When The Dust Settles

A decent crowd hung back on Sunday to watch an extended 2nd half

Second half racing is a strange old beast. It was a combination of watching my first 2nd half in weeks, and a recently revived thread on the Easy,Tiger forum that got me to thinking again about this slightly forgotten element of the sport. For most people, the last heat of the main meeting is the signal to either head for the exits, or toddle off to the bar for some refreshment and discussion of the days racing with friends and aquaintances. Not many stay specifically for the 2nd half riders, reasoning that the races are little more than practice runs and of little interest. In many ways, they have a point. It's not exactly pulsating stuff, though every so often you'll see some fireworks...............

Of course, for me the joy of the 2nd half lies not in the adrenaline coursing heat generated by the main feature, but by the curiosity of watching youngsters like Dale Lamb learn the ropes, amateur riders like Jimmy Culbert and Steven Morris enjoying their track time, or Conference level riders keeping their hand in. In addition to that, you have various Tigers riders ironing out problems or testing new engines, as well as visiting youngsters and new signings showing what they're made of.

Adam McKinna at full bore

The ever improving Dale Lamb

It seems that post match racing has moved very much towards what is euphemistically called 'demonstration racing'. All fine and well, it's all good, but the whole scene is sorely lacking a competitive edge to get people to hang back and watch said junior riders racing in anger. Academy League racing was a very positive attempt to revitalise junior racing in Britain as a whole, but sadly it seems to have fallen by the wayside this year. Part of the problem lies in even getting a four man team together to travel any sort of distance. Frequently, Academy races at Ashfield were scrapped due to some English teams being unable to put together a full squad. When you consider that the circumstances of any given meeting are dictated by random elements like weather and stoppages, it's little wonder that some riders prefer not to travel long distances, only to find that they're denied even a single ride because the meeting over-runs or is abandoned. I'd love to see this format looked at again, possibly on an even more localised basis, but for now, it's back to the usual format.

Adam McKinna

Gary Beaton

From a personal point of view, the 2nd half gives me a chance to practice my photography. Generally you can focus on one rider, you aren't thinking about the score or trying not to miss too much of the racing. Some of my favourite photos are of Gary Beaton flying through the 4th bend. The shots I took at the weekend of Adam McKinna really came out well too. Adam has that really spectacular 'hanging off' style, and it makes for some stunning photos.

I'll be getting back to doing 2nd half photos again on a regular basis now, though some will conclude that it's just an elaborate attempt to avoid getting a round in...................

;D

Academy League race from last season Glasgow Giants v Northside Stars. Gary Beaton takes the chequered flag.