Christmas Cracker - Coventry - Sunday 29th December

[robert72]

You have to question why more wasn't done to run this meeting today,the weather reports show it's been lovely for the last few days around Brandon,I have seen a track under water at 4pm and the meeting started at 7.30pm with a good race track.

I think it should be moved to another track next year.

 

Very disappointed Coventry

[G the Bee]

You have to question why more wasn't done to run this meeting today,the weather reports show it's been lovely for the last few days around Brandon,I have seen a track under water at 4pm and the meeting started at 7.30pm with a good race track.

I think it should be moved to another track next year.

 

Very disappointed Coventry

 

As many of the posts on here are stating, it is suspected the major reason for the call-off was to do with the damage to the track done by the stock cars and the promotion not having the time to do the remedial work needed.

 

I suspect the turn of events went something like this:

 

Stock cars on Boxing Day leave the track in very poor condition. Heavy overnight rain into and throughout Friday morning compounds matters. The Coventry promotion take a look at the track on Friday morning in the wind and rain. They see a heavily damaged, soaking wet track and reason that they simply cannot get the track into the required condition in the time-frame available.

 

I was not surprised it was off. Simply because of the stock cars. The weather was awful in the days leading up to the Christmas break (although Christmas Day and Boxing Day itself were fine) but, even if the weather had been perfect in these days, I'm not sure what difference it would have made. The stock cars would still have damaged the track on Boxing Day and it would still have rained on Boxing Day night. And let's face it, heavy overnight rain in December is hardly beyond the realms of possibility!

 

Look at this YouTube link of the final of the stocks meeting:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A8nR-y1JfY

Watch the cars bouncing as they move through bend 1. There has been problems with that part of the track before after a stocks meeting. Indeed the Bees v. Kings Lynn meeting on Friday 7th June this season was held up hugely as bend 1 needed heavy remedial work. This following a stock car meeting the previous Saturday.

 

Again, I'm just making a supposition but I suspect the damage to that bend alone was enough to put the speedway meeting in serious jeopardy.

 

I suppose (and would be more than happy to be corrected on this matter by a member of the Bees management) that it was a combination of lack of time/manpower/materials to do the intense remedial work on the track that was (and baring some sort of miracle was always going to be) needed following a stock car meeting in the middle of winter followed by heavy overnight rain. Let's face it, once the weather on Friday cleared up they have had weather which is about as good as you are going to get at this time of year.

 

However, I do not believe the Boxing Day overnight rain was enough to get this meeting called off. It was just the final nail in the coffin. In fact, I imagine there are very few people on here who think that this meeting would have been cancelled had there been no stock cars on Boxing Day.

 

Which again begs the question - and one which neither Main Man or Neil Watson have addressed on this thread - "Why on earth was the meeting arranged for the date it was knowing that a stock car meeting preceded it so closely?"

Edited December 29, 2013 by G the Bee

[FTM]

You have to question why more wasn't done to run this meeting today,the weather reports show it's been lovely for the last few days around Brandon,I have seen a track under water at 4pm and the meeting started at 7.30pm with a good race track.

I think it should be moved to another track next year.

 

Very disappointed Coventry

your post imo is obviously not taking on board anyones post from people before you .If there had been no stocks on boxing day the meeting would have definitley been on as although there was a horrendous days rain and wind on Friday the track was already looking pretty good and the remedial work needed overnight on Friday into Saturday and then possibly sat night/ sun morn would have been one of the best winter tracks. ,Why do you need to put the boot in when someone is trying to give fans a meeting in the close season. I noticed through out the season you have been the same on Leics site. As other posters have said the cars did the damage but they had their date already in situ from the end of 2012 .No one is bigger than the man upstairs controlling the elements and Mick,Neil.Colin etc were right in cancelling .

Edited December 29, 2013 by FTM

[Gemini]

As someone has already said why not hold the meeting on a date before the Stock Cars rather than after as we all know the problems they cause to the track? Was December 22nd available?

So disappointing as it has been a glorious day today and would have been ideal for some speedway.

[GREDON]

Believe there was also a dog meeting in between Stocks and the Cracker which would have given little time to prepare the track. It makes sense to utilise the Stadium as much as possible, but Stocks, Speedway and dogs are run by separate people. Probably would have been different in the Charles Ochiltree days. Shame really as although chilly has been a lovely day from 12pm onwards

[Triple.H.]

As someone has already said why not hold the meeting on a date before the Stock Cars rather than after as we all know the problems they cause to the track? Was December 22nd available?

