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Tai Woffinden Crash in Krosno


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  On 4/4/2025 at 5:31 PM, gjcone44 said:

even google knows speedway bikes dont get drive of concrete, i suggest you all read my statement again, apologies' not accepted,  there is some rubbishe spoken on here. 

older generation will remember concrete start line soon got banned

blue groove where do they come from?

so you have been in speedway for so long and never heard a saying track was that slick its like riding on concrete.

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It's not really important is it, this thread is about Tai.

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There's (a positive) update on Sportowefakty... Woffinden has woken from his (induced) coma according to reports.

Edited by IainB
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  On 4/4/2025 at 5:31 PM, gjcone44 said:

even google knows speedway bikes dont get drive of concrete, i suggest you all read my statement again, apologies' not accepted,  there is some rubbishe spoken on here. 

older generation will remember concrete start line soon got banned

blue groove where do they come from?

so you have been in speedway for so long and never heard a saying track was that slick its like riding on concrete.

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There is a big posting about onetime concrete starting grids, a posting by Gresham on the 15th May, 2016. Speedway tracks, apparently, used to have concrete starting grds, but were banned. 2 schools of thought were discussed as the reason. 1. due to a lip being created and the concrete grid could act as a take off ramp. 2. due to the change in surface grip, making things dangerous. Flipping at the start was also suggested. 

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  On 4/4/2025 at 6:00 PM, Ray Stadia said:

There is a big posting about onetime concrete starting grids, a posting by Gresham on the 15th May, 2016. Speedway tracks, apparently, used to have concrete starting grds, but were banned. 2 schools of thought were discussed as the reason. 1. due to a lip being created and the concrete grid could act as a take off ramp. 2. due to the change in surface grip, making things dangerous. Flipping at the start was also suggested. 

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You're spot on.

In the early days of cinder tracks it was hard to produce a good starting area, as the back wheel spinning dug big ruts, worse than the ruts dug in modern shale tracks.   Also electric cables to operate the starting gate etc often ran under the track and needed protection.  In those glorious days before Health & Safety, the easiest solution was to concrete over the starts.

Again, as you say, this was dangerous due to a lip being created which would act as a take-off ramp, and dangers due to the increasing grip on change of surface.   (As previously discussed with riders hitting a concrete kerb and taking off - the coefficient of friction between a rubber tyre and concrete is much higher than that between rubber and shale).  Also, as anyone who has looped a bike will attest, landing on a shale track hurts a lot, but landing on concrete hurts a hell of a lot more.

As track preparation techniques improved, with better quality shale surfaces replacing cinders, concrete starting grids were banned.

 

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  On 4/4/2025 at 7:58 PM, RoundTheBoards said:

... the easiest solution was to concrete over the starts.

Again, as you say, this was dangerous due to a lip being created which would act as a take-off ramp, and dangers due to the increasing grip on change of surface.   (As previously discussed with riders hitting a concrete kerb and taking off - the coefficient of friction between a rubber tyre and concrete is much higher than that between rubber and shale).  Also, as anyone who has looped a bike will attest, landing on a shale track hurts a lot, but landing on concrete hurts a hell of a lot more.

As track preparation techniques improved, with better quality shale surfaces replacing cinders, concrete starting grids were banned.

 

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Although an intact one survives at California Country Park.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thank you for posting this.  Glad to see that Tai is out of his induced coma.

Having been in an induced coma myself, he is right when he says that it really is no joke.

Like everyone, sending him and his family my best wishes.

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Tai has posted a reel to Facebook https://www.facebook.com/reel/675570008427768

If you can't see the reel he lists his injuries in it.

Injury list 🤯
Double compound right femur fracture (pinned and bolted)
Broken back TH9 plated and screwed to TH8 & TH10
Right humorous compound fracture
Dislocated + smashed right elbow 
12 broken ribs + punctured lung
Left broken shoulderblade
Dislocated left shoulder
Wild typing all that out 🫠 think thats about it 

No wonder he was in an induced coma.

Get well soon!

 

 

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  On 4/14/2025 at 2:02 PM, SpeedwayJoe said:

I’m exhausted just reading that list!  It shows you how tough he is and it is amazing he is able to walk with the aid of a frame in the video given all he has been through - so inspiring.

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Not forgetting the hospital team looking after him and the surgeons etc, really amazing how quickly tai has recovered so far. 

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  On 4/14/2025 at 6:10 PM, YeOldPitGate said:

He's tough as boots and his old man but I do hope he ponders retirement after this horrible crash, he's earned millions, triple world champion, and UK's greatest ever rider nothing left to prove.

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Do you really think he's earned millions? Maybe, but I somehow doubt it? I do believe he has earned well, but millions might be pushing it? :unsure:

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Granted we all know he won't have earned what Ronaldo has but I seem to remember reading somewhere Poland was paying 20k a meeting years back throw in Monster sponsorship then I would imagine he has earned £3-£5 mil over the last 15 years.

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  On 4/14/2025 at 7:42 PM, Ray Stadia said:

Do you really think he's earned millions? Maybe, but I somehow doubt it? I do believe he has earned well, but millions might be pushing it? :unsure:

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It says here that his new Polish club were paying him around £160,000... add that to his previous Ekstraliga earnings, Sweden, GB, GP, Monster Energy, etc. And you can easily see that totting up to millions over the years. 

https://sportowefakty.wp.pl/zuzel/1181570/zuzel-stal-rzeszow-podjela-wazna-decyzje-w-sprawie-taia-woffindena

 

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