westhamboy66

Tommy was the main reason i did the awful District line journey from Plaistow to Wimbledon Park most weeks. I was driving past Bow Road underground station for my only ever visit to Somerton Park when the news came on the radio. If i remember rightly that was the night PC never showed. For me his Death also meant a the end of Wimbledon Speedway as we knew it. The book on his life is one of the very best books i have ever read and is a great insight into how big a star he really was. RIP Tommy

Damned if he does damned if he doesn't he is an easy target for criticism but he'll get none from me, I've seen too many tracks that i supported close down, including Rye. I applaud what he has tried to do this year and the only problem i had was Simon didn't work first time so was unlikely he would this year. The team now looks balanced and will be strong at home and the only unknown is how many points we can take on the road. The other worry is the amount of meetings Jason and Stefan will be doing. If they all stay fit then we should have a decent season, thumbs up from me

Me neither not that it would happen anyway unless we were using RR

Well Simon Lambert has gone, yes true silverware might be beyond us but will our "local rivals" ever be good enough to beat us this year i have my doubts. Common sense especially given the huge expense that has been forced on Len Silver this year. Honourable man who has taken the financial burden on his shoulders once again this year. The team is far from league winners but we have saturday night speedway to watch , Simon Lambert has gone and hopefully the replacement will make us a little stronger. Personally I'd thank Simon for his efforts which were not good enough but I'm sure it hurt him more than any of the fans who were berating him on saturday. I wish him well for the rest of the season at Kent and Birmingham

Thought Sheffield were very good visitors and could easily see them winning until we hot the two five one's. Great to see Andre Compton back at Rye House, one of those riders like Jason Lyons and Shane Parker who i always wanted to see Line up for Rye Len really needs to make the change not only to improve the reserves and give us a chance at a decent season but also for Simon. Getting stick on the night can't be pleasant and with the effort he puts in isn't deserved but his second spell has been a disaster with him going backwards and nothing away from home either. Great to see Chris Neath and sad to hear him confirming that that's it for him riding. Fully earned a benefit meeting and like with Luke fully deserved

Well when we were beating everyone by thirty points the moaners didn't like it so they got what they wanted. I wouldn't turn my back on the team i supported since '76 but equally i didn't think we would have carried two passengers into June even with loyal Len and Mr Motivator in charge. Jason Bunyan has never lived up to my expectations and unless he averages seven then i think he needs to go. As for Simon he may be getting decent scores for Kent but its against poor opponents and anyone who has seen him at Kent will know he looks about as comfortable on a bike there as he does at Rye. Think we'll get all three points but Sheffield will do much better at our place than we will at theirs

I echo the sentiments, two hero's from the sixties good luck Malc

First remember Malcolm from Hackney then my beloved Custom House. Best wishes to the Docklands Pearl.

What's the weather doing? Blue skies and sun in thurrock Poor forecast but are they ever right? Hope its on

You are right of course however AT OTHER TRACKS WHERE THEY DO NOT PROVIDE A SERVICE? Thats where it falls down . If say the announcer at Rye House turned up at Ipswich to watch would he expect to pay? White Knight is right far too many hangers on who contribute nothing to the sport and yet smack down others who do part with their hard earned cash when they question how the sport is being run. The fast track may be a good idea for some but with riders riding in three divisions the guest situation has now become epidemic. No fun for example for an Ipswich supporter to watch his team minus Adam Ellis replaced by an inferior rider because he was riding for Lakeside. The future of British speedway is to have more British riders agreed but there are not more British riders around just some who are riding for two or three clubs on a regular basis. Simon Lambert springs to mind, a likeable young man but does the future of British Speedway look better with Simon riding for Kent, Rye House and Birmingham? Reality of the fast track riders is that it makes the Elite League cheaper to run, i doubt anyone other than the likes of Neil Vatcher and Phil Morris could care less.

Whatever you think of the Promotion the last thing we need at Rye are Kings Lynn style speakers banging out rap style rubbish music given the fact that there are now houses and flats very close by the track. Surprised the local council are not already inundated with noise complaints given the situation at MildenhallAs far as food it's rubbish, then again most sporting venues supply overpriced small portions that taste awful, why buy it? I'm not a drinker but if someone wants a drink there's a pub in the car park for Gods sake

One of my boyhood heroes at West Ham, who could forget that smile. RIP Tony.

What you say is correct but what you don't seem to understand is the high percentage of floating supporter that Kent attract, lots like me are Rye House Fans coming to support National League and many From Lakeside doing the same. It is those who you stand to lose and if that happened your local team would be no more. Equally you should understand that as a Bank Holiday there are many meetings to see and a lot of people were leaving early to visit other tracks. 70 minutes for 7 races is unacceptable. Had the meeting not dragged on i would have gone to Coventry to watch Lakeside my local club and in similar circumstances next bank holiday i will go elsewhere, Kents loss not mine.

