Kent 2013

[secsy1]

If I was a regular paying spectator I would not want to see trainees learning how to ride in official matches and at the same time see that formula force out of the sport - because that's what happens - better more talented and experienced riders because of stupid points equalisation rules.

The first match I ever saw had some of the great pre-war stars in action like Ron Johnson, Geoff Pymar and Jack Parker and that type of rider has always been my yardstick although sadly I don't think their names mean very much these days.

Then noivces had to graduate into team places through their own second-half races, sometimes move up to race against their club's reserves again in the second half, and then when they started to defeat them were then given their chance in the side. In those days novices had to work hard to win a team slot.

Now it seems all you need is to be 16 years old, buy a bike, look fast at a trial and you get a team place while a much better rider (i.e David Mason who has honed his skills and can still do a far better job) is kicked out of the sport.

 

Well it seems you are out of touch with how riders progress these days, but not a lot of difference from your yardstick exists with the current crop of Kent Kings.

 

Basically they stuggle to buy a bike and rely on parents and friends to chip in and help.

Visit various training schools country wide learnings and gaining experience at great expense.

Possibly they enter junior or amatuer meetings building their skill level and spending more money.

If they are lucky, possibly they get an opportunity to ride in SJL, MDL or AJL meetings for free and spending a lot more money.

Next they are chosen and have the opportunity to ride at National League level and are a bit overawed initially by the experience and settle down and become the riders on the way to Premier level and even Elite League racing.

These are the bread and butter riders, but we do have exceptions with a special given talent who move from basics to top in a couple of seasons.

 

Hope this puts to bed your current misconceptions about todays speedway and to everyone who pays to go to National League Speedway it is true honest lads trying their best.

 

Good luck to all at Kent Kings Speedway for giving the youngsters opportunities, you will benefit in the long run. To all you WHINERS give it a rest or better still get down there and see some speedway.

[secsy1]

From where I live in south east London I estimate that in travel time and watching the Kent Kings meeting at Sittingbourne it would be around seven hours in total, plus an outlay on rail fares, return taxi from station to track, admission and programme about £40. Just to watch trainees? I don't think so.

And I don't think relative costs and time involved to my two "local' senior tracks at Rye House and Lakeside would be much difference. And also do I want the 'adventure' of late night travel in London on my journey home?

I have no misconceptions about speedway - I have been following it for far too many years for that to happen.

 

Typical response from a head in the sand protagonist against new talent.

 

The riders at Kent are not trainees.

 

As for following speedway, with fans like you I am not suprised that English lads give up early due to uneccesary criticism.

 

I will not post further on this topic and will not be bated.

 

Come on Kent Kings.

[jim the whipper]

In terms of his confidence they were very valid points, as was the experience of racing at Monmore for the first time. I find it very sad that a 'speedway fan' can be so negative towards young riders who need all the encouragement they can get.

 

I appreciate this is a forum and all opinions are valid but have you considered saying something positive on here for a change?

 

 

well since speedway is all about confidence and you seem to think gaining points you haven/t raced for will increase confidence and make these not so inexperienced lads into better riders , how about introducing a new rule whereby all national league reserves are awarded 5 points every match , that will give them the confidence to score some points on merit won't it . ? before you know it Middlo will be spoilt for choice for team GB and they will be fighting it out for GP qualification

[waco]

Good to hear that extensive work has been carried out on the track this week .Hopefully it will ride better and give the riders more confidence ..I do feel that an improved track was all that was needed for David Mason to show his true form... Looking forward to a good meeting on monday. 3 pm start weather looking fine...

[RumOldBird]

 

so . 1 point from a 3 rider race . and 2 second places in 3 rider races beating only his own man constitutes a good night for Adam does it . well i suppose he did manage to stay on for 3 races so that is an improvement

Just been in contact with Adam and he says thanks for acknowledging the improvement, it made his day. Says it makes the 7 hour trip worthwhile ;-)

[Bryn]

_{What I do find somewhat incongruous John aka "gustix" is that you feel the necessity to criticise something you've never personally witnessed i.e. Conference League racing.}

Edited May 25, 2013 by Bryn

[jim the whipper]

Just been in contact with Adam and he says thanks for acknowledging the improvement, it made his day. Says it makes the 7 hour trip worthwhile ;-)

Well does he want to ride or not ? he gets paid to travel so wheres the heroics in a 7 hour journey . if he didn't travel 7 hours he wouldn't

have a team place ,

[RumOldBird]

Whoosh :-D

 

Now on my way to watch Elite League Speedway where riders always beat everyone not just their team mates and never fall off!

Edited May 25, 2013 by RumOldBird

[Rebel1]

Neil Vachter (or Lakeside) wearing one of two hats saw the potential and signed him, not Adams fault he can mix it at both National and Premier League levels. Be thankful that he may soon be mixing it at the top level and for Britain.

As for Kent let the lads find their feet and with more shale laid they may do just that and surprise a few.

[waco]

Gustix do you actually attend speedway meetings these days as you seem to be living in the past . Things have changed a lot over the years not always for the better ill admit but thats the way it is now ..And you need to comment on things as they are now..

