Lakeside 2013

[tractorboy]

Its the small tracks in the UK that make it boring, its not the riders of today or the past. Lakeside, Eastbourne and Belle Vue hard silly little tracks and silly little crowds. I rest my case oh yee with heads in the sand.

 

Sorry but being a regular at Eastbourne our crowds arent silly little ones The track may be small but does produce exciting racing at times Have to say that on my visit to Peterborough last year the crowd was preyyt dismal and the racing not much better too and that was both sides not just my team !!!

[Bagpuss]

Eastbourne is just too narrow but Lakeside & Belle Vue can both be great race tracks when prepared properly.

 

Unfortunately Belle Vue hasn't been good for several years but at the Rico memorial Lakeside was excellent due to the rain generating some decent grip for a strong field. Have been to Arena Essex on a dozen or so occasions since the shape was changed to its current form and have of course seen it on Sky several times and generally its too slick....not saying you need a foot of dirt as that would of course be dangerous on such a tight track but when its rained and there's a bit more grip its a much better track. Its wide enough to have several lines when prepared right as we saw for the Rico meeting.

[BluPanther]

Sorry but being a regular at Eastbourne our crowds arent silly little ones The track may be small but does produce exciting racing at times Have to say that on my visit to Peterborough last year the crowd was preyyt dismal and the racing not much better too and that was both sides not just my team !!!

Thats because Eastbourne provide no opposition, 58-36 and 54-38 i believe. Lakeside were even worse, 61-32 and 57-36. How can that pull in crowds, its great to welcome teams like Poole who at least give it a good go on their travels.

Well I didn't hear Stuart Douglas or Jon Cook moaning about our attendance last season.

 

But Rick Frost? Oh, what a different story.

 

Didn't qualify for the play-offs, then immediately threw his toys out the pram; blaming poor attendances as a potential reason for pulling out of Peterborough Speedway. He wasn't prepared to look closer to home and blame it on his rider selection; nor how many times a certain Dane was absent through other engagements or 'sickness'(?). Let's blame it on Peterborough's fans. What a joke.

 

You don't have a case to rest fella. A bag to keep your make-up in (and Trevor Swales's gallon drums of 'fake bake') maybe.

How can they moan, they never had big crowds in the first place. When Sky pull the plug, we will see those that go to the wall. P'boro have NO debts, that cant be said of some in the elite lge.

[EnglishRoundabout]

A post written with such wisdom and insight that it could almost have come from KKS himself.

 

KKS used to bang on about Lakeside being a 'trick track'......great riders can ride all shapes and sizes. Watching the great Leigh Adams at Lakeside was majestic in itself.

[Vincent Vega]

Lakeside wont go to the wall BP Duggo is alright for dough. Give my regards to JJR.

[Blazeaway]

Gonna put my dislike of the Lakeside track and give it a go there. I keep hearing how it's improved etc and there's only one way to find out...

[TonyE]

Thats because Eastbourne provide no opposition, 58-36 and 54-38 i believe. Lakeside were even worse, 61-32 and 57-36. How can that pull in crowds, its great to welcome teams like Poole who at least give it a good go on their travels.

How can they moan, they never had big crowds in the first place. When Sky pull the plug, we will see those that go to the wall. P'boro have NO debts, that cant be said of some in the elite lge.

Thats because Eastbourne provide no opposition, 58-36 and 54-38 i believe. Lakeside were even worse, 61-32 and 57-36. How can that pull in crowds, its great to welcome teams like Poole who at least give it a good go on their travels.

How can they moan, they never had big crowds in the first place. When Sky pull the plug, we will see those that go to the wall. P'boro have NO debts, that cant be said of some in the elite lge.

 

That may indeed be the case but I am pretty sure the owner has a considerable hole in his personal wealth.

[Custom House Kid]

Its the small tracks in the UK that make it boring, its not the riders of today or the past. Lakeside, Eastbourne and Belle Vue hard silly little tracks and silly little crowds. I rest my case oh yee with heads in the sand.

 

Having watched speedway in my formative years at Custom House, I used to think Hackney and Wimbledon were silly little tracks. Having more recently watched speedway at Arena Essex my opinion has changed somewhat. I have on occassion seen some real dross at Custom house and on occassion some fantastic meetings at Arena. It is nothing to do with the length it is all to do with the quality (ask the wife). I feel some on here are getting a complex about size. when you get older you will grow out of it.

[E I Addio]

Thats because Eastbourne provide no opposition, 58-36 and 54-38 i believe. Lakeside were even worse, 61-32 and 57-36. How can that pull in crowds, its great to welcome teams like Poole who at least give it a good go on their travels.

How can they moan, they never had big crowds in the first place. When Sky pull the plug, we will see those that go to the wall. P'boro have NO debts, that cant be said of some in the elite lge.

 

Is this an objective discussion about racing or just a platform for you to voice your petty and irrational dislike of certain clubs, and their promotions ?

