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Post by Graham on Jan 7, 2011 23:14:12 GMT 1
Whenever Corbiewood is mentioned there are usually some woolly mention of sound tests there in the 1970s and no one seems to know who was behind them or what the outcome was.
Similarly when Corbiewood was mentioned as a possible venue around ten years ago I asked the late Bob Sneddon about it. He was vague about the application and I got the impression it wasn't a serious proposition at the time.
I still think it would be a good place to hold speedway. Trotting and greyhound racing don't exactly draw in the hordes while speedway, for all it's problems, might just be the ideal activity to give that stadium a boost.
As for the length of the track it wouldn't necessarily have to be a long one of course - perhaps something along the lines of the old Castleford track which was short and situated inside a very large oval at the Whitwood Stadium.
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mufc
Falling off with Martin McKinna
Champions 2010
Posts: 92
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Post by mufc on Jan 7, 2011 23:14:47 GMT 1
yes thats the track in the top left corner it's quite a small track though u could fit it inside armadale. The last i heard was they where making it bigger don't know if they did though.
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topcat
Falling off with Martin McKinna
Posts: 88
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Post by topcat on Jan 7, 2011 23:34:23 GMT 1
There may be a misconception about the second halfers. 1. We receive no moneytory rewards. 2. It costs money to ride,oil & fuel each time around £12.00 3. If i travel to Scunthorpe or Stoke to compete in amateur meetings it costs £35 to enter and with diesel ,methanol ,oil ,food& drink this is around £120.00. 4.Bike maintenance,cleaning,checking,lubricating,washing of gear ie Kevlars protection equipment socks,boot cleaning etc probably another £20.00. Many years ago there were payments to the second halfers at some tracks,i have been told. It is my hobby, and long may i get the opportunity to ride. I will forever thank the Glasgow promotion for this, and wiil help track wise anytime there is no second half,it is a good workout. Likewise if anyone is short of a mechanic/helper i will do the job. It is disappointing that sometimes the meetings are not run slick enough to allow a reasonable second half,and incidents apart this is a bit of a pain. If a structured second half with a bit of dialogue from the box can be done then interest will follow. Handicap racing could even be tried,it worked before so why not in 2011.
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Post by davie on Jan 8, 2011 14:50:24 GMT 1
no misconception juniors are classed as amateurs in most if not all amateur sports they do not get payed , in years gone past the juniors only got payed if it was an official race not practice , no sport is cheep to enter and compete in , we all know speedway is costly but no more than any other motor sport dedication and determination is the only way to get on in any sport no point in moaning that you have to maintaing your bike and gear its part off it
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2011 15:49:16 GMT 1
the old 13 heats and the second halfs the 2 junior races the junior boys got paid they used to get there envelope with there money in it
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Post by davie on Jan 8, 2011 18:39:01 GMT 1
thats because it was official racing
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margaret
Getting Lapped By Barry Booth
Posts: 9
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Post by margaret on Jan 8, 2011 18:39:13 GMT 1
I think you will find Davie that Topcat was not complaining about the cost I have known him for a lot of years and not once has he ever complained about the cost he was just telling people hard facts about the cost . I know quite a few young guys out there who would give their right arm to ride speedway but the hard facts are their parents just cant afford it so all the commitment in the world won't pay for it no matter how much you try
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Post by davie on Jan 8, 2011 18:42:46 GMT 1
no one said it was easy magaret and no motor sport is cheep fact
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Post by jim on Jan 8, 2011 20:23:30 GMT 1
Davie. I think that the posts made by Margaret and TC show that at least two riders show commendable determination and commitment. What more commitment do you want? They spend time travelling, are hit in the pocket in the pursuit of their dreams, come back for more when they are badly injured and do all of this for no return apart form (as I said) chasing the dream. What is your definition of commitment?
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Post by herbie on Jan 8, 2011 20:29:12 GMT 1
I don't disagree with you Davie in that it is disappointing that there are so few juniors coming through and making an impact but I have to say I wouldn't dream of doubting anyone's commitment-sure, people have to make sacrifices to get on in the sport but the cost of trying to make the grade seems to be horrendous. I know how it used to be as I too have been following the sport for more than 40 years but Grasscutter's Q&A thread had so many ex riders saying they'd never be in the sport today because of the cost is maybe a clue to the fact that the costs of breaking in to it are astronomical and maybe beyond the financial reach of too many youngsters. I don't think I'm too badly off but I couldn't begin to think of putting out the outlay which seems to be required these days to make it-sacrifice yes, certainly, financial suicide, definitely not.
