flipper11 Posted May 7, 2019 Report Share Posted May 7, 2019 (edited) I wonder why it seems most of the criticism is coming from people that either never go to Kent or weren't there yesterday. Why would things at Kent bother people who don't intend to go? They actually missed for the most part an excellent meeting with some good racing. In front of a surprisingly healthy crowd for a meaningless meeting. With 5 members of the Kent team having very little experience of the Kent track & with an average age of 16 (Ledwith apart) & no possibility of any practise falls are inevitable until they work out the track & set up. Gilkes winning time in heat 2 was .9 of a second faster than (the excellent) Bowtells winning time in heat 1 & that sums up the total commitment of all the young Kent team. Its not the managements fault there is a 2 hour curfew & when there is a serious accident as with Alex yesterday time will always be against them. The main hold up yesterday was the length of time it took to get Alex comfortable & packaged up on track ready to go to hospital, it would have made little or no difference if there had been another ambulance, so again not the the managements fault. I understand there are people who are not willing to pay to go to kent knowing the meeting may not go the distance but as Tai said "it is what it is" & unless the curfew is changed that will always be the case. But why go on as if its the managements fault just don't go there are plenty of other people who are very happy with the racing & the team/management at Kent that do go. Edited May 7, 2019 by flipper11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SR1953 Posted May 7, 2019 Report Share Posted May 7, 2019 I could agree with flipper11, and there were some good races, mostly involving Alfie Bowtell. But there were too many frustrating delays yesterday and while I accept that young riders have to learn their trade, and no fault is placed on them for the hold-ups, I do object to paying £15 for the dubious privelege of watching them learn. In fact, I object to paying very much at all. So I won't, not often anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityrebel Posted May 7, 2019 Report Share Posted May 7, 2019 I've attended well over 70 meetings at kent, so I'm a paying customer and entitled to an opinion. Why during the enforced breaks isn't the track graded and watered. Surely this would benefit the younger riders to have a consistant surface to race on. You only have to listen to the sarcastic cheers in the main stand every time the tractor makes a rare appearance. With so few venues in the South East, it's not so easy to take it or leave it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waco Posted May 7, 2019 Report Share Posted May 7, 2019 Some young riders having problems turning into the straight on the 2nd bend,deep shale at that point on the outside and a narrow track at that point with little banking,,probably the problem..it needs working on for sure..A number of crashes at that point responsible for another failure to beat the ridiculous curfew which can only drive away fans,,,Some good races though involving Alfie Bowtell,,the best I have seen him ride,,track definitely suits his style and as yet he does not have a national league place.He would do a great job here,that's for sure...A much slicker presentation is needed here to beat the dreaded curfew or the excellent support here paying top whack to get In May start to deminish 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flipper11 Posted May 7, 2019 Report Share Posted May 7, 2019 2 hours ago, cityrebel said: I've attended well over 70 meetings at kent, so I'm a paying customer and entitled to an opinion. Why during the enforced breaks isn't the track graded and watered. Surely this would benefit the younger riders to have a consistant surface to race on. You only have to listen to the sarcastic cheers in the main stand every time the tractor makes a rare appearance. With so few venues in the South East, it's not so easy to take it or leave it. It seems a shame that as a fairly regular visitor to Kent you now have such a negative view of Kent & seem to have stopped going. However, i do understand that to travel from London to Kent not knowing if there will be a complete meeting would put you off. The damn curfew is a pain in the rear! Hopefully when the Kent riders have found their feet & there is more chance of a complete meeting you may take it a bit more than leaving it. On the subject of track grading. Its damned if you do & damned if you don't. If there is a track grade regularly & a hold up later on as per yesterday everyone would say why grade & not push on with the meeting. If there is a grade while riders are laying on track people would say the noise could hinder the paramedics, if you grade 1 end & not the other that would be viewed as wrong. All the hold ups yesterday bar Alex would not have allowed enough time to grade before the restart. As i said damn curfew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Crusader Posted May 7, 2019 Report Share Posted May 7, 2019 2 hours ago, waco said: Some young riders having problems turning into the straight on the 2nd bend,deep shale at that point on the outside and a narrow track at that point with little banking,,probably the problem..it needs working on for sure..A number of crashes at that point responsible for another failure to beat the ridiculous curfew which can only drive away fans,,,Some good races though involving Alfie Bowtell,,the best I have seen him ride,,track definitely suits his style and as yet he does not have a national league place.He would do a great job here,that's for sure...A much slicker presentation is needed here