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Post by admin on Mar 1, 2014 14:41:49 GMT
The Elite Riders' Championship has been switched from the traditional end of season event and will take place at Coventry on Sunday March 23 (6pm).
It will feature the No.1 rider from all ten Elite League clubs plus six invited wildcards.
Swedish Grand Prix star Freddie Lindgren has already accepted along with Coventry legend Chris Harris and organisers are awaiting replies on others.
It means the meeting will see current World Champion Tai Woffinden up against Grand Prix rival and World No.3 Niels-Kristian Iversen, Australian sensation Darcy Ward, new Coventry top rider Hans Andersen, Slovenian star Matej Zagar and other star names.
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Post by admin on Mar 1, 2014 14:43:10 GMT
Alan Boon @alan_boonNo Elite Riders' Championship for me, then, or - I suspect - a lot of others! £25 to get in? You're having a laugh! Sky it is! 
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Post by admin on Mar 14, 2014 20:27:08 GMT
ELITE RIDERS' CHAMPIONSHIP DRAW
COVENTRY SPEEDWAY - Sunday March 23 (6pm).
1 Danny King - Birmingham
2 Peter Karlsson - Lakeside
3 Craig Cook - Belle Vue
4 Niels Kristian Iversen - King's Lynn (aka Peterborough allegedly tbc)
5 Hans Andersen - Coventry
6 Tai Woffinden - Wolverhampton
7 Rory Schlein - King's Lynn
8 Troy Batchelor - Swindon (aka Peterborough, allegedly tbc)
9 Matej Zagar - Belle Vue
10 Freddie Lindgren - Wildcard
11 Peter Kildemand - Swindon
12 Darcy Ward - Poole
13 Bjarne Pedersen - Eastbourne
14 Chris Harris - Coventry
15 Kenneth Bjerre - King's Lynn (aka Peterborough, allegedly tbc)
16 Jason Doyle - Leicester
The meeting will feature 20 heats with every rider having five outings. The top two scorers go into the final with the next four in a race-off for the last two places in the final. The new Elite Riders' Champion will be the winner of then final regardless of previous points scored.
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Post by admin on Mar 21, 2014 22:33:34 GMT
ERC REVISED LINE-UP: Danny King (Birmingham), Peter Karlsson (Lakeside), Craig Cook (Belle Vue), Niels-Kristian Iversen (King’s Lynn), Hans Andersen (Coventry), Tai Woffinden (Wolverhampton), Rory Schlein (King’s Lynn), Troy Batchelor (Swindon), Matej Zagar (Belle Vue), Fredrik Lindgren (Unattached), Peter Kildemand (Swindon), Darcy Ward (Poole), Bjarne Pedersen (Eastbourne), Chris Harris (Coventry), Kenneth Bjerre (King’s Lynn), Mads Korneliussen (Leicester).
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Post by admin on Mar 22, 2014 8:08:52 GMT
So do Panthers have a quater of the field or do the Frosts? We have a 2014 riders page but not an asset page unless it's moved on Panthers website.
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Post by Bigcatdiary on Mar 23, 2014 19:08:57 GMT
The BSF is in near meltdown over today's postponement and Mick Horton,s subsequent press statement is interesting.
