RobMcCaffery

He misunderstood the British fans and paid the price. Back home throwing the race to get fellow Americans through would have been seen as patriotic and celebrated. Here we have a different attitude. I was in the pits at Belle Vue once not far from Bruce and a certain ex-World Champion. The crowd was hostile, backing their own favourites rather than fawning over the Americans as at many other tracks. Penhall was clearly distressed. The ex-World Champion turned to his crew and observed "Interesting, he can't handle it". I think the retirement was on his mind from that day at White City. Yes discretion is important and if you are going to play to the crowd it's essential you understand them. Rogers was shrewd enough to know that the increased gate receipts would more than cover any fines. Allan's comments were in a different and far less tolerant era and while probably sincere were very unwise. The days of promoters/managers making protests very publicly from the centre green to get the crowd going are gone. There's a fine line between having a sober, disciplined sport and one where there's a bit of latitude to spice things up with a bit of controversy. That line is probably called 'malice'. We've squeezed the fun out.

My wife remembers talking to Vic in the pits just before he went out for that final ride. It still affects her and I think played a big part in her eventually falling out of love with the sport. It was a distressing loss - she tells me he was a lovely guy.

No not all.

Customers have a right to a full fifteen heats (minimum) of racing. Had this match been re-run they would hopefully have got that. Sadly today the result is more important than a night of value-for-money racing and that is one major way in which it has screwed itself up. If it's only about winning then you can only have a handful of tracks with satisfied customers. The emphasis is wrong, which is partially cultural and a spin-off from football where appreciation of a good match is apparently impossible unless you win. We once had 26-30+ meeting seasons at most tracks. Then along came 'meaningful'. What is 'meaningful' about dragging waterlogged 'matches' to heat 10 just to get a result? What is more important, having a charged re-staging of the match or giving four points? Note I used the term customers. Speedway has forgotten that they take money from customers, not supporters and certainly not 'punters'.

Ego is a huge problem once you hand many people a mic. As ever, the skill is knowing when to say nothing. I have heard tales of notices being fixed above mics in studios reading "It's not about me". A very sad story, but unsurprising. I would have done the same. While fines were not involved in the final meeting that I worked at I was placed in a totally unacceptable situation and did exactly the same. The discussion is perhaps talking only about extreme cases where totally irresponsible comments were being made. But what about situations where a knowledgeable presenter makes a genuine error, without malice, and gets hit with fines? You end up with a situation where only the fool or the very gifted take chances. It's one thing keeping discipline in the ranks, another stifling talent. It's one of the many ways in which narrow-minded short-termism cripples the sport in Britain. Hire people you can trust - and trust them!

It is a question of balance, rather like it is for the riders themselves. Nobody can condone someone irresponsibly shouting their mouth off and causing damage to a business but that is no reason to exert a vice-like grip. Ultimately it's a matter of trust. Some of the great announcers and presenters mentioned in this thread operated in the pre-licencing era and I can think of few who abused their position in such a way, although there are tales about a certain Workington announcer of the late 70s when the Comets were fading out of the sport. The reason why is that those presenters could be trusted to use their judgement and self-control, and crucially their knowledge of the sport to guide them, but, and this is where I would probably upset the BSPA with this, they came from an era when the job was usually paid and people with genuine ability could be attracted. Where it all goes wrong is the sad need to cut costs to the bone and rely on willing amateurs to do the job of professionals. We end up with the dreadful position where too many are able but don't know or understand the sport or are experts but hopeless on a mic. Faced with the possible sanctions few are going to open up, even if they could. It is to the credit of certain modern announcers and presenters that they can work within the current restrictions - there is a huge difference between a bit of fun and outright condemnation. Having said that, one of the presenters often praised deeply offended me one night. I won't name names but I had travelled a fair way with Rye House on a tour as a supporter, which I was before picking up a mic. I turned up at one track casually-dressed, more than a little hung-over from the previous night's tour fun and in no fit state to present. The track asked me to co-present with their guy but I had to decline. This didn't go down well. During the match there was a heavy crash involving a home rider and a Rocket. There was an injury to the home man. The presenter tore into the Rye House supporters for daring to support a team that included such a rider and making t clear we were unwanted at the track. It was totally over the top. After the meeting I asked for permission to use the office phone to make my phoneline report (this being pre-mobile days) and I was refused. I can never remember anyone ever being refused at Rye House in my time. In fact I would normally let them have first use since they were reporting to fans who probably had little choice whether they could get to the match. If only we'd received the same courtesy elsewhere. We returned to Rye House on the Sunday and ironically hosted that team. On parade I let my own feelings out. "If anyone here thinks that the away supporters are going to be treated in the way we were at their track, then they've come to the wrong speedway - we respect all visitors as customers and thank them for coming". I'd have probably got a fine for that now. My promoter backed me completely though, which was pretty typical of him,. I was very lucky to hear the work of such excellent talents as Ted Sear, John Earrey and Bob Radford at a young age and I am very aware of how superbly the job can be done. I wish my own efforts could have come close. You get what you pay for. Well, usually. I had the privilege of working with Ted Sear on a video project once and it is a very fond memory. It was to interview Johnnie Hoskins in Herne Bay about 1984. It had been rightly decided that someone more experienced and mature than myself should perform the interview so Ted was invited in. I was allowed to work as a programme assistant. We recorded magic. John responded to Ted's gentle nudging, and while he would wander off frequently the results were quite superb. Johnnie's wife chipped in with a fascinating account of their rail trip across Australia in the 20s to open Claremont in Perth. You may wonder what happened to the project. Sadly Johnnie's hearing aid radiated a signal that was picked up on the sound and couldn't be filtered out. It was too intrusive to use the material. Perhaps modern technology could have dealt with the problem but I expect the masters are long gone now. It's one of those great 'what might have beens'. It was a true lesson to work directly with Ted Sear though. Oh, by the way, I once heard him be highly controversial. It was at Hackney in 1973 when he was highly-scathing of a piece of music that had been played - Rock On by David Essex. There are very good reasons why Ted announced at World Finals - as long as that song wasn't played I guess.....

