Five Start Marshals?!

[ImpartialOne]

I've just been watching a video on you tube from 1980 and noticed there are 4 gate marshals as well as the start marshal. These marshals stand to the rear of each rider. I've never seen this before but what astonished me was, in heat 5, Kai Niemi on gate 4 rolled into the tapes twice and on both occasions the red marshal grabbed his push bar to try and hold him back! Was this allowed? If you skip to 07:00 on the video below you can clearly see this and to me it looks very dangerous as the 2nd time the marshal attempted to hold Niemi back, the tapes rose. Luckily Niemi didn't go because I'm sure the marshal would have been dragged which could have been serious.

 

Thoughts?

 

[lucifer sam]

I've just been watching a video on you tube from 1980 and noticed there are 4 gate marshals as well as the start marshal. These marshals stand to the rear of each rider. I've never seen this before but what astonished me was, in heat 5, Kai Niemi on gate 4 rolled into the tapes twice and on both occasions the red marshal grabbed his push bar to try and hold him back! Was this allowed? If you skip to 07:00 on the video below you can clearly see this and to me it looks very dangerous as the 2nd time the marshal attempted to hold Niemi back, the tapes rose. Luckily Niemi didn't go because I'm sure the marshal would have been dragged which could have been serious.

 

Thoughts?

 

 

They are they to push off the rider if they stall at the tapes. It also explains the 30m line, this is the line to which the riders were allowed to be pushed in the case of a push start.

 

All the best

Rob

[ImpartialOne]

They are they to push off the rider if they stall at the tapes. It also explains the 30m line, this is the line to which the riders were allowed to be pushed in the case of a push start.

 

All the best

Rob

Thanks Rob, I've never noticed them before. Don't you think the marshal pulling on Niemi's push bar was wrong though? Imagine if he's pulling on it as Niemi flies away, could end in serious injury. Was this allowed?

[britmet]

Thanks Rob, I've never noticed them before. Don't you think the marshal pulling on Niemi's push bar was wrong though? Imagine if he's pulling on it as Niemi flies away, could end in serious injury. Was this allowed?

 

A man at each gate position was the norm for decades. I'm sure it will only have been economics thats done away with them, (like track rackers, - min 4 on each bend, pulling back dirt after every heat, so the track was uniform throughout the meeting !) These were all paid track-staff, not volunteers.

At one time, (mid '60s) Briggo cut off the section above his mudguard, ie had just 2 seperate uprights, because of the alledged practice of local gate men helping the home riders by slightly lifting the rear of the visitors' bikes so that grip was lost.

[ImpartialOne]

A man at each gate position was the norm for decades. I'm sure it will only have been economics thats done away with them, (like track rackers, - min 4 on each bend, pulling back dirt after every heat, so the track was uniform throughout the meeting !) These were all paid track-staff, not volunteers.

At one time, (mid '60s) Briggo cut off the section above his mudguard, ie had just 2 seperate uprights, because of the alledged practice of local gate men helping the home riders by slightly lifting the rear of the visitors' bikes so that grip was lost.

Andrew Silver used to do the same thing, and Freddie Lindgren has for a few years now, although why, I have no idea.

I once sawed the top of mine off but only because it cracked in a crash and I didn't want to buy a new one.

[Midland Red]

I've just been watching a video on you tube from 1980 and noticed there are 4 gate marshals as well as the start marshal. These marshals stand to the rear of each rider. I've never seen this before but what astonished me was, in heat 5, Kai Niemi on gate 4 rolled into the tapes twice and on both occasions the red marshal grabbed his push bar to try and hold him back! Was this allowed? If you skip to 07:00 on the video below you can clearly see this and to me it looks very dangerous as the 2nd time the marshal attempted to hold Niemi back, the tapes rose. Luckily Niemi didn't go because I'm sure the marshal would have been dragged which could have been serious.

 

Thoughts?

 

 

My thoughts? That Eastbourne looked like a proper speedway track, not the trick track that it has become, where everything occurs on the 1st/2nd turn