MethanolPress
latest post
eBay auction sells 2012 Lotus FI GP race suit worn by FI star Kimi Raikkonen for £4600 to raise funds for Alan Wilkinson Appeal
28/12/2012
****STOP PRESS******* Just sold for £4600 – great fundraising for a worthy cause! Lotus FI GP race suit worn during the 2012 season by FI star Kimi Raikkonen is to be auctioned on eBay next week to raise funds for the Alan Wilkinson appeal fund. This incredible donation – authenticated by the Lotus F1 GP […]
more from the blog
Selected Speedway Twitter photos 2012
20/12/2012
With more speedway riders than ever on Twitter, fans now get to learn much more about their favourite characters and the reality of the lives they lead. Though not everyone has yet joined Twitter, the riders (and others from the speedway world) regularly share their thoughts and opinions. Not all of these comments meet with […]
Some Xmas Ideas supporting the Speedway Riders Benevolent Fund
06/12/2012
Speedway Riders Benevolent Fund Calendar 2013 One of the most successful fundraisers in recent times for the Speedway Riders Benevolent Fund has been the calendar which the current riders have been kind enough to contribute to and pose for. The first edition was produced a couple of years ago and was a complete sell-out, and […]
Sky Sports British Speedway Viewing Figures 2012: Third worst ever
16/11/2012
The latest Sky Sports British Speedway viewing figures for the 2012 season don’t make edifying reading for speedway fans concerned about the allegedly diminishing likelihood of contract renewal. Looking to the positive, from June to August 2012 speedway was consistently the second most popular sport on Sky Sports (after WWE) – albeit on Sky Sports […]
John Campbell – longest serving promoter in British Speedway – quits after 29 years
21/10/2012
Edinburgh Monarchs promoter John Campbell has sensationally quit the sport after 29 years according to press reports Always approachable and articulate, here is one of my many enjoyable and illuminating conversations with him (taken from Bouquet of Shale): Strong winds buffet the opening two days of the Open Golf Championships at St Andrews lessen […]
Eric Hobsbawn and Speedway
02/10/2012
It’s to Charleston that I head before the Knockout Cup encounter with Peterborough, a meeting that will bring Peter Karlsson back to the track for his first appearance since his recent display of dangerous petulance. Interestingly, despite the historic strength and importance of Eastern Europe as a region that over the years has provided a […]
The Rise of British Speedway on Twitter
30/09/2012
Here’s an article on speedway and Twitter that appeared in the Newcastle v Somerset magazine dated 30th September 2012 Twitter didn’t exist seven years ago and now has 500 million users posting 350 million tweets a day. Understandably, there has seen an explosion of riders taking to Twitter to share their thoughts, opinions, photos (see […]
new speedway book available and launched at the Cardiff Speedway Grand Prix Collectors Fayre Saturday August 25th 2012
23/08/2012
26 Shades of Shale – the new book from speedway author Jeff Scott – is launched this Saturday 25th August at Cardiff Speedway Grand Prix Collectors Fayre (at Cardiff Rugby Club – close to Fanzone) This seventh speedway travelogue by Jeff Scott covers the 2011 season in trademark fashion mixing reportage, opinion and behind the […]
Speedway World Cup viewing figures: ongoing decline of television audience on Sky Sports
06/07/2012
The reverse Midas touch BSI repeatedly show via the ongoing decline of their Speedway Grand Prix television audience on Sky Sports looks like an outlandish success story in contrast to the rapid collapse of viewer interest in the Speedway World Cup. Looking at the publicly available figures for 2006-2011, popularity has gone from robust to […]
Forgetful Paul Bellamy hails latest Speedway Grand Prix stadium with a roof
17/06/2012
This week BSI managing director Paul Bellamy announced ‘news’ that 2013 will see Speedway Grand Prix staged in yet another stadium that they’ll fail to fill anywhere near capacity (in this instance the brand new 50,000 seater Friends Arena in Stockholm). In trademark his usual breathless specious fashion, Mr Bellamy claimed “Speedway fans should be […]
How to make a donation to the Lee Richardson Support Fund
16/05/2012
After consultation with the Richardson family, the Lakeside Hammers Speedway Club will be setting up a support fund for Lee’s wife and three children. In the next few days online donations will be possible via a link on the Hammers website and from today cheques, made payable to Emma Richardson, can be sent to Gerald […]
Lee Richardson 1979-2012 RIP (selected Twitter & reactions compendium)
14/05/2012
Nicolai Klindt “i’m hearing lee richardson has breathing difficulties and internal bleeding and is set for surgery in wroclaw. all the best rico!” Chris Holder “What a shit track in Wroclaw!!! Looks so bad!” Scott Nicholls “Sounds like nasty injuries to lee. Sad part of any sport. Really hope they take good care of him […]
LR Tweets
THE British Speedway Promoters’ Association are deeply shocked and saddened by the death of Lakeside Hammers Captain Lee Richardson. Lee died on Sunday in Poland as a result of injuries sustained in a racing accident… The BSPA’s thoughts are with Lee’s family and friends at this awful time.
The trials & tribulations of running Newport Speedway: some quotes from Steve & Nick Mallett
14/02/2012
The closure of Newport Speedway because of a dispute with the BSPA is the Valentine’s Day news that speedway fans didn’t want to hear and, given talk of potential interested parties, hope will soon prove to be only temporary. Over past years, club co-promoters Steve and Nick Mallett have spoken honestly to the media about […]
Speedway Twitter Photos – 2011 Selection
20/01/2012
Along with the flood of tweets from speedway riders, satellite television reporters, fans, service industry personnel, bigheads and, of course, occasional blowhards: there were numerous Twitter photos posted too. Some of these photos take us behind the scenes in never before seen ways. Others showcase the mundane life that’s the frequent flier, hard driving daily […]
Some speedway search terms used in 2011 & 2012
26/12/2012
The search terms that people google or bing give a potentially revealing snapshot into what excites or makes them curious about speedway. Here are some of the more interesting and/or surreal terms that brought web users onto the Methanol Press site in 2011 & 2012: What was life like in medieval Weymouth Maskells Hailsham expensive […]