Shale Searcher

No chance, that's summertime, it will be rained off!!

I don't think Ben Barker would put up with ELFTDR Pay!! He isn't cheap apparently.... Not sure what they're called now, so ELFTDR is "ELITE LEAGUE FAST TRACK DRAFTED RIDER" pronounced Elfdor!!

To quote the great "DL" If speedways dead, it's a very lively corpse!!!! A classic!!!!

Err? I went to several BLRC'S in the 1970's (late) and 80,s (more) and yes, those meetings and World Championship rounds, Leicesters Golden Gauntlets and similar events UK wide had tremendous fields, and support. That what I was commenting on was not a major individual event. I also have to say, the crowd maketh the meeting, 5,000 can make a dull meeting seem not.

Do riders from foreign leagues (not all of them) that ride here, always? put 100% into their racing when riding over here though.....?? I personally think they don't.

I meant Kevlars, my mistake.... Should have read "replace the leather race suits with Kevlars"

Ok, so put those races in front of a 1300/1500 gate instead of 5000+ with just a scattering of fans on back straight and corners. Take away the Dave Lanning commentary, grass, Ole Olsens interviews with Gary Newbon, replace the race suits with leather, and swap out the uprights for laydowns, and it isn't that much difference to today..

Ok, so Blackbirds Rd, compared to Beaumont Park. Old days, 7.30 or 7.45pm start, 13 races (main meeting) a track grade after every race, then interval, then 7/8 race second half.. then the learners until lights out.. approx 22.00/22.15hrs Now, 7.30 start, 15 race main meeting, a track grade after heats 4, 7, 10 & 14 (usually) inc a 10/15 minute interval after heat 10, (weather permitting) Then a substantial track grade so the MDL riders get a reasonable surface to race on (6 race match) usually riders with 2 on trott, & Thompson Twins have a couple of races between races in the MDL match, so in total 23/24 races in total.. all done by 22.00/22.15hrs What's it like elsewhere?

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Ditto..

I was a machine examiner at last yrs world cup meeting at Lynn, I also rode the track in the early nineties, (only training school then) and the racing surface has completely changed, as well as a hard centre instead of grass. Gone was the red shale, uniformity of the stone content to clay ratio and what I found was a material that I can only compare to, well, I'm not sure.. There seemed to be a high content of what looked like, felt like ordinary soil, not much proper shale stone, irregular pieces of small hardcore, crushed builders waste, very dark clay-like base, but quite a lot of stock car remnants around 5p to 50p size Inc metal fragments, there seemed quite a lot of manure type thatch/straw dispersed in it as well. We had to do a lot of picking as well during the afternoon of the meeting. Do any Kings Lynn track staff post on here that could expand on the Kings Lynn race surface make up, stone to clay ratio.. etc.

Milky Coffee, is the milk equivalent of being on the right end of a 47-43 (40-38) old money....!!

The problem with Walasek last year was he was always just coming back from injury!! A clean, injury free run is what the lad needs, hopefully this year will be that year. Wozniak, well, first year in Britain, young, a bit naive, I expect at least 1.5 pts on his home average and at least a point on his away average this year.

Correction, Doyle held us to ransom over race nights, Masters would have also missed meetings due to PL fixtures, and no guests at 2 and 4, perhaps not such a good signing.

Auty and Klindt would probably both ride at 2 and 6 over the season.. providing they both, and Starke stay injury free, that's a good 2 of 3 at reserve!!

Maybe, just maybe we might have 7 riders who want to ride for Leicester, who are committed and who try 110% all of the time! Rather than having a team of superstars, that put their UK team second, that don't cry off with upset tummies, or hay fever! Just maybe, we'll hold our own and ride with passion, and a mid table finish or better would be an achievement.. Rather than under perform and under achieve.

We're not, maybe squeak out 14 maybe..

That seems to be a closed group. You have to apply to join it..

My money is on Jonnasson and Barker.

Defo not Compton..

Anyone any ideas on the visibility issues..? Better goggles, better roll-Offs, or a step back to clear plastic rectangles held on with bulldog type clips? In the 70's I remember some riders using multiple layers held on with clips, each clip had a clean piece, it was ejected by small levers which were flicked with the clutch hand, bit like roll -offs, but they had clear air between, so no smear contamination....

So, this subject rears its head regularly on this forum, in one guise or another... Is there a definitive answer, without the use of covers.. Does the lack of oil dropped on the track in the older days make a difference? Would different tyres make a difference? Or is the major issue rider visibility? Is that a problem that could be lessened? Using a different surface material? Is there one available? How many fans have been lost due to rain-Offs/Heat 10 debacles? Your thoughts gentlemen??

I agree, you can't make the job share compulsory, it has to be flexible to the inividual team, but I suppose nothing in the rules say you can't sign a rider, then change him mid season anyway, us there? Use Tai for 3 months, then get an someone else in? Why is that a problem... (CMA compliant)

Blimey!! I saw Per Olef Serenius ride in the 1985 world final at Assen!! Went with the Leicester Lions supporters club! He must be, what 50+ yrs old now!!!! Or is it his son/another different rider?

I started going to speedway as a kid, and I went to school the next day! And it was a weekday (Tuesday) it was something to look forward to once school had restarted after the weekend, most posters on here must be of a similar age to myself, and therefore also attended on school nights... Are we saying now that kids are in bed by 9pm on a weekday night! I just don't buy that!!