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The Welsh Open at Newport in about 2009. It took 50 minutes to run one race because Kevin Doolan kept knocking others off and being put back in the re-run! Was a boiling hot day after the GP and it took about 5 hours to run a single meeting with 21 heats.

 

It felt like an eternity too due to track work and the heat - plus the hang over form the day before.

Edited by SCB
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The Welsh Open at Newport in about 2009. It took 50 minutes to run one race because Kevin Doolan kept knocking others off and being put back in the re-run! Was a boiling hot day after the GP and it took about 5 hours to run a single meeting with 21 heats.

 

It felt like an eternity too due to track work and the heat - plus the hang over form the day before.

 

Yep, I think I know the one you mean. That meeting was a disgrace. All it was, was a prevarication on a really hot day in order to sell as many drinks and ice creams as possible. It still stands as the only meeting I've ever walked out of before the last race - in fact I think I walked out at around about Heat 10.

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i know it can not always be helped but given that elongated meetings repeatedly comes up that fans hate them and would turn off first timers perhaps clubs should be given time limits and penalised if they exceed them. Or maybe it should be the referees and start marshalls who should be given responsibility- maybe both should be given powers to penalise ditherers more.

Plus if a race is stopped within the first lap the pit door does not open!

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25th June 2006 : Mildenhall 'B' 40 Scunthorpe 53 (CL) followed by Mildenhall 41 Scunthorpe 52 (PLKOC)

 

In between the two matches we adjourned to the bar to watch football: England 1 Ecuador 0 (world cup).

 

First match started at 12 noon and the second at 18.00.

 

Some might argue this was in fact 2 meetings as first was reffed by Barbara Horley and second by Christina Turnbull.

 

I believe time-wise this may have exceeded the 48 heats I saw at Wolverhampton as mentioned above (I do not recall the elapse time for that).

Edited by Mike.Butler
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Lengthy delays are normally after a nasty crash, I wouldn't like to see punishments dished out because of that, Maybe if the delay was for other reasons

 

Been to some long meetings but this season Kent v Mildenhall seemed to go on for ever, I think every race was re started at least once

 

It was a bank holiday meeting, so no rush to beat the curfew, and boy, did they not rush

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Yep, I think I know the one you mean. That meeting was a disgrace. All it was, was a prevarication on a really hot day in order to sell as many drinks and ice creams as possible. It still stands as the only meeting I've ever walked out of before the last race - in fact I think I walked out at around about Heat 10.

You were not the only one to leave. I've genuinely never seen to many people drift out of a meeting purely down to the time taken to run it. Yes after a crash late on and even when there team is soundly beaten but not because its dragging on. To make matters worse Im sure there was little to no passing that day and the meeting had started with a huge crowd. A massive own goal by the promotion.

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i know it can not always be helped but given that elongated meetings repeatedly comes up that fans hate them and would turn off first timers perhaps clubs should be given time limits and penalised if they exceed them. Or maybe it should be the referees and start marshalls who should be given responsibility- maybe both should be given powers to penalise ditherers more.

Plus if a race is stopped within the first lap the pit door does not open!

What a jolly good idea.

 

They do this in Cricket for a slow Over Rate - so why can they not do something similar in Speedway. Something like that would cut out this constant returning to the Pits following a false Start. It would also punish Promoters who deliberately over run Meetings to increase their take at the Bar. It would encourage Promoters to get the Meetings started ON TIME.

 

Obviously time would have to be added on if someone is injured - that should go without saying - but the length of the Stoppage could be timed and added on at the end so that no Fines are issued because of injury. I would add that, time for attending to injuries MUST NOT put Paramedics or Medical Staff under any pressure to clear the Track. The injured Rider MUST come first - no matter how long it takes.

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25th June 2006 : Mildenhall 'B' 40 Scunthorpe 53 (CL) followed by Mildenhall 41 Scunthorpe 52 (PLKOC)

 

In between the two matches we adjourned to the bar to watch football: England 1 Ecuador 0 (world cup).

 

First match started at 12 noon and the second at 18.00.

 

Some might argue this was in fact 2 meetings as first was reffed by Barbara Horley and second by Christina Turnbull.

 

I believe time-wise this may have exceeded the 48 heats I saw at Wolverhampton as mentioned above (I do not recall the elapse time for that).

 

I remember it well as I was the Commercial Manager at Mildenhall at the time. It was an idea to fit in around the World Cup and as I remember it, although a long day, most people seemed to enjoy it :drink:

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A lot of the examples so far have been two meetings rather than one; even the fours is arguably three meetings (two semis and a final) all rolled up into one.

 

How about the longest time for a single meeting?

 

The 2005 Conference League Pairs at Wimbledon took 4 hours and 15 minutes to stage 19 heats of speedway. Can that be beaten?

 

All the best

Rob

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Newport v Swindon in a pl match some years ago when Rosco was at reserve for Swindon ...at least 20 re runs 5 track grades and around 4 and a half hours ...I think there might have been a junior match after as well .

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17th September 1978 at Arlington. NL Great Britain v Denmark (minus Olsen)

 

Arrived in good time for the normal 3.30 programmed start to be told that due to a delay in the ferry transporting the majority of the Danish riders following a meeting over there the previous evening we'd have to wait for them to arrive. So we all hang around for 2.5 hours until at 6.00 they run some 2nd half heats with the 'international' finally starting at 6.30.

No recollection of what time we got away but it must have been c. 9 p.m. I was therefore on-site for at least 6 hours to watch a total of 21 heats.

Edited by Mike.Butler
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The Welsh Open at Newport in about 2009. It took 50 minutes to run one race because Kevin Doolan kept knocking others off and being put back in the re-run! Was a boiling hot day after the GP and it took about 5 hours to run a single meeting with 21 heats.

 

It felt like an eternity too due to track work and the heat - plus the hang over form the day before.

Brains beer, dehydration and 34 degrees Celsius don't mix well. Twocandan, Penchev, the memories :-)

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