speedybee

Exciting meeting but Garry May really messed up the psychology - both by choosing the home leg first and then that nonsense of wanting a 20 point lead to take to Wimborne Road. Almost a foregone conclusion?

What a thriller!

Certainly an incident-packed meeting with a punch up in the pits between Lawson and Andersen (the latter, although slower, was strangely trying to block Richard and they almost came to grief) and then that horrendous crash that caused the meeting to be abandoned due to four air fence panels being deflated. Allen seemed to tangle with Josh Auty and got thrown up in the air and onto his back before tumbling, whilst Auty's throttle jammed and he headed off into the fence collecting Lawson as he went. Robson escaped it all on the inside. Horrible to watch. A shame as the racing had been fantastic up to that point despite not being a close contest.

Yep, did you notice Doyle riding the boards for the whole of at least one of his rides? .. equally fast as the inside line. And even Summers using the outside line early on to good effect.

Covatti's gutsy from-the-back passing of Kurtz and Woryna was my pick of tonight's racing. First meeting this year at Oak Tree where the racing was quite pedestrian. Usually it's been spectacular, especially for outside line passing.

Third visit to Poole this year and all three have been disappointing for racing, but not as dull as Swindon. I'm realising how spoilt I am to be attending my newly-adopted home track of Somerset. We just need to persuade Charles Wright back now...

Charles Wright badly missed

Slightly different when that heat is only your second programmed ride though and the rider in question is effectively a home heat leader. No wonder he took it personally. I really hope they can make it up. As an exiled Bees supporter who moved to Somerset last year I've really been enjoying my visits to the track and especially the spectacle that is Charles Wright in full effect riding the boards.

I transcribed an audio recording of Garry May being interviewed at the start of tonight's meeting over the Charles Wright incident. Many fans around seemed really rattled that Charles had gone. "Garry May : “Heat 4 ...we were 6 points down, gate 1 was good, Charles had had a bad race and so I decided to put Jason Doyle in and it all kicked off, it was really bad, you know, swearing and that…and I can't take that. Anyway I let it go, I thought it was heat of the moment stuff and anyway and he went out and won the race so I was hoping he’d come and apologise… I need to keep to team manage, I made that decision and it all kicked off and afterwards it kicked off again and obviously I was just waiting for him to apologise to me. I gave him Thursday, Friday, Saturday before I started talking to other riders … if he wasn’t going to come back in the team, i would have had to use a National League rider. All I wanted was an apology...even if he didn’t mean it, he would be here tonight. That’s all I wanted. I’m his boss at the end of the day and as team manager I need to make decisions and that’s what I decided." (announcer recaps) GM : “the aim is to win all the home matches and the aim is make the play offs when you’re six points down ….Charles is a good rider but when you’ve got the world champion sitting there and Jason would have done the race.. It’s hard because I helped Charles out financially this year and all the time he has been here and for him to turn round and treat me like that, I can’t take it because I’m the manager and I have to make decisions and if he kicks off and the others kick off, there’s no point in me being here, I might as well walk. All I wanted was him to text me and say “Yeah, I’m very sorry about the other night” …I know it’s adrenaline and that, and I even put him in Heat 15, so there’s nothing against him, I thought that pairing of Wright and Doyley would give me the 3-3 plus so Wolves would get no points Announcer question: As we are now Garry, if Charles was to apologise to you now would you take him back? GM : "I don’t know if the rules would let me do it, but if the rules would do…. but its unfair on the other riders tonight… I just can’t say that at all"

Do you mean 'save Coventry speedway'? If you do, it's essentially a Facebook group that we set up, as well as organising two public meetings, arranging one to one meetings with Rugby DC, MH, Heaver and others. We've certainly been working away behind the scenes , given that essentially it is just two of us and the amount of work that Dave Carter has put in on the planning side has been huge. I have had to move from the Midlands and am crazy busy with my main work project so I've done what I can from the south coast since January, keeping in touch with developments and doing several interviews with BBC C&W as well as driving up on Wednesday to join forces with the new group brought together by Jeff Davies and David Rowe. There may not have been much to say publicly with such a complicated debacle of a situation but rest assured, we are all working away to do what we can and you will see plenty of movement and initiative in the coming weeks. Pete

Just under £1m

Please sign up to the Facebook page to support this meeting. We need a good turnout of Bees fans and all speedway supporters welcome! SAVE BRANDON STADIUM MEETING https://www.facebook.com/events/567713210068592/

