 On 10th August 2006 a trip was arranged to Peterborough Speedway for employees of Stanair. Having seen Speedway on Television I arranged to go taking my husband Dave and 9 Year old Grandson Ashley. Little did I know what I was letting myself in for.
Steve Harrison at Peterborough depot had organised the trip, in conjunction with Peterborough Panthers Speedway team. Prior to going Steve had sent everyone some notes on what Speedway is and how the points system works. Ashley read the notes and then had to have a Programme and Pen so he could do his own scoring!
It was always looking to be a good, yet tense meeting as this was the day of terrorist alerts, airport closures and delayed flights. Which with most Elite League Speedway riders riding in 3 countries presented a huge problem! Panthers’ number four Niels Kristian Iversen found himself stranded in Denmark where he had raced the previous night. Both the morning and afternoon flights he was booked on were cancelled and the four hour drive from his home in Esbjerg to Copenhagen airport proved fruitless. Whilst Polish Under 21 Champion Karol Zabik’s day should have begun with a morning flight to England. He eventually boarded a plane after 3.30pm and made it to the meeting in the nick of time, actually appearing half way through the pre meeting presentation of riders!
The bikes lined up for the first race and we were immediately hooked!! The noise was deafening and the concentration shown by the riders on bikes with the acceleration of a F1 racing car, with fixed gears, no brakes, and very little suspension was intense. The starting tapes went up and the riders set off for 4 laps of the track. The smell of the methanol used as fuel in the bikes hung in the air, the shale sprayed up from the tyres and the bikes engines, cheers, (and occasionally groans!) from the large crowd was deafening.
Steve had arranged for those who wanted to, (which was nearly everyone!) to watch the last 3 races from the inside of the track. From there you could REALLY appreciate how hard it was to stay on the bikes and just how fast they were really going. This is one of the most vivid memories of the entire trip!
At the end of a very close and exciting meeting the Peterborough Panthers beat the Poole Pirates by just one point – a glorious end to a fantastic trip and one I hope to be repeating.
Stanair would like to thank the Peterborough Panthers for making this evening possible and enjoyable, and should you wish to sample it for yourself visit www.peterboroughspeedway.net or contact Steve at Peterborough depot.
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