BobC

I hope not.

This is a Plymouth speedway thread. I come here to read about the Gladiators. All this other nonsense doesnt belong here. As it happens, I prefer racing on smaller tracks..

Obviously youve never been there have you? The Arena is rented from a local school. Speedway share the pitch side dressing rooms and allow for them to keep a rugby pitch behind the back straight. There is little scope to widen the track as there is only about a 15ft walkway between the stand and rugby pitch. No point in lengthening the straights as that would create problems for riders with the extra speed going into the tight turns. I have been a heavy critic of the state of the track preparation over recent few seasons. To the point of Mark Phillips saying he would ban me.! I say what I see and that doesnt sit easy with some people. We had several meetings called off because of the state of the track, not the weather. That said, Mark has worked his socks off in remedying the situation. I cant possibly argue with that. The last couple of meetings of 2019 you could see the effort paying off. The track did improve a fair bit. In 2020, Plymouth ran 2 meetings under very strict Covid regulations. Their organisation was absolutely top notch. Clear instructions from volunteers at every pinch point throughout the meeting. The track itself stood up very well indeed. How much of that was due to constant preparation ,lack of weekly action, I dont know. But, in my opinion, it was a good as its ever been, if not the best ever. Before the start of the 2nd meeting. I bumped into Mark and congratulated him personally on his fore thought and arrangements. I felt 100% safe. Add in the superb stand along the start finish straight, they made for a a good atmosphere with everyone that I know going home with a big smile. Indeed it was very disappointing when they cancelled the next fixture because the Covid situation had changed, I totally accept that. For Mark and his team to go out and gain promotion and deliver two excellent signings shows his intent. He IS listening to fans on just about everything. I applaud him and his team on their efforts so far. I wish them well for 2021, except of course against Poole!

I would be very pleased if it is.

If Pitgate52 says its Tuesdays, thats what it will be. She is very much involved with the Management.

I have nothing but huge regards for Geoff. He became Captain at Poole in 1963 and served us brilliantly until his move to Reading in 1971. In fact, I still think of him as our BEST EVER Captain

Loved watching Pogo. I was only 10 when Rybnik turned up at Poole in 1965, three riders shone like a beacon. Woryna scored a paid max,behind Pogo, Wyglenda only lost his paid max because of a failing motor. Pogo was majestic scoring a full 12pt max in their 52-26 win over the Pirates. Followed them all for the rest of their careers. RIP Pogo.

Plymouth have called time on the 2020 season See link here. https://plymouth-speedway.com/chequered-flag-comes-down-on-gladiators-2020-season/ While sad that there wont be anymore action this season, I have to agree with their reasoning. Mark and his team have quite rightly received a lot of compliments of how everything has been handled at this testing time. Their communication has been exceptional. It goes a long way to keeping fans happy. I, for one, cant wait for next season, whatever League they run in. I hope the locals get right behind them.Their efforts this season deserve support. Well done to all involved. See you in 2021.

I couldnt agree more. I dont trust them any further than the end of my nose. Money is all they are interested in.

Actually, 3 are planned! Obviously awaiting the Covid clarification. Tuesday 29th Sept v Leicester Lion Cubs Saturday 10th October Colin Hill Memorial Saturday 17th October Plymouth v IoW I sincerely hope Mark gets the go ahead to run all of these.

1. 52.21 2.No time Awarded 3.52.75 4.53.06 5.54.59 6.53.78 7.52.28 8.52.00 9.52.44 10. No time Awarded 11.52.00 12.52.28 13.52.91 14.53.53 15.52.71 There were 4 x 500cc sidecar races afterwards, but didnt record any details myself.

I said last time that I would happily congratulate Mark Phillips in person on a meeting well controlled. I did exactly that last night. This meeting was just as efficiently organised as last week. The new lighting for the fans is superb.Makes a huge difference. The only time I left my seat was for the loo and get a tea from the track shop on bend 4. Once at ground level, looking up at the lights really sets the arena off. Quite impressive. My only complaint about the evening is that, apart from referee Christina Turnbulls howler in heat 10, theres nothing to complain about! Everything so far is right on the money. Christina got ht10 completely wrong. She excluded Joe Thompson for foul riding on Alfie Bowtell. It wasnt, it was his brother Dan! Going into bend 3,Dan tried an inside lunge on Alfie. It didnt work and they touched, with Alfie falling. Incredibly, her decision was to exclude the innocent Joe who was minding his own business in 3rd place! Baffled everyone around us. Good to hear the dulcet tones of Rob Dyer acting as Master of ceremonies. That said, he did get the Thompson boys the wrong way round in ht3 and 7. Thats why clarification of the lads points were called for. Another very enjoyable meeting from start to finish. Well done Mark and his team.

