Coventry V Birmingham, 28 Mar 14

[Woz01]

Why's he the inocent party?. He should have been at the track at some point during the morning to ensure all is in hand, if You lot are very quick to defend horton, why?

How do you know he wasnt? Not that it matters as once again the track curator does the opposite of what riders said should be done.. What can Horton do with someone so narrow minded. The guy works for Coventry Stadium and not Coventry Speedway.

Not really any deal he should have done with the Staduim should include him being able to used his own track staff ... if he has not got that in place and then they muck up then the buck has to stop with him .

The stadium want to employ their OWN staff.

Even if Horton employed someone who could help with track prep would this guy listen? I dont think so.

Edited March 29, 2014 by woz01

[Starman2006]

How do you know he wasnt? Not that it matters as once again the track curator does the opposite of what riders said should be done.. What can Horton do with someone so narrow minded. The guy works for Coventry Stadium and not Coventry Speedway.

The stadium want to employ their OWN staff.

Even if Horton employed someone who could help with track prep would this guy listen? I dont think so.

Its been made perfectly clear by many on here and other write ups he wasn't down the stadium overseeiing!! Then for your second point, if that is the case, then you, Coventry Speedway have a hell of a problem!!!

[Dornier]

Well done to Havvy for giving Mick his backing its seems to me they`re both in the same minds....

[Deano]

I have not picked out your post vindictively just as one of many who either will not or cannot understand the position Mick Horton is in as regards track prep.He is the promoter of the Bees as you all accept but he is not got any say in the employment of Stadium staff .The new trackman is employed by Coventry Stadium under the ownership of Avtar Sandhu .Mick only rents the track for bees meetings and he can obviously complain to the management over the state of the track but as I see it Marek( the trackman) needs educating on the different ways of the English weather but unfortunately he seems very anti any help or advice offered.IMO someone needs to try to alleviate this problem from the Stadium or ,Sorry to say for the fans including me , Coventry Bees will be gone forever very soon ...We never had this problem before as in the beginning the Bees were owned and promoted by the Ochiltree family then the same situation carried on when Sandhu bought the Stadium with track staff working for Owner/promoter being the same person. With the change of Bees promotion to M.H he now has no equipment involved with his tenure,all.machinery still being the property of the Stadium.Hope someone can sort it soon the track is one of the best in British speedway if its looked after lovingly

 

 

But, to the layman on off fan, who doesn't give a jot about politics, contracts within the sport, the BSPA, just attends to see the Bees stuff who ever they are against (this could be 50% of speedway fans by the way). Coventry Speedway appear to be the problem. we know they aren't the root cause, but it is Horton's problem.

Edited March 29, 2014 by Deano

[OGT]

Its been made perfectly clear by many on here and other write ups he wasn't down the stadium overseeiing!! Then for your second point, if that is the case, then you, Coventry Speedway have a hell of a problem!!!

No shot, Sherlick!

[Game On]

How do you know he wasnt? Not that it matters as once again the track curator does the opposite of what riders said should be done.. What can Horton do with someone so narrow minded. The guy works for Coventry Stadium and not Coventry Speedway.

The stadium want to employ their OWN staff.

Even if Horton employed someone who could help with track prep would this guy listen? I dont think so.

 

 

How do you know he wasnt? Not that it matters as once again the track curator does the opposite of what riders said should be done.. What can Horton do with someone so narrow minded. The guy works for Coventry Stadium and not Coventry Speedway.

The stadium want to employ their OWN staff.

Even if Horton employed someone who could help with track prep would this guy listen? I dont think so.

Well Mick may as Well stand with me on the first and second bend as he has know more control than me.

Edited March 29, 2014 by Game On

[tonyd]

Can anyone else see where this could be heading ???

 

....... Stadium sold and speeedway told its ok for 3 years

....... Greyhounds gone within days of takeover

....... Old trackman gone and new one brought in to prepare the track for the speedway employed by the stadium.

....... Track supplied is un-ridable but stadium owners still want to use there own man to do the job.

....... Coventry speedway facing an uphill task paying money out each week to riders for no return through the gates

....... In the wost case Coventry speedway have to pull out as there is no bottomless pit of money to keep going on like this.

 

.......That leaves stockcars only x amount of nights a year

...... Stadium starts falling into a state of dis-repair

...... Council talk about the state of it but are told not enough money coming in to do anything about it.

...... Oh dear someone has broken in and burnt down part of the grandstand

..... Council involved again but are told not enough money to repair it but we could pull it down

..... A year later complaints are coming into the council thick and fast about the state of the land (Squatters, dumped cars, Rubbish, fires etc)

..... Stadium owners to council .... If you approve this housing plan for 200+ matchboxes it will really tidy up and improve the situation .........

 

Hope im wrong and talking out my a*se but this does seem to have a sort of regular land owner / council type senario about it.

[philfromcov]

i think thats a fair assessment actually, just seems odd for three years left they are re laying the track?

 

doesnt make any business sense UNLESS the fans have to agree to the change of use?

[MAN ON THE TERRACE]

Even if this Polish guy does get the track sorted for next week’s NL match I can see another problem on the horizon. Next Saturday is the first stock car meeting of the season & although this guy is supposed to be a speedway track curator, stock car track preparation is different & will be totally alien to him, he won’t have a clue. If the track is not correctly prepared then the track base will soon be exposed early on in the meeting & I can see the return of the hole in turn 1. This hole first appeared at a stock car meeting back in either 2009/2010 & has made a guest appearance on a number of occasions including the end of last season, even the stadium stated that it had been sorted out. Before you suggest that the stock cars are the cause of the problem, they have raced at Brandon alondside speedway since 1954 & the track has only started to develop these problems under the current stadium owners.

