poncho Posted June 18, 2019 Report Share Posted June 18, 2019 The Glasgow track suffered previously when the football club wanted a wider pitch and as a result the track looked rather square and good racing was at a bit of premium. With the football club no longer the owners of the stadium, the track was taken in by a couple of meters last year and there is a lot more room entering and exiting the bends. Last year saw improved racing but this year in particular has been consistently good in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmauger Posted June 18, 2019 Report Share Posted June 18, 2019 I'd say Halifax was prob the best-shaped track around a footie pitch, though I never saw Coatbridge which was apparently similar in shape / size, I saw some good racing at Bradford too. They have done a brilliant job at Glasgow Ashfield, not only stadium improvmenets but also making the most of available space whilst keeping a footie pitch on 'the centre green'....... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iris123 Posted June 18, 2019 Report Share Posted June 18, 2019 Stralsund track is around a football pitch from memory, and they make a big fuss about bikes going onto the centre. Handing out fines for anything other than pushing a bike across the green(pitch). Also never really seen a great meeting there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlasVegas Posted June 18, 2019 Report Share Posted June 18, 2019 18 hours ago, ch958 said: just looked at youtube footage of Ashfield and it looks fab racing Rugby pitches are generally smaller than football pitches aren't they Great, please tell fortythirtyeight as I think he/she may have been at Armadale instead! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted June 18, 2019 Report Share Posted June 18, 2019 Glasgow - Hampden Park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSC67 Posted June 18, 2019 Report Share Posted June 18, 2019 Love Street , Paisley home The Buddies staged speedway for a while , much like Berwick it had long straights and was narrow. Reportedly 6000 people attended the opening night in 1975 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fromafar Posted June 18, 2019 Report Share Posted June 18, 2019 22 minutes ago, steve roberts said: Glasgow - Hampden Park. Very Narrow exits from bends. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highroad119 Posted June 18, 2019 Report Share Posted June 18, 2019 10 hours ago, poncho said: The Glasgow track suffered previously when the football club wanted a wider pitch and as a result the track looked rather square and good racing was at a bit of premium. With the football club no longer the owners of the stadium, the track was taken in by a couple of meters last year and there is a lot more room entering and exiting the bends. Last year saw improved racing but this year in particular has been consistently good in my opinion. Recent home meeting, Kyle Bickley on the inside line pipped broc Nicol who was going wider and wider. There hasn't been an inside line at Glasgow for years. Huge improvement and track now worthy of its stadium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HertsRacer Posted June 19, 2019 Report Share Posted June 19, 2019 On 6/17/2019 at 5:35 PM, Chris116 said: The short lived and VERY NARROW track at Romford was at the old football stadium. I remember enjoying my visits as a young teenager but it may be due to rose tinted spectacles syndrome! Always thought the racing at Brooklands was good. Thinking back Wembley was ok, as was White City. Also went to Rochdale which was around a rugby pitch, though I can't remember what the racing was like, and Nelson which had a football pitch, the track being narrow and virtually square in shape. That was awful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted June 19, 2019 Report Share Posted June 19, 2019 (edited) 9 hours ago, HertsRacer said: Always thought the racing at Brooklands was good. Thinking back Wembley was ok, as was White City. Also went to Rochdale which was around a rugby pitch, though I can't remember what the racing was like, and Nelson which had a football pitch, the track being narrow and virtually square in shape. That was awful. Yes some people slag off White City but as a weekly regular during 'The Rebels' era and some of the big meetings held there it did produce some decent racing and Malcolm Simmons (Yes that man again) used to enjoy riding the many lines that it encouraged and likened it to Custom House. Edited June 19, 2019 by steve roberts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris116 Posted June 19, 2019 Report Share Posted June 19, 2019 Sadly, the last season at White City produced the most boring season I had witnessed. The lack of action caused by the big scores the Rebels inflicted on the visitors. The second half of the season I tokk to scoring on a separate sheet of paper the scores of Red and Yellow against Blue and White. At least the score was closer even if it did nothing for the big gaps between the riders for most of each race. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted June 19, 2019 Report Share Posted June 19, 2019 (edited) 48 minutes ago, Chris116 said: Sadly, the last season at White City produced the most boring season I had witnessed. The lack of action caused by the big scores the Rebels inflicted on the visitors. The second half of the season I tokk to scoring on a separate sheet of paper the scores of Red and Yellow against Blue and White. At least the score was closer even if it did nothing for the big gaps between the riders for most of each race. The last season of 'The Rebels' (1978) created some rather embarrassing heavy defeats for the home team. However they always throughout their three years of operation remained good visitors to other tracks and achieved results at all over that same period excepting Exeter, Ipswich and Newport/Bristol (although they should have won on their visits to Eastville). The 77 team were an exceptionally talented group of riders and fully deserved their title success and teams visiting Wood Lane that season were often sent away packing although 'The Rebels' were not invincible and lost twice at home during that campaign and others came close in succeeding which proved that if riders were willing to give it a go that success