westhamboy66

Totally agree i was at that "meeting" and a wasted half a tank of fuel so the readmission ticket is little compensation. I had a similar experience at Peterborough around the same time. Many would say Bob Dugard is the best around yet everyone will remember the debacle for a TV meeting at eastbourne. Not a new thing in the 70's 350 mile round trip to radipole lane found me looking at potholes on the Weymouth track and Len Silver not allowing his team to ride. You would have thought lessons would be learned. Len Silver takes a lot of flack at Rye House for early call offs and yes i get miffed when it turns out to be sunny day but at least i waste no money and if i feel like it there is generally somewhere else to go. Wasting my breathe i suppose but it's about time they wondered why the fans numbers are dwindling and went some way to stopping the rot

Completely agree especially the way they go full support for the twenty/20 great when there is good weather but if it drizzles before the game it's pretty likely we watch the pundits chatting for three hours. That said its no so much the rain that annoys sky i think, it's more likely the problems when a track is unfit, there is a crowd in and it hasn't rained in days and sadly that's not as rare as it should be. Easy to say coventry was a poor choice but i have been let in to places like Peterborough and Kings Lynn with the sun beating down and the track looking like a moto cross track. Also unfortunately i attended both Gothenburg and Gelsenkirken in the aborted GP's. So it is a sport wide problem, not fare on sky but lot less fair to the supporters.

Agreed also at West Ham...now a less than nice housing estate

So the riders who took time to prepare their bikes then travel great distances decided to throw away a pay day to prove a point? Riders are individuals and adverse to Unions which is why the SRA was a complete waste of time. They chose not to ride because they don't want to be injured or damage machinery on what they considered an unsafe track nothing more nothing less. No conspiracy just a bunch of idiots at the helm who couldn't prepare a track. The BSPA chose Coventry and they must carry the can. All this nonsense about an investigation. Pretty difficult to be impartial when its your own fault. How the management committee get voted in year after year after so many disasters i really don't know

Sorry for everyone who made the trip.

Because of the expense for the last few years i have gone upper tier. I have sat in the lower at the exit of bend two and i did like it due to the close proximity of the track and riders and wouldn't agree that the view is poor if you get a ticket thats not front couple of rows Middle tier for me is too packed. I prefer the upper and for the last two years have sat at the start of bend three and the view is pretty good. I have been lucky enough to have beer spilt on me in all tiers and from drinkers of many nationalities not just poles and as a non drinker would be happy for the stadium to ban beer in the stadium apart from on the concourse, they do it for football why treat others differently it just spoils the day.

I wouldn't want Barry Hearne around speedway he's just a Wannabee Terry Russell Ageist comments make you and you're comments irrelevant but i will lower myself to address the music theme. As a fifty odd year old i hate most of the music that would be provided i.e Black music of any description , Garage and so on. The only stuff that works for me is metal a choice which wouldn't go down well which i can understand but given most attend for the racing i don't see why massive speakers an idiot with sound system blasting people against their wishes has to be tolerated. Given that speedway supporters regularly introduce the younger generation to the sport i doubt you're idea of getting rid of dads army as you put it has been thought out properly Time for a rethink young man...make sure you do your home work first though

West ham / Hackney in more than one era Rye House / Mildenhall as big as any in the late seventies Can't see it happening for the reason you state..money. Seems crazy that the most profit can be got from the lowest of the three leagues but then again says an awful lot about the structure of the sport

Shame our GP rider is absent as it weakens the Rockets. That said i doubt Ipswich will manage 45 pts.

First meeting for Rye too so no disadvantage there. I still think that Panthers will have a good season but they may suffer from being a bit top heavy.

Craig Saul and Edwin Overland are an excellent team at Peterborough. Knowledgeable, clear, precise. Great to have Craig at Rye House far better than some we have had to put up with over the years.

