Remember that the colour blog can be accessed through this link.And the sun shone down on the righteous and it was good.
It's been a beautiful week for the sun seekers in the Costa del Blunsdon this week, but not so for track staff trying to prepare a racing surface.
On Saturday Dave, Punch and I tried out our new generator / pressure washer combination.
The last generator didn't quite have the muscle to power the leviathan of a pressure washer we have been given. The new generator, whilst not exactly brand spanking new, would, we were assured, have the power required. We hitched up the system to Punch's trailer and ventured out onto the centre green. And lo, the generator did start. And lo, the pressure washer did cough into life. And lo, the water did power from the nozzle. Dave was given the vital job of ensuring that the hose didn't kink, Punch drove his car with the trailer attached and I blasted off the kickboards ... that is when the water pressure from the mains allowed. Sadly, our progress was slowed dramatically as we had to wait for the mains pressure to build up after each section of kickboarding.
However, with the boards sparkling clean, and the prospect of a fresh coat of paint for each one, we settled down to grading and tyre packing in preparation for the Thursday clash with our old friends from down in the South coast at Poole.
We assemble at the track on Thursday at 8.30am. Punch and Gerald have been there since before 8am but I cannot be bothered with such an early start. Dave (it's his Easter holiday so he's roped in to work) and I meet up with Adam Laws and Brian Cox. The sun is already out and the track is drying fast.
The first task is to get the air pumps out to the four corners and then inflate the fence and hook up the green catch fencing. This allows Mick to pressure wash the fence as early as possible so that the excess water and detergent can be dissipated as quickly as possible. While Mick washes Dave, Adam and I hook up the air fence to the safety fence.
Each section of the fence must be attached to the safety fence in at least two places. We use metal hooks for this purpose. By the time that all of the panels have been hitched up and the fence is fully inflated it is 10am. Our next job is to put the large removable sections of safety fence in place. These allow the greyhound operation to move their starting gates into position quickly and easily during dog meetings. The closures are awkward sections and it takes a combination of guile and brute strength to get them securely in place.
The track looks in a sensational state but we have to make sure that it is watered regularly to prevent the surface from drying. Because the speedway track is basically clay it does dry and become brittle very quickly indeed. It is the water content that allows the materials to bind and this binding is essential if all of our hard work is not to disappear in a brown cloud over the northern fringes of Swindon come race one.
Because we have been so diligent in preparing the track at the end of the previous Thursday and on the previous Saturday and because the weather forecast does not suggest any nasty surprises in the way of showers, we have time between waterings to turn our attentions to the number of other jobs that need doing around the track.
One real pain in the neck is the greyhound gate that was installed across the pit entrance last year. Before each meeting we have to carefully remove it and then put it back again at the end of the night. The trouble is that it is very heavy and the mountings make the job not only difficult but potentially hazardous - just ask Punch! He nearly lost half of a finger when the gate trapped his digit as he attempted to fix it in place in semi darkness one night.
The solution is simple and typical of the type of work that we have to do. You need to be a master of many crafts to become a track curator. Punch is the master of the angle grinder whilst Gerald is a mean welder.
Punch grinds of the bottom hinge and then Gerald turns it through 180 degrees and welds it back in place. Now we simply have to lift the gate in and out of position rather than having to adjust two sets of bolts. We've been promising ourselves this modification but have never had the time nor inclination to get it done thus far.
One of the pleasures of working at the the track is the comings and goings of various members of staff who help out and bring their own characters to the work they do.
Brian Cox, affable and relaxed is there first thing to get the advertising hoardings in place. Bob, who lokks after the air pumps and other things mechancial is also present. He is followed in by genial Mick Richards from the Swindon Pressure Washing Company. Mick is great fan of the sport and enjoys swapping stories with Punch about stars from bygone days. Shirley appears to make the tea and clean out the changing rooms and pit areas. She's friendly and takes good care of us.
By mid morning Stan Potter arrives to work on his starting tapes and to check that the 2 minute warning siren and lights are working. Steve Gobey will put in an appearance after lunch to check on the electrics before Rex appears to put up the programme boards in the pits.
Coordinating all of this endeavour is Gerald. As I've said before, Gerald is a perfectionist and sets very high standards for himself and his staff. He is constantly in demand on the telephone yet manages to keep an eye on all that is going on. I've worked for managers before who have barked at staff and brought about widespread resentment. Don't get me wrong - if you make a mistake that was brought about through carelessness, Gerald will pretty soon let you know about it, but he does so in a fair manner and we know that it is his attention to detail that makes the team work so efficiently.
After he has made some more modifications to the small watering truck we settle down to the quiet spell of the afternoon. The air pumps have been switched off, after being thoroughly checked over first, and the watering of the track is being monitored carefully. The riders begin to appear - today Mads Korneliussen is first.
