Mid day on Saturday 10th July and we are now hours away from the start of the 2010 British Speedway Grand Prix at the amazing Millennium Stadium.
The track has been restored to its former glory and now awaits a watering and then a rolling.
The Royal Navy is going through its last rehearsal for the pre meeting tournament and now our job on pit gate is to keep riders, mechanics and others off the track for as long as possible, and certainly until the track has been watered and rolled.
Most of the riders have ordered Paddock passes for their fan clubs and these groups come round to the pit gate to get a close look at the track and soak up some of the amazing atmosphere that is already building. Some want to go out on the track but understand when we no. Only those with a certain type of wrist band (there are 4 or 5 different ones in use) can go onto the track, and that only when there is no work going on.
Torben Olsen, Ole's son, who is Operations Manager for BSI Speedway, briefs me on who can and cannot enter the track and when the riders will be officially allowed out onto the track.
The Navy finish their preparations and practice marching off, again being timed to make sure that they fit within the time slot allocated to them.
The roof is still partially open and it is clear that it is a baking hot day outside. In the stadium the air is quite cool and damp and we get very little sound from outside.
Dave sets off with a broom to sweep the white line of dust and shale before the water cart comes up. Torben and Tony want the place to look as good as possible and a dirty white line is not acceptable.
The tunnel is cleared and the giant tractor brings the water tanker up. After another abortive to get the spray to work at the back it suddenly bursts into life. The tanker does just one lap before departing for the last time. This watering is just to dampen down the top dressing and prepare it for the top dressing.
A number of riders make their way up to see what is going on. Tomasz and his manager arrive at pit gate, look around suspiciously and then depart. Nicki Pedersen isn't around but a member of his pit crew makes regular visits to the pit gate to see what is going on.
Rune's manager, Sveinung, comes up and has a chat. He's pleased that the watering has been minimal. "When you're as light as Rune is, you don't want to be weighed down with shale." He's frustrated by some of the timings for meetings. "When we had the GP in Prague we could drive from Poland to Prague and then get back to Poland for the Sunday ExtraLeague fixtures. "But you know what, they cancelled all the meetings. Now that we are over here in Cardiff they schedule a full fixture list in Poland and we have to find a way to get from here to Tarnow by mid day tomorrow. It's crazy. We'll have to drive overnight to get to Luton airport and then catch a plane to Katowice and then drive to Tarnow. The van will have to be driven all the way back to Sweden fro the Swedish League match at Malilla on Tuesday night. That's why we've only got two bikes with us; the other two are in Tarnow waiting for us."
Relative peace and quite is shattered by numerous sound tests on the microphones. The chap who will be singing the national anthems starts off at a remarkably low level. Some sound engineer ramps up the volume to almost ear splitting levels.
The parties of Paddock pass holders are still coming up to Pit gate. Groups of Polish fans, bedecked in their red and white, pose for photographs.
Suddenly I spy another Team Holta hat. The lady in question is from Berwick (If you're reading this, I hope you got to see the man). She picked Rune out of a hat at a GP some years before and has been a fan ever since although she's never actually met him. Sod's Law, but when she walks through the pit complex there is no one in pit number 7. She's got a hat but is frustrated that there is no other Holta Racing items for sale.
The centre green is now almost empty and the place falls silent. Out in town, I am told, the fans' zone is in full swing. Inside the stadium the roof starts to close and the tension is ramped up just another notch.
Behind us, up on the terraced seats, Chris Harris sits quietly, checking his phone and gazing into the far distance. I suppose it's one place where he can get away from all of the attention that being a British rider in a British GP can bring.
The enormous road roller makes its noisy way up the tunnel. Everything shudders as it goes past. It moves out onto the track and begins a series of slow and very precise circuits of the track, starting at the inside and gradually moving out.
The track now takes on its shiny surface. It looks wet but is actually just damp.
More riders and team managers come up to take a look. They cannot venture onto the track until the roller is off and has cleared the tunnel.
The air bags are topped up with air around the track and the track curator from Denmark does a quick check to make sure that all is well.
Tony Olsson goes in one direction and Ole Olsen in the other. This is it; there is nothing more that can be done to the track before the 5pm start time. Tony comes over. "It's good. Just perfect."
Ole is similarly pleased. "Do you think it looks good? I do." he smiles, checks his clip board and then walks off towards the pits.
It is fast approaching 2.30pm and the track staff are all congregating around the bottom of the ramp before going in search of the staff room and the Staff Meeting. But if we are all in a meeting, who will be stewarding the gate? I check with Paul Applin and he thinks that the Danish lads will do it but when I discuss this through with Torben Olsen his is adamant that I stay. "You know what to do; I don't want anyone else here."