Today was a disgrace in more ways than one. Jack Kingston came right though the fence in front of me missing the airfence by two panels. He was clearly very shocked and battered. He was down for a very long time but no ambulance on track. Eventually he was prompted to get to his feet which looked like a terrible decision as he was so unsteady and ashen faced. Almost immediately he collapsed. About another fifteen minutes passed still no ambulance on track and they picked Jack up again he still looked awful and by now was being administered oxygen, he was made to stagger the length of the back straight and into the pits being supported and still on oxygen. At the pit gate Len Silver was ranting as he explained on the phone to Roger Cearns that the Ambulance staff would not take the Ambulance onto the track as the entry over the dog track was unsafe for their vehicle. Apparently damage to the underside of the ambulance had taken place before. Silver wanted to know why the Ambulance staff didn't take a stretcher out and also asked for keys to unlock the access gate on bend two which would provide access for the ambulance onto the dog track but this never happened. Robert Henry was unhappy that racing would continue if the Ambulance could not get to the track, inexplicably the meeting continued with total disregard to rider safety. The track was awful with so many incidents and an experienced rider like Danny Halsey having two big incidents when all alone. Major concerns from Len Silver that they wouldn't beat the six oclock curfew almost prove correct. I don't pay money to watch racing on such a poor track with the riders safety seriously being put in jeopardy. I don't blame anyone who walked out Frankly the referee who presided over this debacle should also be ashamed of herself. One final thing who was the moron who chose to dump water on the track while Jack Kingston was being treated causing consternation from other track staff that led to a row amongst themselves What a poor advert for speedway this was.

Pointless thread, PL is the Premier League for speedway. I look forward to seeing every club coming to Rye House i wish there were more local clubs to us to liven things up like in the days of Mildenhall and Hackney.

Not sure if its general apathy or just disappointment that no changes have taken place. With the lineup we got everyone need to be on their game. For me four of the seven are above criticism at the moment but the two Jason's and Simon Lambert have been poor. I don't think Peterborough are that great and had the luck on tuesday night been equally divided Newcastle would have got something. I expect us to win but at the end of the day changes still need to be made and i don't mean just outing Lambert as a scapegoat things run deeper than that

Few Pics from British Semi Final at Rye House https://www.flickr.com/photos/harryward/sets/72157644467421804/

How do you arrive at Tai spitting his dummy? Never mentioned his engines so that is an assumption. World Champion he may be but he is still a kid who has had to put up with so much more than a youngster of similar age. A bit of support for our first World Champion wouldn't go amiss. As far as what is inside his head nobody knows. He's not the first World Champion that has had a bad season after winning the title and he won't be the last. Chin up Tai. Always welcome back at Hoddesdon.

Great meeting for the PL. Comfortable win only because the luck went one way. Well done Newcastle who fought to the end and deserved some reward for all their effort. Superbly prepared track and good to see a decent crowd despite sky Pat on the back for the Promotion

His accident at Kings Lynn was terrible luck, he broke his leg at Rye House, a simple crash that saw him slide off gracefully into the fence only to be hit by another fallen riders bike, awful luck 99 times out of a hundred a nothing crash. His career has been blighted by terrible luck but what he really needs is a run in a team to get back to where he should be. Lovely to watch around Rye House and great to have in the team for some big away scores. I reckon i speak for all to say he would be welcomed with open arms at Hoddesdon

What with all his accidents and team moves etc i don't think Adam is quite the rider he was when he was with us, that said if he could fit in in place of Jason Bunyan i wouldn't hesitate with a fresh face replacing Simon Lambert whose time is probably up

Takes a lot of courage to realise and then admit that you have a problem, thats the first step of many needed to get well. Best wishes for the battle ahead

Couldn't agree more Humphrey, trouble is no matter how many disasters, how many errors or poor judgements from BSI they won't be criticised to any realistic level by anyone from Speedway Star. Strange bedfellows but then again the Star and the BSPA have a similar relationship. Basketball that great Polish sport etc etc You may well be right but given what BSI have done to British Speedway then the Poles should consider themselves lucky

The Darcy Ward that i observed at the Lee Richardson memorial at Arena Essex was a perfect Gentleman signing Autographs and posing for photos unlike his fellow countrymen and all round nice guys Holder and Crump who chose to run through their fans as they couldn't be bothered to stop for five minutes. Unless you actually know someone its impossible to form an opinion of whether they are nice or not surely. On track i agree he is the best rider in the world by a very long way.

I doubt this call off had much to do with the weather. The Scunthorpe side i saw at Ipswich were pretty poor and should have been fodder for even an average Rye side. That really says it all as i think the Promotion are running scared believing that defeat even against a mediocre side was on the cards. I know its easy taking a swipe at the team but my God i cannot remember a team so devoid of ambition. I liken it to the team that followed after the title winning team of 1980. For me only Kennett and Bowen are worth their places along with Boxall if he were a second string not a heat leader. The rest sadly are simply not up to scratch. Major work is needed on the team not just a replacement for Simon Lambert.