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Joe Thurley Trophy


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Looking forward to this, should be a good meeting. In memory of a legend of Birmingham Speedway, RIP Joe.

 

Riders confirmed:

 

Jason Bunyan

Paul Clews

Chris Kerr

James Birkinshaw

Jason Lyons

Rusty Harrison

Richard Sweetman

Brent Werner

Mark Lemmon

Cory Gathercole

Ricky Wells

TBA

 

 

Edited by Brummie Kev
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From the official site........

 

BIRMINGHAM Speedway will pay tribute to one of their favourite sons when they host the Joe Thurley Memorial Cup at Perry Barr on Wednesday (7.30).

 

Thurley was club promoter in the 70s and was also clerk of the course when the sport returned to the city in 2007.

 

A host of former Birmingham riders will be in attendance on an important night for the club which will see three races held with new silencers in a bid to reduce noise levels.

 

With permanent planning permission for the sport to continue at Perry Barr in the balance because of noise concerns, the new Prodrive silencer could prove to be a salvation for the club’s future.

 

Birmingham manager Graham Drury said: "We have invited members of the city council to come along and take a look at the situation. We have been asked to do something about the noise and we have done."

 

Birmingham fans' favourite James Birkinshaw makes a welcome return to Perry Barr after accepting an invite from the club to ride in the meeting.

 

Mark Lemon, who has notched a string of maximums for Newcastle of late, has also been included alongside Stoke's Jason Bunyan and Wolverhampton's Chris Kerr.

 

But popular Polish rider Tomasz Piszcz won't be riding as the wrangle between the Polish authorities and the club continues.

 

LINE-UP: Cory Gathercole, Mark Lemon, Brent Werner, Rusty Harrison, Ricky Wells, Jason Bunyan, Richard Sweetman, James Birkinshaw, Chris Kerr, Jason Lyons, Paul Clews, TBA.

 

 

 

So Birko's back again! :approve:

 

Must be getting some practice in to take his rightful place back in the team instead of TP. :wink:

 

 

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Updated my first post on the lineup. Apparently we are looking at a mystery foreign rider with a view to signing him next year if he does well. Taken from Birmingham Mail.

 

BIRMINGHAM are flying in a mystery rider from the continent for his British debut in tomorrow’s Joe Thurley Memorial Cup.

 

The Perry Barr side are already casting an eye towards next season, subject to their planning permission going through next month.

 

Tomorrow’s event, which will also feature appearances from several riders who raced under Thurley during his time in charge, also sees the Perry Barr return of James Birkinshaw, one of the most popular riders ever to represent the club.

 

Manager Graham Drury said: “It’s a big night for the club, firstly because we are honouring the memory of former promoter Joe Thurley who was a lovely, lovely man.

 

“But we are also taking a look at a new rider and his identity is top secret because I really don’t want other promoters coming along and sticking their nose in.

 

“We want to be the first to look at the lad with a view towards next season – this is his chance to impress us.”

 

The meeting will start with three races where the riders will use the proposed new silencers, which are set to be introduced next season in a bid to reduce noise levels at Perry Barr.

 

Members of the environmental and planning committees have been invited to attend the meeting to see for themselves the impact of the new equipment, which has now been recognised by the FIM.

 

Noise tests will be carried out in Nash Square, the residential area which has caused the planning committee so much concern.

 

Drury is also confident he can resolve the Tomasz Piszcz situation after his Polish club banned him from riding at the Premier League Riders’ Championship on Sunday.

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Is there anyone going to this meeting who would be able to text updates to the updates site? If so, could you please either leave a message here or send me an email or pm.

 

Thanks

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I'm afraid not, I didn't get any response to my request and it appears that it is not being updated on Twitter either.

 

RRRR!!! I know I went there too. I will have to wait for the phone call and hear his disappointment that know one was able to see the updates. The riders to care! Thank you any how Sue. If you hear anything, please let me know.

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Tomasz Michnicki was the rider in question and he was dreadful. One of the worst professional displays you will ever see, and bare in mind that at the start of the season I saw Joel Parsons fall off in 6 of his opening 8 rides for Coventry!!! Michnicki fell on his own on the first turn of his first ride but was invited back in an 'all-four' decision (the first of many crap refereeing decisions on the night). He then fell and got the boot in the re-run. In his next two he struggled to slide the bike properly and gave up, not finishing either race, and in his final outing he again struggled badly and eventually crashed and was elbowed from the re-run.

 

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More importantly - Early reports track-side were that the noise tests with the new silencers went very well and that noticably lower readings were taken in the local area. More news on this is to follow, as the results are properly analysed I guess. And for those stato's out there interested in race times - Ben Taylor won all three heats with the new silencer in race times of 60.9, 60.8 and 61.3. The main meeting had heat winning times ranging from 59.8 to 62.0. So the silencer made no difference to the speed of the bikes. In fact Taylor's quickest two times were only between ½ and 1 second slower than Lyon's heat wins in the main part of the meeting.

 

I'll post more about the meeting tomorrow, but for now the result was Lemon, Lyons, Herne, Clews. Kerr and Wells were 3rd in thier respective semi's and Priest (who replaced Gathercole - I'll comment on that farce tomorrow!!) and Sweetman (with bike problems) were 4th in their respective semi-final's. Bunny crashed out of the meeting after a very heavy fall when he chain snapped (or popped off) on the 2nd turn of lap two in his 3rd ride. He was able to walk away but it was a very heavy fall so I imagine he'll feel pretty second-hand for a few days, but no report of any particular injury thankfully. Birko was crap and Harrison did nothing noteworthy.

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