Dryml was disappointing. The crowd looked very good better than for any of my visits for the EL in the last few years

The way the meeting went i thought we were going to blow it like so many meetings last year. Great heat fifteen from Kennett and Boxall had Bunyan been riding it would have been a more comfortable win. Expensive looking crash for Blackbird and Boxall just pleased they were able to walk away. Good all round performance from the Rockets but a bit of a wake up call for Jason G who was talking about ending the season as No1 and looking forward to the Elite next year. When he gets himself back to his best the Rockets will be very difficult to beat. Thats the art of team building, top heavy teams rarely succeed as was shown tonight. Unless the big four perform every night they will struggle.

I will make the trip although its a massive task. I like the look of Our team Over the full season but looking at the Panthers top give i can see a comfortable home win. Similarly the return fixture will be another big home win i think

i think you might be surprised at how many share your view. Great memories of Mauger bending the tapes at Custom House with the ref trying to catch him out. Added to the excitement unlike the joke of the unsatisfactory start that prompts all riders to return to the pits wasting another ten minutes and turning a once exciting sport to a real bore sometimes.

No i didn't misunderstand him i was just saying its a great race track i go there a lot and agree you can get hit by dirt including on the straights but the best place to stand is 2nd bend but of course if you have your best clobber on then you sit in the stand

Sharing a rider? Surely its Coventry sharing a Rye House asset is it not. Doubt Mr Silver would enquire of a third party before planning his own press day. Covered in crap it maybe but it's the best place to watch racing at one of the very best race tracks in the country. Should be some decent action and hope we do ok,no Bunyan is a blow and Peterboro have a very good looking side

Very disappointing, he will be sorely missed this year. For me the most exciting rider in the series, interviews well and comes across as a nice bloke. A big miss. Sad indictment of how little the riders gain directly from taking part in the GP's earning their real money via sponsorship. Remember Leigh Adams comments on how difficult it was to make the GP's pay. Still we mustn't say anything anti BSI and the FIM must we

Was it likely that the three year GP contract was going to be extended?

Taken out of context or not any Promoter past or present who feels that fans do not have a voice unless of course they tow the party line is a large reason that speedway is in such a bad way. Since the mid seventies i started paying my way rather than being taken to speedway by my Dad. On average i attend between sixty and eighty meetings which at today's costs is around £1500 a year when including parking, programme and entrance. Add to that travel costs speedway is by far my biggest outlay. Multiply that sum by forty years and i have contributed directly around £60000 towards the BSPA members coffers. Several times i have found the need to contact Promoters about concerns etc but sadly i have only ever had two responses one from a Lady on behalf of Rick Frost at Peterborough and they were very professional. Equally and surprisingly for me Graham Drury vas very gracious and responded the same day on both occasions. Unfortunately most follow and support the James Easter way. No wonder the sport is in trouble with most of the owners disrespecting the fans, but lets face it Mr Easter makes money from fans so nothing he utters would ever surprise me. The only thing that really surprises me is that TMC is surprised by the reaction on here.

Sadly the "waiting for a County Ambulance" has become the norm rather than exception

A good day all round and an excellent interview with Terry Betts. Well worth taking the time to go

Little interest for me in riders numbers but common sense re the draw for GP's should come into play. I see no interest generated in the rider draw for the GP's and upon buying a programme it's an irritation having to write the riders into the program. Lets get back to just having the draw done before the programme is printed. Try and explain why,when completing the rider lineup to so some new to the sport that oh yes Tai Woffinden is actually no 1 but for the programme he is actually no 15 and oh yes chris harris is number 37 but he's actually no 1 for tonight. Four riders riding four laps can be so complicated. Back to basics please Mr BSI.

When will people get off the Poole kick. Not my team but this had nought to do with Poole other than Havvy made a wise choice of venue and has obviously benefitted from a decent stadium with a good following and a lot of help from the promotion. As pirate Nick said a general wave of support from the sensible fans won the day, hope its a really successful night for him he deserves it. like colin pratt who was pushed out maybe? Lets remember the manager is only as good as the tools provided which were pretty poor last year