Track Covers

[Max the rebel]

Unfortunately most tracks don't belong to speedway teams and are used for various other purposes that makes it impractical to be able facilitate this idea, so we have to put up with chances of rain offs.

I've been following speedway since I was 5 im now 44

They do track prep after every meeting draging all the dirt back from the fences after they have finished they but covers on just like the dogs do at some speedway venues.

Then before next home meeting they take them off giving them selfs time to do the prep they need.

It would have no impact on who owns stadium ect they would be doing no different than they do now apart from putting on covers and taking them off again.

Berwick offered free admission to helpers on Friday night. It normally take around a team of 12 to lay covers. It's £15 admission for adults. Therefore effectively it should cost £180 (lost takings). Compare that with the cost of a rain off. Any promotion not considering this would be daft.

Spot on there great post

[dontforgetthefueltapsbruv]

I think they should be mandatory like air fences after they have done what they need to do after a meeting the track staff put on the covers till next meeting.

Then track staff get to next meeting take them off to do what they need to do to the track.

If the hevans open then nothing u can do.

U would save 90% of meetings and save thousands of pounds in doing so and the supporters no that they are doing everything possible to get the meeting on.

So at Foxhall they put the covers on by midnight after the Thursday meeting and leave them till next week??

 

I wonder what state they would be in after 50 stock cars had run over them 1000s of times on the Saturday night.

 

I suppose that the speedway promotion could arrange for the track team to come in at midnight Saturday and put them on...

[allthegearbutnaeidea]

Berwick, Glasgow and Workington have football and rugby respectively on at their stadiums where you are not allowed to have the covers down as the players are wearing studs and health and safety and all that...

[Max the rebel]

This is all a cop out teams need to what they can to get meetings on.

Track covers are just one option.

They need to take responsibility at the moment they are not imo

Changing tipe of shale is another option to what they use in Poland Sweden ect

[StevePark]

I've been following speedway since I was 5 im now 44

They do track prep after every meeting draging all the dirt back from the fences after they have finished they but covers on just like the dogs do at some speedway venues.

Then before next home meeting they take them off giving them selfs time to do the prep they need.

It would have no impact on who owns stadium ect they would be doing no different than they do now apart from putting on covers and taking them off again.

 

 

 

Yes it would. At Newcastle, for example, the starting traps are taken off the Dog Track once the race has started and dragged onto the speedway track, at the exit of turn 4 of the speedway track, just where the track covers would be. It's a total non-starter at Newcastle.

[happyvalleywoolerman]

Berwick offered free admission to helpers on Friday night. It normally take around a team of 12 to lay covers. It's £15 admission for adults. Therefore effectively it should cost £180 (lost takings). Compare that with the cost of a rain off. Any promotion not considering this would be daft.

 

In fact it is less as the majority of the folk putting them down are regular track staff who wouldn't be paying in anyway and the offer of free admission is just for extra labour. What is strange here is that several posters are so enthusuastic about putting down the idea and explaining why covers wont work on their track instead of shouting at their promotion to do something about trying them out.

[allthegearbutnaeidea]

Lets face it covers dont need to be on a track throughout the week just when there is rain on raceday before the start time...

[dontforgetthefueltapsbruv]

 

In fact it is less as the majority of the folk putting them down are regular track staff who wouldn't be paying in anyway and the offer of free admission is just for extra labour. What is strange here is that several posters are so enthusuastic about putting down the idea and explaining why covers wont work on their track instead of shouting at their promotion to do something about trying them out.

Not putting down the idea at all.

 

If practical then every club should do it.

 

However in the real world the likes of Newcastle and Ipswich (and others but those quoted as are the posters who have commented so far) dont have the option.

 

Ipswich for example would be able to prep and cover on the Sunday at the earliest following a Tursday meeting if there was a stock car meeting.

 

Unless of course its the hokey cokey covers on covers off covers on between stadium uses.

[SharpenRake]

Something needs to be done. that's Glasgow off again and with blank dates were gonna only have 3 home meetings from May to June, normally the best months for weather in Scotland!

 

This is probably mental and wouldn't work for every track but could a system be developed for the bends that is similar to roller blinds that shops use to protect shoppers? Once the fixings are installed behind the air fence's support fence the covers are pulled over the fence down to the edge of the track, rain runs off and the track also doesn't sweat as air gets in. Maybe wouldn't need so many helpers and would be quicker? The starting gate could have a cover like those used to protect cricket pitch.