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Post by admin on Mar 23, 2014 19:32:23 GMT
Postponed due to unfit track! Speedway never fails to dump on its customers and it's only March:  img: bitchspot.jadedragononline |
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Post by Bigcatdiary on Mar 23, 2014 19:51:45 GMT
Postponed due to unfit track! Speedway never fails to dump on its customers and it's only March: View Attachmentimg: bitchspot.jadedragononline Last years meeting was the same disaster, surprises me that anyone's interested in this comp especially at £25 a go. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 23, 2014 22:39:46 GMT
The BSF is in near meltdown over today's postponement and Mick Horton,s subsequent press statement is interesting. LMFAO. And yes the statement is interesting, it looks like his own words and not those of a grown up. Mick Horton = Speedway Jonah. |
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Post by admin on Mar 23, 2014 22:46:32 GMT
The BSF is in near meltdown over today's postponement and Mick Horton,s subsequent press statement is interesting. LMFAO. And yes the statement is interesting, it looks like his own words and not those of a grown up. Mick Horton = Speedway Jonah. now now, the insults thread is in the other section  |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 23, 2014 22:58:07 GMT
LMFAO. And yes the statement is interesting, it looks like his own words and not those of a grown up. Mick Horton = Speedway Jonah. now now, the insults thread is in the other section Not an insult. Fact. |
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Post by admin on Mar 24, 2014 8:45:50 GMT
SWINDON riders Troy Batchelor and Peter Kildemand will have to wait a few more days for their first competitive action after this evening's Elite Riders' Championship at Coventry was postponed.
With nearly an hour to go before the scheduled start of the meeting, and the sun shining, the decision was made to call off the meeting due to the track being judged unfit to ride.
BSPA chairman Alex Harkess revealed in a statement that an investigation will now be launched into what went on at Brandon.
He said: "The first thing to say is to apologise to the many supporters who paid good money to see the event which had a superb line-up.
"It is also not the start anyone wanted for the start of our new TV deal with Sky Sports.
"We regret very much what happened but on Saturday morning I had assurances that everything would be fine with the track.
"I can understand totally the anger of supporters and, of course, we offer our sincere apologies to everyone who was inconvenienced.
"We will now carry out a full investigation to establish why this totally unacceptable situation was allowed to develop and will comment further when this investigation has been concluded."
Batchelor arrived at the stadium and, without taking a proper look at the track, was informed the meeting was off.
"You can understand when a meeting is rained off but the sun is shining it's hard to really understand why," he said.
"I didn't really look at the track but I was told the meeting was off.
SWINDON ADVER
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Post by admin on Mar 24, 2014 8:47:58 GMT
Full investigation and further comment! Shouldn't take long and will be a first.
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Post by Hodgy on Mar 24, 2014 9:32:37 GMT
Full investigation and further comment! Shouldn't take long and will be a first. It was not me, twas the other twee.... |
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Post by admin on Mar 24, 2014 9:43:29 GMT
Full investigation and further comment! Shouldn't take long and will be a first. It was not me, twas the other twee.... Just need time to investigate who they can blame. Everyone blames someone else, it's so easy. It's a BSPA event being effectively run by a leaseholder in an insurgent's stadium - recipe for disaster  Wasn't Friday night a bit of an indicator to problems |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2014 10:34:39 GMT
Ultimately Mick Horton is responsible. I don't buy this not his fault nonsense. His club, his track, he should have made sure everything was fit and proper. PERFECT PLANNING PREVENTS POOR PERFORMANCE.
