Home
- Details
STRAIGHT PULL FROM FRED'S FACEBOOK POSTING for the 2025 season.:-
A few EV supporters have been talking to me, sharing their ideas for our activity this season,
as I did mention last year we would have to make changes in 2025, if we were to reverse the decline in participation.
We have had a very generous offer of series sponsorship for 2025, and hopefully this will help.
A lot of comments are to have less rounds because of the traveling, and the fixture congestion.
I was hoping for a get together in Jan./Feb. where a handful of us could discuss the way forward, alas that proved difficult to arrange.
In the absence of that discussion I have fitted 5 dates into the calendar (4 from 5 to count)
These dates look sound as they fit around all the other events and competitions which offer some vet racing.
I would have posted earlier, when all dates and venues were confirmed, one to confirm.
So the dates/venues (so far)…….
Rd.1: 3rd May Newport
Rd.2: 14th June Edinburgh
Rd.3: 5th July Poole
Rd.4: 2nd Aug. East Park
Rd.5: 16th Aug. East London
The Newport club have asked for a noon start time, to fit in with their 50th anniversary celebrations.
Round 2 at Edinburgh clashes with The Speedway Grand Prix at Belle Vue. The Edinburgh club have said that doesn’t effect their staging of the event.
The Poole date fits in with the re-opening of Filton on Sun.6th July. We have been asked if we would participate in the opening. It is a tarmac circuit, so no EV round, but if there is an interest in ‘riding the tarmac’ I’m sure we can organize something.
I have tried to keep events spaced from all events which can involve vets, in addition to keeping clear of Youth and Junior dates(some of our participants have family involved in those events)
There is also The Will Burns Pairs to fit in (if Leicester run the event) and also The Derek Garnett trophy event.
Which brings us to the important matter of ‘format’…….we did talk about creating an open category to boost numbers, this would be a complete unknown, and may not improve our position.
The original over 40s diminished in numbers and didn’t improve at all when we changed to over 35s. This season at least two of last years over 40s will be moving up to the over 50s, making that category even lighter.
I offer this solution…..3 categories (over 40, over 50, & over 60), all in one formula. That might be one 16 person program, or hopefully enough to run two programs, with qualifications to category semifinals and A & B finals.
We could include, as last year, riders who are ‘out of category’ but they won’t have a series.
We need to decide, comments and consensus required.
cheers
Fred
*IMPORTANT* To 2025 hosting clubs
Please don't feel the need to provide massive trophies, or indeed trophies at all. In the past there have been some stunning examples provided but as nice as they can be there really is no need to go overboard. Medals or any other suitable award will do quite nicely so this should be good news for clubs hard pressed for funds or unable to find sponsors.
Calling all mature racers - let's see you all here!
Welcome to the Euro-Vets web site, we hope it has become the definitive guide to charitable Short Track Racing for the Mature Racer. For new riders just coming into the Sport, this is the best introduction you could get. See our minimal rules and requirements further down this page.
On behalf of all of us I must offer a huge vote of thanks to the indomitable Fred Rothwell who continues to deliver the goods and enable the whole thing for all of us to enjoy, including from 2017 a much better insurance deal. Fred doesn’t work in solitary though, he has the ever-willing Norman Venson and Geoff Gamage to back him up when required and they do a great job in support.
More thanks are due to the clubs who put us on their fixture list, their hard working secretaries and ground crews and anyone who chipped in along the way.
I'd also like to give a shout out for 2015/2017 World Veterans Champion Craig Marchant who's never off Facebook trying to lever some other ex-rider out of retirement or promoting the next event for us, a real credit to the cause.
yes - YOU!
If you are reading this then you must still have some sort of attachment to Short Tracking (OK then if you must, Cycle Speedway!) whether you'd like to admit it or not. Therefore, if you've never turned a wheel in our fantastic Grand Prix series or you have but not too many times, then why not take the plunge by entering at least one round, maybe your closest one to start with? You'll be doing the Sport a great favour, having a really enjoyable few laps amongst our much travelled troupe of regulars, get a laugh or two, maybe do some catching up with old friends and/or adversaries and just have a great day out. It doesn't matter what your current ability is, middle-age is the only qualification required and you'll be welcomed wholeheartedly.
New, current or ex-rider - you are all most welcome to join our friendly Racing for Grown-Ups circuit. Over 40s race 40 to 50 year olds (possibly subject to change for 2025) and ditto the other age groups although you are allowed to compete against younger opposition unless there are no spaces in the day's programme. We'd love to see some new or old faces taking part this year, and in doing so you are not only helping prolong the life of the Sport but also helping boost its media coverage which is no bad thing these days. There's absolutely no pressure and a genuine air of calm in the pits (most times!). And of course there's the feelgood factor of supporting our chosen charities which we've been quite successful at. We'd really appreciate your presence at at least one round, but if you could manage a couple or more that would be fantastic, so take a look at our fixtures and start planning a ride or nine! We are not governed by British Cycling so you don't need one of their expensive race licences but there is the inevitable insurance cover which costs just a few quid - much more palatable.
If you're old enough you're good enough!
Who does What?
As from the end of 2018 there were FOUR age categories to keep the racing as fair as possible while providing superb entertainment within a spirit of friendly competitiveness not generally associated with regular Cycle Speedway events:
- Over 40
- Over 50
- Over 60
- and in 2024 Women's and Open classes were added. Changes are afoot for coming seasons.
All categories are for riders either AT the magic age or reaching it in the year of competition.
Our "management team" consists of Fred Rothwell, Norman Venson and Geoff Gamage, and they control things before, during and after our meetings. Terry Kirkup looks after this site, our Facebook page and GP statistics. And of course credit to Dave Murphy who's brainchild the whole thing was way back when :)
Meeting Format
Because of the nation-wide nature of our Sport and it's widely distributed venues, it can never be known exactly how many competitors may turn up at any single event. It is therefore not uncommon to find that we have to integrate one or more age groups in order to produce a workable race meeting. Given such adverse conditions it is a regular feature for the Over 50 and Over 60 riders to be grouped together in a single match, and it has even been known for the whole of those present to compete against each other whichever group they belong in, but hopefully this will remain a rarity. Conversely, we've had to suffer the odd series of repêchage races where there have been too many contestants for the normal formulae to work properly and some dilution was required!
When the event is run along these now familiar lines, the two matches are run independently but intertwined, so Over 40s Heat One is followed by Over 50s (/60s) Heat One, etc, etc..
Even so, the format retains a full set of Semi-Finals and Finals ("A" and "B") for each of the four age groups no matter how many riders turn up on the day with awards normally presented to the four "A" Finalists and the Referee, usually provided by the staging Club as their contribution to ease the burden on the Orchid Fund.
Series points are collected and the Champion of each class is the highest scorer overall after the final round. Points are awarded as below:
"A" Final 1st: 25, 2nd: 23, 3rd: 22, 4th: 21
"B" Final 1st: 20, 2nd: 18, 3rd: 17, 4th: 16
*note you drop your lowest score, or in other words only your top n-1 scores count towards the Championship.
You can contact our Main Man Fred Rothwell on FB or the Editor here: 
Comments are switched off to stop loonytunes.