Belle Vue Aces Vs Poole Pirates 29/4/2013

[one of clubs]

I do not think for one minute that The Aces promotion would pull a stunt such as this.They are,contrary to what some say,no fools.There is simply too much at stake.I remember the same thing happening at Hyde Road on a warm and sunny bank holiday one year.Let us not forget that the rent is payable after a certain time on raceday,whether the meeting goes ahead or not.Who in their right mind would say lets call this off and still pay the rent?.Would the world champion have risked his life and safety on a sodden track if the meeting went ahead?.He has a duty as WC to not bad mouth the sport,as previous WC's have not done.His comments do not befit his title.

[E I Addio]

Apart from any investigation by the SCB, if there really was a burst water main and if it was the cause of the meeting being cancelled then the landlords would be in breach of their contractual obligation and no doubt would not only not collect rent for the meeting but would presumably be liable to pay BV promotion for loss of income (gate money) and other expenses. No promoter is going to write off the cancellation costs of a meeting if it was due to a stadium defect.

 

One of the telling features is the lack of apology or expression of regret to the fans that have been let down. From the BV website:-

 

Tonight's Elite League match against Poole was postponed due to a leaking water main and water pipe under the track.

 

" There is surface water on the back straight but a substantial area of the base is saturated.

 

"In consideration of rider safety it was a club decision to postpone the meeting because it would have been dangerous.

A new date has not yet been arranged."

 

Not a word of apology to the fans, not an expression of regret to those inconvenienced, no mention of "due to circumstances beyond our control.

[Steve0]

 

 

Don't hold your breath this is Graham Reeve and the SCB we are talking about, fining riders for absurd twitter comments is about all they are good for.

 

Yes - they let Poole have Miedzinski on loan rather than transfer which opened the floodgates and they let Peterborough and Coventry off the hook during the winter of discontent - so I agree don't hold your breath

[ytsejam]

Utter disgrace if the BV Promotors have called this off for no reason!. Speedway cannot attract the public to attend at most tracks already and stunts like this will just hasten the end of British speedway as a Professional sport, especially if SKY ever dump it completely (and based on the farcical league meetings there's been so far, that may be closer than people think!). £15 - £20 for 15 minutes of action is not going to keep the crowds apprearing. Things such as meaningful "second halfs",

"Golden Helmet challenges" etc, need to be brought back into the sport to help keep it going. Lets hope the TRUTH comes out, either way, and justice is done, to try to regain some self respect for the sport.

[Pirate Baz]

Just got back from Belle Vue. OK no jokes about old cars, bikes and horse and carts. We have an oovernight stop on the long trips, and Brock and I have to give our ladies a day out on the way home. Warwick today.

 

Anyway to the point in hand from personal experience.

At 6:15 last night Dave Gordon was in the foyer of our hotel and he watched us leave for speedway, saying nothing. He was in conversation with other people I have to add.

We arrived at the stadium to find everything closed up, for those of you familiar with Belle Vue, even the car park gates, so no-one, and I mean no-one could gain any access to the stadium. There was a scrawled 'Meeting Off' notice on the car park gate.

We returned to the hotel and I asked Mr Gordon what the reason was and he advised us that there had been a burst water main and it was out of his control. Forums have covered subsequent events last night and today so there is no point adding to them.

This morning I decided to pop over and look at the track. In previous years the stadium has been open on the following morning, and last year in particular I actually walked the (corrugated) track to see the reason for some of the previous nights spills.

I actually joked with Kathy that I would take my mobile to let her know if I was arrested while over there.

The car park gate was open but the stadium gates were still secured. I spotted a gap in the gate on the fourth bend and was peering through it, seeing nothing amiss with the track, when I was challenged by a security official who had spotted me, he said, on the CCTV. I simply told him that I was from Poole and not being able to gain entry last night was trying to get a glimpse of the track. This he told me I could not do. I said that I was disappointed that we never got to race last night and he said that he was surprised that the meeting did not go ahead. He told me that the track was in perfect condition when he left yesterday and appart froma little dampness on the second turn was in good condition this morning. I asked him what time he left yesterday and he said 2:30.

So between 2:30 and 3:20 a water main burst and flooded the track, yet it had returned to normal this morning. When a water main bursts in the roads around town it seems to take several days. Trenches to be dug, pipes to be removed, new ones fitted, trench to be filled in, and so forth. This appears to have been carried out in the dark, behind locked gates, between 7 pm last night and 7 pm this morning.

 

Great inconvenience to the riders that did make it yesterday, but also remember us fans. A 525 mile round trip, fuel for the car, overnight hotel, food and drink, ok maybe the drink is down to us, and maybe do it all again when the meeting is rearranged.

I had thought at least Mr Gordon would have offered free admission for the restaging, but that was not forthcoming.

 

End of saga. Thought you might like to hear from someone that was there.