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Post by admin on Mar 24, 2014 10:49:41 GMT
Ultimately Mick Horton is responsible. I don't buy this not his fault nonsense. His club, his track, he should have made sure everything was fit and proper. PERFECT PLANNING PREVENTS POOR PERFORMANCE.You wouldn't say anything else though would you? Coventry are only the hosts of a BSPA event (that's what we're always told anyway) and whilst I agree to a point, without knowing who the organ grinder is in all this then it's hard to say. Where was Terry Russell? He was top track man at Belle Vue's 10 heats. In the real world the buck stops with Harkess who didn't, apparently, make sure that everything was in order. |
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Post by Bigcatdiary on Mar 24, 2014 10:56:00 GMT
Ultimately Mick Horton is responsible. I don't buy this not his fault nonsense. His club, his track, he should have made sure everything was fit and proper. PERFECT PLANNING PREVENTS POOR PERFORMANCE.You missed a P out, its Perfect Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance |
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Post by Bigcatdiary on Mar 24, 2014 11:00:06 GMT
Ultimately Mick Horton is responsible. I don't buy this not his fault nonsense. His club, his track, he should have made sure everything was fit and proper. PERFECT PLANNING PREVENTS POOR PERFORMANCE.You wouldn't say anything else though would you? Coventry are only the hosts of a BSPA event (that's what we're always told anyway) and whilst I agree to a point, without knowing who the organ grinder is in all this then it's hard to say. Where was Terry Russell? He was top track man at Belle Vue's 10 heats. In the real world the buck stops with Harkess who didn't, apparently, make sure that everything was in order. Whilst Coventry's part is clearly a major one I have to agree, the BSPA allocated this meeting to Coventry and its a BSPA shared event, so Harkess and his colleagues must shoulder much of the blame. I worry that this PR disaster on the back of last years debacle could see the end of this event as well. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2014 11:31:35 GMT
You wouldn't say anything else though would you? Coventry are only the hosts of a BSPA event (that's what we're always told anyway) and whilst I agree to a point, without knowing who the organ grinder is in all this then it's hard to say. Where was Terry Russell? He was top track man at Belle Vue's 10 heats. In the real world the buck stops with Harkess who didn't, apparently, make sure that everything was in order. Whilst Coventry's part is clearly a major one I have to agree, the BSPA allocated this meeting to Coventry and its a BSPA shared event, so Harkess and his colleagues must shoulder much of the blame.
I worry that this PR disaster on the back of last years debacle could see the end of this event as well.We can only hope. Just as we hope that one day we get some credible people running the sport in this country as opposed to the lunatics currently in control. |
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Post by admin on Mar 24, 2014 14:50:19 GMT
The BSF is in near meltdown over today's postponement and Mick Horton,s subsequent press statement is interesting. Well it sure is now  |
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Post by Bigcatdiary on Mar 24, 2014 15:22:13 GMT
The BSF is in near meltdown over today's postponement and Mick Horton,s subsequent press statement is interesting. Well it sure is now I see now that Jeremy Heaver has issued a statement on behalf of Coventry stadium which contradicts most of what Mick Horton stated in his statement. The BSF thread is red hot. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2014 15:29:24 GMT
Coventry Stadium Press Release 24th March 2014
During 2013 both speedway and stock car suffered from a mediocre track at best to a surface which resulted in cancelled meetings at worst. We consulted with both speedway and stock car promoters and reached a conclusion during the closed season that we needed to change our track curator and to invest more heavily in the track which we have been doing. The reason for making changes was driven by our desire to make the Bees last three seasons to be the best racing possible. This requires a great race surface.
We managed to find a very professional track curator in Marek Meinert who has extensive experience in providing an excellent race surface at Bydgoszcz and has produced the track for 16 GP’s. He arrived at Coventry Stadium three weeks ago with excellent credentials and immediately recognised the scale of the work required to return the Coventry surface back to the best in the UK. He does not speak English, however we have at least three members of our team who speak both English and Polish fluently, so language is not a barrier that would affect his ability to curate the track. He has worked seven days a week for the past three weeks between rain showers to regain flat straights and slightly banked bends that had been lost in recent years. Marek knows the track is not right and certainly not to his standard, however since his arrival three weeks ago he has had limited track time due to rain.
All the promoters using the track including Mick Horton were very pleased with his appointment and approved of the early results of his work accepting it was going to take time to undo mistakes of the past.
The shale going into Friday night’s speedway was moisture rich but was in good shape until we experienced a big downpour at around 5pm which tipped the balance in terms of the composition of the track. This caused it to cut up faster than normal resulting in the meeting being called off after only six heats.
The chronology from the cancelled meeting on Friday to the cancelation of the ELRC is important so that disappointed fans, Sky TV, BSPA all understand what went on then hopefully they can draw the correct conclusions.
Saturday 22nd March
2.01pm Mick Horton called Mathew, the stadiums accountant, and Mathew was unable to take the call as he was on a different call
2.13pm Mathew returned Mick Horton's call and Mathew expressed concerns for the track and stated that a decision would need to be made regarding the possibility of cancelling the ELRC. Mick told Mathew he would meet Mathew at 4pm on site that day (Saturday) to make a decision regarding cancellation. It was made clear that it was Mick's decision to take not the stadiums.