Plenty of positive action been taking place behind the scenes.. and now this SAVE COVENTRY SPEEDWAY Brandon Stadium: Notice of Meeting 26 May 2016 We feel it is time to hold another public meeting on the proposed redevelopment of Brandon Stadium and we hope to attract a heathy turnout from the speedway and stock car fraternity as well as local residents. There is lot to catch up on such as the representations we made to the Rugby Local Plan, the potential new stadium proposals, arrangements for the 2017 season, the application made to designate the existing stadium as an asset of community value (ACV). A draft agenda is set out below and if anyone has suggestions to add or amend this please let us know. We hope to see as many of you as possible there but please remember this meeting like our first meeting last July isn't a protest meeting - it is a constructive forum for keeping the fans in touch with what is planned for the future at Brandon and for speedway and stock car racing. Meeting: Save Brandon Stadium 7.30 to 10pm Thursday 26 May 2016 Location: Scarman House Lecture Theatre Scarman House Conference Centre University of Warwick CV4 7SH and Conference Park: CV4 7AL This postcode will direct you to Gibbet Hill Road, the main road through the University. When you reach the campus, you’ll find signposts for Radcliffe, Scarman and Conference Park (Signed Central Campus). - See more at: http://www.warwickconferences.com/about-us/how-to-find-us… Draft Agenda 1. Welcome and introductions. 2. Recap: what has happened to date. 3. Contributions and updates will be invited from Jeremy Heaver (Stadium Manager and Coventry Motofest), Mick Horton (Coventry Speedway), Rugby Borough Council and Binley Woods, Brandon & Bretford Parish Councils and Frampton's. 5. Q&A and open discussion. 6. Summary of key action points.

I missed the Poole meeting so my first speedway for over a month! Looking forward to a close meeting...

Very slick track = pretty boring meeting with very little to cheer for Bees fans. We need to do better. At least The Cotswolds looked lovely driving down. That's about the only positive from the latter part of the day. Glad to be home.

To surrender rights in this way should only be done if there's a fair amount of dosh involved, which I'm not sure there is in Sky's case any more. If there is an unfulfilled need, someone will fill it, seemingly amateurs on Periscope. There's so much that could be done with live streaming of speedway and with declining crowds at the tracks, this has to be looked at seriously and quickly. IMHO.

Speedway has to embrace social media and live link ups generally, for meetings like this and for actual meetings. I did bring up the question of a social media and technology strategy for the sport at the meeting and (I think) had a fairly positive reaction but whether anyone follows through, we'll have to see. I'm more than happy top put time in advising on a few ideas I have if anyone wants to listen..

It would be Sandhu.

Interview here https://audioboom.com/boos/4170241-jeremy-heaver

SAVE COVENTRY SPEEDWAY UPDATE 050216 The Save Coventry Speedway supporters group will this month be making representations towards the Rugby Borough Council's local plan which will set out what we consider to be a strong case for retention of the existing stadium with a proviso to review that situation if and when a realistic and viable funded alternative comes forward which has the relevant support from Rugby Borough Council and the other relevant authorities. We feel this is consistent with the mandate given by those attending the meeting last July. It is still our principal objective to attempt the safeguard the future of motorsports in Coventry/Rugby area thus ensuring continuation of the long and rich heritage of both speedway and stock car racing and enjoyed by thousands of race fans. We will publish the representations in due course we make thus giving an opportunity for race fans to express their support for them.

Speedway doesn't need "inferior betting broadcasts" it needs top quality pay-per-view broadcasting, with top commentary and analysis so that people really want to go and experience the real thing. I don't know for sure that it won't cut crowds but somehow the sport needs to be attracting the next generation of fans and following a policy of protection rather than imaginative broadcasting and sharing isn't going to do that.

Speedway needs to enter the 21st century and start getting this organised asap. Quite a lot of music venues do this now (i.e. http://theconvent.net from Stroud) . It really isn't going to cut crowds, if anything (and if it's done properly) it has the potential to increase them significantly

Belle Vue for the title..

I have posted a PDF of draft minutes of the meeting on the Facebook page. We invite those who attended to add comment to those minutes. https://www.facebook.com/groups/savecoventryspeedway/?fref=ts

The breakfast show has many reports of interview this morning. Great turnout, packed hall - good mixture of local residents, and speedway and stox fans. Will report more later but everyone there was very positive about the meeting. Thanks to all fans who supported us.