 

First we have a rant about small tracks now you are saying that when Lakeside and Eastbourne go to Peterborough they are poor teams that provide no opposition.

If you had a clue what you were talking about you would know that since team racing was introduced sometimes decent teams have taken a pasting on the wrong day and sometimes poor teams get lucky and produce a close result. The fact remains that both Lakeside and Eastbourne performed pretty well away overall over the course of last season (and the one before) so blaming them for small crowds at EOAS is pretty churlish. Things like a machine failure or exclusion at the wrong time can totally change the dynamics of a match. Its just the nature of the sport. Most of us have seen meetings at times with close scoreline but processional racing and matches that have some cracking racing despite a big gap in the scores.

 

Spouting off about other clubs in derogatory fashion doesn't make you look clever or a better person than the rest of us, in fact it just makes you look a prat. One of the great things about speedway is the sense of equality between most fans.

 

Some of the overtakes that Davey Watt pulled off last season, practically turning the bike inside out were probably as good as you'll see anywhere in the world. You won't get much support from anyone by claiming that Peter Karlsson is anything other than a master of his trade and usually worth the admission alone. Darcy Ward is class personified at Lakeside, as is Chris Holder. But like all tracks the entertainment value varies week to week for a whole range of reasons. That is the nature of the sport at Lakeside and everywhere else.

[speedy den boy]

I see simon Stead is riding in both the premier and elite leagues in 2013,have i missed something with Lewis Bridger?.Is there a reason why he is not riding in the premier?,infact i dont think hes riding antwhere else!!!,that cant be good for him as last season saw big gaps in fixtures in the elite league,he needs to be race fit,so does anyone know why he is not riding more?

[blueherb777]

I see simon Stead is riding in both the premier and elite leagues in 2013,have i missed something with Lewis Bridger?.Is there a reason why he is not riding in the premier?,infact i dont think hes riding antwhere else!!!,that cant be good for him as last season saw big gaps in fixtures in the elite league,he needs to be race fit,so does anyone know why he is not riding more?

 

According to this weeks SS,Lewis maybe ridng in Poland this year.

[BluPanther]

Is this an objective discussion about racing or just a platform for you to voice your petty and irrational dislike of certain clubs, and their promotions ?

 

First we have a rant about small tracks now you are saying that when Lakeside and Eastbourne go to Peterborough they are poor teams that provide no opposition.

If you had a clue what you were talking about you would know that since team racing was introduced sometimes decent teams have taken a pasting on the wrong day and sometimes poor teams get lucky and produce a close result. The fact remains that both Lakeside and Eastbourne performed pretty well away overall over the course of last season (and the one before) so blaming them for small crowds at EOAS is pretty churlish. Things like a machine failure or exclusion at the wrong time can totally change the dynamics of a match. Its just the nature of the sport. Most of us have seen meetings at times with close scoreline but processional racing and matches that have some cracking racing despite a big gap in the scores.

 

Spouting off about other clubs in derogatory fashion doesn't make you look clever or a better person than the rest of us, in fact it just makes you look a prat. One of the great things about speedway is the sense of equality between most fans.

 

Some of the overtakes that Davey Watt pulled off last season, practically turning the bike inside out were probably as good as you'll see anywhere in the world. You won't get much support from anyone by claiming that Peter Karlsson is anything other than a master of his trade and usually worth the admission alone. Darcy Ward is class personified at Lakeside, as is Chris Holder. But like all tracks the entertainment value varies week to week for a whole range of reasons. That is the nature of the sport at Lakeside and everywhere else.

Peter Karlsson turned up, he always does. The rest were a joke, just went thru the motions. Of course, if you want these teams to ride but not race, and your happy with that, thats up to you. Sky are obviously not happy with the viewing figures they get, and that is obviously because people are not watching it. As Holder and Ward recently said, they have to ride on some bad tracks in the UK. We all know which tracks they were talking about. Some of these tracks have less dirt on them than a pair of size ten trainers.

[Irk Deflector]

Having watched speedway in my formative years at Custom House, I used to think Hackney and Wimbledon were silly little tracks. Having more recently watched speedway at Arena Essex my opinion has changed somewhat. I have on occassion seen some real dross at Custom house and on occassion some fantastic meetings at Arena.

Saw some great meetings at both Waterden Road and Plough Lane. Agree it isn't the size but down to the skill of the riders.

 

Bluepanther should take a trip to Mildenhall a small track where there's always been plenty of entertainment.

[EnglishRoundabout]

Is this an objective discussion about racing or just a platform for you to voice your petty and irrational dislike of certain clubs, and their promotions ?

 

First we have a rant about small tracks now you are saying that when Lakeside and Eastbourne go to Peterborough they are poor teams that provide no opposition.