It was still raining hard
2.49pm As the rain had become heavy Mathew sent Mick a txt message “Please come tonight so we can make a decision tonight”
4pm Mathew returned to the stadium to meet with Mick and the track staff.
6.39pm After waiting for over two and a half hours Mick did not arrive, call or txt to say he was not coming. Mathew sent Mick a txt “ Are you coming today” The reason for the txt is because the stadium has no power to cancel a speedway event it is down to the staging promoter.
6.39pm Immediate reply from Mick “ I will be there at 10am in the morning” No apology and in the full knowledge that no work had taken place on the track due to rain. Mathew and all the track staff felt badly let down as they all knew a decision should have been taken on Saturday but would instead be taken Sunday morning.
Sunday 23rd March
Around 10am Mick arrived on site and saw the track was waterlogged and requested that the blade should be used to remove some of the water but the track was to wet for that to have been effective. He made no decision regarding the meeting and clearly he was hoping it would dry out in time without listening to the advice he had been given.
In the past Colin Pratt as the promoter of the Bees would have been on site making sure the track
could be made ready and if that was not possible he would call the meeting off as early as possible to save fans traveling or even Sky setting up. Since Colin is no longer involved in the Bees nobody from the club overseas the track preparation to ensure it will be ready on time.
We are not in control of the cancelation of events due to track conditions as that is the promoter’s decision and responsibility and we fulfilled our obligation to inform Mick Horton about our doubts which he chose to ignore. He showed little regard as to the state of the track on Saturday and was cavalier in his attitude on Sunday morning.
The track will continue to be prepared by Marek Meinert with one aim to be the best in the UK by using his experience gained at the highest level in Poland and he will enjoy our full support in that task.
We are sorry that Mick Horton has decided not to race at Coventry but rest assured we will still be operating for the next three years as a stock car track.
Coventry Stadium
Mick Horton = Speedway Jonah
The bloke is unbelieveable. LOL.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2014 15:48:29 GMT
Mick Horton Statement
Horton Slams Stadium Owners
Coventry Bees promoter Mick Horton has slammed Brandon Stadium owners after the Elite Riders Championship called off on Sunday.
The track at Brandon was deemed to dangerous for riders to take part in British speedway’s showpiece event which was set to include the top 15 riders from the Elite League and wildcard Fredrik Lindgren.
A statement, posted on coventrybees.co by Horton reads:
“I have made the decision today that the teams representing Coventry Speedway will not be taking to the track at Brandon until such time as the stadium bring in the correct and proper track curator to prepare our track.
“The track has been totally unacceptable. I am embarrassed and humiliated and I am not prepared to take all of the criticism because this is 100 per cent down to the stadium.
“They got rid of our old track curator and brought in a new one and it simply hasn’t worked. I am totally humiliated and can only apologise.
“I have told the stadium staff what the situation is – it’s destroying me. We said early this morning that the track should be bladed but they decided to let it dry and pack it, and it was still rubbish.
“Television were here and I have taken a lot of criticism, and I know I’m going to get the flak. But I want to make it very clear that this was totally out of my control, this was 100 per cent down to the stadium.
“They brought in the track staff and assured Coventry Speedway that this track curator and track staff team was the best that we could get. The rest is history – it has been a total shambles starting on Friday with the Storm match and now on Sunday for a major national event.
“There is no way that I will allow a Coventry team on that track until it is correct, and until that time, until it is in a suitable condition to race on, we will decline any further shared events or TV meetings.
“In all my years of speedway, this is my lowest moment. I feel absolutely humiliated by something that is totally out of my control.”
