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On The Skids - Speedway 2019

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    #51
    Ayres death has been confirmed, not in so many words, as suicide ;

    "Danny absolutely lived for speedway. That was the only place he was truly free, free from any troubles and cares in his mind."

    I hope the sport will take this chance to promote awareness of mental health issues.





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      #52
      I was thinking about speedway whilst on my daily walk and I was wondering of this is one of the sports that come come back behind closed doors. The TV channels have nothing to show, so maybe speedway could be shown instead.

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        #53
        Motorsport UK have just published their guidelines for the potential resumption of motor racing, with lots of guidance around social distancing and reduced numbers in the pits - strikes me that the same approach could be taken in speedway. Some of the guidance around marshalling is a bit eye opening, essentially if someone crashes in front of you, try and get them to give you the thumbs up but on no account open the car or go near them until you've donned your PPE. That bit might not be great if you're a speedway rider, although I suppose the ambulance will be a lot closer than at a 3 mile race circuit.

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          #54
          Poland's Ekstraliga is planning to restart behind closed doors on June 12th. All foreign riders' contracts are conditional on them a) quarantining for two weeks on their entry in the country prior to practice sessions which start before the end of this month and b) not riding in any other countries' leagues this season (most top riders race in two or three countries across the week).

          They're also on reduced wages but Poland still pays more than the other major leagues in Britain, Sweden and Denmark. In the unlikely event we do get any racing in Britain this season the teams will be denuded of a lot of major names (though that may be no bad thing given the costs involved). I can't see it happening at all though.
          Last edited by Ray de Galles; 21-05-2020, 22:25.

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            #55
            So just days after the season is cancelled at Premier and Championship levels it appears that the National League will be able to run subject to the agreement of the club's individual local councils starting in August. All clubs have been invited to join the NL with Berwick and Scunthorpe both set to compete, my team awaiting approval but NL stalwarts Mildenhall and Isle of Wight not coming to the tapes.

            How the teams will be structured is yet to be announced, but there are hopes that there can be a meaningful three month season.

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              #56
              Ah, that's good news. I was pretty sure that some meetings will be able to take place and think the promoters got too focussed on professionalism being the criteria by which sports can take place or not. I put a couple of posts on the motor sport thread as we had no active speedway one.

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                #57
                I didn't think about popping into the motor sport thread, but the gist of your conversation over there is pretty much what has come from our promotion.

                Contrary to most he's actually really good at passing on information so all the details come straight from him and he is talking about attendance restrictions, increased costs and a subsequent rise in the admission price but he sounds hopeful. Apart from the bar and food areas along with the toilets social distancing should be fairly straightforward to maintain. What the capacity of our stadium is, I have no idea but even with around 1000 it doesn't feel full. Normally we get around half that.

                It would be fantastic if this comes off and maybe the lack of other live sport to attend will be to speedways gain.

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                  #58
                  Am I reading you right that the National League have invited all clubs in the country to put a team in this season, Greenlander? On an amateur/semi-pro basis, I would presume?

                  Sadly, Kent (who have been National League for all their existence but were due to race in the Championship in 2020) have said there will be no racing whatsoever this year so I will be travelling further afield for anything that does come off.
                  Last edited by Ray de Galles; 23-07-2020, 13:20.

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                    #59
                    I'll be up for catching some low-level skidding! It's been a stark illustration of where the sport is right now - led by a small number of donkeys, representing the bigger clubs - that there's been no amateur action so far this year. It's a simple sport, just four blokes on motorbikes, and yet they're mostly hiding away until next year.

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                      #60
                      There was live speedway on one of the sports channels last night, that I kept hopping through while I was trying to watch about three football matches at once. I'd forgotten how they spend almost the whole race sliding sideways with the front wheel turned to the left. That must knacker the tyres.

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                        #61
                        That was the European Championships being held in Poland right now. Young Brit Robert Lambert has been doing very well in them.

                        What proportion of the race you spend broadsiding depends on the length of the straights. I haven't seen last night's yet but it was in Rybnik which I recall is a shorter track (I've only been there for a gig not a meeting though).

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                          #62
                          Originally posted by Ray de Galles View Post
                          Am I reading you right that the National League have invited all clubs in the country to put a team in this season, Greenlander? On an amateur/semi-pro basis, I would presume?

                          Sadly, Kent (who have been National League for all their existence but were due to take in the Championship in 2020) have said there will be no racing whatsoever this year so I will be travelling further afield for anything that does come off.
                          From our promoter: All clubs from whatever division have been invited to enter a team into the National League this season. (Unfortunately - my wording) they have to be built to the 39-point NL spec.

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                            #63
                            The aim is to get some kind of competitive structure and not just challenge or individual meetings. I'd imagine Berwick, Scunthorpe and other higher echelon clubs will scoop up the riders that have lost places at those NL teams not running.

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                              #64
                              Sounds promising, or at least better than everything looked two days ago.

                              I may be finally gracing your home track!

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                                #65
                                Originally posted by Ray de Galles View Post
                                Sounds promising, or at least better than everything looked two days ago.

                                I may be finally gracing your home track!
                                If you make it west I'll buy you a pint.

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                                  #66
                                  I hope to take you up on that. Would be good to say hello again.

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                                    #67
                                    From our website this evening: If enough clubs can gain permission from their local authorities then a league will be run.

                                    No idea what the number is to make it viable, but considering it was due to be a seven team division this summer maybe not that many. Sounds like Newcastle and Peterborough are out though.

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                                      #68
                                      Speedway is up and running in New York - meetings every weekend July and August. It's easy to physically distance in the stands (sadly). But, as that part of NY don't embrace mask wearing, it's Trump2020 country, I will likely stay away until September (Labor Day Weekend) when the Californians will fly in for the US Open.

                                      Robert Lambert has been having a brilliant season in Poland. Britain's next World Champ let's hope.

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                                        #69
                                        Yeah, he was fantastic again tonight in the penultimate leg of the Euros and all the Poles I spoke to when I was over there were raving about him.

                                        I have a ticket for the rescheduled Speedway of Nations at Belle Vue in late October and would love to see Woffinden and Lambert have a good go at it, should the meeting go ahead.

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                                          #70
                                          So there will be an NDL commencing around the middle of August. It'll be 5 or 6 teams, one of them being Plymouth. All teams will race on a Saturday except one on a Friday (which I guess will be us) and fixtures will be out soon. At last some live sport to attend.

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                                            #71
                                            Originally posted by Greenlander View Post
                                            At last some live sport to attend.
                                            If you're really desperate for a motorised sporting fix and don't mind a trip out then I notice the stock cars are back racing at St. Day (Sunday) and Smeatharpe (Monday).

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                                              #72
                                              Originally posted by Greenlander View Post
                                              So there will be an NDL commencing around the middle of August. It'll be 5 or 6 teams, one of them being Plymouth. All teams will race on a Saturday except one on a Friday (which I guess will be us) and fixtures will be out soon. At last some live sport to attend.
                                              Excellent news, is there a central outlet to follow (asides from the clubs themselves) for fixture info?

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                                                #73
                                                I presume speedwaygb.co will put the fixtures up in due course. Government restrictions notwithstanding.

                                                When I hear more I'll update. It sounds like two clubs will be quite far north (for us) as there'll be a northern tour weekend.

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                                                  #74
                                                  League season cancelled.

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                                                    #75
                                                    What, what? What the fuck happened there?

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