was within their grasp. I would agree that races were often strung out at Wood Lane but that was often the case at many of the larger tracks operating at the time, before and no doubt since but I saw many races involving the home team having to battle their way thru'...none more so spectacular than Kai Niemi riding around Terry Betts and inside Michael Lee within a lap. Edited June 19, 2019 by steve roberts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris116 Posted June 19, 2019 Report Share Posted June 19, 2019 6 minutes ago, steve roberts said: The last season of 'The Rebels' (1978) created some rather embarrassing heavy defeats for the home team. However they always throughout their three years of operation remained good visitors to other tracks and achieved results at all over that same period excepting Exeter, Ipswich and Newport/Bristol (although they should have won on their visits to Eastville). The 77 team were an exceptionally talented group of riders and fully deserved their title success. I would agree that races were often strung out at Wood Lane but that was often the case at many of the larger tracks operating at the time but I saw many races involving the home team having to battle their way thru'...none more so spectacular than Kai Niemi riding around Terry Betts and inside Michael Lee within a lap. Just shows how memory can play tricks on you! I was sure they closed at the end of the season when they won the title! Must be that my parents and I were so fed up with the racing at Wood Lane we didn't go in 1978. What i do know is that my mother and I did not enjoy their title winning season and thought my fater was lucky that he was not with us due to his work. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityrebel Posted June 19, 2019 Report Share Posted June 19, 2019 3 minutes ago, Chris116 said: Just shows how memory can play tricks on you! I was sure they closed at the end of the season when they won the title! Must be that my parents and I were so fed up with the racing at Wood Lane we didn't go in 1978. What i do know is that my mother and I did not enjoy their title winning season and thought my fater was lucky that he was not with us due to his work. I thought there was some decent racing at Wood Lane for a big track, not as good as West Ham, but far better than Wembley. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris116 Posted June 19, 2019 Report Share Posted June 19, 2019 (edited) 5 minutes ago, cityrebel said: I thought there was some decent racing at Wood Lane for a big track, not as good as West Ham, but far better than Wembley. I always prefered Hackney, Wimbledon and New Cross to Wood Lane and Custom House. A simple matter of taste and I know lots of fans who prefer the big tracks but I have always liked the smaller ones. Edited June 19, 2019 by Chris116 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted June 19, 2019 Report Share Posted June 19, 2019 (edited) 6 minutes ago, Chris116 said: I always prefered Hackney, Wimbledon and New Cross to Wood Lane and Custom House. A simple matter of taste and I know lots of fans who prefer the big tracks but I have always liked the smaller ones. New Cross and West Ham were two tracks I wished I could have visited. Custom House closed during my first season and I did actually visit the site of where once New Cross was and recall seeing evidence of its presence. Like you I generally prefer the smaller tracks but one of my least favourites was Wolves with its too long straights and hairpin bends (similar to Kirky Lane). Oxford, of course, was one of the best...but I would say that!! Edited June 19, 2019 by steve roberts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chunky Posted June 19, 2019 Report Share Posted June 19, 2019 24 minutes ago, Chris116 said: Just shows how memory can play tricks on you! I was sure they closed at the end of the season when they won the title! Must be that my parents and I were so fed up with the racing at Wood Lane we didn't go in 1978. What i do know is that my mother and I did not enjoy their title winning season and thought my fater was lucky that he was not with us due to his work. Ah, I wondered! Yeah, they opened in 1976, won the league the following year, and then closed at the end of 78. My first time there was the GP Final in 76, and I was a frequent visitor for the next 2 1/2 years. Like cityrebel, I generally enjoyed the racing at Wood Lane, particularly under floodlights. Even big wins don't necessarily mean poor racing, and I can't say I was ever really disappointed there. I loved small tracks too , but it was nice to go to White City, West Ham, Belle Vue etc just for the variety. Steve 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris116 Posted June 19, 2019 Report Share Posted June 19, 2019 49 minutes ago, steve roberts said: ........ Oxford, of course, was one of the best...but I would say that!! I never saw Speedway at Oxford although I did see Spedeworth, PRI and BriSCA Stock Car, Hot Rod and Banger racing there. Not a good track for the cars due to the narrow entrance and exits from the bends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil The Ace Posted June 19, 2019 Report Share Posted June 19, 2019 NSS is around an American football pitch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted June 19, 2019 Report Share Posted June 19, 2019 1 hour ago, chunky said: Ah, I wondered! Yeah, they opened in 1976, won the league the following year, and then closed at the end of 78. My first time there was the GP Final in 76, and I was a frequent visitor for the next 2 1/2 years. Like cityrebel, I generally enjoyed the racing at Wood Lane, particularly under floodlights. Even big wins don't necessarily mean poor racing, and I can't say I was ever really disappointed there. I loved small tracks too , but it was nice to go to White City, West Ham, Belle Vue etc just for the variety. Steve Super meeting and Gordon Kennett rode a blinder on his own track and, if I recall, finished second in the competition (Peter Collns being the victor) when all done and dusted...also remember Olsen getting into a flap when he grounded to a halt when his own dislodged helmet colour got caught up in his chain! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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