Absolute gold. LOL.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2014 17:01:10 GMT
Coventry Stadium Press Release 24th March 2014 During 2013 both speedway and stock car suffered from a mediocre track at best to a surface which resulted in cancelled meetings at worst. We consulted with both speedway and stock car promoters and reached a conclusion during the closed season that we needed to change our track curator and to invest more heavily in the track which we have been doing. The reason for making changes was driven by our desire to make the Bees last three seasons to be the best racing possible. This requires a great race surface. We managed to find a very professional track curator in Marek Meinert who has extensive experience in providing an excellent race surface at Bydgoszcz and has produced the track for 16 GP’s. He arrived at Coventry Stadium three weeks ago with excellent credentials and immediately recognised the scale of the work required to return the Coventry surface back to the best in the UK. He does not speak English, however we have at least three members of our team who speak both English and Polish fluently, so language is not a barrier that would affect his ability to curate the track. He has worked seven days a week for the past three weeks between rain showers to regain flat straights and slightly banked bends that had been lost in recent years. Marek knows the track is not right and certainly not to his standard, however since his arrival three weeks ago he has had limited track time due to rain. All the promoters using the track including Mick Horton were very pleased with his appointment and approved of the early results of his work accepting it was going to take time to undo mistakes of the past. The shale going into Friday night’s speedway was moisture rich but was in good shape until we experienced a big downpour at around 5pm which tipped the balance in terms of the composition of the track. This caused it to cut up faster than normal resulting in the meeting being called off after only six heats. The chronology from the cancelled meeting on Friday to the cancelation of the ELRC is important so that disappointed fans, Sky TV, BSPA all understand what went on then hopefully they can draw the correct conclusions. Saturday 22nd March 2.01pm Mick Horton called Mathew, the stadiums accountant, and Mathew was unable to take the call as he was on a different call 2.13pm Mathew returned Mick Horton's call and Mathew expressed concerns for the track and stated that a decision would need to be made regarding the possibility of cancelling the ELRC. Mick told Mathew he would meet Mathew at 4pm on site that day (Saturday) to make a decision regarding cancellation. It was made clear that it was Mick's decision to take not the stadiums. It was still raining hard 2.49pm As the rain had become heavy Mathew sent Mick a txt message “Please come tonight so we can make a decision tonight” 4pm Mathew returned to the stadium to meet with Mick and the track staff. 6.39pm After waiting for over two and a half hours Mick did not arrive, call or txt to say he was not coming. Mathew sent Mick a txt “ Are you coming today” The reason for the txt is because the stadium has no power to cancel a speedway event it is down to the staging promoter. 6.39pm Immediate reply from Mick “ I will be there at 10am in the morning” No apology and in the full knowledge that no work had taken place on the track due to rain. Mathew and all the track staff felt badly let down as they all knew a decision should have been taken on Saturday but would instead be taken Sunday morning. Sunday 23rd March Around 10am Mick arrived on site and saw the track was waterlogged and requested that the blade should be used to remove some of the water but the track was to wet for that to have been effective. He made no decision regarding the meeting and clearly he was hoping it would dry out in time without listening to the advice he had been given. In the past Colin Pratt as the promoter of the Bees would have been on site making sure the track could be made ready and if that was not possible he would call the meeting off as early as possible to save fans traveling or even Sky setting up. Since Colin is no longer involved in the Bees nobody from the club overseas the track preparation to ensure it will be ready on time. We are not in control of the cancelation of events due to track conditions as that is the promoter’s decision and responsibility and we fulfilled our obligation to inform Mick Horton about our doubts which he chose to ignore. He showed little regard as to the state of the track on Saturday and was cavalier in his attitude on Sunday morning. The track will continue to be prepared by Marek Meinert with one aim to be the best in the UK by using his experience gained at the highest level in Poland and he will enjoy our full support in that task. We are sorry that Mick Horton has decided not to race at Coventry but rest assured we will still be operating for the next three years as a stock car track. Coventry Stadium Mick Horton = Speedway Jonah The bloke is unbelieveable. LOL. Comedy gold |
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