It's been wet up in Edinburgh but in his latest set of reports Ian Hawkins describes how the Armadale track staff battled to get on two fixtures in the soggy month of April.
5th May
GP Race Card for this weekend's European Grand Prix at Leszno is now available in both Excel and .pdf formats. Click here.
Setting the record right. It's a Sky day at Swindon and with a desperate weather forecast we are frustrated in our track preparations. Getting some unwarranted stick from the media doesn't help.
Getting down and dirty. While the Sky meet edition of the blog is being written, here is a copy of an aritcle that I was asked to write in the recent Swindon programme.
27th April
Slovenia GP results sheets in both Excel and .pdf format available. Holta rules the world, for about as long as it takes heat 1 to run, and then fades away as Gollob snatches victory. Click here.
It's Grand Prix time again. Once again the Blunsdon Blog has produced a downloadable GP race programme for you to fill in. The race card is available in both Excel and .pdf formats. Click here for more information.
The Inspector Calls. As we prepare for the match against Ipswich we are joined by Christer Bergstrom (official FIM Speedway Track Inspector) and Tony Noel from the ACU.
Ian Hawkins from Edinburgh speedway sends us his second report on track work at Armadale. It's tough cleaning up after a wet track against Workington and then a day of contrasts as the team prepare for Glasgow Tigers. Click on the Edinblog link button for more ...
Scaffold pole saves the day! An early morning drive to Gatwick Airport leaves one member of the track staff distinctly jaded come the end of the clash with Lakeside, but the scaffold pole makes up for it all in the end!
The well dressed track. The match against Belle Vue presented some cracking racing and some excellent reviews, but by God, it was hard work.
29th March
On the week that the Blog launches the "Edin .. Blog" featuring the work of the Edinburgh track staff at Armadale, our thoughts are with ex Monarchs star, Theo Pijper, who is injured in a high speed track crash on turns 1 and 2.
The tapes rise. It's the start of a new season at Blunsdon with two matches in four days. Things don't go exactly to plan on the Thursday and snow nearly means an early cancellation for the second meeting.
I give you, the 2008 Swindon Team! Press and Practice, a "Mad Dog", a Russian miner and George Orwell. Yes, the blog is back and madder than a hat full of frogs.
7th March
For all track staff : Due to a severe weather warning for Monday 10th March, Swindon Speedway has switched their 2008 Season Launch to Thursday 13th March. Complete story here.
"The Tale of the humble Cable Tie". Things are really hotting up at Swindon, and the heat has nothing to do with the temperature. The season is almost upon us and everything has to be right.
Another year older and lots of paint and the pits look good. The season is almost within touching distance and everything is coming together well at the Abbey.
Air bags and patches. It's been a hecrfic week at the track - Saturday work parties, Thursday sessions and the track staff meeting. It's all go at Number 96!
At last ... it's the results of the 2008 Blunsdon Blog Caption Competition. Click here.
8th February
Important : Track staff attending the meeting on Wednesday 13th February must enter the stadium by the Main Gate and not the Pits' Gate. Click on the Track Staff option on the left for more details.
Welcome back, mate! Our work on the air fence is interrupted by the welcome return of Big Al. And the track's looking good too!
3rd February
Swindon Track Staff now have their own page on this site - please use the button on the left hand sidebar to access important information about the pre season track staff meeting on Wednesday 13th Feb.
"It's a tad unpleasant ..." and so it was. After a really excellent morning's work last Saturday, today we had to dodge bits of flying wood as the wind and rain hit hard at Blunsdon.
A Perfect Day ... Just a Perfect Day. Lou Reed couldn't have put it better. Ideal weather and track conditions means that the blade gets a major airing and the track is left looking better than ever.
23rd January
Latest news on Alan Tarrant (aka DaVinci Al). Alan has been taken to hospital with blood on his brain. We are awaiting a CCT scan and lumberpuncture to detect the extent of his illness. Fingers crossed that it's not too bad. Doctors have detected two spots on his x-ray behind his brain as well. If anyone would like to send best wishes to Alan please email me and I'll make sure that he gets them on Saturday. Also, Dave Whiting is organising a card for all to sign - I will add any names emailed to me. Graham. Click here to email
You haul 16 Tons and what do you get .... Yes, the chain gang is back again. A good day's work on the track and great news off it when we hear that Andrew Moore has a full time slot at Scunthorpe.
Blunsdon Super Mare. It's sandcastles at the track this week - the only thing that was missing was the ice cream vendor! Two day's work at the track this week and the place is being slowly transformed in readiness for the new season.
11th January
Can you help? Anyone who would be willing to come along to the track this, and any Saturday morning, up until the start of the season, would be more than welcome. We start between 8am and 9am and should finish around 1pm, weather permitting. Some old clothes, stout boots and a sense of humour required.
9th January
Latest news from Round 4 of the Australian Speedway Championships held at the Newcastle Showground. Click on the "Aus. Champs" button on the left. Latest news: Holder wins 4th successive round with Batchelor in second place.
The third in our series of interviews with the people who make the tracks that the stars ride on. Roy Hicks joined the track team at Blunsdon last year after supporting the Robins since their second ever meeting at Blunsdon. A fascinating piece on one man's involvement with the sport in Swindon.
Latest news from Round 3 of the Aussie Championships at Mount Gambier. Holder wins, Screen second with Batchelor third and Lindgren 4th. It's the third successive round win for Holder. Read the story of the round here.
Here I go again ... Our first session at the track in 2008. Could this be the last new year we'll see in at the old place? More hard graft punctuated by doughnut delights.
The first post of the Year. Troy Batchelor finishes second in A final at Gillman in the 2nd round of the Aussie Championship but Travis McGowan injured in B final crash at Gillman. Latest news here. Reminders about Track Work on Saturday 5th January, report on Chris Seaward's commentary from round 2 of the Aussie Championship and response to a comment on the Swindon forum about the track staff.
The Last Post (of the year). Fancy working off some of those excess pounds, piled on over Christmas. Don't waste your money at some expensive gym or watching some vacant celebrity wiggling their hips on a fitness DVD - come and help us at the track on Saturday 5th January. Click on the link for more details.
Had difficulties listening to round 1 of the Aussie Championships on the net? Great news. Click here for salvation.
It's the Blunsdon Blog's End of Year Quiz. A chance to test your knowledge and prove the maxim that, in the end, the search for infinite wisdom leads to one person knowing absolutely evrything about nothing!
Team building still continues - click here or on the button on the left to see who is going where and who is still sitting by the phone waiting for that call.
Who is going where? As more and more riders sign up for the 2008 season there are a number of "old faithfuls" who will have to sit and wait until the first set of Green Sheets arrive and team re-building can begin. Find out who is in, and who is out with the Blog's guide to team building in the Elite League.
The Blunsdon Blog is a working diary of work carried out at the speedway track in Swindon, home of the Swindon Robins.
When the season comes to an end and the riders make their way to far flung places, the fans troop away to while away winter evenings dreaming of the new season in March 2007, a valiant troop of recruits and volunteers keep up the work on the track.
The Blunsdon Blog ...
will provide you with an insight into the all year round work that goes on behind the scenes at a speedway track near you.
Each week, we'll be updating these pages with the latest developments at the track.
The latest version of the blog will appear at http://blunsdonblog.blogspot.com and will be replicated, with pictures, where available, here.
The Blunsdon Blog ...
would like to thank Tattinger Marsh Limited of Cirencester and Marlborough for allowing us to use a small amount of their web space for the Blog.
We would also respectfully point out that the views of contributors to this site and, or the Blog, are definitely not those of the promoters or management of Swindon Speedway.
