Man in black

Wish I knew how to post my photo, ‘cos it’s even worse now! See that triangular field just above the stadium? All new houses. And the brownish area just below the warehouse behind the main stand? Those houses are now finished. Woo Hoo! managed it!! This was the stadium on 12 Feb 2019......

Yeah, they look different from 1000ft as well. It’s pretty clear from the unfinished stubs of new road that the development is intended to overrun the current stadium site plus the warehouse behind the main stand. The remaining space just does not look big enough to me for a new stadium. Hope I’m wrong.....

I flew over Blunsdon a couple of weeks ago in a light aircraft and was quite shocked by what I saw. The stadium is now surrounded on three sides by new housing, some of which is right up to the stadium boundary. Don’t see how re-shaping the existing track will help, nor does it look like there is enough remaining space for a new stadium. I can post a photo if someone can tell me how?

Just tried to watch this afternoon's replay of Poole vs Swindon on my laptop at my inlaws who have BT Internet with BT Sport. Yes, I got the meeting but the left third of the screen was taken up by a panel showing football scores which changed every few seconds and the bottom quarter by a panel with a constantly running football news ribbon. This not only knocked the speedway down to just over half the screen but also made it completely unwatchable, so I gave up and watched it on YouTube instead. If I tune to a channel showing 2 hrs of speedway, why does BT Sport think I actually want to see 2 hrs of football scores and news? So glad I don't subscribe to BT Sport .......

You really have got it in for Mr Sandhu, haven't you. Remind me who won the Elite League in 2010 and who was the club owner - and how the speedway authorities rewarded him for his success? Maybe if they'd acted differently we wouldn't be where we are today. Avtar Sandhu made no secret he bought the stadium for redevelopment, but the economic climate made that unviable in the short term. He could have let the site become derelict, but instead he invested and we have had a further 7 seasons of speedway and stox under his ownership. Also a further 7 years to find an alternative venue, 'cos we knew this was coming at some point. Doubt we'll ever find out the truth behind the current shambles, but I'm quite sure all parties bear some responsibility. Speedway fans would be outnumbered 5 to 1 so I doubt anyone would notice - but I follow both sports and please don't think the stox fans are any less p****ed off than the speedway fans.

Technical summary here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitromethane. (Never quite trust "Wiki" but this seems to be pretty much OK). Amongst other things nitromethane releases oxygen on combustion and this is the primary "benefit" when used in small amounts as an additive to methanol. This of course changes the combustion process inside the engine, so unless you change the jetting and ignition to suit its main effect is to double the cost of your fuel and halve reliability. I'll bet Ivan Mauger got it right though......... True, but model aero fuel is 15-20% oil 'cos the engines are 2-strokes..... Sponge inside the carb is an interesting idea - I can see that it might work, though my gut feeling is that a big squirt of nitro is just as likely to kill the engine as give you a lightning getaway..... must try it sometime!

If you're thinking of Birmingham Wheels: 1) It's a complete dump 2) It was tarmac-ed years ago and is still an active stock car track 3) It's future is far from certain anyhow http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-21833246 (though this is now over 12 months old)

Just had a look at Beaumont Park on Google maps satellite view & it's not hard to see why the racing is poor. From the air it looks like Belle Vue, only narrower. Makes an interesting comparison with other recent "green field" tracks like Somerset, Scunthorpe & Redcar and you have to ask who thought it would be a good idea to build it like this? Long straights, tight bends with narrow entry & exit = no room to pass. https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.6688119,-1.1598311,483m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en (Leicester) https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.2302026,-2.9555397,250m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en (Somerset)

I wonder how many other riders have seen how Tai's application, dedication and hard work have transformed a reasonably talented rider into a proper World Champion and thought "If he can do that, so can I......". Could there be a few more surprises when the tapes go up in 2014?

Whoa.......steady on there Westhamboy! I may not like his tattoos, but where did I suggest Tai was a bad person or that his choice in body art was "socially unacceptable"? Indeed I thought I had judged him for his performance - to quote my own post "...he put in one hell of a lot of work off track, is unquestionably the most improved rider of 2013 and a deserving World Champ to boot.. "

I'm no fan of Woffinden but he put in one hell of a lot of work off track, is unquestionably the most improved rider of 2013 and a deserving World Champ to boot (still hate the "tats" though...). Top of the pile for me in 2013 – but can he keep it going this year? Ward has more talent than any rider I've seen in 40 years & if he learns from Tai he could become the best ever – time will tell. He's the rider I most enjoy watching on track. As an earlier poster said, we don't see Hampel in the UK so it's harder to judge. Personally I see him in the Leigh Adams mould – a superb rider lacking the final piece to put him at the very top. Pity Emil's season finished early – could he have held off Woffinden? Will he be World Champ in the future? "Maybe" to the first, "I hope so" to the second. NKI had a great 2013, but best in the world? Not just yet. Holder didn't look like keeping his crown, but the Coventry crash finished that anyway. I just hope he makes a full recovery back to his best.

No question for me – Exeter, especially in the Mauger/Autrey/Verner years. I was living in Bristol at the time and, although Swindon was much closer, I preferred to go to Exeter. It didn't matter if the racing was often poor – you were so close to the action it was simply breathtaking. My favourite spot was coming off bend 4 just by the steps to the upstairs bar. Seeing Ivan Mauger (and many more of the world's greatest riders) stop right in front of me to do a practice start, often less than an arm's length away will always remain amongst my greatest speedway memories. The track was so fast and the bends so narrow that overtaking was rare and only for the brave, but watching the home riders setting up and making a 4th bend outside pass was a real treat. Just a shame it didn't happen more often. A County Ground memory of a different sort was a Bank Holiday Monday meeting circa 1977, Exeter v Reading I think. It was a hot day and the place was packed (how times have changed.....) with loads of well-dressed families standing three and four deep on the bends. When the dust cleared after the first race there were a lot of brown, coughing people looking for spaces on the straights. I guess they hadn't been to the County Ground before.............

One of my most memorable moments from the EL on Sky was a top rider being interviewed after a critical heat in a close match and saying "I have absolutely no idea what the score is...." At that moment I realised that the only difference between individual metings and team meetings is that the rider's points are added together at the end. This single event is one of the main reasons my interest in league speedway has evaporated - if the team members themselves don't care, then why should the fans?

Maybe, but these sports don't seem to have a problem attracting spectators. What point are you trying to make?

Most of this post is absolutely spot on (though I'd reckon the chance is 90% by what I've seen this season) - it's all about entertainment and value for money to attract the casuaI spectators rather than relying on the die-hard fans. They don't need to know who won - they enjoy it just the same. I wonder what the admission price was for the banger meeting - bet it was less than the speedway......... Just one thing though - please don't confuse "crash-n-bash" Bangers with Stock Car racing! I'm a stock car fan as well as a speedway fan and I can assure you that Formula 1 stock car racing is very much a serious motorsport. There's a lot of money invested in hi-tech equipment and the lap times at Coventry for the F1s are very similar to the speedway bikes, so they sure aren't slow! I'd recommend any speedway fan to put their prejudices aside and go to Brandon on the first Saturday of the month for the Brisca F1 meeting. I'm sure you'll enjoy it, but don't be late 'cos there'll be a big crowd!