Mr Ore

You are 100% correct regarding both these meetings Matt altough Bob's memorial in 2010 was held on the Sunday following a rain off on the original scheduled Thursday date. The 60th anniversary meeting was exactly that and nothing to do with Bob's memorial. For SCB to state therefore that there have been 3 or 4 Bob memorials all held on a Sunday, which was posted in support of a recommendation that Shane should change the date of his meeting, was blaze and factually incorrect on several levels. It seems it was just posted to support an anti Shane stance of another poster. There is room for both these meetings so it is quite pathetic for some posters to try to set one against the other. However if that floats their boat I would expect some accuarcy in the supportive nformation. Sadly, unlike your own accurate details, some have made up "facts" to try to support their own bias.

Bob sadly passed away in January 2009 so not particularly accurate and even more disrespectful to imply memorials could have been held in advance of this. Two meetings held so far both originally set for Thursdays 18/3/10 and 22/9/11, although the first was rained off and only then rescheduled for the following Sunday. Never let facts get in the way of a good dig though. I would not expect Bob's family to be forced to stick to the established Thursday staging dates for this meeting though if they can be more successful by running on the Sunday. Nor would I expect Shane to be forced to change a long established date but I am not trying to create an anti Parker thread either. These are not a GP where we want to see the top riders but should be where respect to both riders can be given. If you genuinely want to show support therefore it would not depend on the field but the desire to contribute to a decent pay day. Although it is 3 times the distance I will be going to Owlerton on that date and not Swindon but I can't imagine anyone else from my locality going to either, even with the world’s best 16 riders in the field. To have two different dates would not make one jot of difference to attendances at either so let’s stop putting the memory of one great rider in direct conflict with a farewell for a universally popular one. And for anyone who says they want to show their respect by being able to attend both meetings it would show more respect to go to one and pop a £50 note in an enveope and send to the other track as a contribution to the fund. I've done it when I can't get to a meeting I would like to attend to ensure that the benefactor didn't lose out by my non attendance. It's so easy.

Given the number of posters who feel there is not enough money being put into bringing on future British riders plus the SRBF needing regular top ups to assist the ever increasing list of injured riders, isn't a better way of dealing for £5 from every adult admission at Leicester being split between these two worthy causes. Young and injured riders benefit and maybe some of the losses of our U19s travelling to their World Team Cup fixture could be covered from this as well as funding future training. The BSPA benefit as with less points money to pay out there should be more remaining in the coffers for them to invest in the future of the sport and wellbeing of the riders, without costing the current promoters extra money. And we fans have the biggest benefit in being able to feel good that we are not just moaning but physically being responsible for helping young and injured riders out in the manner regularly preached on the forum. Please take my £5 “refund”and split it between these two worthy causes. What about the rest of you?

Positives Team seems to have good youngsters. Crowd seemed not too bad. I suppose it is a half full/ half empty glass scenario. As programmes were sold out I amused myself between heats counting the crowd and reached a magnificent 412. I think this is appalling although it will no doubt refer to a "bumper" attendance in the press releases. I would have attended whether the home team were called the Raiders, Roosters, Red Devils, Cobras or Dons as my main aim was to see the USA riders. As a branding exercise therefeore it was a total failure. If there was anyone there purely attracted by the Hackney; name well I don't believe you. Having paid 14 pounds for a third tier match at Sheffield last year (Top Gun) I find it awfully sad that admission costs are seen as the b all and end all of the debate by many forum members. My 14 big ones at Sheffield produced the best racing I saw last year outside the British GP, a great atmosphere, slick presentation (in spite of a couple of horror crashes delaying matters) and great food including a much reduced priced carvery. Oh yes and at least 50% more people there in spite of no branding elements or "home" riders in the field. Value For Money 100%. Last night I saw one of the worst meetings ever with no atmosphere, presentation or racing, on a very poor track. Having seen Ed Castro fly around Californian tracks; the late Glen Helen circuit showing his racing skills at their best, it says a lot that he looked totally out of it. VFM 0% The usual Rye House motto that if the racing is rubbish at least the fish and chips are good could not be tested either as they had run out of fish well before the start. Luckily Seb Coe was busy polishing his ego last night so resisted my invitation to look at what is proposed as a lasting legacy after the end of the Hackney Olympics. He would not have been impressed and he has to watch Fernando Torres play every week for his fun. For once the tightwads had it right by not turning up and with the running out of programmes and food before the start clearly the promotion had counted on an even smaller attendance than actually turned up. This hardly shows confidence in the much lauded rebranding exercise of calling the Cobras Hackney. My own positive is that with the lack of programme and food I was able to put a few more dollars in the collection for the American riders expenses so at least they benefitted. Good luck to them and the home team riders who could only perform with the tools available. In spite of the price of admission I would return for future matches but on the basis of what I witnessed last night won't be doing so for a very long time. To top it all there were three young boys shouting out, "Willies" in front of shocked fans on the 4th bend. Well done Wayne Rooney: your foul mouthed outburst last weekend has polluted our family sport with this industrial language from our impresionable youth.