[StevePark]

Something needs to be done. that's Glasgow off again and with blank dates were gonna only have 3 home meetings from May to June, normally the best months for weather in Scotland!

 

This is probably mental and wouldn't work for every track but could a system be developed for the bends that is similar to roller blinds that shops use to protect shoppers? Once the fixings are installed behind the air fence's support fence the covers are pulled over the fence down to the edge of the track, rain runs off and the track also doesn't sweat as air gets in. Maybe wouldn't need so many helpers and would be quicker? The starting gate could have a cover like those used to protect cricket pitch.

 

Glasgow have purchased track covers and are awaiting their arrival.

[Paulco]

 

Glasgow have purchased track covers and are awaiting their arrival.

This should have been purchased over the winter , but better late than never , even if we're kicking our heels again today .

[Gazc]

This should have been purchased over the winter , but better late than never , even if we're kicking our heels again today .

And next week fixture planning is diabolical , I will be glad to see Tenerife in July to see what this big Orange thing in the sky that people talk about is only downside is I'm flying from Newcastle trek down there as long as the flight.

 

But i more than likely won't miss any meetings due to rain , no fixture planned , or more rain.

Edited June 11, 2017 by Gazc

[StevePark]

This should have been purchased over the winter , but better late than never , even if we're kicking our heels again today .

 

Perhaps they couldn't afford them during the winter!!

[bigeddiechek]

One thing not mentioned: as a fan it takes away the massive amount of uncertainty about whether or not a meeting is going to be on.

 

Knowing that the club are always going to do everything they can to beat the rain is brilliant.

 

Can't praise them and all the volunteers highly enough, it's a big track, and the covers look pretty heavy, great job.

A massive step forward for the sport.

 

The sooner other clubs work it out - the better.

[2ndbendbeerhut]

In the past the gang that take down the fence after a Foxhall meeting got in free.. don't know if this is still the case though.

[Joseq7]

What are the logistics of track preparation?

 

Is it best to let the track "breath" during the week or can you basically cover it for six days and it'll make no difference?

[Super Blue]

What are the logistics of track preparation?

 

Is it best to let the track "breath" during the week or can you basically cover it for six days and it'll make no difference?

I know there are track prep bodies on this forum who could answer your question but when they've posted in the past all sorts of interesting discussions have taken place.

 

So you'll probably not get them to respond unless they want to open themselves up to an in depth debate on why tracks are so good or bad?

Edited June 11, 2017 by Super Blue

[crescent girl]

Berwick have never covered the track more than 24 hours before a match, usually it is on the Saturday morning if daytime rainfall is forecast.

[Tsunami]

One thing not mentioned: as a fan it takes away the massive amount of uncertainty about whether or not a meeting is going to be on.

 

Knowing that the club are always going to do everything they can to beat the rain is brilliant.

 

Can't praise them and all the volunteers highly enough, it's a big track, and the covers look pretty heavy, great job.

A massive step forward for the sport.

 

The sooner other clubs work it out - the better.

I quite agree and I applaud the efforts that the new promotion are taking to review everything. I know them all personally, and know they have the best intentions in everything they do.

What some people have difficulties to understand is Berwick had the least obstructions with no dog track and a fixed air fence. As others have said, other tracks have more problems especially us, Lakeside and Ipswich so it is not the easy solution that others think it is. Covering the whole track all week is just crazy overkill and not viable. Extra weights to keep the sheets down and who goes in to maintain the blocks stay on the sheets during the week. Most doggie stadiums would not allow the sheets to be in view either for their live evening meetings or for the BAGS meetings in the afternoons.

[Andrew]

What are the logistics of track preparation?

 

Is it best to let the track "breath" during the week or can you basically cover it for six days and it'll make no difference?

Mr Machin at Sheffield in the mid 1990s,covered a part of the 3rd turn by way of experiment,after track covers were mooted back then.What they found when they lifted the covers after a few days was that the track had 'sweated' and turned into a sloppy mess.So they had to dig the whole area up and relay it.

 

Back in late 1992 Sheffield tried mixing limestone into the shale to get through a wet spell.It made the track a odd colour but the meetings were staged.