The way to overcome the problem is to get the radio mic levels right. They're best set high so the mic can be held at a normal position for the interviewee to speak into and compensate for his usually quieter level and for the presenter to keep it well away from him or herself when they're using it to avoid overwhelming the system. An alternative is to have someone adjusting the sound levels during the interview, up for the interviewee and down for the interviewer. It seems that all too often it's just left as it is so you only hear the presenter thus making the whole thing a total waste of time. Like all things there is more to mic technique than people would realise. At Rye House we had the added complication that the stadium's prehistoric pa amplifier's cut out would trigger the moment you went over basic speech level and the abundance of high voltage power lines over the stadium, leading into a nearby distribution centre caused massive interference on radio mics. Sometimes it's not just a case of flicking the switch and away you go. If only........

It was a while ago and things may have changed. I think the SCB fines go the the Speedway Riders Benevolent Fund. It came under 'improper comment', which even forbade announcers from showing any bias towards the home team. Whether it is still that high or is at a more sensible level, as you can imagine it was a great inhibitor. I hope things have improved.

The problem started when the SCB started licensing presenters and announcers. Up until then the promoter carried the can for any indiscretions but afterwards the presenter could be personally liable for his or her comments. I was once threatened with a £1,000 fine for what was just an innocent attempt to amuse the crowd but the referee took the wrong way. Thinking that one word out of place can cost you that much money, especially when you're probably doing the job as a favour for nothing or next to nothing would be enough to make anyone play very safe. It's a lot of money to pay out just because someone in authority doesn't share your sense of humour.

There are times when you wonder if those who believe that Polish-style fan behaviour would be a good thing in Britain really are following the right sport. If you want vicious baiting and hatred between fans that have to be segregated for fear of violence breaking out there are plenty of football grounds here that offer that kind of 'fun'. I don't have a problem with atmosphere and I certainly do not have a problem with much larger crowds but the prospect of 'ultras' in speedway would sicken me. That's not a generational thing. I would have said the same when I first discovered speedway at the age of 13. I loved the fact that while fans were rivals and could have a bit of fun at each others' expense there was no threat and no need to cage rival fans. You could all mix during and after meetings. That was one of the main reasons why I switched sports. Some people 'get off' on the mob attitude and love the tension. I don't and I suspect I'm not alone and trying to discredit such a view by claiming that it's because I'm too old is beneath contempt. Yes I'm getting old, but it's a damn sight better than the alternative. Perhaps those who blame anyone older than them for speedway's ills might like to tell us at what age we aren't allowed to come any more? Certainly the prospect of meeting people like UK Martin is a very tempting reason to stay home If it is a 'generational thing' to seek hostility and violence then I'm glad I don't have too many years left and I can leave those who do enjoy that kind of thing to fester in what would most certainly be a dying sport. Oh, by the way, as someone who used to get paid to, amongst a few other things, lead 'war cries' they ceased simply because people grew out of them. 1-2-3-4, let's see the Rockets score may have been cute in the 1950s.... (Okay, the real reason I hate war cries is that I managed to foul up one at Eastbourne. Yes, there are only two es in Eagles. )

Sad to hear of his passing. I never was fortunate to meet Bryan but in many ways felt I did through his column which wasn't just bare statistics. It was the statistical side that really got me hooked on the sport so 'Seery's Statistics' was an essential read for me. In days when stats are so easy to find and results equally accessible you have to bear in mind the effort that must have gone into gathering information, let alone collating it. Having attempted to maintain just the statistics and Green Sheets for just one league once, I have an idea of the effort that Bryan had to go to and thank him for all of that hard work. I just regret that I was never able to thank him in person.

The BSF has enough problems without dragging stupid football bigotry into it.

Thanks very much. I did take a look but couldn't see it. Prefer to get in as early as possible, settle in position and have a good study of the programme and Speedway Star.

Tell that to the supporters of the tracks that close. Of course while there have been very real risks, closure is something that is alien to Belle Vue fans, and I'm really pleased that you have been spared that awful reality. My track closed 43 years ago. It still hurts. Badly.