Of course Dave, no problem. Very unlucky to fall while leading HT2,coming off bend 4 on the 3rd lap.Race awarded. A comfortable 3rd in Ht4, easily seeing off Butcher. Ht8 comfortable 3rd, before Davies retired.Ht14,once again a comfortable 3rd. His scores were FX,1+1,1+1, 1= 3+2. Could so easily have been 6+2. Loved his compact,neat and tidy style, he gives the impression of someone more experienced. Thoroughly enjoyed his efforts. You can see hes been tutored well.

Really looking forward to this meeting. PLYMOUTH: Alfie Bowtell, Chad Wirtzfeld, Jason Edwards, Richard Andrews, Henry Atkins, Arran Butcher, Sheldon Davies. GB YOUNG LIONS SELECT: Jordan Palin, Alex Spooner, Dan Thompson, Joe Thompson, Tom Brennan, Harry McGurk, Archie Freeman. First chance to see McGurk and Freeman in action. Fingers crossed that todays Covid announcements wont affect next weeks meeting v Leicester Lion Cubs. Will the October meetings go ahead, even if behind closed doors? If minimal crowds are allowed in, I will be there!

Wimbledon 54 v Coventry 24, 9th May 1968. Nigel Boocock scored 16 out of 18. Other than Nigels rides, it was a 5-1 to Wimbledon every time!

Be good to see you Rob. It was indeed a very enjoyable night out. Met up with Arnie G and Steve Miles too. Mark did a very good job on all fronts.

Where to start? Easy. From the moment of ordering a ticket, to going into the stadium, finding my vantage point, watching the racing and then leaving. Couldnt have been easier. It was easily the most enjoyable meeting I have been to at Plymouth for years. Everything was controlled perfectly, people always on hand for those who needed help. The track? I was critical of how things went last year. This time? Probably the best its been in my memory,(I was at the very 1st meeting here) So to that end, I certainly applaud Mark and his team for their efforts. Last night was deserved reward for all their hard work. Only a couple of minor things I didnt like so much. The parade presentation and after the 4 lap blast was a little chaotic.Needs sorting out. Also Mike on the mic, please learn how to pronounce riders names. Every time Alfie came out, we had a different version of his name as in Bow (front of a ship) tell as in bottle! Amusing to start with, but not so by the end of the evening.The constant cutting across announcing/Childsy interviewing too. Not my cup of tea. The riders deserve a huge amount of credit for the way they rode.I wasnt expecting to much, but they certainly got stuck in. Some terrific tussles.Well done to every one of them. The stadium itself has been transformed with a superb main stand,great viewing. Mark and his team have certainly worked very hard on that. I havent been to any of the other meetings in the UK this season, so have nothing to compare it to. Based on this meeting alone, Plymouth have certainly set a high standard for others to follow. I would give Mark and his team 99 out of 100. Sort out the presentation side of it and you would have had the 'perfect' speedway meeting. Oh, and if I could, I would happily shake Marks hand and congratulate him on,not only a job well done, but a job that British Speedway would have been proud of. Well done. Thank you for a very enjoyable nights entertainment.

Well done to the BBC. On this mornings local news bulletin at 06.25am,they showed a preview of tonights meeting. Hopefully, they will show it again throughout the morning. Fingers crossed that the efforts that the promotion have put into this bear a positive outcome.

Fair play to Plymouth for this positive article. Well worth a read. https://plymouth-speedway.com/gladiators-get-green-light/

That is very true. Pete was the only rider to ride very tight into bend 3 and not hit that bump. One night, Briggo was leading, hit the bump and Pete went through to win. The following laps, Briggo followed Petes line, but still hit that bump! Pete had his testimonial at Poole in 1976. Still very highly regarded here.

All this talk of Christer Lofqvist reminds me that he is my ALL TIME favourite rider. Fabulous rider both on and off the track. He finished 4th in the World Final 1972 on Saturday, yet at Poole on the Wednesday, he was our reserve, v Belle Vue! Remember the old system of supplementary reserve, based on the riders last 6 matches? Pete Smith has been mentioned before on this thread, but surely, 1962 to 1977 unbroken sequence for his one and only one club has to be right up there? Others may have been at their clubs longer,but not particularly their only club? Pete did a few guest bookings for non League Rye House Roosters, but it still remains a remarkable achievement, the likes of which we probably wont ever see again.

Pretty much the same for me. The recent rewind meetings have done little to rekindle any enthusiasm.

What a condescending and rude comment to make. I cant make it to Scunny tomorrow. So by your definition, I am not a real fan? Ive been a supporter for 64 years. Nice to know I dont matter.

I certainly agree with that. Last season, he rode in the NICE 2v Challenge on the IOW. Was happy to chat almost anytime, apart from when fitting the engine. After winning the meeting, he stood and chatted for a good 15 minutes about the differences of how the engines compared. He was smiling all day too. I like him a lot.

Ive seen both brothers regularly since they started at Newcastle. Ive always thought that Steve would be the better of the two Richie did a good job until his injury last season. I am confident that Steve will have an even better season this time round. No worries about Steve for me.