and clearly keeping Newman on the EDR list makes a farce of the whole thing.

Yes, they have reduced it to just two this year. Last year it was a different line up almost every meeting !

I think it's also significant that Paul Hurry has been added to the back room team, especially as a talent scout. We heard about changes to back room team in the winter and certainly Paul and Kelvin should bring some ex-rider experience to the set up. Hopefully these changes coupled with the youngsters coming through from the Hagon Shocks Academy in the next few years will revive the Hammers fortunes in the long term.

That's hardly a revelation. It didn't take a lot of working out when his mechanic, who just happens to live in Poole put a bit of a careless comment on twitter after last years fast track pick. He was always going to finish up at Poole. Plenty of people worked that one out.

After being the whipping boys of the EL for at least the last 8 years, one can only admire what Dave Gordon& Co have achieved not just in pulling this off, but having the resolve to keep the team going through what must have been some very difficult times financially. Looking at the shape of the bends I would hazard a guess that it will provide some of the best racing in the country. Congratulations to the BV fans, ,who must be well pleased with the outcome.