What time do they open the gates for these 6pm starts, 5?

The Sunday Independent does a great job of covering sport in the south west. For years it was owned by the Daily Mirror who used it as a training ground for its young reporters. It is not connected in any way with the national Independent newspaper or the similarly-named Irish paper. In more recent times it was owned by a small group called Tindle who sold it off to a manager a couple of years ago. After his death the paper actually went out of business in April this year, only to be saved by the chairman of Truro City after two weeks of non-publication. It publishes separate editions for Cornwall, where it is based, Plymouth, Devon, and Bristol and Somerset. It can be found as far north as Gloucester. Regional Sunday papers tend to survive in areas where the London-based papers had problems in getting a paper with full coverage of Saturday's sport out in time for Sunday morning in certain areas. The Indy was mainly a news-based paper but switched emphasis over to sport a few years back. As far as I know it's the only surviving Sunday sports paper, and with the march of the internet most of the old Saturday night sports papers (the various pinks, greens and even the odd 'buff-un') have gone, although I believe both Southampton and Portsmouth still have theirs. Even the famous Sports Argus in Birmingham, the Manchester Evening News Pink Final and the Liverpool Football Echo have all gone, with the M.E.N.'s version ending-up as a Sunday paper before its demise. There are still regional Sundays but while sport is important, it is still secondary. Examples are the Midlands' Sunday Mercury, the north east's Sunday Sun (not connected at all to The Sun), Wales on Sunday, Liverpool's relative newcomer The Sunday Echo, and of course several titles in Scotland. So, unless there's something out there I've missed the Sunday Independent is unique. Apart from, its dedicated speedway coverage many of the journalists involved have worked on speedway, covering Bristol, Exeter, St. Austell, as well the survivors in Plymouth and Somerset and their names have often graced copy and match reports in the Speedway Star. There's been a long tradition of giving speedway strong coverage in Devon with both The Western Morning News and its former evening stablemates, the Exexter Express and Echo and the Plymouth Herald treating the sport with almost equal significance as football and rugby. Local TV was strong as well with the old head of Westward TVs sport being my boss in later years. Long may the Sunday Indy survive and recover from this year's near death.

You really don't have a clue how it all works, do you? Petition away. I''d bve amazed if there's a budget to take Dave to Poland. As for 'smart arse' comments I suggest you look at the stupidity of what you posted originally. You said "crap coverage" - so how does that NOT include the commentary? This used to be such a haven from the idiocy of the Elie League/Premiership section. Better to leave you all to it now, I think.

I am so very sorry to hear this news. Back in my early supporting days I always enjoyed Bob's work, whether as a writer or announcer. It was hearing him doing the latter authoritatively, clearly and enthusiastically, but most of all in a highly-informed way that made me think how I'd like to do the same one day. When someone did invite me to try my luck on a mic it was superb to hear encouragement from Bob. Sadly I didn't get to know him that personally but I know enough we've lost someone who not only loved speedway but served it so finely. Thanks for making so many meetings that little bit better, Bob. We'll miss you.

The World Games have been running every four years since 1981, as an international tournament for non-Olympic sports under the control of the International World Games Association. Other sports included are finswimming, korfball, dancing and bodybuilding. It's not exactly high-profile. London hosted the second set of events in 1985 which also included a speedway pairs event, held at Wimbledon. London's the most high profile place to hold it so far, more recent cities being Cali in Colombia, Kaohsiung in Taiwan, and Duisburg in Germany. Yes, that's why you've probably not heard of it before.......

Sportowe Fakty report the sad news that Danish international Kenni Larsen has had to retire on medical advice following last year's shooting accident in which he suffered a head wound. It's such a sad way for a promising career to end. http://sportowefakty.wp.pl/zuzel/685761/kenni-larsen-zakonczyl-kariere

I just love watching speedway at all levels and wherever. I prefer team racing but I don't set up artificial barriers to stop my enjoyment. When I hear peopple talking about not wanting to watch because they consider the riders not good enough or the meetings not 'meaningful' enoughI do feel a certain sadness. Why not just watch and enjoy the racing? You do get the feeling that some only love seeing their own team win and actually don't really enjoy the sport itself.

KM Video was the first business to cover speedway, initially at Hackney. The proprietor, Paul Bonner, named it after his two sons. The back catalogue is now with Jan Staechmann's Classic Speedway Videos http://www.classicspeedwayvideos.com/ , along with action caught by several of the other providers mentioned in this thread. You might even hear me on a few of the KM programmes. Apologies if you do...... As a retired commentator it's great to hear that the likes of Clean Cut and Tapes Up (and naturally Mike Hunter) use excellent commentators.

Only for Sky users.

Just what we need, another mafia film

Karen, The pleasure of his company here can only give us a small insight into your loss. Please take some minor solace in the fact that, using that technology that so impressed him, he reached people, most of whom he would never meet, and made their lives that little bit happier. There are few things in this world that I really hate, but cancer is certainly one of them. May you find peace in time.