OveFundinFan Posted March 27, 2017 Report Share Posted March 27, 2017 (edited) Yes it went on a bit but we had a few falls, we had junior races, presentations to riders and committee, interviews with Kings Lynn legends as well as 23 heats of senior races. Testimonials are not meetings to be rushed through, they should be to celebrate a rider's 10 years with a club as they see fit ...... Well then, holder such meetings at a time of year when weather is going to be more conducive to watching a 4 hour open air event. Cant think of a time in the past when I was at BV for 4 hours. 4 hours - ridiculous. And as for food, if the catering is provided by the stadium - sack the staff if food is not up to a standard. If its Joe Bloggs Burger Van - get shut and allow another to take its place. Got to keep the customer happy or they dont turn up again - plain business sense. Edited March 27, 2017 by OveFundinFan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted March 27, 2017 Report Share Posted March 27, 2017 I think that the longest meeting I ever attended was the Fours Semi-Finals and Final at Wolves in the early late nineties/early eighties (?)...but it did consist of 48 heats! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityrebel Posted March 27, 2017 Report Share Posted March 27, 2017 1980 Steve, good job it was on a Sunday! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidney the robin Posted March 27, 2017 Report Share Posted March 27, 2017 I heard from someone who went to Berwick on Saturday saying that it was superb.The promotion had done a great job great racing the Vissing/Lambert clashes and the meeting finished in a hour and a half it can be done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Shovlar Posted March 27, 2017 Report Share Posted March 27, 2017 Kings Lynn have form for this. Last years U21 went on and on and on..... watching online it was way after 11. Problem is Kings Lynn have no curfew to speed things along. Pity the poor souls that attended the U21. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teaboy279 Posted March 27, 2017 Report Share Posted March 27, 2017 Don't see the problem tbh (I mean a 15 heat meeting should be a 90 min job, that is fact) But I d love a festival of speedway, I could sit there and watch 5 or six matches back to back. Especially if we ve travelled a few hundred miles, I want the event to last longer then my journey. To counter the bored kids theme, my daughter (turned 7 a few weeks ago) usually moans when it gets towards the later heats as she don't want it finish. (Tbf quite the opposite when it's cold or damp, she then moans cause it's not finished) As long as there is action happening I d happily watch all day. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A ORLOV Posted March 27, 2017 Report Share Posted March 27, 2017 (edited) I think the Berwick-Newcastle meeting on Saturday seemed to be completed in 90 mins which is good. With the weather as it is at the moment, ie cold and usually windy, most fans want the meeting over as fast as possible. A longer meeting on a nice sunny afternoon is not too bad, but the delays at many meetings are ridiculous, frustrating and can so easily be stopped. One of the most frustrating is on a false start that the two min warning, or pref a one min warning, should go on straight away and the pit gates should not be opened. Edited March 27, 2017 by A ORLOV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner85 Posted March 27, 2017 Report Share Posted March 27, 2017 When I started watching at Hyde road , there used to be 13 heats for the league match, approx 10 min interval and 10 races in the second half. Start 1900 hrs , always out before 2100 hrs as they wanted people spending money on the fairground. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*JJ Posted March 27, 2017 Report Share Posted March 27, 2017 In amateur racing, the riders are waiting at the pit gates with their engines running as the previous heat finishes, and go out on to the track when the previous riders exit it. If amateurs can do this, why not the professionals? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimmo Posted March 27, 2017 Report Share Posted March 27, 2017 I agree to a point - but - FOUR HOURS is ridiculous. Allowing for the 'extras' at a Testimonial Meeting - I reckon two and a half to three hours with three hours being the absolute limit. You are right when you say that you have to consider the Rider whose Testimonial is being celebrated - but surely you should consider the paying public too. Without them - it wouldn't be much of a Testimonial. YEP!! Unnecessary delay annoys everyone. Standing at Ipswich on Saturday the lads I was with all complained about the interval, all the more so because it was a cold night. Scunthorpe rarely have a meeting that takes longer than 90 minutes because they get on with it - I have even heard Rob Godfrey tell the referee to put the 2 minutes on - and have no interval. No reason why everyone else can't do the same. As to food, get Mr Anderson to supply it. The burgers and pies at Berwick are amazing. Trouble is, I'm a vegetarian and for medical reasons can't eat much fried food, so the like of me aren't catered for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trees Posted March 27, 2017 Report Share Posted March 27, 2017 I agree to a point - but - FOUR HOURS is ridiculous. Allowing for the 'extras' at a Testimonial Meeting - I reckon two and a half to three hours with three hours being the absolute limit. You are right when you say that you have to consider the Rider whose Testimonial is being celebrated - but surely you should consider the paying public too. Without them - it wouldn't be much of a Testimonial. What do you care, the length of a UK meeting will never affect you again!!Kings Lynn have form for this. Last years U21 went on and on and on..... watching online it was way after 11. Problem is Kings Lynn have no curfew to speed things along. Pity the poor souls that attended the U21.Whole story Shovlar ..