And so another season is done and dusted. The end of season farewells have been made, the fireworks have woken every dog within a 5 mile area of Blunsdon and the end of season dinner dance has passed off without controversy. Job done!
But no.
“So what will you do with all those Thursdays until March when the next season begins?” It’s an all too common comment and it is the reason for the creation of “The Blunsdon Blog”.
In order that we can dispel views that track work only happens miraculously half an hour before each meeting, the track staff at Blunsdon are going to keep a diary in words and images of our winter work to ensure that, come Press and Practice Day in March, our super septet have the kind of racing surface that will once again emphasise that Swindon really does put the “Speed” into “speedway”.
Ok, so we all know about the first bend problems that have dogged us in 2006. But what causes those problems and why has it been so hard to remedy? Hopefully, through following the Blunsdon Blog throughout the winter months you’ll have a better idea as to the problems that track staff up and down the country face whilst trying to provide our super stars with the track surface they’ll enjoy.
Thursday 26th OctoberWe gather at the track at 9am – Gerald, Punch, Adam, John, Brian, my 12 year old son David and me.
Our task for the day, and for next Thursday, is to remove the air fence, wash it down and then transport it to the pits. Sounds relatively straightforward. If only!
The air fence at Blunsdon is large, over 40 separate pieces, and it is coated with the wet shale from the last meeting and sits on a track surface more resembling The Somme after incessant rain over the last week.
The first task is to inflate the fence on turns 1 and 2 and then jet wash the worst of the shale and slime off. This makes the track even wetter and we slither and slide around under leaden skies gazing at the grey, rain bearing clouds that are being blown our way. We lug two air pumps down to the bottom of the track and begin the inflation process. Punch (Rod Ford) has the pressure washer ready while Gerald (Richter) uses a blade behind one of the tractors to try to move some of the shale and clay from the kick boards at the bottom of the air fence.
My feet are already wet – the slime is over the height of my working shoes. When the worst has been washed off the air fence, Adam and I clamber over the swiftly deflating fence to try to remove the clips that attach the air fence to the safety fence. Sadly, the slime is worse under the fences and we are forced to dig our way down through inches of slime to locate the catches.
One hour, and several broken finger nails, later we have managed to detach the air fence from the safety fence. Job done!
The master plan is to remove the kick boards (lengths of rubber attached to the bottom of the fence and designed to prevent riders from slipping under the air fence and striking / injuring themselves against the main fence). I can remember my first task at Blunsdon in March when I had to rivet the kick boards in place. Now they had to be removed. Each rivet (and there are 20 to a section) has to be drilled out before the section of air fence can be dragged to the centre green where it will be inflated again and washed for a second time before being rolled up and transported back to the pits.
Some of the rivets pop off; most, however, resist our efforts until they have been drilled out completely. By this time we are all smothered in brown clay and the rain clouds are overhead.
We repair to the staff room for a warming cup of coffee, beautifully prepared by the 8th member of the team, Shirley, who has come over specially to make sure that the supply of hot drinks is maintained for the bedraggled and be-muddied crew.
By lunch we had actually only managed to clean 5 sections properly and morale was low. However, a cup of tea, some sandwiches and good humoured banter soon lifted our spirits and we set about the afternoon’s work with gusto under a beautifully clear sky.
Brian (Cox) , David (my son) and I disengage each length of fence and drag it across the track to the centre green where Gerald and Adam inflate it. Punch and John (Keeping) operate the jet washers. As soon as each length is washed it takes four of us to manhandle it onto the low loader. Drilling out the rivets has flattened both batteries for the electric drill so the last five sections have to be dragged off the track complete with kickboards – they weigh a ton!
By half past three we have the entire air fence from turns one and two safely stored in the pits area. Turns three and four can wait until next Thursday.
Gerald is taking a well deserved holiday and will be away for the next two Thursdays which means that the immediate future of the track rests in the hands of Punch. Unable to leave the track looking as it does (like a section from a World War 1 battlefield) Gerald decides to run around the track with the grader and I am tasked with following on a small tractor to tyre pack the surface a little in case the monsoons strike the track and wash it all away.
By half four we make our farewells and begin our various ways home. Dave and I fought for the rights to the first bath and the best of the hot water – he won!
And so ends our first day of easy living! If only my back didn’t hurt so much I’d laugh.