[waco]

Gustix excellent reply to my post,sorry to here you can not make it to meetings now days,keep up your interest in the Kings if you have any questions i will try to answer them,,All the best and keep posting...Waco..

[Rebel1]

The lads set the scene at Buxton, lets now hope that they can lay down a marker at home tomorrow. Sure to be an interesting contest and with more shale laid it will be an interesting meeting as there is still no real home track advantage yet.

[blueherb777]

Think it is time for Benji`s profile to be put on the Website instead of David.

[Rebel1]

Two important things have emerged this weekend for Kent Kings.

(1) Benji Compton's 12 points against Mildenhall justifies him being brought into the squad, sadly I concede at the expense of the enthusiastic David Mason, but that's the way it goes in sport.

(2) Adam Kirby appears to have found a run of form. Those good scores against Buxton and Mildenhall should be a tremendous morale boost for his speedway confidence.

So right Gustix, Adam has found some form. Now Connor and Sam need to score some points which will raise their confidence and self-belief. Difficult at this level to find the cash for bike(s) spares and transport let alone just ride. The track was much better yesterday but racing lines are very limited, Benji got into a groove but heat 15 was one ride too far with a last. A team will arrive on the day and gain a win, just a matter of time.

[hackneyrocket]

Well does he want to ride or not ? he gets paid to travel so wheres the heroics in a 7 hour journey . if he didn't travel 7 hours he wouldn't

have a team place ,

What planet are you on? these boys get paid next to nothing for riding in the national league, they and their parents work long hours to get them racing each week, having agreed to sponsor Adam this season and speaking to his parents at length the pay for travel and points barely covers the costs involved.

If you are going to come on here and have your say, please make sure there is some sort of knowledge behind the comments.

[Halifaxtiger]

I am not against new talent. Years ago I was actively involved in creating interest in a neo-third division the Southern Area League. That competition brought forward much new talent at the time like Mike Broadbank, Gerry King, Al Sparrey, Tommy Sweetman, Brian Brett, Leo McAuiffe, Ross Gilberston, Ken Vale and many more. But they had to start by fighting their way into teams via the second-half and were not given team places under a fool-hardy points equalisation scheme that "devours" better and more able riders to make way for them.

There is nothing wrong with criticism of young riders - notice should be taken by them of what is being said and if it is felt to be justified should be accepted. If it cannot be then that person should find a less demanding interest - tiddly winks for example!

 

It may have escaped your attention - given that you haven't been to a match for nearly ten years - but speedway rarely has second halves now. If it does, they are development league matches, and all of the young riders now competing in the NL have in the past few years taken part in them and earned NL places as a result.

 

Its that 'foolhardy' system that allowed a young man to get a team place aged 15 and on a 3.00 average back in 2006 at Scunthorpe, and thanks to that 'foolhardy' system we now have a genuine world championship challenger because that 15 year old was Tai Woffinden.

 

There is everything wrong with criticism of our youngsters. Whereas the more experienced ones (mostly) take it on the chin or simply don't read the internet, misplaced, inaccurate or strong criticism can destroy a young riders confidence, especially when it comes from someone who hasn't actually seen a match in 8 seasons and therefore has absolutely no idea of the effort they are putting in.

 

 

so . 1 point from a 3 rider race . and 2 second places in 3 rider races beating only his own man constitutes a good night for Adam does it . well i suppose he did manage to stay on for 3 races so that is an improvement

 

As they say in football 'its all gone quiet over there'.

 

I suggest you get your facts right first. Only in one race did Adam start with three riders. In the others he stayed on and the Dudley ones didn't, so he beat them. Moreover, he was (according to someone who was actually there) leading Ashley Morris - no mean feat for a rider who is in his first NL season and had never ridden the track before - when Morris fell.

 

What Adam has done in past seasons is absolutely irrelevant now, and Mildenhall fans have acknowledged the improvement he has made. Its early days, but he's just about doubled his NL average, is beating riders he should be (and some - Danny Halsey - who he shouldn't ) home and away and I think its fair to say that the effort he is clearly putting in has made him very much a crowd favourite with the Kent supporters.

 

Its clear I am very biased where Adam is concerned but this isn't just about him. Its about a so-called fan that abuses, criticises and mocks one of our young riders instead of actually encouraging, supporting and delighting in their successes, however modest they maybe. I was in the pits with young Sam Woods yesterday, trying in vain to bolster his flagging confidence. Your kind no doubt would have been slagging him off.

 

Bluntly, speedway can do without people like that.

[RumOldBird]

It's very easy to sit watching updates from meetings and criticise a riders performance because you don't know about the effort riders are putting in from texts. I went to Sittingbourne to see Kent Kings yesterday for the first time and was impressed but the efforts of all the Kings riders. Jack Kingston was beating Aaron Baseby when he lost his steel shoe but I thought he looked promising and came from behind in Heat 2 to bring home a 5-1. Sam Woods tried so hard and although he didn't score a point it wasn't for lack of effort, he reminded me a bit of Kozza Smith in that he tried hard in races, sometimes too hard and ended up on his bum but got back on and tried again. Sam will learn from that and he seems to have the right attitude.

