King's Lynn V Poole 27/4/16 7.30pm (skysports)

[Agrotron]

What a shocking start to the season for call offs. Kings Lynn and Belle Vue lead the way with three a piece, Wolves and Swindon have two each and of the rest all bar Poole have one each.

 

It will be interesting to see how The Aces track covers go as it could see them adopted throughout the EL if they prove a success.

 

I'd heard similar rumours a few days ago. Surprised they opened the gates tbh but these things happen I suppose.

Though I wasn't there myself I'm quite interested in the refunds policy and how long it will take. I'd imagine plenty of others on here feel the same.

 

Couple of minutes I guess with only 5 people there.

[Starman2006]

What a shocking start to the season for call offs. Kings Lynn and Belle Vue lead the way with three a piece, Wolves and Swindon have two each and of the rest all bar Poole have one each.

 

It will be interesting to see how The Aces track covers go as it could see them adopted throughout the EL if they prove a success.

 

 

Yep, and im sure you'l be there to lend a hand.

Track covers would have saved this meeting ni problem. Why the bspa havent purchased a set for Sky meetings is anyones guess. Works for berwick why not elsewhere?

They have, and Ronnie Russell brought them down to poole once, it took us 5 hours to lay them and 4 1/2 hours to take them up roll them up and stick them on the van in the pouring rain. They won't be bringing them to poole again..

Just as Sky cut off it started to rain again, so i doubt they would have saved the meeting, as you would have had to take them off about a hour before the meeting to get air to the track as it will sweat.. then it was still raining a i believe.

Far play to KL, they tried, this weather is getting rediculous..

Edited April 27, 2016 by Starman2006

[New Science]

Pansies, the lot of them

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE6JLMOGG04

Proper machines you mean

[Tsunami]

Yep, and im sure you'l be there to lend a hand.

They have, and Ronnie Russell brought them down to poole once, it took us 5 hours to lay them and 4 1/2 hours to take them up roll them up and stick them on the van in the pouring rain. They won't be bringing them to poole again..

Just as Sky cut off it started to rain again, so i doubt they would have saved the meeting, as you would have had to take them off about a hour before the meeting to get air to the track as it will sweat.. then it was still raining a i believe.

Far play to KL, they tried, this weather is getting rediculous..

Some on here are stuck with the idea of covers will regularly save meetings. There are so many factors that have to be with you to make them work, the main one being able to find enough volunteers to put them down at a minutes notice and then stay on site after the calloff or meeting, and then taken off the now heavier covers, which will need cleaning and storing before they are next used. In addition, the meeting might be saved, but if it is still raining like tonight, the riders vision is impaired and it is unsafe to ride and race. The rain has to be predictable and end at the right time to have even a fighting chance of getting the meeting on. Why save the meeting if everyone thinks it won't be on and stay at home. Far better to save the doubtful covers costs, pay for professional weather forecasts and call the meeting off as soon as it is probable that it will not go on. The same critics who complain about early calloffs are probably the same critics who would complain about the quality of racing and having to stand in those conditions. When you are on a tour or travelling long distance such as the North to Stoke/Plymouth, an early calloff is cheaper and very considerate to the away fans.

Edited April 28, 2016 by Tsunami

[damosuzuki]

It would be better if Sky didn't try and cover the matches before May. Also why don't they confirm where they are going say 7 days beforehand where the forecast is more likely to be right.

[dump that clutch]

that track last night looked a lot better than the track Doyley rode in Poland last weekend when he was doing a Newman .. WTF is going on with speedway..?

Lets get some continuity going eh?

[Gavan]

The Kings Lynn track wasn't raceable that was obvious but it was no worse than at Belle Vue when Poole needed those points. Middlo on Twitter talking bout rider safety what a hypocrite

[semion]

Buster upset that the meeting never went ahead. Maybe he should have been given a little longer to try and turn it around.

[Shadders]

If the riders don't want to race there's nothing you can do

[Poole Quay 7]

Another day, another bitchy Poole comment from gavan.....Nothing changes with you on here does it Lilly!

Edited April 28, 2016 by Poole Quay 7

[semion]

If the riders don't want to race there's nothing you can do

 

 

Aint that the truth. I guess they are in the best position to judge whether a track is rideable or not. I wonder in real terms what a cancellation actually costs a club/promotion when its called off with everyone in the stadium ?

[Daytripper]

Yep, and im sure you'l be there to lend a hand.

 

They have, and Ronnie Russell brought them down to poole once, it took us 5 hours to lay them and 4 1/2 hours to take them up roll them up and stick them on the van in the pouring rain. They won't be bringing them to poole again..

Just as Sky cut off it started to rain again, so i doubt they would have saved the meeting, as you would have had to take them off about a hour before the meeting to get air to the track as it will sweat.. then it was still raining a i believe.

Far play to KL, they tried, this weather is getting rediculous..

Fair point. Anyone who preaches about track covers first of all needs to have a go at putting air fences up and down. It takes two people to fold one airfence section and 4/5 to lift it on to the truck. About 10 sections per bend. Very hard work and takes around 45 minutes to pack up, putting them up takes longer. Track covers are bigger, heavier and harder. You would need to get a team of voluteer track staff to have time off work to come in during the day and put the track covers down in probably in the pouring rain. In addition the track curator cant do his job while the covers are on. In practical terms track covers woukd only be of very very limited benefit.

[Mimmo]

QUESTION: I saw the King's Lynn riders in their kevlars, but didn't personally see any Poole riders changed, did anybody else see them changed ready, in case the meeting went ahead?

 

Having arrived at the stadium at 5.00pm, I could see the hard work that Buster had put in before the rain arrived. I also saw the hard work that he put in again once the rain had stopped, and it must have been so soul destroying for him, when those responsible, decided it wasn't safe to race on.

