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Is Sidecar will be back in Speedway in 2023??


speed29

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I used to enjoy sidecar racing as an added attraction during some meetings however I always felt that the traditional speedway tracks weren't/aren't wide enough to give them full justice and the bends too acute especially at Cowley.

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37 minutes ago, steve roberts said:

I used to enjoy sidecar racing as an added attraction during some meetings however I always felt that the traditional speedway tracks weren't/aren't wide enough to give them full justice and the bends too acute especially at Cowley.

They used to race at Crewe which was nice a wide ,we had a couple of races at the Elle Port but from memory they were Grass Outfits not S/way outfits which are much more compact .Plus the Grass Outfits went the opposite way hence wrecking the entrance to the corners ,I remember that from my riding days I loved it when it was only solos  . 

Edited by FAST GATER
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1 hour ago, FAST GATER said:

They used to race at Crewe which was nice a wide ,we had a couple of races at the Elle Port but from memory they were Grass Outfits not S/way outfits which are much more compact .Plus the Grass Outfits went the opposite way hence wrecking the entrance to the corners ,I remember that from my riding days I loved it when it was only solos  . 

Used to have them at Wembley back in the day. May be ok for some but I found them boring , boring, boring

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1 hour ago, wealdstone said:

Used to have them at Wembley back in the day. May be ok for some but I found them boring , boring, boring

Passing was at a premium I remember but they were noisy and spectacular but personally I wouldn't watch a meeting that was just sidecars...as a Second Half attraction they held some interest.

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Watched them at Hyde Rd when I was about 8 and thought they were a bit boring to be honest....

One outfit was miles in front of the others and all the rest were all strung out...

They did about four races and it was rinse and reapeat...

Watched them in 92 at Victorville which was a tiny track and they were brilliant...

Six outfits per race knocking hell out of each other...

Part of a top nights entertainment from junior solos to seniors including some US riders who rode over here..

A young lad of about eight or nine rode and beat kids many years his senior, and did it by being off the farthest hamdicap...

With six rider races he passed people for fun...

Ryan Fisher was his name.... :)

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I think they're more suited to the open spaces of grass tracks aren't they. Used to watch them in the 2nd halfs at Cov back in the day and it was all too predictable I'm afraid afraid. If the "outfits" did make it to the start they'd often fail during the race and the only passing you ever really saw were if the Pinfold's didn't make the start. 

They put a few full meetings on around the country i seem to remember but i was never tempted to attend. 

Edited by iainb
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On 11/13/2022 at 9:41 AM, iainb said:

I think they're more suited to the open spaces of grass tracks aren't they. Used to watch them in the 2nd halfs at Cov back in the day and it was all too predictable I'm afraid afraid. If the "outfits" did make it to the start they'd often fail during the race and the only passing you ever really saw were if the Pinfold's didn't make the start. 

They put a few full meetings on around the country i seem to remember but i was never tempted to attend. 

...I would agree. I remember Roger Measor being one of the stars? Unfortunately Rick Timmo's career as a speedway rider ceased when he broke his leg (?) when he competed as a passenger in early 1974.

Edited by steve roberts
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On 11/13/2022 at 9:13 AM, wealdstone said:

Used to have them at Wembley back in the day. May be ok for some but I found them boring , boring, boring

Same here. Having seen quads racing, they seem far more suited to a speedway track

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50 minutes ago, iris123 said:

Same here. Having seen quads racing, they seem far more suited to a speedway track

...I'd forgotten about quads racing. We had some demonstration races at Cowley I recall. During the days of Second Halves I remember during 1972 we had Grasstrack riders competing on their grasstrack bikes. The likes of Julian Wigg, Chris and Alan Drewett, Ken Matthews, Ralph Waller and the like. It added a bit of variety which I used to enjoy.

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3 minutes ago, steve roberts said:

...I'd forgotten about quads racing. We had some demonstration races at Cowley I recall. During the days of Second Halves I remember during 1972 we had Grasstrack riders competing on their grasstrack bikes. The likes of Julian Wigg, Chris and Alan Drewett, Ken Matthews, Ralph Waller and the like. It added a bit of variety which I used to enjoy.

On the other hand I did see some go karts and they were rubbish. The leader had to wait for the others almost every lap to try and make it look good. But I guess it is all down to the racers available. The same thing could often be said about speedway

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3 minutes ago, iris123 said:

On the other hand I did see some go karts and they were rubbish. The leader had to wait for the others almost every lap to try and make it look good. But I guess it is all down to the racers available. The same thing could often be said about speedway

I had a friend who raced go karts on a specially designed circuit and I was soon bored with it...their centre of gravity is so low and the steering so acute they just hugged the racing line. Cowley had a go kart circuit on the centre green and I watched it a couple of times and felt underwhelmed.

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12 minutes ago, Ray Stadia said:

Flat Track Racing is more suitable to a speedway track and is perhaps more suitable for a second half attraction? Although once again, speedway purists will only want to watch a 500cc, without a gearbox! (understandable).   

I used to find Speedway quite a good 2nd half attraction when going to watch the Speedway :)

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