 

The track is still bedding down and doesn't look easy to ride and these youngsters are new to National League racing but I felt they would all get there given time.

 

Well done to all the riders I certainly enjoyed the meeting.

Edited May 28, 2013 by RumOldBird

[hackneyrocket]

It may have escaped your attention - given that you haven't been to a match for nearly ten years - but speedway rarely has second halves now. If it does, they are development league matches, and all of the young riders now competing in the NL have in the past few years taken part in them and earned NL places as a result.

 

Its that 'foolhardy' system that allowed a young man to get a team place aged 15 and on a 3.00 average back in 2006 at Scunthorpe, and thanks to that 'foolhardy' system we now have a genuine world championship challenger because that 15 year old was Tai Woffinden.

 

There is everything wrong with criticism of our youngsters. Whereas the more experienced ones (mostly) take it on the chin or simply don't read the internet, misplaced, inaccurate or strong criticism can destroy a young riders confidence, especially when it comes from someone who hasn't actually seen a match in 8 seasons and therefore has absolutely no idea of the effort they are putting in.

 

 

 

 

As they say in football 'its all gone quiet over there'.

 

I suggest you get your facts right first. Only in one race did Adam start with three riders. In the others he stayed on and the Dudley ones didn't, so he beat them. Moreover, he was (according to someone who was actually there) leading Ashley Morris - no mean feat for a rider who is in his first NL season and had never ridden the track before - when Morris fell.

 

What Adam has done in past seasons is absolutely irrelevant now, and Mildenhall fans have acknowledged the improvement he has made. Its early days, but he's just about doubled his NL average, is beating riders he should be (and some - Danny Halsey - who he shouldn't ) home and away and I think its fair to say that the effort he is clearly putting in has made him very much a crowd favourite with the Kent supporters.

 

Its clear I am very biased where Adam is concerned but this isn't just about him. Its about a so-called fan that abuses, criticises and mocks one of our young riders instead of actually encouraging, supporting and delighting in their successes, however modest they maybe. I was in the pits with young Sam Woods yesterday, trying in vain to bolster his flagging confidence. Your kind no doubt would have been slagging him off.

 

Bluntly, speedway can do without people like that.

What some people may not know is that Adam had never sat on a speedway bike until he was 12, which is quite a late age to start.

So in the short time he has been riding, I think he has done a great job. Keep it going Adam.

[moosetash64]

Gustix i would just like to clarify what hackneyrocket says about adam not having got on a speedway bike till he was 12. It was the first time he had got any bike with an engine in it. He'd never been on a motorbike or quad bike before.

U named 2 people who u say were late on in life when they rode a speedway bike but i would dare say they had ridden some form of motorcycle before.

[jim the whipper]

It may have escaped your attention - given that you haven't been to a match for nearly ten years - but speedway rarely has second halves now. If it does, they are development league matches, and all of the young riders now competing in the NL have in the past few years taken part in them and earned NL places as a result.

 

Its that 'foolhardy' system that allowed a young man to get a team place aged 15 and on a 3.00 average back in 2006 at Scunthorpe, and thanks to that 'foolhardy' system we now have a genuine world championship challenger because that 15 year old was Tai Woffinden.

 

There is everything wrong with criticism of our youngsters. Whereas the more experienced ones (mostly) take it on the chin or simply don't read the internet, misplaced, inaccurate or strong criticism can destroy a young riders confidence, especially when it comes from someone who hasn't actually seen a match in 8 seasons and therefore has absolutely no idea of the effort they are putting in.

 

 

 

 

As they say in football 'its all gone quiet over there'.

 

I suggest you get your facts right first. Only in one race did Adam start with three riders. In the others he stayed on and the Dudley ones didn't, so he beat them. Moreover, he was (according to someone who was actually there) leading Ashley Morris - no mean feat for a rider who is in his first NL season and had never ridden the track before - when Morris fell.

 

What Adam has done in past seasons is absolutely irrelevant now, and Mildenhall fans have acknowledged the improvement he has made. Its early days, but he's just about doubled his NL average, is beating riders he should be (and some - Danny Halsey - who he shouldn't ) home and away and I think its fair to say that the effort he is clearly putting in has made him very much a crowd favourite with the Kent supporters.

 

Its clear I am very biased where Adam is concerned but this isn't just about him. Its about a so-called fan that abuses, criticises and mocks one of our young riders instead of actually encouraging, supporting and delighting in their successes, however modest they maybe. I was in the pits with young Sam Woods yesterday, trying in vain to bolster his flagging confidence. Your kind no doubt would have been slagging him off.

 

Bluntly, speedway can do without people like that.

Most likely they had - I think I said Tm Oakley had been a competitions motorcyle rider (?) but not sure about Harold MacNaughton but most likely he had as well.. Let's hope Adam Kirby can emulate them as a speedway rider. He certainly looks promising after the past weekend's performances.

would you care to go into a little more detail about the past weekends performances Gustix ? not just the results but a few details about the way the points were scored