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Newcastle Diamonds 2014


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Agreed. We got stuffed something like 55- 35 at Peterborough and I think we needed a 5-1 to win at home and we did it. Fantastic meeting, one of the most exciting at Brough.

The Stoke away meeting killed the second leg for Stoke, but it did see then return of form of Bodger. Havvy used to have him out practicing and telling him when to slide it into the first corner. Sadly after getting his form back, he tangled with Micky Poole and subsequently lost his life. Very sad. No blame to Mick though.

Yeah totally agree about the meeting, I think we needed two 5-1's and a 4-2 in the last 3 heats and managed to pull it off. I remember the Bodger crash as well, very very sad incident, I was on my hols at the time in Lanzarote and read it in the papers.

The genius Rod Hunter - because he saw sense... :t:

What spent a couple of years at Middlesbrough and thought f**k this and retired and went to live back in Aus!!! Totally agree that he saw sense.
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One season then won the Australian lottery by all accounts so packed up.

 

Never took to him personally. Too much of a Newcastle connection for me! ;)

 

Rod will be gutted.

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Nearly there now with the track work. Mesh not arrived, and we will have to do the small section next week. Kickboards third bend, and all the home straight, and that's it all finished. A bit of tidying the fence up, and the edge of the centre green, and I think we will be just about there.
The track is in mint condition and never been so flat, don't know why anybody was worried in the last couple of weeks.
Hope to see a good few there, for a 9.30 start, now we have got this far.
Thanks for everyone's effort with the work, as without you, we could have been in big trouble.

 

 

 

 

NB

​We are still wanting more track workers to help with the putting down and lifting of the dog track sheets. In addition we need to create a new team to put up, maintain and remove the new air fence.

Anybody interested, please get in touch with me, and i'll advise you of the admission offer for doing the work.

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Newcastle Speedway Supporters Club, in conjunction with the Newcastle Speedway Promotion, have organised a Meet the Riders/Race Night at the PTE Club, Millers Road, Byker on Monday 17th March.

All the riders have been invited to attend, following on after the Press Day earlier in the afternoon at Brough Park. The evening starts at 7.30pm and the first race is at 8.00pm. Admission is FREE and yes, there will be a raffle.

This will be the first opportunity that everyone has been able to get together after the winter, and also the first chance to meet all of the new team for the 2014 season. Should be a good night. :approve:

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Nearly there now with the track work. Mesh not arrived, and we will have to do the small section next week. Kickboards third bend, and all the home straight, and that's it all finished. A bit of tidying the fence up, and the edge of the centre green, and I think we will be just about there.

The track is in mint condition and never been so flat, don't know why anybody was worried in the last couple of weeks.

Hope to see a good few there, for a 9.30 start, now we have got this far.

Thanks for everyone's effort with the work, as without you, we could have been in big trouble.

 

 

 

 

NB

​We are still wanting more track workers to help with the putting down and lifting of the dog track sheets. In addition we need to create a new team to put up, maintain and remove the new air fence.

Anybody interested, please get in touch with me, and i'll advise you of the admission offer for doing the work.

Well done to you all great to see supporters and clubs working together :t:

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Well, it was a canny day today. Good turnup, weather decent but cold, practically all outstanding jobs done with just mesh next Sunday, and first fix and instruction for the air fence from Colin Meredith and someone from the SCB to authorise the installation.

The track had all the new shale put on, both last Sunday and Monday, and today with more grading and packing by Jonny and Darryl, with tyres and a road roller it is looking PERFECT.

The road roller was used to squash the outstanding inside grass edge, and that is now fully chamfered, and the concrete path for the intro parade will be done during the week. With the widening of the track, and the removal of a couple of feet off the grass inside, the track is looking much wider and the introduction of the air fence will not have much affect on the racing. The condition of the track though will. :P

Visiting riders Christian, and our worker Ludde, seemed suitably impressed today.

 

Still having a tidy up day next Sunday, so, whilst the air fence is being fitted, it would be nice if those who have not turned up could put a shift in to finish it off. It is for your benefit as well as the team riders.

 

 

NB

Forgot to mention the terrific progress that has been made to replacing the grandstand steps. Since last week, they have double the number of completed steps, and I don't think it will be too long before they are all completed. Good news. :P

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Well, it was a canny day today. Good turnup, weather decent but cold, practically all outstanding jobs done with just mesh next Sunday, and first fix and instruction for the air fence from Colin Meredith and someone from the SCB to authorise the installation.

The track had all the new shale put on, both last Sunday and Monday, and today with more grading and packing with tyres and a road roller it is looking PERFECT.

The road roller was used to squash the outstanding inside grass edge, and that is now fully chamfered, and the concrete path for the intro parade will be done during the week. With the widening of the track, and the removal of a couple of feet off the grass inside, the track is looking much wider and the introduction of the air fence will not have much effect on the racing. The condition of the track though will. :P

 

Still having a tidy up day next Sunday, so, whilst the air fence is being fitted, it would be nice if those who have not turned up could put a shift in to finish it off. It is for your benefit as well as the team riders.