So disappointing as it has been a glorious day today and would have been ideal for some speedway.

vast majority of people would probably be shopping . Between Christmas and new year is an ideal time for most people and lets face it Coventry is pretty much a central venue for everyone. On a purely selfish note a postponement suited me due to a fixture clash with football even thougb the game was crap and thats bigging it up. Saturday evening dogs permitting or Sunday afternoon late january perhaps

[skthecat]

Going on from this thread and blending in from multiple threads on this forum... Everyone wants to know why crowds are so poor these days? This postponement about sums it up, its no longer a proper professional sport, so low down on priorities for stadium owners, meetings called off far to easy, far to quickly....

I am not having a go at the organisers, just saying what in my opinion alot of people wont say for fear of being chastised on the forum... Other pro sports would HAVE got there equivalent on...

[tsc1]

Going on from this thread and blending in from multiple threads on this forum... Everyone wants to know why crowds are so poor these days? This postponement about sums it up, its no longer a proper professional sport, so low down on priorities for stadium owners, meetings called off far to easy, far to quickly....

I am not having a go at the organisers, just saying what in my opinion alot of people wont say for fear of being chastised on the forum... Other pro sports would HAVE got there equivalent on...

 

 

As a ex track curator. I know how hard it is to prepare tracks and to get meetings on with all the bad weather we have had believed me its not as easy as you guys think, and also here something you may not know but track guys work the same as riders so no meeting no money. So believe me I know I did everything I could to get meetings on.

 

[Skodaman]

You have to question why more wasn't done to run this meeting today,the weather reports show it's been lovely for the last few days around Brandon,I have seen a track under water at 4pm and the meeting started at 7.30pm with a good race track.

I think it should be moved to another track next year.

 

Very disappointed Coventry

IMO the promoters would not have postphoned the meeting if there was any possibility of being able to run it; they have lost money due to the postphonement.

[mdmc82]

You have to question why more wasn't done to run this meeting today,the weather reports show it's been lovely for the last few days around Brandon,I have seen a track under water at 4pm and the meeting started at 7.30pm with a good race track.

I think it should be moved to another track next year.

 

Very disappointed Coventry

 

I live near Brandon and despite what you may have seen on weather reports the weather has been terrible.

we have had horrible win and heavy rain most nights. my bins outside even blew over and I was grateful I was off work

regardless of if there had been other sports held at the track or not, the weather would have made the track too waterlogged to produce decent if any racing

[Guest]

This is a 'little old hat' now. It os a Startrax Press Release issued before Christmas but gives an insight into the preparation and build-up of the Brandon circuit for the ten proposed stock car and speedway meetings scheduled for the Christmas holiday period. The stocks did survive and race but as regrettably we know the proposed speedway was cancelled.

 

The Startrax Release reads:

 

“Coventry Update!

“Considerable work on relaying the Brandon strip for Christmas has been underway since the early meeting F1 event.

“The track staff have virtually completed a relay of the surface in preparation for the Stock Car & Speedway fixtures scheduled for Boxing Day and speedway 3 days later.

“As we speak, 28 tonnes of dry limestone is being delivered to ‘mix’ with material already in place on the track in the middle of the corners over the next 48 hours after which a vibrating roller is being brought in to complete the work and ensure hopefully a first class race strip.

“At the time of writing 41 BriSCA F1′s are entered with bookings still being accepted and 20 National Ministox – a list of Banger entries will be online next week. Combined with a quality firework display, a fantastic afternoon – and full format F1 meeting, is in prospect

“We hope to put online up to date pictures of the results of the Winter relay in the next few days.”

NOTE: I must admit that I do not quite understand the first paragraph in the Release.

Edited December 30, 2013 by Guest

[NeilWatson]

THE Christmas Cracker meeting, originally scheduled for Brandon on December 29, has been switched to Peterborough.

The winter speedway event fell victim to the weather last month, being postponed 48-hours prior to the scheduled start-time.

Now it has been confirmed there will be no motorsport activity at Coventry until March, meaning an alternative venue for the meeting had to be sought.

The Coventry promotion are involved in the new consortium which has ensured the sport will continue at Peterborough, with the Panthers set to run at Premier League level in 2014.

And they will now run the meeting at the Showground on Sunday February 2, with a midday start.

2014 Coventry season tickets were to be valid at the original staging, and Bees supporters should note those tickets WILL also be valid for the meeting at Peterborough.

[Lioness]

Nice shiny new thread started for the Peterborough meeting - thanks Neil!

Please see http://www.speedway-forum.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=75531