semion Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 I went to Kings Lynn, for a Poole meeting several years ago. We arrived at lunchtime, walked around the town, had a bite to eat in the Wimpey, before making our way to the stadium at 6.30. There was a very light shower around 4 pm but nothing to worry about. Entering the stadium,new watched Buster on his tractor going around and around, with football sized clips of shale all over the track. At 7.30 it was announced that the meeting was off. Buster had to hide in his shack on the forth bend as he refused to refund the dozens of Poole fans that had made the very long trip. Angry scenes indeed. He completely ballsed the track up. Several years ago, Lynn v Poole, and Buster was doing the track ? I wonder where Huggy was that day. As I recall Huggy was doing the Lynn Track for many years and was got rid of during either of the first or second season in the Premier League. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bagpuss Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 (edited) Not every track man can get it right every single time but its been a fair few years since Buster got it wrong. As SCB mentioned he got it wrong for the ELRC in 2007 and I can remember several poor tracks in the 1990's when he was inexperienced, but I can also recall tracks being completely relayed in 1994 for the Commonwealth Final and in 1998 for an Ipswich home match so that meetings could go ahead that evening despite heavy earlier rain. There is no doubt he was taught an awful lot by Huggy before he departed but he is a top drawer curator now who has prepared excellent circuits for the last five British rounds of the SWC and hundreds of domestic meetings. We are very lucky to have him as both promoter and track man and equally he has made the job much easier for himself by purchasing the stadium and having lots of top quality equipment and machinery for the job. Not every club is so fortunate. Edited March 25, 2014 by Bagpuss 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Racin Jason 72 Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 Who was the Coventry track man previous to the polish chap who does it now ? And did he leave his position of track curater or was he released ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halifaxtiger Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 (edited) Not every track man can get it right every single time but its been a fair few years since Buster got it wrong. As SCB mentioned he got it wrong for the ELRC in 2007 and I can remember several poor tracks in the 1990's when he was inexperienced, but I can also recall tracks being completely relayed in 1994 for the Commonwealth Final and in 1998 for an Ipswich home match so that meetings could go ahead that evening despite heavy earlier rain. There is no doubt he was taught an awful lot by Huggy before he departed but he is a top drawer curator now who has prepared excellent circuits for the last five British rounds of the SWC and hundreds of domestic meetings. We are very lucky to have him as both promoter and track man and equally he has made the job much easier for himself by purchasing the stadium and having lots of top quality equipment and machinery for the job. Not every club is so fortunate. I thought it was common knowledge that Buster struggled to get it right immediately after Huggy left but now he's up there as one of the best and has been for several years. Edited March 25, 2014 by Halifaxtiger 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemini Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 Who was the Coventry track man previous to the polish chap who does it now ? And did he leave his position of track curater or was he released ? Terry.....with a long surname I can't spell......and he was released. He does read the forum but I very much doubt if he would make any comments. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenMiller Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 Terry.....with a long surname I can't spell......and he was released. He does read the forum but I very much doubt if he would make any comments. I believe it was Terry Chrabaszcz ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowandblack Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 What is the point in all this agonising? It's happened, we the fans cannot influence it and certainly cannot influence it on this forum or by moaning down the pub. Send snotty letters to the BSPA by all means and complain face to face with whoever you hold to blame if you get the chance, that is a good start for either the ELRC or Storm match debacles. What should concern everyone in the speedway community who is British, is why was it necessary to employ a foreign track curator at all? Why is it in anyone's interests except well paid expert track curators, to keep this black art to themselves, instead of training competent people who are already skilled with tractors and grading machinery i.e. farm and highways workers. The plain, simple answer is money and it is a nasty vicious circle: Rubbish track Poor racing Dwindling spectator base Poor receipts Little money to re-invest Poor track preparation conducted by inappropriate persons Poor promoting Expensive machinery hamstringing ordinary working class riders. Less disposable income for many spectators due to the stupidity and greed of bankers and politicians. What did the much loved and sadly missed Wiggy say when interviewed in Speedway Star many years ago when asked what his ideal track surface was; "Dirt up to the wheel spindles", no doubt spoken with his trademark grin? Good stuff...although I am not sure about the 'British' and 'foreign' bit ...not really relevant to whether or not you are any good at preparing a speedway track! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemini Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 I believe it was Terry Chrabaszcz ? Something like that, but there might be a couple more c's and z's. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
proud panther Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 Bite the bullet Coventry Speedway, & get Terry back. Or does it suit your long term requirements to close the track asap ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g13webb Posted March 26, 2014 Report Share Posted March 26, 2014 Getting back to the issue of Sunday's debacle, The blame surely has to rest with the boss. It is his responsibility to make sure everything is in order. If we had swapped Buster with Horton, this wouldn't have happened. Had the track been unridable, this decision would have been reached until he had put a lot of effort trying to remedy the problem. The meeting would have been cancelled at a time, so that supporters would not have been affected, and not wasted so much time and money..... The BSPA haven't performed very well in this case either, but the BUTT rests on Horton's head, whether he likes it or not. I feel total sympathy for the Bees supporters. At a time when all the powers should be sticking together, we are subjected to a ridiculous situation caused by inefficiency of certain people. Brandon was once the mega of British Speedway, every rider and supporter wanted to go there. God , How things have changed........... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dornier Posted March 26, 2014 Report Share Posted March 26, 2014 Anybody would think this is the first time this has happened in front of Sky cameras.. It happened not long ago at Poole where the track situation was very similar to the Brandon track, seem to remember Bomber coming off his machine being unable to turn it in the pre meeting parade, there was a similar episode at Belle Vue when the track was unrideable and looked like a ploughed field, I also remember the Kings Lynn track a few seasons ago that too was virtually unraceable.The biggest problem with the Coventry meeting was that it was going to be a big curtain raiser, everybody had high expectations, a lot of people had booked their Sky package and yes it was a big disappointment but its not the first nor the last time it will happen..Its a difficult task knowing when to call off a meeting at the best of times especially when Sky are in town. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted March 26, 2014 Report Share Posted March 26, 2014 Yep, similar thing happened at Sheffield apart from it rained! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woz01 Posted March 26, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2014 Getting back to the issue of Sunday's debacle, The blame surely has to rest with the boss. It is his responsibility to make sure everything is in order. If we had swapped Buster with Horton, this wouldn't have happened. Had the track been unridable, this decision would have been reached until he had put a lot of effort trying to remedy the problem. The meeting would have been cancelled at a time, so that supporters would not have been affected, and not wasted so much time and money..... The BSPA haven't performed very well in this case either, but the BUTT rests on Horton's head, whether he likes it or not. I feel total sympathy for the Bees supporters. At a time when all the powers should be sticking together, we are subjected to a ridiculous situation caused by inefficiency of certain people. Brandon was once the mega of British Speedway, every rider and supporter wanted to go there. God , How things have changed........... The Bees promotion were not the boss of the meeting though were they? Its a bspa event they call the shots, they even had there own track man Mr Russell there. There wasnt a lot any of them could do when the track curator refused to do what was asked, the question I want to know is why did the bspa wait till 5.30 to call it off? A lunchtime cancallation and this thread wouldve been half the size. Yep, similar thing happened at Sheffield apart from it rained! Bite the bullet Coventry Speedway, & get Terry back. Or does it suit your long term requirements to close the track asap ? Coventry Stadium released him not Coventry Speedway. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dornier Posted March 26, 2014 Report Share Posted March 26, 2014 Personally don`t think the League riders should have been moved from its end of season slot, early or late season the weather is too dodgy and nowadays even mid season theres always a risk of rain . I`m one of the old ones who remember the Hyde Road League riders they were as good as a world final and a nice way to end a season. The idea of the League riders was for ALL the top dogs of the season to do battle against one another to decide the ultimate top dog its now been turned into a early season individual meeting, they spoil everything the BSPA. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandorum Posted March 26, 2014 Report Share Posted March 26, 2014 Regardless of who is to blame it's a fiasco that a sport as fragile as speedway could have done without. SKY will probably be livid at this happening and regretting not showing live dominoes instead of speedway. Having an inquiry into this debacle is pointless as the sport will pick a scapegoat such as this mysterious foreign trackman and then trundle on to the next disaster. Track preparation is important but as last few years shows the money isn't there as it was spent on Greg Hancock. If the sports showcase event ended up as an utter shambles it does not bode well for the rest of the season. Comparing other sporting disasters with speedway is also pointless as these sports have money whereas speedway is a beggar on the sidewalk that is ignored by the vast majority. It would be funny except that it isn't. Speedway's coffin has so many nails in it that it might be worth selling it for scrap value and starting somewhere else. Another black day for a sport that is self destructing faster than a pair of suicidal Panda's. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g13webb Posted March 26, 2014 Report Share Posted March 26, 2014 The Bees promotion were not the boss of the meeting though were they? Its a bspa event they call the shots, they even had there own track man Mr Russell there. There wasnt a lot any of them could do when the track curator refused to do what was asked, the question I want to know is why did the bspa wait till 5.30 to call it off? A lunchtime cancallation and this thread wouldve been half the size. Exactly. That is the crux of the matter. There can be an excuse why the track wasn't racable, but there is no excuse for the lateness in the cancellation. It cost supporters a lot of time and money, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudflaps Posted March 26, 2014 Report Share Posted March 26, 2014 Brandon was once the mega of British Speedway, every rider and supporter wanted to go there. God , How things have changed........... made me laugh!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IainB Posted March 26, 2014 Report Share Posted March 26, 2014 The Bees promotion were not the boss of the meeting though were they? Its a bspa event they call the shotsIsn't there a clue in the term "Shared Event" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aces51 Posted March 26, 2014 Report Share Posted March 26, 2014 The Bees promotion were not the boss of the meeting though were they? Its a bspa event they call the shots, they even had there own track man Mr Russell there. There wasnt a lot any of them could do when the track curator refused to do what was asked, the question I want to know is why did the bspa wait till 5.30 to call it off? A lunchtime cancallation and this thread wouldve been half the size. Coventry Stadium released him not Coventry Speedway. Doesn't the Stadium press release give an explanation of where the blame lies for the late call off. So far as I know there has not been a detailed response to that statement. That doesn't necessarily make it true but I know what I would do if someone was wrongly blaming me for a causing a similar situation. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reliant Robin Posted March 26, 2014 Report Share Posted March 26, 2014 The Bees promotion were not the boss of the meeting though were they? Its a bspa event they call the shots, they even had there own track man Mr Russell there. There wasnt a lot any of them could do when the track curator refused to do what was asked, the question I want to know is why did the bspa wait till 5.30 to call it off? A lunchtime cancallation and this thread wouldve been half the size. Coventry Stadium released him not Coventry Speedway. Mr Russell wasn't there as a track man - not by any stretch of your imagination. If he was there as a track man then he would have been there Saturday and Sunday working on the track. As it was, he turned up for his Meeting Co-ordinator duties just over 2 hours before start time. I know some like to shift the blame in that direction, but this one lays only with the Coventry Promotion I'm afraid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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