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Post by davie on Jan 8, 2011 22:25:12 GMT 1
surely that is the commitment to find ways to attract sponsors etc to get the money to do the sport not complain that they dont get payed or enough track time , think about this if glasgow and edinburgh and linlithgow had received enough support to make ends meet then we prolly wouldnt even be talking about this in the first place , dale looks to have the right background supporting him he was just unfortunate to get injured witch looks to have set him back a bit as the last time i seem him race he looked very tentative im sure he will bounce back . and by the way im only voicing my opinion on what i see and for the most part at glasgow i havnt seen any dramatic improvement
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Post by jim on Jan 9, 2011 0:16:33 GMT 1
Fair enough Davie. You will have seen the guys at the cutting edge in the pits. I reckon that complaining about lack of track time shows the right sort of attitude to be honest. Sort of like a young, up and coming footballer who wants to strut his stuff in the first team. It shows ambition. I've tried to get sponsorship myself in the past and, as you probably know, it is very difficult. Something akin to knitting fog. I think that we can all agree that things are probably a good bit better outside of the UK as far as nurturing young talent is concerned. Why other countries seem more able or willing to give juniors a better bedding is, lets just say, annoying. Why has some of the Sky money not been ring fenced to sort out some training facilities? I know ------- I'm bleedin' dreaming.
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Post by davie on Jan 9, 2011 0:34:11 GMT 1
yeh unfortunately the elite promoters made sure they got the lions share off it and still couldnt make it work
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Post by drosser on Jan 9, 2011 2:56:17 GMT 1
It is an unfortunate fact, but speedway is not suited to amateur events. It is not much different today than it ever was. Promotors are struggling to cover basic costs and are unlikely to invest in riders who race for enjoyment as there is no financial return. In fact, it often costs them money - damage to fences etc. If a junior shows promise and attitude it is likely that someone will try to help him and the promotion will try to keep him interested. However, it does not need a mathematician to work out the chances of british juniors making the grade - even at Premier League reserve. The often discussed training facilities never materalise. Juniors did get paid a much reduced rate in the good old days of the official second half which helped with fuel and minor items. The purchase of bikes, leathers, spares and travelling always lay with the rider. Either a willing parent or, more often, overtime and extra jobs covered these costs. Equipment was always expensive and many juniors today still make the same mistakes that their predecessors did - spend loads of money on a faster bike or better tuning before they learn to ride a lesser (cheaper) machine to the limit. Some would prefer to have one new bike than 2 decent second hand ones. A good example of this was the late Arnold Hayley who started speedway using his father's old JAP which had been lying in a shed for many years. He worked as a gardener with little income but struggled on with it and managed to break into the Sheffield team at reserve. A local entrepreneur who liked his speedway and recognised the potential bought him two brand new JAWAs. I remember seeing him at Meadowbank and expecting a couple of points or so. He won his first 5 races and finished third in his last one for a magnificent and exciting 16 points. He quickly became a heat leader and a regular English international. Other examples are Ivan Mauger and Bert Harkins - so many setbacks but kept trying and believing in themselves. Hard work, dedication and skill have always been required to make it in speedway.
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Miss Tigs
Falling off with Martin McKinna
Posts: 60
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Post by Miss Tigs on Jan 9, 2011 13:40:46 GMT 1
STARs programme article from October 3rd 2010:
"After the success of the 2009 event it was hoped to build on that for 2010. Sadly that was not to be. Gone from last years line up was Robert McNeil and Johnny Grey due to retirement. Along with Dale Lamb recovering from a horrendous crash at Berwick, James McBain started the season at Sunday track Buxton and Tamis Sike had no licence, it left us struggling to field the eight riders required. "
In 2009 we also had Aussie Steven Reid taking part and Anders Anderson when he was returning from injury.
Trying to get riders to travel to Glasgow is a big problem and the Golden Helmet is no different. If riders are not willing to travel when being paid points money, then a second half event is very unlikely to attract anyone North of the border.
A glimmer of hope ..... Dane, Patrick Tarp received exactly the same points money as the others despite travelling from Denmark!
The Glasgow vs. Team Viking Meeting held at Ashfield in September 2009 had the worse attendance I have ever seen at a Speedway Match in the 20 odd years I've been watching Speedway, so its no wonder riders don't want to travel to Glasgow when they don't get the support they deserve.
Its also unlikely that the promotion would even consider running another match like that due to the lack of fans, and I can't say I blame them.
Hopefully Topcat and Dale will be back at Ashfield next season.
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