BobC

I have it on authority that there were only 600 paying customers. Big loss for the BSPA wont have gone down well,although at last it seems they are thinking of changing it from Lakeside.

Aplogies for the scant information on the live updates website last night.Sue called me at 7.45pm to ask,almost beg me to text any info. I was texting Steven the details by helmet colour only,ie: RBWY 60.0.It was only after 8 hts that a friend of mine called and told me the scorers. At that point,it became apparent that the heat details given to Steven were incorrect.After several phone calls we managed to rectify the situation.Apologies for that,but it wasnt either of our faults. Steve Worrall will ride in the Ukraine qualifier at Chervonograd,which is on 15th MAY,not this weekend! Auty somehow managed to walk back to the pits after his fall in the final,and they also wheleed his bike back as well! Quite astonishing in itself. Not a bad meeting at all,it got better as it went on. In all the confusion,I somehow lost a bag,so Im not too happy today.I will be going to Herxheim on Sunday,to support the Brits in their qualifier.Best of luck to Joe Haines,Jerran Hart,Kyle Newman and Josh Auty, NO,I will not be texting from there! I will do a report upon my return. Many thanks to Steven,who must wondered what had hit him last night! I understand he was also doing the updates for the Emil Kramer meeting.Well done mate.

Do keep up. Seperate thread altogether,long before this announcement. http://www.speedway-forum.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=62578&st=0

Fabulous evening to say our Farewells to Mark. I must say that at 2pm,when it was still raining hard,I genuinely feared it may not go ahead.The rain stopped just after and slowly improved until the sun finally came out at around 5pm.Imagine my surprise as I entered the Stadium at around 6-15pm to see the track staff frantically watering the circuit! A superb turnout,at least double from the previous meeting vs Eastbourne and fans from all over the country there as well.Former World Champion Freddie Williams and former Pirate Ken Middleditch too.I saw Mike Hunter and his good lady,while fans from Berwick,Workington right down to Plymouth were also spotted.It really was a party atmosphere. Some interesting racing made for a good night even allowing for the dust.Freddie fully deserved his win,as always fast and stylish.Crump putting in some robust 1st turns and very fast as well.Personally,I wasnt too bothered about the quality of racing,I was there simply to support Mark. You could sense the emotion as Mark came out for his final few laps.Wonderful to see him again,although very sad once he stopped.The style was still there,The speed was still there.Alas the fitness wasnt! The only disappointment was that the PA broke down just as Mark was going to be interviewed after his laps.Once that got sorted,you could sense his genuine concern for Alex Davies following his alrming fall late in the meeting.That sums Mark up perfectly.It was his night,yet he was genuinely upset that Alex got injured while doing him a favour. Legend is a word often over used.Not in Marks case though.It fits him perfectly. Mark Loram.............Speedway Legend.

Dull but dry at the moment. Our local weather forecast is suggesting light rain before lunch,clearing early afternoon and for a sunny evening. This is my biggest meeting of the season.Supercedes any other meeting. Ive just got to say goodbye to one of,if not THE the most exciting riders to ever grace the Pirates race jacket.

Hi Sandie, Yes its me. The Turbo let go.Surprised you didnt see the smoke up your way!Got a spare £500-ish?!! Fortunately,we only got as far as Eastleigh.Now safely back home and waiting for the dreaded call from the garage on Monday. Im hoping the old saying of 'things will only get better' is true.These things happen. I hope everyone has a great time today.

Leaving at 8am to attend this meeting. Lets put all rivalries to one side and have a fun day out. Good luck to everyone involved today. Lets make loads of money for this very,very worthwhile cause. See you there.

Oh no!! See you there mate. Zetters: You might be interested to know that I attended the meeting last night.I took along over 100 photos of Poole/Southampton from the 1950's.While looking through them,a guy came over and started to identify more riders than he couldnt. I spent the rest of the night chatting with him. None other than former Wolves and Oxford rider Hasse Holmqvist.A delightful chap who is over here helping Dennis Andersson.I even found an old photo with him in it,and he was delighted when I gave it to him. I WAS considering going to the Ice meetings,but I couldnt miss this chance to support a genuine Poole legend.

I was at the GB v Russia meeting in 1964. As a 9 year old making his Wembley debut,it was and still is the most thrilling memory in my speedway lifetime.It still sends a chill down my spine just thinking about it. To think,the real reason for going to London that day was to visit the Motorcycle Show at Earls Court.On the way there,we spotted some posters advertisng the meeting.We changed our plans in an instant. Thanks Dad.

A very long but fun day out.Left home at 8am and back home at 2am. 1st time back at Telford for over 10 years.Great to meet up with so many friends.From Plymouth to Berwick and most places in between. Well done to Tony Atkin for his win,thoroughly deserved. Loved Smoli and friends for their entertainment before and after races.They were clearly having fun. Now,can we PLEASE get on with the 'real' thing? Hope to see a lot of folk at Scunny for the Benfund meeting.

A report in our local rag, The Echo today.... http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/sport/8838135.Pirates__Gollob_will_ride_for_Loram_s_big_night/ Gollob,Crump,Lindgren,Harris,Nicholls all named as starters. Gollob has lets us down before,although I sincerely hope that he does make this meeting. Fingers crossed for Mark. The ONE guaranteed meeting for me 2011.

Aaah of course.Brendans blast down the back straight,not once,but twice. It was also the meeting that you introduced me to Parsloes....!! I must get you back for that sometime! (Only Kidding Derek.)

