Crap ( Quirky ) Tracks

[teddy2706]

Vog and H.T. hit the nail on the head about Stoke, it was one of the most exciting places to watch because WHEN it was prepared nicely, visiting riders would often run amok. It may be the case that Stoke suffered from a lack of silverware because they had such a fair, neutral and fast track?

However, it has deteriorated in recent years to an embarrassment and we have witnessed some very scary incidents involving very competent riders.

Vog and I enjoyed a visit to Lakeside in 2011 on a hot dusty day. Four riders entered a huge dust cloud, three emerged, no-one had a clue where the fourth had gone, yet we saw some good racing that day.

One of the most spectacular meeting I saw was at Brandon in the eighties, normally it was appallingly boring, but heavy rain had turned the track into an absolute quagmire. Peter Ravn revelled in it and set up a new track record that day.

My definition of a crap track would be one where a rider is hurt because of poor preparation or poor infrastructure like broken kerbs or faulty drain covers, this is unforgiveable.

Regarding potholes, riders cannot always choose exactly where they want to be on a track, manouevres by other riders may force them into places they would not normally be riding.

Gary Irving suffered a really frightening off at Stoke when he picked up. Instead of running to his assistance, a well known Stoke personality jumped over the fence and started berating him for knocking someone else down as though Gary had actually chosen to crash.

All part of the rich tapestry of life at Stoke Speedway!

Maybe there are no crap tracks, only crap promotions?

[woodenspoon]

Kyle Howarth used to be awesome round BV when more experienced riders struggled but I haven't seen him recently .... I'm surprised BV hasn't been mentioned.

In my opinion, Kirky lane isn't Quirky.

Generally the track was well prepared, better than it has been for a few years. It is probably one of the easiest tracks for the opposition to ride, hence one of the reasons Belle Vue lost so many home meetings, last year, 6 in all I think.

At Belle Vue you must bust a gut to get to turn three first, after that just hold the best racing line, and providing you don't make an arse of it you should win, as since they flattened the camber on the bends a few years ago, it took away any different lines that the better riders could use, like Mark Loram, Crump etc.