[philfromcov]

no one was suggesting that, the two sports have been together for a long time with no issues, never been to the cars thou in 40 years!

 

the issue will come when if they try and find a new venue. the noise of the cars is huge compared to the bikes, im not sure they could co exist in a stadium for much longer?

Edited March 29, 2014 by philfromcov

[Alan_Jones]

....... Greyhounds gone within days of takeover

 

Aren't the dogs back with a different promoter?

[tonyd]

This Polish track guy makes me wonder, no one seems to know who he is but he is supposed to be a top track curator. One would think that with the amount of riders, ex riders, managers and mechanics criss crossing europe each week someone would know him and say so (even if just to say he drove the dumper to take the shale onto the track so it could be spread, or even just a car park attendant somewhere)

[Bee 26]

There was a rumour flying about he was a taxi driver in Poland!

[orion]

How do you know he wasnt? Not that it matters as once again the track curator does the opposite of what riders said should be done.. What can Horton do with someone so narrow minded. The guy works for Coventry Stadium and not Coventry Speedway.

The stadium want to employ their OWN staff.

Even if Horton employed someone who could help with track prep would this guy listen? I dont think so.

And Horton agree to that in the deal he done ..no one force him

[arthur cross]

Aren't the dogs back with a different promoter?

The stadium management are intending to run greyhound racing outside the remit of the Greyhound Board of Great Britain by joining the independent category of tracks (often referred to as "flapping tracks") where there isn't a nationwide databank of all the dogs taking part and there aren't such strict rules regarding things like greyhound welfare.

 

Effectively, when you get your dog entered into any flapping meeting you can give it any name you like in the racecard, ideally so not too many other people notice you're bringing along a superstar that'll give you a good chance of taking home the bookies' money ... Edinburgh's speedway track at Armadale is also a greyhound flap and Stoke's Loomer Road used to be the Chesterton flap.

[houdi]

Can anyone else see where this could be heading ???

 

....... Stadium sold and speeedway told its ok for 3 years

....... Greyhounds gone within days of takeover

....... Old trackman gone and new one brought in to prepare the track for the speedway employed by the stadium.

....... Track supplied is un-ridable but stadium owners still want to use there own man to do the job.

....... Coventry speedway facing an uphill task paying money out each week to riders for no return through the gates

....... In the wost case Coventry speedway have to pull out as there is no bottomless pit of money to keep going on like this.

 

.......That leaves stockcars only x amount of nights a year

...... Stadium starts falling into a state of dis-repair

...... Council talk about the state of it but are told not enough money coming in to do anything about it.

...... Oh dear someone has broken in and burnt down part of the grandstand

..... Council involved again but are told not enough money to repair it but we could pull it down

..... A year later complaints are coming into the council thick and fast about the state of the land (Squatters, dumped cars, Rubbish, fires etc)

..... Stadium owners to council .... If you approve this housing plan for 200+ matchboxes it will really tidy up and improve the situation .........

 

Hope im wrong and talking out my a*se but this does seem to have a sort of regular land owner / council type senario about it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You are forgetting that the stadium will be hosting the World Stock Final next September with meetings on Friday and the Final on Saturday. With general admission being £32 for just the Saturday final,and with hospitality already sold out, I would imagine this weekend will generate probably at least £500,000,maybe more as I would expect the stadium will be packed. I doubt if the stadium would readily forego that big payday.

Edited March 29, 2014 by houdi

[MrMungo]

There was a rumour flying about he was a taxi driver in Poland!

He did used to drive for Tomasz Gollob it appears. (click on "crew equipment")

 

http://pickz.de/link.php?q=thomas+gollub&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.speedwaygp.com%2Frider%2Ftomasz-gollob

Edited March 29, 2014 by MrMungo

[Woz01]

And Horton agree to that in the deal he done ..no one force him

Anyone taking over the club would have had to accept that deal. It was accept the deal or no Coventry Bees it seems.

[wandersome]

There was a rumour flying about he was a taxi driver in Poland!

a man with the same name would appear as part of Thomas Gollob's back up crew on his website, I'm guessing as his driver though my grasp of polish is admittedly non existent. Although a driver I would guess the close link to the Gollobs definately wouldn't rule him out being bydgoszcz's track man.

[GREDON]

The bickering has to stop and stadium owners and speedway need to kiss and make up and get speedway back. Problems is no one on either side has a clue about track preparation, might have been different if Colin Pratt was still involved. It therefore is down to the track curator to do the job. Unfortunately however good the new man might be his lack of English is a big problem. The translation does not always mean the same thing. The damage was done in the winter repairs. The hole dug on the first bend had to fill with water, and no doubt still is. On top of that was put very wet shale, which probably still is very wet. With some warm sunshine, a racing surface might eventually begin to emerge. Probably needs a stock car meeting to rip it up. Yesterdays call off was unfortunate, but with someone on board who knew about racing surfaces, it perhaps could have been called off earlier, and would have saved me setting out. Fortunately I had a tip off, when I pulled into the M42 services, if only a portion of the rain that was then coming down had reached Brandon, the meeting could not possible have started.