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INDOOR LINES
A look at the some of the off-track news from last weekends national indoor championships
TRACK BED posted
8 December 2007
Newly crowned under-16 champion Carl Jarvis nearly didnt make it to the national indoor championships. The Leicester whirlwind was in his sick bed all week unable to keep anything in and on Friday looked doubtful to be riding at all. Amazingly, he just about kept it together for the final but was feeling decidedly groggy, hence his absence from the team event.
CONGRATULATIONS ALL ROUND posted 7 December 2007
Congratulations to everyone involved with the promotion of last weekends national indoor championships at Broughton leisure centre. What a resounding success!
The racing was simply unbelievable - fast, exciting and thrilling. Every single rider gave 100% effort. Some of the crashes were both frightening and stunningly spectacular. The courage of the riders as they hurtled round the arena had to be seen to be believed and how gutsy Chris Finnigan walked away from his amazing crash in the senior final, belies belief.
Once again the scheduling went like clockwork. The promoters, the Northern Cycle Speedway Alliance and their host of helpers, deserve our praise and gratitude, especially principal organiser Pete Ward and others from the Bury club who gave so freely of their time despite a difficult year.
And talking of difficulty what about the referees! With action at every turn and down every straight, incidents came thick and fast. To referee and make instant decisions calls for nerve and a cool temperament. Okay, we may not agree with every decision but what an excellent job the referees did overall. Hats off to them.
The spectators certainly played their part too, the noise increasing in direct relation to the speed of racing. The Red Cross were on hand for every incident and the sports centre staff were always obliging. And finally and certainly not least, what about the photographers, Richard Robotham and Andy Whitehouse whose talented skills brought all the action to life on British Cyclings website. They were in attendance from the opening heat to the very last race and must have taken literally hundreds of photographs.
IMPROVED FACILITIES posted 7 December 2007
The 2007 indoor championships saw a number of improved facilities at Broughton recreation centre including a mobile refreshment van, security staff at the sports hall entrance and patrolling the car park and blanket first-aid cover by the Red Cross.
The improvements were mainly due to a new partnership between the event organisers, Northern Cycle Speedway Alliance and Salford Community Leisure Limited which saw SCL organise volunteers to assist with running the championships, provision of equipment and funding the all important first-aid cover.
INDOOR DOUBTS posted 7 December 2007
The future of indoor cycle speedway at Broughton Leisure Centre is under threat, amid growing speculation that the site could be redeveloped for housing within the next 18 months.
The news will come as a real blow for indoor enthusiasts as Broughton is one of the few venues that allow indoor bike racing. In the past few years it has established itself as the Mecca of indoor racing.
National indoor organiser is already looking for alternatives.
We have looked at several other venues Ward told spokesman-online.
We have used Pendlebury before for training so thats a possibility and there is another centre in Salford, at Ordsal, which may be suitable. Also we plan to visit the Sporting Edge Sports Centre in Openshaw to see if they would be receptive to indoor cycle speedway.
UNTOWARD posted 7 December 2007
Indoor organiser Pete Ward is £40 richer after winning the 50/50 raffle on Saturday. Top prize in Sundays draw, an Archie Wilkinson frameset worth £100, was won by Birmingham vet Paul Timms.
VELODROME RETHINK? posted 7 December 2007
Cycle speedways hopes of staging indoor racing again at the Manchester Velodrome have been boosted by the appointment of Bob Barber as the stadiums cycling manager.
Barber, British Cyclings former Competitions Manager, was instrumental in cycle speedway joining British Cycling and is a firm supporter of the sport. Barber recently attended training sessions at St Thomass recreation ground and has turned out for Stockports second team on a couple of occasions.
Cycle speedway was last staged at the velodrome in the mid-Nineties when the arena hosted the 1994/1995 national indoor team championships. Although no damage was done to the floor, centre managers have always been nervous that the sprung surface could be gouged by pedals and have stoutly resisted staging events there ever since.
Until now?
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