Didnt Weymouth win it at Stoke in 2008? It was an excellent meeting in very tricky conditions,I seem to remember.

I understand from Kyle that there was absolutely nothing against him personally.The riders felt that it was an Aussie Championship,and rightly,imo,questioned why he was in.ALL the riders made sure he knew it was nothing personal against him at all. The answer was simple.The authorities wanted someone to commit to all 3 of the remaining rounds.For their own reasons,for which I dont know,no one came forward.Kyle came forward.Hence his inclusion.He was pleased with his efforts although of course he would have liked to do better. Once again thanks to everyone in Aus for their continued reports from the meetings etc.Its very much appreciated here in the UK.

Well the Jon Erskine, of speedway fame, presented Lee Smart with the New Year Classic Trophy at Newport on Sunday. See Speedway Star for the photographic proof!

Not a bad meeting at all.Certainly one of the better Classics. Only two gripes about the day. The queues for and drink was stupid.One guy came round past us and said he watched 8 races while getting a coffee! The other being NO PA at all on the first and second turns.We second guessed the Semis and Final.Same for the reserve changes throughout.Lucky I had read up on the full field,as no one around was aware of the reserves! Great to meet up with so many speedway friends.Had a really fun day with the Plymouth fans on the first turn.It was a little chilly,but hey,who cares? Brilliant company,good laugh,good beer,and last but not least,a good meeting.Ive seen far worse on balmy summers day. Heartiest congratulations to all the riders for getting stuck in.It was obvious before the meeting got under way that most were not too happy.Lets be honest here.If this meeting was in mid summer,it wouldnt have even got a wheel on track.All credit the track staff.So for the riders to perform as they did,they all need a heartly handshake for their efforts. Have to admit Smart isnt a favourite of mine,but a what a cracking ride in the Final.Well done that man.

Mark Loram is to have a Farewell Meeting in 2011. He has chosen to hold it at Poole. If there is only one meeting I attend next season, this would be it. Good luck Mark.Fully deserved. Link here..... http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/sport/8748720.Pirates__Watt_and_Loram_to_receive_Poole_benefits/

Well all I keep hearing from various friends round the country is that KL go to Elite and Plymouth go to PL. I guess we will all have to wait until Mondays new announcement.

I have heard that travel was one of the considerations. If thats the case,how the hell did Trelawny get to ride? From a personal perspective,one of the more difficult tracks to get to is Kings Lynn.I love to watch racing there,but getting to and from there is horrible.I can get to Sheffield and Scunthorpe with a much easier drive. I have also heard (unconfirmed) that Mike Bowden didnt present a good business plan. Whatever League the Devils race in,I will always enjoy my trips down there.Ive met some smashing folk down there,and made some great friends. At first,I didnt enjoy it there,however,they have sorted out the track,it does provide for some superb racing.NL wise,certainly more entertaing than provided at Bournemouth.

The Dorset Echo article.... http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/sport/8638881.Cats_run_out_of_lives/

from the Official Website. at http://www.weymouthwildcats.co.uk/html/november_2010.html WEYMOUTH WILDCATS was today forced to close in a dramatic turn of events which has seen the BSPA annul the club and the landlords repossess the stadium and change the locks. Wildcats chairman Phil Bartlett said; “It’s a relief today to learn from the stadium owners Wessex Delivery that they have today taken the stadium back into their own hands which I agreed to due to non payment. I will be collecting my personal belongings at a later stage.” “It’s a great shame as I had a buyer in place and received confirmation from my solicitor this weekend that there was an undertaking to take on all the existing liabilities and to clear all outstanding monies. The club was set to be taken forward, but this will now not be the case.” “It’s a great shame that the BSPA have also stepped in and annulled Weymouth Speedway as well. The licence returns to the BSPA along with the clubs riding assets. This is for non-payment to the BSPA despite the fact that they have owed me money for two years whereas I owe them six months money.” “I can now quite clearly concentrate on my family life and business and actually have a holiday in the summer like most normal working people. Also not having to arrange a meeting on a weekly basis for it to be unsustainable with insufficient people in attendance is a great relief. Despite the promotions that the club has done and winning the league in 2008 Weymouth Speedway has always made a loss.” “I think it’s a fantastic sport and I wish any prospective person who looks to take the club over and negotiates with the stadium owner and the BSPA I wish them all the luck in the world, but speedway in Weymouth in unsustainable in the current climate and format that speedway runs.” Training session dates booked through the off season have obviously now been cancelled.

I can personally vouch for that.Ray and I came through the turnstiles together and were stood chatting by the pits when the above happened.Ive NEVER seen Ray so upset, and we have been friends for over 30 years. If there is one person more highly thought of concerning Weymouth Speedway than Ray,then I havent met them. With the comments made on here yesterday,and subsequently removed,and previous comments made by the same person,is it any wonder why Weymouth Speedway is in such a state? Very very sad. The sooner the sale goes through, the better.

Congratulations to everyone concerned at Buxton. Especially to Jayne and the Moss Family. Deserved Champions.

To be honest,I dont give a damn anymore. This whole scenario is a complete farce. At the start of any season,there are only two absolutely vital fixtures.The Play Off Finals. We dont even have one of those now. A sure fire way to keep the terraces empty. Even I cant be bothered with this one off meeting.Had it been a proper Home and Away Final,I would have gone to both legs. If the meeting goes ahead,I sincerely hope all the riders stay safe. The result means absolutely nothing to me at all.

Had text to say its OFF tonight. Now confirmed on BSPA website. Now what happens?