to beat the dreaded curfew or the excellent support here paying top whack to get In May start to deminish 2 hours ago, waco said: Some young riders having problems turning into the straight on the 2nd bend,deep shale at that point on the outside and a narrow track at that point with little banking,,probably the problem..it needs working on for sure..A number of crashes at that point responsible for another failure to beat the ridiculous curfew which can only drive away fans,,,Some good races though involving Alfie Bowtell,,the best I have seen him ride,,track definitely suits his style and as yet he does not have a national league place.He would do a great job here,that's for sure...A much slicker presentation is needed here to beat the dreaded curfew or the excellent support here paying top whack to get In May start to deminish When you have only 2 hours to complete the meeting every minute counts and you need to keep on top of this from the start to the finish. Yesterday the riders had been introduced and paraded and the first race could have started bang on 4pm. Instead someone sent out 3 juniors to trundle around the track waisting valuable racing time. Keep this for during the interval of after the meeting if you find you have the time, it's just a little bonus If you can afford to include it. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IAN2 Posted May 7, 2019 Report Share Posted May 7, 2019 Well I'm back on the track Staff now and am not at all impressed by having to re build the back straight fence every other heat. Almost entirely due to the track cambers which take the riders into the fence, totally wrong. If this is not rectified many more meetings will be cut short without a doubt and paying the extra pound this season to spectate is asking too much, thank god the club never moved up to the Championship, laughing stock would be an understatement. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityrebel Posted May 7, 2019 Report Share Posted May 7, 2019 22 minutes ago, flipper11 said: It seems a shame that as a fairly regular visitor to Kent you now have such a negative view of Kent & seem to have stopped going. However, i do understand that to travel from London to Kent not knowing if there will be a complete meeting would put you off. The damn curfew is a pain in the rear! Hopefully when the Kent riders have found their feet & there is more chance of a complete meeting you may take it a bit more than leaving it. On the subject of track grading. Its damned if you do & damned if you don't. If there is a track grade regularly & a hold up later on as per yesterday everyone would say why grade & not push on with the meeting. If there is a grade while riders are laying on track people would say the noise could hinder the paramedics, if you grade 1 end & not the other that would be viewed as wrong. All the hold ups yesterday bar Alex would not have allowed enough time to grade before the restart. As i said damn curfew. I'm not boycotting Kent, far from it. I will be there next monday for the Plymouth match. I went to Swindon yesterday to see the new track, and because it was £6 cheaper. The clincher for me was the new bank holiday curfew that appeared 2 weeks ago. How can noise be an issue in the afternoon. Plenty of holiday meetings in the past have gone well past the 2 hour mark, some nearer 3. I'd like to know the reasons why the council have now imposed this. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityrebel Posted May 7, 2019 Report Share Posted May 7, 2019 1 minute ago, IAN2 said: Well I'm back on the track Staff now and am not at all impressed by having to re build the back straight fence every other heat. Almost entirely due to the track cambers which take the riders into the fence, totally wrong. If this is not rectified many more meetings will be cut short without a doubt and paying the extra pound this season to spectate is asking too much, thank god the club never moved up to the Championship, laughing stock would be an understatement. Thanks a lot for stating the facts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueherb777 Posted May 7, 2019 Report Share Posted May 7, 2019 6 minutes ago, IAN2 said: Well I'm back on the track Staff now and am not at all impressed by having to re build the back straight fence every other heat. Almost entirely due to the track cambers which take the riders into the fence, totally wrong. If this is not rectified many more meetings will be cut short without a doubt and paying the extra pound this season to spectate is asking too much, thank god the club never moved up to the Championship, laughing stock would be an understatement. Interesting post.I have always thought the track was a problem.....and asking youngsters to race on it is asking for problems.....AND DELAYS!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theraven Posted May 7, 2019 Report Share Posted May 7, 2019 hi me and the family were season ticket holders for 5 years ,then son and wife lost interest with the curfew and standing around .then me and daughter had it.some of the kids riding shouldn't be racing in the teams yet.the price keeps going up not worth 15.00 who cares if you won the league beating 6 teams the matches for the same price are a waste of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IAN2 Posted May 7, 2019 Report Share Posted May 7, 2019 Well only tell the truth and the track is the main problem, coupled with the curfew is a sure fire disaster. At least a negotiated 15 minute extension with the council in the event of the ambulance coming on track should be sorted and in the first instance the air fence should be extended further round the exit of bend 1 by at least 3 sections. Going back to Canterbury days we used to have a 2 hour curfew, 18/20 heats of racing, nothing cut short, a 15 minute extension for an ambulance coming on track and 2 Ambulances always in attendance, nuff. said. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueherb777 Posted May 7, 2019 Report Share Posted May 7, 2019 3 minutes ago, IAN2 said: Well only tell the truth and the track is the main problem, coupled with the curfew is a sure fire disaster. At least a negotiated 15 minute extension with the council in the event of the ambulance coming on track should be sorted and in the first instance the air fence should be extended further round the exit of bend 1 by at least 3 sections. Going back to Canterbury days we used to have a 2 hour curfew, 18/20 heats of racing, nothing cut short, a 15 minute extension for an ambulance coming on track and 2 Ambulances always in attendance, nuff. said. Do you tell Mr Silver the concerns about the track? As this sounds like an urgent matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HGould Posted May 7, 2019 Report Share Posted May 7, 2019 21 minutes ago, blueherb777 said: Interesting post.I have always thought the track was a problem.....and asking youngsters to race on it is asking for problems.....AND DELAYS!!!! It's something a lot of us speedway fans never see or really have an awareness of "banking and cambers" I've only had chance to walk on 2-3 tracks but on each occasion been surprised that banking and cambers from on/inside is markedly different from what you think they are looking from outside the track. Any camber that pulls a rider in to a fence is dangerous, but on a straight - thats doubly dangerous. Explains a lot regarding the problems Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityrebel Posted May 7, 2019 Report Share Posted May 7, 2019 6 minutes ago, HGould said: It's something a lot of us speedway fans never see or really have an awareness of "banking and cambers" I've only had chance to walk on 2-3 tracks but on each occasion been surprised that banking and cambers from on/inside is markedly different from what you think they are looking from outside the track. Any camber that pulls a rider in to a fence is dangerous, but on a straight - thats doubly dangerous. Explains a lot regarding the problems The adverse camber on turn 2 at Rye House was notorious. Some riders that went over that were never seen again! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flipper11 Posted May 7, 2019 Report Share Posted May 7, 2019 56 minutes ago, cityrebel said: I'm not boycotting Kent, far from it. I will be there next monday for the Plymouth match. I went to Swindon yesterday to see the new track, and because it was £6 cheaper. The clincher for me was the new bank holiday curfew that appeared 2 weeks ago. How can noise be an issue in the afternoon. Plenty of holiday meetings in the past have gone well past the 2 hour mark, some nearer 3. I'd like to know the reasons why the council have now imposed this. I went to the opening match Swindon v Poole & as I'm sure you noticed the pits seemed to be in someones garden & I'm sure people were watching the speedway from their bedrooms. The tannoy was like a nightclub yet at Kent we a tannoy nobody can hear & a 6pm curfew on a bank holiday, the country is barking mad. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityrebel Posted May 7, 2019 Report Share Posted May 7, 2019 5 minutes ago, flipper11 said: I went to the opening match Swindon v Poole & as I'm sure you noticed the pits seemed to be in someones garden & I'm sure people were watching the speedway from their bedrooms. The tannoy was like a nightclub yet at Kent we a tannoy nobody can hear & a 6pm curfew on a bank holiday, the country is barking mad. Indeed it is. What about the sports club which located 5 minutes from Central Park. I bet they're quiet as a mouse on saturday nights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HGould Posted May 7, 2019 Report Share Posted May 7, 2019 11 minutes ago, flipper11 said: I went to the opening match Swindon v Poole & as I'm sure you noticed the pits seemed to be in someones garden & I'm sure people were watching the speedway from their bedrooms. The tannoy was like a nightclub yet at Kent we a tannoy nobody can hear & a 6pm curfew on a bank holiday, the country is barking mad. completely different planning circumstances as those houses were built in knowledge speedway was there and would be there as long as speedway / dogs are viable. local Council also far more interested in speedway and to be fair swindon have far higher profile as in PL and on TV regularly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IAN2 Posted May 7, 2019 Report Share Posted May 7, 2019 1 hour ago, blueherb777 said: Do you tell Mr Silver the concerns about the track? As this sounds like an urgent matter. Sadly Uncle Len was only saying the other night that their was nothing wrong with the track and I very much doubt He would listen anyway. All I would say is you might well have a superior stadium at Central Park but we have a far superior racing circuit for the riders at Iwade just down the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityrebel Posted May 7, 2019 Report Share Posted May 7, 2019 3 minutes ago, IAN2 said: Sadly Uncle Len was only saying the other night that their was nothing wrong with the track and I very much doubt He would listen anyway. All I would say is you might well have a superior stadium at Central Park but we have a far superior racing circuit for the riders at Iwade just down the road. Hard to argue at that. Lydd is always very well prepared as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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