If you had a clue what you were talking about you would know that since team racing was introduced sometimes decent teams have taken a pasting on the wrong day and sometimes poor teams get lucky and produce a close result. The fact remains that both Lakeside and Eastbourne performed pretty well away overall over the course of last season (and the one before) so blaming them for small crowds at EOAS is pretty churlish. Things like a machine failure or exclusion at the wrong time can totally change the dynamics of a match. Its just the nature of the sport. Most of us have seen meetings at times with close scoreline but processional racing and matches that have some cracking racing despite a big gap in the scores.

 

Spouting off about other clubs in derogatory fashion doesn't make you look clever or a better person than the rest of us, in fact it just makes you look a prat. One of the great things about speedway is the sense of equality between most fans.

 

Some of the overtakes that Davey Watt pulled off last season, practically turning the bike inside out were probably as good as you'll see anywhere in the world. You won't get much support from anyone by claiming that Peter Karlsson is anything other than a master of his trade and usually worth the admission alone. Darcy Ward is class personified at Lakeside, as is Chris Holder. But like all tracks the entertainment value varies week to week for a whole range of reasons. That is the nature of the sport at Lakeside and everywhere else.

 

Fans from Plymouth will tell you they witness fantastic racing at their place week in week out.

[E I Addio]

Peter Karlsson turned up, he always does. The rest were a joke, just went thru the motions. Of course, if you want these teams to ride but not race, and your happy with that, thats up to you. Sky are obviously not happy with the viewing figures they get, and that is obviously because people are not watching it. As Holder and Ward recently said, they have to ride on some bad tracks in the UK. We all know which tracks they were talking about. Some of these tracks have less dirt on them than a pair of size ten trainers.

 

Oh dear, more ducking and diving from the limited concentration span of the KKS stable. First is the claim that crowds are down because of small tracks, then crowds are small at Peterborough because Lakeside and Eastbourne suffered big defeats there, now Sky are puling out because of it and Ward and Holder are moaning about it.

The weakness in all that is that it is not domestic speedway but the GP circus that is most immediately under threat from Sky and that is mostly on big tracks apart from Cardiff of course which is one of the small tracks you despise and we have all seen the tiny crowds are poor racing they get there.

With regard to Sky the plain fact is that you haven't got any more idea than the rest of us what their intentions are and are just guessing. Because a rumour gains traction on the BSF it doesn't make it true.

As for Ward and Holders alleged comments it was only Darcy not Chris that talked about poor tracks but he suddenly decided they weren't so bad after all and wanted to ride here once someone greased his palm with a bit more silver. None of us (including you) know which tracks Darcy was referring to because he didn't say but I can tell you that Jan Stechman said in April last year that the Lakeside track prep is (and I quote) "usually spot on", but then again what would he know about it.

So get back in the Tardis KKS and lets see what guise you turn up in next.

[Halifaxtiger]

Fans from Plymouth will tell you they witness fantastic racing at their place week in week out.

 

That's because in my experience they do. Its a terrific little track.

 

I find that size or shape doesn't dictate quality but preparation does - decent shale and a good curator make all the difference.

 

I thin Peterborough and Workington are brilliant, but so are Plymouth and Mildenhall. I like Dudley & Edinburgh too.

 

Lakeside is the most underestimated and unfairly abused track in Britain, most seemingly basing their opinions on what it was years ago under Ronnie Russell. I arrived early for a match last season and had a chat with Gerard Richter and he confirmed that Russell wanted it slick and hard,while Douglas and Cook just want it for racing. You can tell.

[Animal]

I see simon Stead is riding in both the premier and elite leagues in 2013,have i missed something with Lewis Bridger?.Is there a reason why he is not riding in the premier?,infact i dont think hes riding antwhere else!!!,that cant be good for him as last season saw big gaps in fixtures in the elite league,he needs to be race fit,so does anyone know why he is not riding more?

 

 

Quite simply Lewis wanted to ride in the Premier League this season but he couldn’t get a team spot! I can confirm that he is flying to Poland later this week to finalise terms on a contract to ride for RKM ROW Rybnik in the Polish First League (Second Division).

It is important for Lewis to get as many rides as possible this year and so he is also looking at competing in the European Speedway Championship and possibly the UK Speedway Series.

[BluPanther]

Saw some great meetings at both Waterden Road and Plough Lane. Agree it isn't the size but down to the skill of the riders.

 

Bluepanther should take a trip to Mildenhall a small track where there's always been plenty of entertainment.

Blupanther goes to mildenhall chaps, its got dirt on it, its called preperation, something some elite lge tracks can learn from. I see KL, P'boro and Swindon will host major events this year. All big racing tracks..someone agrees with me

[stevebrum]

Oh dear, more ducking and diving from the limited concentration span of the KKS stable.

 

[The Voice Of Reason]

BluePanther,

 

Thanks for cherry picking the points made in my previous post.

 

I am not biased but if you truly believe that there have not been tremendous inroads to improve Lakeside, particularly over the past 3 seasons, then I give up.

 

As for your comments around our visits to the EOES last season. All I can say on that point is that you clearly weren't at our place watching your team's return performances; or you'd have kept schtum.

Edited January 22, 2013 by The Voice Of Reason