Dave goes off with instructions to make notes on what is happening in the meeting and to make sure that he gets a set of Speedway GP overalls that might actually fit me.
In the event, I have to call up to the meeting to get John Nobbs down to marshall the small gate by the start line. If there is anyway that we can keep everyone off the track then we must use it.
Dave returns kitted out GP hat, GP dungarees and GP jacket. He's got some for me but I've worn something like these before and they are like your own personal sauna so I put them aside in the seats behind the pit gate area and stay in my Holta gear.
Once he's briefed me on the Health and Safety issues that were covered in the meeting we go for a walk. I've been on pit gate for over 3 hours and need some fresh air.
The pits are busy -, bikes being wheeled into the scrutineering bay for checking and Charlie from Sky is wandering about with a film crew and a personal assistant.
We wander out into the bright sun light. I'd got used to the semi dark and coolness of the stadium. Now it was bright and very hot indeed. We wandered into the van park. Up above the air horns were blasting and it was a sea of colour. We had a look at the Holta van and saw that Rune was resting so decided not to disturb him. As we turned to wander off he suddenly called us over.
After signing hats and posing for photographs we chatted about the bikes, his form in Sweden and Poland and the chances of him coming to Swindon for the Leigh Adams testimonial meeting at the end of the year, but more of that in a later blog.
He was excited by the prospect of the forthcoming GP. "I loved the track in practice and providing that they don't water it, I think I could make a semi final. I've never got out of the qualification stages before at cardiff but if the track was as it was yesterday I think that there'll be a bit of dirt around the outside that I can use. It's a shame I've got number 1. That means that my first race will be off gate 1 and I find it difficult to make tight turns like that. I just hope that when my time comes to start from the outside they wont have pulled all the material back from the boards."
We wish him good luck agree to meet up after the meeting and then make our way back inside.
The gates have now opened and the crowd is pouring in. The stadium takes some time to fill but it is soon clear that it will be a good attendance.
The Navy display team kick off with their energetic routine, the man on the microphone urging the crowd to cheer on one team or the other.
Cameras are all around now. The big boom camera floats above us menacingly and two mobile camera crews move about the rapidly filling area, checking lighting conditions and focus areas.
The stadium's own Health and safety and Security team appear and start to move people away from the ramp. This causes some problems especially when they try to prevent some of the riders, still without their kevlars, from approaching the pit gate.
We move down the ramp and try to pick out those who should and should not be allowed through. This works reasonably well until I spy Jarek Hampel being escorted away by an H and S officer.
The Navy team finish and depart and the X factor warblers appear. Edwin recognised them but I'm afraid that I couldn't have picked them out. They run through a series of classics, depart and then a solo singer appears.
As she warbles her way through a couple of numbers riders in kevlars appear. tai wants to know what's been done to the track in the last hour. I give him a brief summary and he declares that it's "Cool!" Freddie Lindgren comes up, and then starts his track walk, followed by others. Rune still isn't changed out of civvies when he comes up with Sveinung. "Are they going to water the track again?" he asks. I've already spoken with the track man and he's happy as it is.
As each rider appears on track so the flags start to wave and a terrific volley of sound races around the stadium.
With the track clear, and no junior riders to worry about as with last year, we shut the pit gates up and watch as the abseilers come down from the roof and the final song is belted out by the singer.
Lights come on along the walls of the tunnel and we can hear the revving of bikes for the first time. Barriers are put up along side of the ramp to keep everyone back when the trikes make their entrance.
Tony Olsson comes up to me. He will bring the four riders into line on the coloured wooden strips at the base of the ramp. The pit gate is to be shut at all times other than when they come out and when they return, On his signal the riders will start up the ramp and I will open the pit gate. As soon as the mechanics are off the track the gate is to be closed and the back gate locked. As soon as the last rider is past the finishing line the gate is to be opened and then shut once the last rider has departed.
When grading takes place the pit gate must be closed until the tractors have left the track and the gate on turn 4 closed.
The trikes appear at the bottom of the ramp and I wait for Tony's signal. As we open the gates the noise reaches a level that makes all verbal communication impossible - it is a stunning wall of sound. I've done this for a number of years now but nothing can prepare you for the surge of pure adrenalin that you feel as the trikes pass by, each one with a rider holding the flag of their nation.
Once we've go the trikes out of the way, the anthems are sung, the riders introduced and the track staff and St John's people make their way out onto the centre green.
The roar of bikes in the pit area quietens down as the first four are wheeled up the ramp. Rune settles down on his bike on the red marker and waits for the others.
