Andy Downes Posted April 9, 2023 Report Share Posted April 9, 2023 About 15 years ago I was working in Saudi Arabia and I was asked if I wanted to go back to the UK for a Thursday/Friday seminar at the Sandbanks Hotel in Poole. Now almost every flight from the Gulf to the UK leaves in the middle of the night and arrives in London about 7:00 a.m. so for a Thursday course, i thought aha! you have to be in Poole on a Wednesday for that and what happens in Poole on a Wednesday? Speedway!I I'll do it! Disaster struck though as for possibly the only time in their history, Poole decided to shift the meeting to Thursday for some reason - think it was a big championship meeting in Scandinavia on the Wednesday so they shifted the meeting back 24 hours so they'd get a full side out, or something similar So not a rain off (although after being stuck in Saudi you tended to view rain as something of a novelty) but definitely a case of travelling in the hope of seeing some action - of course Thursday was out as the after seminar dinner was compulsory. Flew home Friday night so no chance of seeing anything anywhere else. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Goddard Posted April 10, 2023 Report Share Posted April 10, 2023 In 2004 I got my A level results one summer morning and had my university place confirmed, but rather than going out celebrating with everyone else, me and my family drove to Swindon for a Wolves meeting...that was being called off just as we arrived at the Abbey Stadium. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TINYS Posted April 10, 2023 Report Share Posted April 10, 2023 Last season,s Kings Lynn v Sheffield when it didn't rain. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*JJ Posted April 11, 2023 Report Share Posted April 11, 2023 In the late 70s, my family went to an away match at Belle Vue. Having got to the end of the motorway, the heavens opened and rain drenched down. We thought that no way is the meeting going on in this, and turned round and came home. We later discovered that the rain had somehow avoided Belle Vue and the match had gone ahead anyway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oleoleole Posted April 11, 2023 Report Share Posted April 11, 2023 Like all speedway fans I’ve experienced quite a few “rain-offs”. I’ve been to about 15 continental SGP’s and managed to cop all the postponed/abandoned ones; Gothenburg, Gelsenkirchen, Riga and Warsaw. Also Berlin which was a complete farce! I also experienced the first ever England international football match to be postponed at Wembley! England v Bulgaria (21st November 1979). From Rugby on a coach with my local football club. We got all the way to the Wembley car park only to be told that it was off due to fog! We then spent hours trying to get back out of the car park. Never got off the coach! I’ve read since that Kevin Keegan missed the replay the following day because he had to be back in Hamburg …. and no we didn’t go back down for the replay. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted April 11, 2023 Report Share Posted April 11, 2023 2 hours ago, oleoleole said: Like all speedway fans I’ve experienced quite a few “rain-offs”. I’ve been to about 15 continental SGP’s and managed to cop all the postponed/abandoned ones; Gothenburg, Gelsenkirchen, Riga and Warsaw. Also Berlin which was a complete farce! I also experienced the first ever England international football match to be postponed at Wembley! England v Bulgaria (21st November 1979). From Rugby on a coach with my local football club. We got all the way to the Wembley car park only to be told that it was off due to fog! We then spent hours trying to get back out of the car park. Never got off the coach! I’ve read since that Kevin Keegan missed the replay the following day because he had to be back in Hamburg …. and no we didn’t go back down for the replay. ...could have been scripted from that famous episode of "Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Downes Posted April 11, 2023 Report Share Posted April 11, 2023 2 hours ago, steve roberts said: ...could have been scripted from that famous episode of "Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?" England F ..........! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IainB Posted April 12, 2023 Report Share Posted April 12, 2023 16 hours ago, oleoleole said: Like all speedway fans I’ve experienced quite a few “rain-offs”. I’ve been to about 15 continental SGP’s and managed to cop all the postponed/abandoned ones; Gothenburg, Gelsenkirchen, Riga and Warsaw. Also Berlin which was a complete farce! I also experienced the first ever England international football match to be postponed at Wembley! England v Bulgaria (21st November 1979). From Rugby on a coach with my local football club. We got all the way to the Wembley car park only to be told that it was off due to fog! We then spent hours trying to get back out of the car park. Never got off the coach! I’ve read since that Kevin Keegan missed the replay the following day because he had to be back in Hamburg …. and no we didn’t go back down for the replay. Can you let me know which SGP's you'll be going to in the future? I'll give them a miss 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arnieg Posted April 12, 2023 Report Share Posted April 12, 2023 16 hours ago, oleoleole said: Like all speedway fans I’ve experienced quite a few “rain-offs”. I’ve been to about 15 continental SGP’s and managed to cop all the postponed/abandoned ones; Gothenburg, Gelsenkirchen, Riga and Warsaw. Also Berlin which was a complete farce! I also experienced the first ever England international football match to be postponed at Wembley! England v Bulgaria (21st November 1979). From Rugby on a coach with my local football club. We got all the way to the Wembley car park only to be told that it was off due to fog! We then spent hours trying to get back out of the car park. Never got off the coach! I’ve read since that Kevin Keegan missed the replay the following day because he had to be back in Hamburg …. and no we didn’t go back down for the replay. That's quite an "achievement" to have taken in all of the SGPs "finest hours". Maybe you should stick to Cardiff? ... then on second thoughts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oleoleole Posted April 12, 2023 Report Share Posted April 12, 2023 1 hour ago, arnieg said: That's quite an "achievement" to have taken in all of the SGPs "finest hours". Maybe you should stick to Cardiff? ... then on second thoughts Warsaw was the final straw! No more SGP’s for me, not even Cardiff even though we’d been to all of them up to that point. However we did go to Toruń in 2019. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old bob at herne bay Posted April 12, 2023 Report Share Posted April 12, 2023 England vs USA Test Match of Foxhole Stadium Ipswich. Exact year eludes me now - but on a warm sunny Thursday afternoon I set off for Foxhole on my trusty Honda CB400/4 from sunny Herne Bay in great expectation of a fascinating test match against a USA side including my Arena Essex favourite Josh Larsen. Arriving early in Ipswich I called at a local foxhall newsagent to get some sweets. By chance I noticed the headline on the bundle of local papers that had just been dumped on the counter. Test Match Off ! My heart sank - here i was in bright warm sunshine staring at a scarcely believable headline. USA couldn't raise a team.... apparently . Fine time to tell everyone 2 hours before the start of the meeting ? Rode tot he track and yup not a soul there. Sunny ride home on the bike - cursing Ipswich speedway under my breath the whole way home. Wrote a letter of complaint to Ipswich Speedway - and guess what I am still waiting for a reply from John Louis or anyone associated with the fiasco. Promised myself never to go to Ipswich Speedway again .... and never have gone near the place nor will I ever again. . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPEEDY69 Posted April 12, 2023 Report Share Posted April 12, 2023 (edited) My worst rain-off experience was in 1990 travelling from Ipswich to Reading on a Monday night. I had persuaded my Dad to join me in riding to Reading on our motorcycles, which was an effort considering he only rode in the dry and local journeys only. Having left work and rushed home, checked the meeting was on and the weather forecast seemed fine, I called for Dad and we set off in the sunshine. When we were about 90 miles into the journey and on the M25 it started light rain but darker clouds were ahead. The rain stopped and we pulled off the M25 for a chat - Dad said he was going to turn back if it rained again but we set off again towards Reading when it did start raining again. It was only light so I carried on all the way to Smallmead where it was chucking it down and the meeting was called off (about 7pm). I then had the 2.5 hour journey back in absolute heavy rain, waterproofs leaked at the crotch after a time and my legs, feet, arms and face/neck were soaked and so cold I struggled to move by the time I got home, with a filthy bike to boot! I passed Dad on the way back, on the A12, as he was doing about 40mph due to reduced visibility - I was maxing out at 60mph, visor up. We never went to another meeting together on our bikes although I did on my own. Edited April 12, 2023 by SPEEDY69 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IainB Posted April 13, 2023 Report Share Posted April 13, 2023 15 hours ago, SPEEDY69 said: My worst rain-off experience was in 1990 travelling from Ipswich to Reading on a Monday night. I had persuaded my Dad to join me in riding to Reading on our motorcycles, which was an effort considering he only rode in the dry and local journeys only. Having left work and rushed home, checked the meeting was on and the weather forecast seemed fine, I called for Dad and we set off in the sunshine. When we were about 90 miles into the journey and on the M25 it started light rain but darker clouds were ahead. The rain stopped and we pulled off the M25 for a chat - Dad said he was going to turn back if it rained again but we set off again towards Reading when it did start raining again. It was only light so I carried on all the way to Smallmead where it was chucking it down and the meeting was called off (about 7pm). I then had the 2.5 hour journey back in absolute heavy rain, waterproofs leaked at the crotch after a time and my legs, feet, arms and face/neck were soaked and so cold I struggled to move by the time I got home, with a filthy bike to boot! I passed Dad on the way back, on the A12, as he was doing about 40mph due to reduced visibility - I was maxing out at 60mph, visor up. We never went to another meeting together on our bikes although I did on my own. And the moral of that story... get a car 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPEEDY69 Posted April 13, 2023 Report Share Posted April 13, 2023 3 hours ago, iainb said: And the moral of that story... get a car I didn't have one in those days and rode everywhere. Bradford and back in a day was the longest journey to speedway for me, 4 hours each way. Always been a biker but got a car when I got a wife 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Goddard Posted June 27 Report Share Posted June 27 Just read back through this thread...combined with events from this year, do King's Lynn hold the record for most reasons/excuses for calling meetings off? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midlandred Posted June 27 Report Share Posted June 27 Not rain, but fog! I was at Crewe in 1969 when their meeting with Long Eaton was abandoned after seven heats. Perhaps on a smaller track they could have carried on???!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skodaman Posted June 28 Report Share Posted June 28 13 hours ago, midlandred said: Not rain, but fog! I was at Crewe in 1969 when their meeting with Long Eaton was abandoned after seven heats. Perhaps on a smaller track they could have carried on???!!! Not rain but snow. 1977 or 76; early June meeting abandoned at Blackbird Road due to a blizzard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReturn Posted June 28 Report Share Posted June 28 (edited) Old thread but for me Long Eaton to Edinburgh for a 7:15pm rain off, even though sun was shining at that point. Edited June 28 by TheReturn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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