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Smith Posted March 27, 2017 Report Share Posted March 27, 2017 Kings Lynn have form for this. Last years U21 went on and on and on..... watching online it was way after 11. Problem is Kings Lynn have no curfew to speed things along. Pity the poor souls that attended the U21. The running of that meeting had nothing to do with King's Lynn except it was run at the stadium. Onesport had total control of proceedings, Buster just graded the track when required. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A ORLOV Posted March 27, 2017 Report Share Posted March 27, 2017 (edited) What do you care, the length of a UK meeting will never affect you again!! But he has to follow updates for a long time rather than watch eastenders. Edited March 27, 2017 by A ORLOV 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ommer Mon Posted March 27, 2017 Report Share Posted March 27, 2017 I couldn't agree more with most of the comments here. Waiting round in the cold is no good for any body and certainly kills off any enthusiiasm in the kids. One of the biggest issues for me is the tractor racing after every 4 heats. In the days of track rakers the dirt was dragged back after every race and it worked and was delivered in a quarter of the time it takes to get tractors out there to do their job. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucifer sam Posted March 27, 2017 Report Share Posted March 27, 2017 The running of that meeting had nothing to do with King's Lynn except it was run at the stadium. Onesport had total control of proceedings, Buster just graded the track when required. I thought Onesport were the Polish company. Why would they be running a U21 meeting at King's Lynn? I would have thought it would have been either the FIM or BSI. All the best Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DutchGrasstrack Posted March 27, 2017 Report Share Posted March 27, 2017 One Sport bought the rights for U21 and run it together with FIM. So it's not like One Sport ran the whole show in KL.... still a FIM event 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Smith Posted March 27, 2017 Report Share Posted March 27, 2017 One Sport bought the rights for U21 and run it together with FIM. So it's not like One Sport ran the whole show in KL.... still a FIM event All the same, the running of the meeting had nothing to do with King's Lynn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skodaman Posted March 27, 2017 Report Share Posted March 27, 2017 This is one of speedway's biggest problems. I've posted this before, but it's worth bringing up again. For years I tried to get my son into the sport, but the fact is, he's bored to tears by heat 4. Why? Because in about half an hour, he's seen about 4 minutes of action. It's why speedway simply cannot attract a younger audience. The modern generation expect entertainment instantly. They need something going on in front of them all of the time. The world has changed hugely in the last 20 years but the sport is stuck in the 1970s in terms of what it thinks constitutes an acceptable standard of entertainment. Every speedway meeting should have 20 heats, with the aim of having them all done and dusted in about an hour and a half. The whole way the meeting is run should be with the aim of giving the supporter as little 'down time' as possible. The riders should have 30 seconds after a race to exit the track, which is still ample time for the winning rider to pop a few wheelies to entertain the fans. The two minute time allowance should be halved. After this time, the one-minute time allowance for the next heat would be sounded. At the end of the one-minute, the start marshal needs to be able to signal to the referee to put on the green light. Any rider causing the start marshal to be unable to do this would be excluded and fined. Unsatisfactory starts for rolling would be more heavily penalised. Instant exclusion and a fine for the rider deemed to be moving before tapes up. If a rider knew rolling would hit them in the pocket with a double-whammy, they would all stop doing it. Riders should never be allowed to return to the pits. Even in the event of a delay for a fall, the riders not involved in the fall should have to wait on the centre green until the re-run. Riders should not be given as much time as they are currently given to get themselves ready after a fall. Far too often I see a rider get up, walk back to the pits and then take an age to get ready for the next heat. If their preferred bike is damaged, clogged up with shale, got bent bars etc, tough luck. Use your spare. Strictly timed brief grading intervals after heats 5, 10 and 15. These would replace the traditional interval at heat 10/12. Referees need to be tougher. They are in charge of the meeting, not the riders. We're in the entertainment business. It's about time the riders and promoters started to realise that, because I honestly think very few of them actually do. I agree with most of your comments but there is one that needs clarification - If a rider falls, gets up and walks back to the pits it doesnt mean he his not injured. He will need to be examined by the medic before coming out again. This is what delays restarts after a fall. Dont forget, the fall may not have been his fault. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucifer sam Posted March 27, 2017 Report Share Posted March 27, 2017 All the same, the running of the meeting had nothing to do with King's Lynn Home promoter can still exert a little influence, though. After all, he's the one left picking up the pieces afterwards. All the best Rob 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fromafar Posted March 27, 2017 Report Share Posted March 27, 2017 Unnecessary delay annoys everyone. Standing at Ipswich on Saturday the lads I was with all complained about the interval, all the more so because it was a cold night. Scunthorpe rarely have a meeting that takes longer than 90 minutes because they get on with it - I have even heard Rob Godfrey tell the referee to put the 2 minutes on - and have no interval. No reason why everyone else can't do the same. As to food, get Mr Anderson to supply it. The burgers and pies at Berwick are amazing. Burger and Pies were amazing,believe he no longer is doing the catering,R Grant Jnr is now doing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.