Tony checks his watch and stop watch and speaks into his communication system, checks that I'm there and then waves the riders off. The gate opens and we are off.
It is pressurized. Once the gate is shut we have to move mechanics and spare bikes and all manner of people back 2 metres from the barrier. As soon as the first race begins you appreciate why. From where we ar standing the bikes hammer straight towards us at a frightening pace and then roar past. The shower of shale has us all ducking for cover and when we look up Holder has made it from gate 2 with Rune second.
As they pass by for the last time the places are still secure and Michal, Rune's mechanic punches the air - 2 points is a good return for heat 1 although Holder winning was a surprise especially sine the other two riders were Tomasz Gollob and Nicki Pedersen.
Martin holds the gate, Peter uses a hammer to unlock the clasp that holds the back gate in place and I move between them to pick up the air bag and pull it open. Dave moves to the other end of the air bag to make sure that it stays tight against the adjoining bag.
Most of the mechanics get off the track immediately once the rider has set off down the back straight. Greg Hancock nearly always returns to make adjustments to his chain so we know that we'll be late shutting the gate when he's in a heat/
Everything goes smoothly until Heat 14. After the race Crump and Holder square up to each other and there is much finger wagging. As they ride back to the pit gate they barge against each other and I foresee a repetition of the Nicholls Sayfutdinov spat last year. As the two battling Aussies get closer it is clear that they are not going to let each other through. I get out of the way. If they want to play silly bu..ers in front to 45,000 people and a TV audience of millions I want no part of it.
Watching it back on the TV replay later that night I have to pick Kelvin Tatum up when he says that the attempts of a member of the track staff to stop Chris Holder was "well out of order". Nonsense Kelvin. What Martin was trying to do, and succeeded, was just stopping Holder before the two reached the top of the tunnel, which was already quite congested. Two fighting speedway riders on bikes down a busy tunnel is a recipe for disaster.
When Nicki and Hans square up to each other at end of heat 19 they spear the air fence some way away.
Rune has a mixed evening. Second in each of his first two rides, he is squeezed out in his next two races. A heat win in heat 17 is essential if he is to squeeze into the semis. Up against Jonsson Harris and Lindgren he makes a lightning start and then blasts away for the much needed victory. Michal and Krzysztof are punching the air with delight and I cannot help but join them, until I spy one of the roving cameras making its way towards us.
The racing is sensational and Gollob's burst around the boards in heat 20 is unbelievable - what a star. After a ride like that he deserved to be champion.
But it was not to be. We all groaned in dismay when his bike suddenly came to a halt on the back straight in the first semi final. What the cameras didn't see what Rune almost going over the handlebars as he swerved to avoid his stricken compatriot. The night was over for Rune but the points gained had been good one. When we spoke after the meeting he said that he did contact the referee about being baulked by Tomasz's dead bike but the referee could do nothing as long as Rune and Tomasz did not crash together.
Chris Holder won the final with Crump second and Jarek Hampel third.
When we met up with him in the van park after he was drenched with champagne but was "Absolutely stoked," by it all. I swear Darcy Ward was in tears!
And so to the fireworks. Another breath taking display filling the stadium with colour and smoke. For the last time we opened the gate to let the fire officer through and then just stood there and watched as the crowds left the arena.
Torben Olsen came up an shook our hands and declared himself delighted with the way it had all gone and sought assurances that we would all be there to help out in 2011 - too right we will be!
With the stadium empty we departed for the meeting room to hand back our overalls and get a free copy of the programme and a few sandwiches. Tony Steele was on hand to check us all back in.
As we made our way out of the stadium, drenched in sweat and exhausted, we popped round once more to Team Holta to bid our farewells. Rune was happy with the result and spoke confidently about the next round, which will be in Malilla in southern central Sweden, his home track for Dackarna. Up until then he hadn't lost a single heat at home to an opposition rider!
And then we hit the road home, not before we'd stopped off at a souvenir store and bought a Norwegian flag and been given two free T shirts to boot.
What a weekend.
Thanks go to all the track staff from both Swindon and Newport. I don't know the names of the guys from Newport but the Swindon guys who helped make it all possible were Keith Johnson, Rob Nobbs, John Nobbs, Jamie Wiltshire, Edwin Hutchison, Rex Woodruffe, Richie Leniec, Steve Gobey, Michael Hunt and David Cooke.
Thanks must go to : Tony Olsson , Ole Olsen, Torben Olsen, Tony Steele, the girl from BSI who sorted out our passes, Paul Applin, the Danish track crew and team Holta for making it a truly memorable two days. Thanks.