 

I, and I'm sure that many of us have seen meetings go ahead quite safely in far worse conditions than those that were presented to the riders last night. Having said that, I appreciate also that rider safety must ALWAYS come first, but do ask myself that if that had been a GP meeting last light, would it have been called off?

 

Star Lady mentions in her posting that she's told that Buster issues cash refunds on the day, and I can confirm that was the case last night. I wonder if all clubs have such an understanding policy?

 

Anyway, I suppose if there can be a consolation from the postponement, it prevents casual observers watching on TV, saying what a load of crap that sport is, because I think it possibly would have been very much follow the leader stuff, and we know it isn't really like that.

[Daniel Smith]

QUESTION: I saw the King's Lynn riders in their kevlars, but didn't personally see any Poole riders changed, did anybody else see them changed ready, in case the meeting went ahead?

 

Having arrived at the stadium at 5.00pm, I could see the hard work that Buster had put in before the rain arrived. I also saw the hard work that he put in again once the rain had stopped, and it must have been so soul destroying for him, when those responsible, decided it wasn't safe to race on.

 

I, and I'm sure that many of us have seen meetings go ahead quite safely in far worse conditions than those that were presented to the riders last night. Having said that, I appreciate also that rider safety must ALWAYS come first, but do ask myself that if that had been a GP meeting last light, would it have been called off?

 

Star Lady mentions in her posting that she's told that Buster issues cash refunds on the day, and I can confirm that was the case last night. I wonder if all clubs have such an understanding policy?

 

Anyway, I suppose if there can be a consolation from the postponement, it prevents casual observers watching on TV, saying what a load of crap that sport is, because I think it possibly would have been very much follow the leader stuff, and we know it isn't really like that.

 

Poole never changed because it was never going to be on. Buczkowski made that quite clear with his social media message and rightly so. Would have been more farcical had it gone ahead

[Poole Quay 7]

QUESTION: I saw the King's Lynn riders in their kevlars, but didn't personally see any Poole riders changed, did anybody else see them changed ready, in case the meeting went ahead?

 

I read this tweet from Hans last night: Hans Andersen

#⃣ 3⃣ 4⃣ ‏@Hansi_Andersen 14h14 hours ago

Let's stop the ball rolling, not racing was a shared decision between both teams, KL suited was due to meeting being in their changing room

[SteveLyric2]

What if the tweet by Buzz - about an hour before anything official - that it was off, was spot on. Any 'official' decision was then deferred until Sky went 'live' and they could praise all the hard work that had gone on and show the (pre-recorded?) interviews and rider discussions to make it seem that it was all a last minute decision?!

 

Cynical? or what..........?? ;-)

 

ps. Didn't someone on Sky say there was not enough dry shale available?! I thought that was exactly what Buster accused Poole of in the 2014 play-offs?! Double standards??

[Starman2006]

The Kings Lynn track wasn't raceable that was obvious but it was no worse than at Belle Vue when Poole needed those points. Middlo on Twitter talking bout rider safety what a hypocrite

The only Hypocrite on here is you deary.. Rider safety is paramount, but you wouldn't understand that, would you...

that track last night looked a lot better than the track Doyley rode in Poland last weekend when he was doing a Newman .. WTF is going on with speedway..?

Lets get some continuity going eh?

Meaning ?

Edited April 28, 2016 by Starman2006

[Mimmo]

 

QUESTION: I saw the King's Lynn riders in their kevlars, but didn't personally see any Poole riders changed, did anybody else see them changed ready, in case the meeting went ahead?

 

I read this tweet from Hans last night: Hans Andersen

#⃣ 3⃣ 4⃣ ‏@Hansi_Andersen 14h14 hours ago

Let's stop the ball rolling, not racing was a shared decision between both teams, KL suited was due to meeting being in their changing room

 

Thanks for that.

[ouch]

If the riders don't want to race there's nothing you can do

Glad things have changed. The fines given to Harris and Kylmakorpi when they didn't want to ride last year was nuts.

[LunnasPerm]

What speedway needs is someone at the very top who will grab this situation by the scruff of the neck; a leader whose both inspirational and innovative.

 

We have put men on the moon, I am under no illusions than we can introduce track protection in the form of coverings. It is not a difficult concept; protect a track's exposure to rain, snow, sleet, etc. I'm by no means a drainage expert, but off the top of my head, attach the inner part of the protective sheet to the rubbishe line and the outter to the top of the safety fence, creating an angle which encourages any water into the centre green; that's where the track staff shovel the excess mud to, anyway. I'm sure an industry expert could create something appropriate to be implimented.

 

I know very little about Buster Chapman and I noted his efforts last night, but pushing wet mud around a track with a tractor in an attempt to combat the postponment is the equivalent of travelling on a horse in this day-and-age.

 

If it rans during the meeting and it's called-off as a result, then fair enough. Meetings are very rarely abandoned, especially in comparison to postponements which, lets be honest, involve the powers that be standing watching their unprotected tracks being leathered with all sorts of weather, awaiting the uncontrollable force that is the weather to stop before they get their shovels, spades and tractors out.

 

I was also suspicious of Poole's riders being unsuited, but King's Lynn's riders being suited; I don't think Hans Andersen's attempted justification on Twitter makes any sense, either. They had the home changing rooms? What? You had the away ones.

 

Sky didn't even attempt to offer an alternative for the speedway viewer. Last week's rain-off was replaced by an Anthony Joshua documentary and I didn't even hang around for last night's replacement, but it wasn't speedway.

 

Oh, well. Hey, hoe. The dying sport that is speedway will plod on with no changes.