Edited April 30, 2013 by Pirate Baz

[Starman2006]

Just got back from Belle Vue. OK no jokes about old cars, bikes and horse and carts. We have an oovernight stop on the long trips, and Brock and I have to give our ladies a day out on the way home. Warwick today.

 

Anyway to the point in hand from personal experience.

At 6:15 last night Dave Gordon was in the foyer of our hotel and he watched us leave for speedway, saying nothing. He was in conversation with other people I have to add.

We arrived at the stadium to find everything closed up, for those of you familiar with Belle Vue, even the car park gates, so no-one, and I mean no-one could gain any access to the stadium. There was a scrawled 'Meeting Off' notice on the car park gate.

We returned to the hotel and I asked Mr Gordon what the reason was and he advised us that there had been a burst water main and it was out of his control. Forums have covered subsequent events last night and today so there is no point adding to them.

This morning I decided to pop over and look at the track. In previous years the stadium has been open on the following morning, and last year in particular I actually walked the (corrugated) track to see the reason for some of the previous nights spills.

I actually joked with Kathy that I would take my mobile to let her know if I was arrested while over there.

The car park gate was open but the stadium gates were still secured. I spotted a gap in the gate on the fourth bend and was peering through it, seeing nothing amiss with the track, when I was challenged by a security official who had spotted me, he said, on the CCTV. I simply told him that I was from Poole and not being able to gain entry last night was trying to get a glimpse of the track. This he told me I could not do. I said that I was disappointed that we never got to race last night and he said that he was surprised that the meeting did not go ahead. He told me that the track was in perfect condition when he left yesterday and appart froma little dampness on the second turn was in good condition this morning. I asked him what time he left yesterday and he said 2:30.

So between 2:30 and 3:20 a water main burst and flooded the track, yet it had returned to normal this morning. When a water main bursts in the roads around town it seems to take several days. Trenches to be dug, pipes to be removed, new ones fitted, trench to be filled in, and so forth. This appears to have been carried out in the dark, behind locked gates, between 7 pm last night and 7 pm this morning.

 

Great inconvenience to the riders that did make it yesterday, but also remember us fans. A 525 mile round trip, fuel for the car, overnight hotel, food and drink, ok maybe the drink is down to us, and maybe do it all again when the meeting is rearranged.

I had thought at least Mr Gordon would have offered free admission for the restaging, but that was not forthcoming.

 

End of saga. Thought you might like to hear from someone that was there.

 

Mr Gordon has seen you all there, refere to my earlier post on this thread, and photocopy the reciepts...

[moxey63]

This, events at Belle Vue last eve, only highlights one of the reasons I got so fed up of attending live speedway matches. A culmination of this sort of prank - and we all thought the circus had closed years ago - will turn more people off than the sport entices.

[LagutaRacingFan]

A points deduction and fine must apply, BV must be made examples out of as if they get away with a fine, Other clubs with missing riders will pull the same trick and get away with a fine.

 

It's a dangerous precedent that must be eradicated.

[Little-End]

A points deduction and fine must apply, BV must be made examples out of as if they get away with a fine, Other clubs with missing riders will pull the same trick and get away with a fine.

 

It's a dangerous precedent that must be eradicated.

 

As was Kings Lynn last year (?) , when Iversen was injured , They did call it off in the Morning , But an Aces fan visited the Track in the afternoon and spoke to a Track staff member , who said they had time and the equipment to sort the Track out ....... but they did`nt

 

And Kings Lynn did`nt get punished hhhhmmmmmmm

 

Lucky

[orion]

 

 

As was Kings Lynn last year (?) , when Iversen was injured , They did call it off in the Morning , But an Aces fan visited the Track in the afternoon and spoke to a Track staff member , who said they had time and the equipment to sort the Track out ....... but they did`nt

 

And Kings Lynn did`nt get punished hhhhmmmmmmm

 

Lucky

 

Yea must have been really scared of the mighty aces of last year, no wonder they called it off . Maybe with rr rather than puk they would by 20 rather than 35 .

[LagutaRacingFan]

Also, I don't think this is BV's fault... It's the BSPA fault for making silly rules at the AGM that have meant that some teams were left without a Number 1 while others have 2... So BV had to employ Zagar who turns up when he wants with 1 bike and although he's a class act... Failing to board a plane for a big league meeting is a joke and the Aces promotion had no choice but to pull the plug with Mrockza being injured and uncharacteristically Zetterstrom also missing his flight meant that they would have had to track junior riders and got a crowd of 100.

[Posh Red]

Sorry if this (or similar) has already been posted but, just to play devils advocate which brings the sport into the most disrepute.

 

Belle Vue calling off a meeting because they can't field a team (due to no fault of the promotion),

or fielding a side that would struggle to get 25 points as they would have been missing two of their best riders?

 

 

 

The people I feel the most sorry for is the fans that travelled to the meeting. It would have been nice if they could have been compensated in some way for their costs.

