Stadium Design

[Dave Jones]

14 minutes ago, Piotr Pyszny said:

Brings to mind Loomer Road, Stoke. Anybody else remember, at certain times of the season, those pauses in racing to wait for the sun to set?

From the first bend at Halifax, there was a view into the pits. Worth arriving early to secure a prime spot. Watching the tinkering helped pass the time between heats.

I can recall the time that the Stoke stadium had a visit from the local vandals & it was alleged that they caused £35000 worth of improvements to the place .

[Red Flag]

19 hours ago, Dave Jones said:

I can recall the time that the Stoke stadium had a visit from the local vandals & it was alleged that they caused £35000 worth of improvements to the place .

Same thing happened at Cradley

[False dawn]

On 11/22/2020 at 4:47 PM, Dave Jones said:

I didn't make it to Wembley in 1966, but I did get married earlier that year & it only cost 7/6 for the license .

Wembley tickets
England v Scotland
18th June 2021

A close mate of mine has two tickets in a corporate box for this match. He paid £300 each, but he didn't know when he bought them that it was going to be the same day as his Covid-19 postponed wedding. 
If you are interested, he is looking for someone to take his place.
It's at Hamilton Registry Office, at 2.30pm. The bride's name is Moira, she's 5'4", about 8 stone, quite pretty, has her own income and is a really good cook.

[Ghosty]

On 11/20/2020 at 2:03 PM, martinmauger said:

Can confirm Newport Queensway Meadows was a well-tidy set up, big shame it is no more.  On building a  new stadium one should also check in which direction the sun sets to aid track prep and avoid possible 'sun breaks'....

There is a problem that in any race riders turn a full 360 4 times, so does that not make the sun issue unavoidable?

[racers and royals]

21 minutes ago, Ghosty said:

There is a problem that in any race riders turn a full 360 4 times, so does that not make the sun issue unavoidable?

Always a major problem when the sun sets in line with the 1st bend- riders are less concerned on the other bends.

[steve roberts]

55 minutes ago, racers and royals said:

Always a major problem when the sun sets in line with the 1st bend- riders are less concerned on the other bends.

I recall there were problems at Cowley as riders entered the third bend. On occasions meetings were held up to allow the sun to settle.

[racers and royals]

11 minutes ago, steve roberts said:

I recall there were problems at Cowley as riders entered the third bend. On occasions meetings were held up to allow the sun to settle.

I`m sure you are correct- at Smallmead there was an occasional problem out of the 2nd bend with the setting sun- The one stadium that stands out for me was Kings Lynn- always a hold up as the sun was into the 1st bend.

Edited January 4, 2021 by racers and royals

[Triple.H.]

1 hour ago, steve roberts said:

I recall there were problems at Cowley as riders entered the third bend. On occasions meetings were held up to allow the sun to settle.

Never a problem for the Swindon riders as always in the shade created by the Cheetahs/Rebels in front

[Gemini]

6 hours ago, racers and royals said:

Always a major problem when the sun sets in line with the 1st bend- riders are less concerned on the other bends.

They are concerned at Leicester as there are often sun breaks due to the affect on the third bend. 

[martinmauger]

Various options exist to cope with the sun getting in one's eyes on a speedway track; tinted goggles and / or angling one's head with helmet peak are but a couple.  The sun shon over the 1st bend at the Boulevard (from time to time) and Kelly Moran's stated method was "as you go over the start / finish line and you can't see a thing because of the sun I just count 1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi, 3 Mississippi - then I turn left".  Sure seemed to work for him ....

[Big Al]

On 11/20/2020 at 7:41 AM, HGould said:

I liked the old Perry Barr (now One Stop Shopping) because you could walk past Pits on way to Home Straight and watch all the bikes warm up.

Like many Tracks the current PB is hidden but more down to lay out of a Dog Track and lack of access to large part of the venue.

Most places you either can't see or can see from a distance.

I don't think or can't remember anywhere better than Brandon, where provided you could arrive early enough you could get a great high vantage point and look down in to the Pits area. I used to like Halifax too, where you could see in and watch.

Of the other tracks visited in last few years, Mildenhall, Eastbourne, Berwick are ones you can look in to if you stand adjacent and see what's happening during Racing and a few Tracks allow you in to view if you are there early enough.

No excuse really for the purpose built more recent tracks like Belle Vue, Leicester and Somerset for hiding Pits largely away from fans. 

 

 

Problem is, and I think this applies at Leicester, local authority-imposed regulations for noise suppression can dictate how open the pits are, and their location and this probably applies especiallly to new stadia or when existing ones want to re-configure?

[mikebv]

16 hours ago, Triple.H. said:

Never a problem for the Swindon riders as always in the shade created by the Cheetahs/Rebels in front

And they have a big housing estate now to keep the sunlight out...

[*JJ]

21 hours ago, Big Al said:

Problem is, and I think this applies at Leicester, local authority-imposed regulations for noise suppression can dictate how open the pits are, and their location and this probably applies especiallly to new stadia or when existing ones want to re-configure?

This also applies to Birmingham. Back in the 1950s, the pits were on the first bend, but when the stadium was re-opened in 2007, the  council insisted that the pits be transferred to the opposite side of the stadium for noise reasons; they were also to be sound insulated. The promotion has always allowed fans to go round the pits until 7 o'clock, when the bikes are warmed up.