Shale Searcher

We have fantastic drains, actually to good to an extent....... Clay easily washed out of racing surface..

Glyn Taylor built a track dryer, big fans and propane heat, could only really dry out small parts of the track at once, would need a bank of 25 or so to have proper go at it... What about some sort of waterproofing spray? For the track surface, pack it hard and seal it.....

Perhaps its time to explore/experiment with new surfaces, or at least the top dressing, perhaps there's another or 2 natural/man made material that could be used to good effect?

After nearly every meeting, every post match social media thread, every track fans and wannabe track curator moans about the state of the track... To little dirt, to much dirt out towards the fence, rock hard, bereft of dirt blue grooved areas on the inner racing lines, no grip, to much grip, to much tractor grading, no raking on bends, etc, etc, etc... Are there any Elite League riders out there, that view these pages/threads that would or prepared to tell us fans what they really want track wise? Marshals if anything only remove the shale that has built up during racing off the base of the fence on the bends, and flick it out only to a maximum distance of around 3 feet from the fence... So, what do riders want regards in-meeting track work/grading and why???

In the (good old days!!) At Leicesters old Blackbird Road Circuit, the tractor that dragged the (in meeting) grader, used to lift it off the racing surface from around 10 yards behind the tapes and not drop it back down until it had gone at least 10 yards past the tapes. So any start gate grading was done by the start gate staff, and sometimes an over zealous 4th bend raker!!

Les and Neil Collins at Leicester (Blackbird Rd) Les powering round the pack on the tote bend, and Neil, undercutting on the City bend, his front wheel on the kerb, just underneath the rider in front of hims rear wheel, silk scarf blowing in the Castrol R air....

Nobody has mentioned the great Tony Rickardsson in any (best of) categories.......?

Just as a matter of interest, how many of the top (European leagues) riders still use a Jawa motor? The last one I saw was in use by Lasse Bjerre, UK El and PL rider.....

Well at the moment, Machine Examiners have to inspect race suits and helmets to make sure they comply, perhaps we'll have to do the new stuff, but sounds like stuff won't be labelled as compliant, so what checks and how to check could be a very grey area..... Now, it's pretty black and white.......

What time is it on today?

I'll second that, so, when will it be in the rule book!!

Why don't we get a copy of the 2015 rulebook posted digitally on this forum somewhere..... There has to be someone with enough time on their hands to scan it and get it posted, be like a rule almanac online, a point we can all turn to in our 60 seconds of need!!!!

Krzysztof Kasperzak was radared at Leicester at an astonishing 74mph on the back straight during the summer...

My guess is a 5.00, which is about right in my book....... If however the powers that be use the old /by rides x races, and / again by last places, providing the previous figure was > 4.56 and if then that figure is < than 6.29, it will be a 4.00

In Blackbird Road days, there were 4 rakers each end, and we had other duties then, red flags were ONLY used in daytime meetings, we also had to try and remove riderless machines from the track DURING the racing, remove helmet colours during the racing, chain guards, chains, steel shoes, and anything else that fell off during the racing, now, we are NOT allowed on to the track once the green light has come on and not go on it untill the chequered flag has dropped and riders speed reduced to helmetless parade speed... Health and safelty and all that. Although I did venture on to the track this season during a race, coming out the second turn to safely retrieve a riderless steel shoe that had lodged in some deep dirt and on the racing line, I did it quickly and was never in any danger, the steel shoe could have caused serious injury to any number of riders, officials and spectators had it been spat out by a high revving rear wheel!! Also, we are NOT allowed to take loose dirt back onto the racing line now, the riders don't want it there, it causes sudden loss of traction as the wheels skate over it like F1 tyre marbles.... Anyway, that's for another thread .........!!

VERY!!!! And I still do do it now, + a raft of other race day jobs, and still thoroughly enjoy being damn close to the racing!!! (No remuneration these days!!) AKA No BFH!

They are using his (actual) 2013 PL average, instead of a contrived EL to PL conversion..... I think a converted EL average would have been the pertinent average to use in this scenario... But they are within the regs to do this..

They used to say bad publicity is better than no publicity, not so sure that's the case with young Darcy, still don't believe he would have been totally leathered though.... Just a case of one to many the night before, which in itself was a bad decision, and he's madea lifetimes worth already, so...... Perhaps this will sort him out for good......

As a raker at Leicester s Blackbird Rd in 1983, we were paid £1, a free programme and cup of pits urn tea a the interval!!!!

The stadium footprint was/is nowhere near large enough....

What about this ideas as an alternative to the dreaded tactical ride???

How about doing away with the TR completely, and replacing it with the "Golden Heat" What's that then I hear you all say? Well, a team 10 points down can nominate any heat between heat 6 and heat 12 inclusive to be a "Golden Heat" rules/points are, well all double, to any of the heats riders, so it also provides jeopardy for the team calling for the heat, either team could benefit, blow up for the losing team as well as providing them with the chance to pull back the score......!! What do you reckon?

So, what was this tactical feature, can't say I have ever come across it before? How did it work, and how far behind (I assume it was for the losing side to use) did you have to be..........??

He got stuck out on a row boat on Poole Harbour, he dropped a paddle, so they called him: Darcy Oared!

Wonder if any of the larger Garden Centres/Landscapers and what about some of the large aggregate companies? Would they be interested? And why don't the BSPA employ a sales person? If he was paid on performance, it would be a no lose situation, no sponsors, no pay? Big sponsors, lots of ££££!!