keepturningleft

Monmore is essentially just a cycle speedway track. Sheffield is a good shape and size, but, as already mentioned, way, way too narrow. Look at Lambert last year, storming it at BV but couldn't get through at Owlerton, no room.

If people are concerned about losing the noise and the smell, well the noise issue can be easily solved by putting on some headphones with the pre-recorded conventional sound of a race cued up on your phone/iPod. Solved.

Local MP Jane Stevenson was raising the issue of funding for grass root sports and congratulated Wednesfield Cycle Speedway Club for celebrating 60 years of existence. She must be a bit of a fan I think.

Wolverhampton Cycle Speedway Club just got a mention in the House of Commons from local MP!!

"Gary Newbon is in the pits and your commentator is Dave Lanning..."

Diddy David Hamilton was on GB news this morning talking about the time he brought Gary Glitter to Reading in 1973, and had him drive round the track in his Rolls Royce only to be met by a chorus of booing. Was anyone there who remembers this?

Janet Street Porter wrote about being taken to Wimbledon. John Cooper Clarke talks about visits to Belle Vue in his fairly recent and excellent autobiography.

Are people seriously thinking of cancelling PC from their memory because this? And no, it should not have have made public as this course of action was certain to round up a lynch mob, which it has, inevitably raising the toxic level of debate. Frequently on many Facebook postings and on this forum you will you will see Kenny Carter lauded as a hero - and he was a murderer, but apparently many people are happy to overlook/forgive him for that little misdemeanour. When it comes down to it, this is a squable between just a few people and represents a miniscule, even if unsavoury, footnote to the stellar career of PC, a man who, let me remind you, played a significant role in saving Belle Vue from complete extinction. Presumably we can assume that PC will now never visit Belle Vue, so effectively, this should draw a line under the whole sorry matter and we can all move along.

Wonder if Brenda Craven and her family have to phone ahead to gain admittance to the Peter Craven memorial trophy meeting …

Having just finished reading the section in PC’s book about the free pass issue, I have to say that I am with PC on this one. I can equate this with some personal experience of my own. For nearly 25 years I was technical director of a theatre in a Northern college where our students across three year groups, performed in total, around 10 shows throughout the year most of which were open to the public. With reasonable frequency over the years, former staff/tutors would return to watch shows and renew acquaintances. There was no question of charging them to come in. These were people who, in the main, had made important and valued contributions to the department through the years and the idea of charging them would have been embarrassing and demeaning. I can’t even recall this subject ever coming up for discussion at any staff meeting. I mean, how many former Belle Vue riders can there be that live in or near Manchester? A tiny handful. It seems quite mean spirited of the BV management to stick with such rigid formality rather than show some heart, waive the entrance fee and instead wave these valued old timers in. If PC had not been able to secure the aces future at the greyhound stadium after the Hyde road closure, it’s almost certain that Belle Vue speedway would have disappeared into complete oblivion and the management and staff currently enjoying their positions at the NSS wouldn’t even be there because the NSS would never have been built. BV owe Peter Collins a heck of a lot!

Fewer...

Change of subject...in a recent edition of the Star, a feature on a streaming service noted that Dave Lanning was the first voice of speedway. I say that Alan Weeks was in fact the first voice of speedway. Admittedly he didn't commentate on anything like the same number of meetings that Messrs Lanning and Pearson did etc, but during what speedway there was during the 60's, he was the voice.

I've just received the book and, it looks quite amazing even though I've only skipped through it. I don't know how these thing work but this book should be in Waterstones and all bookshops. PC is probably a better known name to anyone over 50 than Tai Woffinden who's book was obtainable from high street bookstores. This must be one of, if not the most impressive speedway book ever produced. Well done Tony Mac and all involved.

I almost can't quite believe the things that people will find to complain about. We now can't even see the simple release of a book without some form of controversy needing to surround it.

Shocking sour grapes from Messrs Ellis and Stead. Bad decisions, good decisions, justice, injustice, good luck, bad luck, all balance themselves out over a period of time.

On Facebook there are well over 100 comments about this meeting and all of them are joyous and positive as reflects a meeting that produced spectacular racing on a brilliant track. But on this forum it's all about Kelvin's commentary and "I've seen better racing elsewhere" etc etc. Facebook has replaced these forums now as far as I'm concerned where the level of debate seems to be generally more civilised.

Confirmation once again that there is no track in the UK that comes close to the NSS. The sheer speed of it with so many racing lines make it the most thrilling track to watch speedway

Thoroughly enjoyed the meeting. A sprinkling of overtaking with plenty of hard racing, a good crowd and a privilege to observe a master craftsman at work - Zmarzlik. And credit to Kelvin who's tone and words re the late Queen were spot on.

Interestingly, the Cardiff attendance was probably no worse than many Wembley events during the mega golden periods of the 60's and the 70's which weren't world finals. Check out, if you can, the superb wrap around photo on the current issue of Classic Speedway, showing a crowd around 25,000 for GB v Russia. No need to panic about Cardiff attendances just yet.

Eric must have been in his late 80's when he did the interview for backtrack, articulate and sharp as a button even at that age.

A huge figure in the history of Halifax Speedway. RIP Eric.

Maybe Kelv and co are instructed by their paymasters to keep comments positive. Boris Johnston will be out of a job soon and he is a Britains biggest habitual lier. Get him signed up!

The track last night was no worse than 2007 when Harris won, however there have been good Cardiff tracks in the past which have produced great racing which people find convenient to forget about. Clearly something has gone wrong this year so the main emphasis has to be making sure it doesn't happen again.

Some of the comments on here are extraordinary. Cardiff is not just about the racing and neither was Wembley which rarely produced racing to remember as other posters have highlighted. The occasions however were fantastic but Cardiff, a track smack in the middle of a vibrant modern European city, is even better. Cardiff has grown into an event on its own, quite separate from the domestic scene and for most people its a fantastic day out and its evolved into something quite special. Thats actually fairly obvious. Stepping out of Belle Vue into the evening sunshine of Gorton just isn't going to be the same. There isn't even a pub that close. The status of the GP would be diminished although I agree it would be nice to have BV for a 2nd GP. If you don't buy into the idea of Cardiff as an event, an occasion, then you are missing the point of Cardiff. Although the crowd may have been down this year, it is still by far the biggest crowd pulling event in British speedway.

If only I could find a time machine I would head straight back to the 70's and see world finals which also featured hardly any overtaking...