 

 

NB

Forgot to mention the terrific progress that has been made to replacing the grandstand steps. Since last week, they have double the number of completed steps, and I don't think it will be too long before they are all completed. Good news. :P

does that mean that the track is shorter ???

and whoever wins the first race will be the 'new track record' holder,,, (if somewhat briefly) :-)

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does that mean that the track is shorter ???

and whoever wins the first race will be the 'new track record' holder,,, (if somewhat briefly) :-)

Up for debate really. The exit corners have been skimmed to widen the exits, which would only be very marginal. SCB will be with us on Sunday so they might give a ruling. Mind you, I would rather see better racing than a track record. Sometimes I don't even record heat times.

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Up for debate really. The exit corners have been skimmed to widen the exits, which would only be very marginal. SCB will be with us on Sunday so they might give a ruling. Mind you, I would rather see better racing than a track record. Sometimes I don't even record heat times.

a dunno,,, how much is enough to alter the track length,,, I would assume that track's are measured from the inside line, so taking it in would make the inner circle more of an inner circle, and vice versa,,,

I would like better racing too,,,

I don't record heat times either, a don't even fill the programme in, lol

anyway glad to hear that things are going well

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Apparently the length of the track is measured one metre out from the inside kerb. Therefore if the centre green has been lessened by widening the corners on the inside, it follows that the length of the track will have been shortened! The SCB man/men will have to bring their little wheel measure to do an official distance of the track. If it is an official new track length you will have new track records! (For what it's worth!)

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I can't wait for the new season now, What does the track look like now? And will all of the steps be open for the new season?

Photo of the track is on Facebook, and we will have to see regarding the steps. Most of it looks like it could be released for the season start, but the contractors might be only allowed to release all the steps in one go. I think it will be a contractual thing.

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From today's Racing Post monthly round-up of northern greyhound tracks, under the headline "Toon hope terracing will be back for Sky night" ...

 

The Newcastle management is hoping that the £250,000 building work currently being carried out at the track to replace the terracing in the front of the grandstand will be completed in time for their new Sky TV date on June 4.

 

The old terracing has been fenced off in recent months as it had been deemed unsafe, but operations manager Ian Walton is pleased with the way the job is progressing.

 

He says: "Everything is under way and there have been no delays so far. They gave us an estimate of 12 to 16 weeks when they started and that would take us to the end of May beginning of June, so we're keeping our fingers crossed."

 

= = = = = = = = = =

 

Some notes on that article ... whereas up to and including 2012, Sky's greyhound production budget let them build their own finishing-line camera-&-commentary gantry for each of their 1-or-2 visits each year, their reduced budget from last year onwards means they now just use whatever facilities are already in place for SIS's betting-shop coverage from the track.

 

Any of you who went to Newcastle last year will remember the closure of the terracing meant the track's SIS box (also used by Bob Tasker for his GRT-Media speedway-dvd's) was moved halfway down the full terracing as its traditional place at the back of the terracing was within the condemned territory.

 

But now that the repair work's underway, the SIS box has been temporarily moved again to about 10 metres after the greyhound winning-post, creating a camera-angle that makes it almost impossible for betting-shop viewers to know who's likely to have won a photo-finish ... it's that camera-angle that Sky's viewers also had to put up with last month.

 

Newcastle were only awarded the meeting previously listed in Sky's 2014 schedule as "June 4th, venue to be arranged" a couple of weeks ago and I doubt they'd have been given that date unless there was reasonable confidence that Sky's viewers wouldn't have to put up with a repeat of last month's camera-angle so the terracing should be fully back in business (speedway fans included) nicely in time for that next Sky dogs-night.

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From today's Racing Post monthly round-up of northern greyhound tracks, under the headline "Toon hope terracing will be back for Sky night" ...

 

The Newcastle management is hoping that the £250,000 building work currently being carried out at the track to replace the terracing in the front of the grandstand will be completed in time for their new Sky TV date on June 4.

 

The old terracing has been fenced off in recent months as it had been deemed unsafe, but operations manager Ian Walton is pleased with the way the job is progressing.

 

He says: "Everything is under way and there have been no delays so far. They gave us an estimate of 12 to 16 weeks when they started and that would take us to the end of May beginning of June, so we're keeping our fingers crossed."

 

= = = = = = = = = =

 

Some notes on that article ... whereas up to and including 2012, Sky's greyhound production budget let them build their own finishing-line camera-&-commentary gantry for each of their 1-or-2 visits each year, their reduced budget from last year onwards means they now just use whatever facilities are already in place for SIS's betting-shop coverage from the track.

 

Any of you who went to Newcastle last year will remember the closure of the terracing meant the track's SIS box (also used by Bob Tasker for his GRT-Media speedway-dvd's) was moved halfway down the full terracing as its traditional place at the back of the terracing was within the condemned territory.

 

But now that the repair work's underway, the SIS box has been temporarily moved again to about 10 metres after the greyhound winning-post, creating a camera-angle that makes it almost impossible for betting-shop viewers to know who's likely to have won a photo-finish ... it's that camera-angle that Sky's viewers also had to put up with last month.

 

Newcastle were only awarded the meeting previously listed in Sky's 2014 schedule as "June 4th, venue to be arranged" a couple of weeks ago and I doubt they'd have been given that date unless there was reasonable confidence that Sky's viewers wouldn't have to put up with a repeat of last month's camera-angle so the terracing should be fully back in business (speedway fans included) nicely in time for that next Sky dogs-night.

 

Fingers crossed that you are right Arthur. It's nice to have somewhere to go if (when) it rains.

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