[Guest]

Sorry if this (or similar) has already been posted but, just to play devils advocate which brings the sport into the most disrepute.

 

Belle Vue calling off a meeting because they can't field a team (due to no fault of the promotion),

or fielding a side that would struggle to get 25 points as they would have been missing two of their best riders?

 

 

 

The people I feel the most sorry for is the fans that travelled to the meeting. It would have been nice if they could have been compensated in some way for their costs.

 

"Which brings the sport into the most disrepute?"

It's the lies, deception & insult to peoples' intelligence which brings the sport into the most disrepute!

[AndyJ]

Belle Vue calling off a meeting because they can't field a team (due to no fault of the promotion),

or fielding a side that would struggle to get 25 points as they would have been missing two of their best riders?

 

Personally I'd say that attempting to race with a weakened side (typically a situation that spectators discover after parting with their entrance money!) would be scenario most harmful to the sport -or at the very least most likely to cause people to walk away and thus harmful to Belle Vue.

 

IF there is any substance to the allegations being leveraged then it would appear that the BV promotion, caught between a rock and a hard place, chose what appeared to be the least damaging option; calling off the meeting early enough to avoid having to pay stadium rent and preventing the majority of their paying customers wasting time & money.

 

Understandably those travelling a great distance and arriving at the (closed) stadium will be feeling most aggrieved by the situation and, like Posh Red says, it's a shame that a goodwill gesture hasn't been made to try and address this.

[SteveLyric2]

Personally I'd say that attempting to race with a weakened side (typically a situation that spectators discover after parting with their entrance money!) would be scenario most harmful to the sport -or at the very least most likely to cause people to walk away and thus harmful to Belle Vue.

 

IF there is any substance to the allegations being leveraged then it would appear that the BV promotion, caught between a rock and a hard place, chose what appeared to be the least damaging option; calling off the meeting early enough to avoid having to pay stadium rent and preventing the majority of their paying customers wasting time & money.

 

Understandably those travelling a great distance and arriving at the (closed) stadium will be feeling most aggrieved by the situation and, like Posh Red says, it's a shame that a goodwill gesture hasn't been made to try and address this.

A souvenir programme pen anyone?!

[Guest]

It looks like DG and Mort didn't count on columbo doing his detective bit and not only gaining access to the scene of the crime but managing to get a full confession from an unsuspecting local expert employee who was pretending to be a security guard.

 

Even getting Zagar to tweet that he was at the Manchester Radisson (that's the airport hotel you know) didn't throw columbo off the scent.

 

Columbo always got his man in the end lol.

 

In my opinion when the inevitable guilty verdict is handed down (lucky Christopher Jenkins wasn't a speedway promoter eh?) both DG and Mort should endure at least as 'harsh' a penalty as the one Kennett suffered and have their licences revoked for a minimum of 6 months. It will be tough on The Aces and us long suffering fans but it would be for the good of speedway and Coventry could replace KK and Nicholls.

 

It's a win win.

 

Seriously, I'm sure most supporters just want promotions to be straight with them.

[LisaColette]

I do not think for one minute that The Aces promotion would pull a stunt such as this.They are,contrary to what some say,no fools.There is simply too much at stake.I remember the same thing happening at Hyde Road on a warm and sunny bank holiday one year.Let us not forget that the rent is payable after a certain time on raceday,whether the meeting goes ahead or not.Who in their right mind would say lets call this off and still pay the rent?.Would the world champion have risked his life and safety on a sodden track if the meeting went ahead?.He has a duty as WC to not bad mouth the sport,as previous WC's have not done.His comments do not befit his title.

Yes, shame on Holder for showing everyone that the track was 90% dry. How very naughty of him!! BV were caught out by a Poole rider and that's it. Having this investigation after the ref's findings speaks volumes to me.

[Irk Deflector]

Don't hold your breath this is Graham Reeve and the SCB we are talking about, fining riders for absurd twitter comments is about all they are good for.

Yes - they let Poole have Miedzinski on loan rather than transfer which opened the floodgates and they let Peterborough and Coventry off the hook during the winter of discontent - so I agree don't hold your breath

If all Speedway Promoters had the balls we would have had an independent body running the sport by now. As it is the sport is in terminal decline in the UK.

 

p.s. don't you just love bitter and twisted fans!

[Hobnob Smith]

Posting on the BSF #onthebeachinAustralia

lmfao

[The Voice Of Reason]

A points deduction and fine must apply, BV must be made examples out of as if they get away with a fine, Other clubs with missing riders will pull the same trick and get away with a fine.

 

It's a dangerous precedent that must be eradicated.

 

So should the same have applied to Peterborough last year, when a certain bloke known as MJJ pulled out of your Away fixture at Lakeside a couple of days before the meeting with a 'bad back' YET YOUR CLUB'S PROMOTION already had Bomber booked in for the meeting as a replacement for him a fortnight previous?

 

People, glass houses and all that. ;-)