Stayed there too and was disappointed with the inadequate sound insulation. I was in the next room to those two very attractive blonde Swedish girls who were in The Cottage after the meeting. As they seemed to be getting intimate with some of the male celebrities there I hadn't realised they were an item. I don't know if it was alcohol fuelled but to say they were passionate during the night was a total understatement. It was impossible to get to sleep............. in case I missed anything. Still the Clarks pies were good in chip shop alley.

I'll try not to adopt the stereotypical pedant stance, expected of forum members, but will confirm that Sheffield did indeed stage a Christmas meeting, won by Kelvin Tatum, in the early 1990s. I know as I was there, although without digging out old programmes I don't have the actual date. I reckon either 1993 or 4 but don't quote me. Ironically the powers that be refused to sanction a close season conventional speedway meeting so technically it is not the same. However it should be. Tim Lucking asks to stage a speedway meeting over the close season and is turned down. Several years later Tim Stone asks the same question and is approved. It could be argued therefore that Newport "borrowed" Sheffield's idea and therefore Owlerton should have been given the opportunity to run this meeting as it was initially the Tigers' promotion's idea. Where the pedants will have a field day however is that whilst the meeting was run it was not called speedway. It also incorporated a mix of speedway riders and road racers riding moto cross machines and although raced on the full speedway track had two ramps which the bikes had to jump over to make it totally different to conventional speedway. Clearly speedway machines don't have the scope to incorporate jumps so that is why moto cross bikes were used. Although used to handling greater speed the road boys, and there were several top names of the time there, did not have the same ability to get on a full skid round the corners which is where Kelvin came good. I suppose the nearest, without the jumps, I have seen to this on a regular basis is the excellent sand track racing held at Mablethorpe (I should get something from them for such a plug). So as Sheffield were the first to ask to stage a convetional out of season meeting (or was it Ellesmere Port?) maybe they should be given the opportunity to have it raced there as the sole remaining track to have actually proposed such a meeting. The Owlerton Mistletoe And Auld Lang Syne Never Held Before But Still Called A Classic meeting just trips off the tongue. Guaranteed to get a crowd bigger than a bumper one too.

If a home track bias equates to racing on a track where gating is not the be all and end all you are clearly correct. In the one meeting I have seen at Owlerton this season there was far more passing than in the host of meetings I have had witnessed at your shrine combined. Still as the Rye House Pre Match Publicity may or may not have said, "The fish and chips are so good to make up for the lack of entertainment". Enjoy your gate and go; I'll stick with a track which allows passing. Well done Ricky