While we have our afternoon cuppa, Mads and his mechanic begin to unload his bikes and then start to warm them up. Alun Rossiter appears. He's suffering from a heavy cold but gets little sympathy from the assembled group.
Seba Ulamek arrives soon after. Ever the gentleman, he makes a point of coming around to all the track staff and shaking our hands, asking each of us how we are. He is a delightful chap and the ultimate professional - his bikes are immaculate and he knows that a little thanks goes a long way - Seba is a top bloke as far as we are concerned.
A speedway bike is so simple and yet so beautiful. Mads is looking forward to the delivery of a new engine but the one that he's got - a GM with the name "Karger" on the side - looks pretty impressive.
But we can't afford to spend all of our time talking with the team members - the sun is still unseasonably warm and the track is drying quickly. We water again, using a heavy spray from the back of the water tanker. The track is temporarily awash with water. We need this so that at least some will penetrate down to the base and keep that moist and firmly bound.
By half four it is time to rip the starting area and the exits of turns two and four. The Swindon lads like a lot of grip from the start and we rip the insides of the exit to 2 and 4 to encourage plenty of drive out of the corners and open up more passing opportunities. As soon as the ripper has opened up the top half inch of shale we pack it down lightly with the smallest tractor and then water it lightly to help it bind again.
The watering from now on until the start of the meeting will be done with a light spray that is sufficient to keep the top surface in place and tight.
At six other track staff appear. Mick Hunt, our Clerk of the course, and his assistant Andrew Reynolds are in attendance. The pits are full of riders, mechanics, team officials, sponsors et al. The referee does his inspection and the two sets of riders and management do their track walks, digging away at the surface and muttering about too much grip, too little grip, too much water, too little water etc.
We now keep our distance. Tractors are put in place, air pumps started and primed with fuel and oil, official overalls put on. We inflate the sir fence and attach the last section of the jig-saw, the section that covers the pits gates.
Gerald and Punch water lightly just one more time.
The crowd is huge, so large that not only do we run out of programmes but we also have to enlist the use of a temporary car park to accommodate all of the cars. Bizarrely and almost grotesquely the area fenced off around the burial ground is used as an overflow car parking area. The jokes fly - "they'll be using a skeleton car park crew ... it's the dead centre of the car park ... we have grave car parking concerns at Swindon."
And so to the meeting. We are without two key members of our track staff through illness and so it's literally all hands to the pump. The racing is fast and furious - two of the early heats are won in times under 66 seconds - a sure sign that the track is riding fast. The Pirates seem to be adapting to the racing conditions better than the Robins although Leigh Adams informs us that the track is perfect - the Robins just aren't riding it that well.
The surface is cutting up but at the speeds that the riders are achieving allied to the power of their machines, it's no more than we can expect.
I had made a comment to someone earlier that it had been a fairly straightforward day!
I should have kept my mouth closed.
The sheer weight of material that is being thrown up against the fence is pulling the kickboards away from the fence in some places and the track staff are finding it difficult to keep up with the task of bringing the material back down onto the racing line in between races. I make some running repairs but it is difficult to see what you're doing and there's always the danger that an errant grading tractor will come your way - will they see you?
Then disaster strikes. Gerald calls me over and tells me that the air fence on turn one appears to be deflating. I find that the air pump has packed in and tell Adam to get the spare. The referee is informed and the red lights go on. Richard Crowley, our announcer, informs the crowd that racing is temporarily halted while the problem with the air fence is sorted. There's plenty of fuel and the oil is OK but the damn thing just refuses to run. A calm head is needed; such a shame that mine isn't at this time! Fortunately Adam arrives with replacement, which starts and runs perfectly. Phew!
Bob, who services the engines, arrives and together we check the original over. We can only assume that some of the shale and dust thrown through the green catch netting has got into the engine and seized it.
I return to the pits to find that there is a concern about the pressure in the air fence on turn 3.
The fences are designed to let air out along the seams so that they don't inflate like balloons. There is consequently always the hissing of escaping air but our concern is that a patch has come adrift and rather too much air is rushing out. Gerald and I try to glue the patch back in place - the glue seems to work well on my fingers but less so on the fence material. The air continues to rush out while I appear to be resolutely stuck in place. We do our best to stem the flow and the meeting comes to an end with a classic last heat decider.
Swindon win by two points but our feeling is a more a case of "Thank God it's over!"
After a series of junior races and one or two Robins trying out new engines, we put the track to bed and are away from the track by just after 11pm.
Punch and I will be back at 7am on Saturday to inflate the fence so that Mick can wash it at 8am. Why the early start? Mick has lots of other work to do; Punch is eager to get across to Kings Lynn to support Leigh and Seba in the Pairs Championship; and we have an Easter Sunday meeting with Reading and need to get as much done on the Saturday as possible.
I can hardly wait!