Seems that following the anticipated "bon homi” the initial question sought, the more sceptical forum member is now having a voice. Taking it one more step beyond I thought it was all total pants. Speedway and music go so very well together but this seemed to be a rehash of a very tired concept tried, unsuccessfully, at a previous Bradford GP. The simple fact is there are not sufficient recognisable decent tracks to accurately reflect the individual riders so to attempt the thing was bold move but doomed. The result was it became on a par with the appalling Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines at Rye House and the yodelling at Foxhall Heath. As has already been said to actually have an anti USA track played for Greg was not really very good planning, unless George Bush was in the crowd in which case a top call. To have all the forum chums speaking positively is actually doing a disservice and reminded me of the appalling pre GP ad last year, which was ultimately pulled by Sky despite getting incestuous rave reviews on this site. As for the flag waving to the Tory Party battle hymn I commented at the time it must have been like Nuremberg in the 1930s, apart from the different flags. It wouldn't have been a surprise if there had been a goose-stepping invasion of Barry Island after the meeting. (Pedants please note that was a joke). Pavlov's dogs’ scenario in my opinion. Go to any wedding and as soon as the medley from Grease starts everyone minces around and finishes on one knee, with arms in the style of Cliff Richard. They all then sit down and say how crap the whole thing was. As for people reporting how great the hokey cokey was, well non-swear words fail me. We may as well go back to the "Is there anybody here from Mildenhall?" nonsense, which we had forced down our throats at big meetings in the not so distant past. The Lonigo GP in 2005 showed exactly what could be done merging speedway and music. The place was rocking from gates open to well beyond midnight with real adrenalin thrusting rock with none of your Daft Old Dave’s Loony Tunes (Wimbledon 1990) rubbish, which we get over in the good old UK. Topped off with Pavarotti and fireworks at the close, the whole town was echoing to the event and loving it. It was also well choreographed with the bikes and enhanced not dominated them. There are twelve months before the next Cardiff round so plenty of time to arrange a sensational event, if you start now. And finally, "Is there anybody here from Mildenhall?"

Excellent results service Conkers; you deserve the socialising. Enjoy the Sunday meeting and come on Franky.

Incredible an American sports publication covering American sports. Great shots though; thanks for drawing it to the attention of the forum. Let's acknowledge the positivity of their input and they may come back for more. What great publicity.

Thanks speedyguy. Bob was always a great team player. His team riding in a league fixture at Wolves where Tigers had a surprise victory was out of the top drawer and the reason for the win. Having gone through the trauma of seeing his good friend killed in a crash which he too was involved in it is hardly surprising he had psychological problems after that. The fact that he never let it affect his public persona or riding abilty shows a strength of charachter to be admired rather than to have his sexuality questionned. True or, as I maintain, untrue it is not very constuctive that he is subject to these rumours which are not relevent to his undoubted abilty. Sadly it was before my time but I believe before his crash he was seen as definite World Final material

OK so there was more stigma in those days but isn't it 2007 now and aren't we above such "witch hunts". I have to agree with Captain, not that it matters, that Bob was definitely not gay. He had the huge misfortune however to have natural good looks and jealousy may therefore have caused the rumours to go round. As I read it he was greatly affected by the crash with Ivor Hughes, right until his own passing, and the fact that he continued to race after this says more about him than unnecessary rumour ever will. This was, after all, a topic about gay riders and not the great Bob Paulson. As a schoolboy in Sheffield we had a teacher called Mr Paulson, who played hockey at a very high standard. He was known to the pupils as "Bob" though in reverence to the great Sheffield icon of the time and his own sporting prowess certainly came secondary to Bob's hero status. This calling didn't make him a top class speedway rider though. Neither does calling someone gay make them. Maybe a topic about the Best Captains of All Time would have been a better one for Bob's career to be discussed in depth and not one where unnecessary incorrect assumptions may and have been made.

Sorry to be pedantic but I was at the meeting in Leipzig and he was not riding there. Possibly Wittstock who had a meeting later in the same evening.

Like you we were stuck in the same jam for nearly 5 hours. Unlike you, you p**** I feel that my failure to get there is totally insignificant when we are talking about the loss of a very young life. I can always go to another speedway meeting; something that poor baby can't. I hope you are pleased you toss*r

and Great Britain won the qualifier in err, Great Britain.