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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2008 9:44:42 GMT
It has been announced that Steve johnstone's testimonial will be held at Brandon Stadium on Sunday June 22nd at 1-00pm, see www.coventrymotorspeedway.com for furthur details. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2008 9:54:05 GMT
::)Hmmm started this thread because no-one else had, and before I looked at the bees 2008 thread! Still i feel it deserves a thread of it's own anyway ;D
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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2008 10:08:47 GMT
There is after all only one 'Johnno' and he rightly deserves a thread of his own!!!
The man's a superb advert/ambassador for the sport - so maybe this should also be under Jacques' "Selling the product" thread
Long live the chicken! ;D ;D
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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2008 10:18:23 GMT
Thanks for making my morning - this is so typical of why speedway is a joke sport!  WHO exactly is the club he's 'earned' a testimonial for?  I presume it's Oxford - but which 'incarnation' of the Oxford management actually owns his contract? Is there a club left in the EL that he HASN'T ridden for during those 10 years though...it really does make a mockery of the whole idea of Testimonials!  And then there's the venue - give the bloke his due this is a shrewd choice! After all he rode at reserve for half a season at Fleapit and the Fleas won the title. Hence the Fleas fans will pay their money out and it's close enough for the Oxford fans to get there too - can't blame the bloke for cashing in I suppose! Strange he didn't choose Ipswich - but then I suppose by June they'll have realised he IS only reserve standard and nobody from Ipswich will go! I think he should have had it at Monmore - he could have bought everyone there a three course meal and still had change from £20!!!! |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2008 10:24:20 GMT
So, not a Johnno fan then!!!  His contract reverted to the bspa so I guess he could have taken his day just about anywhere. While the regulations are as they are it makes perfect sense for it to be at Brandon IMO.  |
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Post by stuartroad on Mar 9, 2008 10:24:37 GMT
Thanks for making my morning - this is so typical of why speedway is a joke sport! WHO exactly is the club he's 'earned' a testimonial for? I presume it's Oxford - but which 'incarnation' of the Oxford management actually owns his contract? Is there a club left in the EL that he HASN'T ridden for during those 10 years though...it really does make a mockery of the whole idea of Testimonials! And then there's the venue - give the bloke his due this is a shrewd choice! After all he rode at reserve for half a season at Fleapit and the Fleas won the title. Hence the Fleas fans will pay their money out and it's close enough for the Oxford fans to get there too - can't blame the bloke for cashing in I suppose! Strange he didn't choose Ipswich - but then I suppose by June they'll have realised he IS only reserve standard and nobody from Ipswich will go! I think he should have had it at Monmore - he could have bought everyone there a three course meal and still had change from £20!!!! looking at the standard of this years elite,i would expect johnno to be better than reserve standard,to be honest if the limit goes much lower i would fancy my chances of being 'reserve standard' on my push bike. |
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Post by Genghis on Mar 9, 2008 10:30:45 GMT
Thanks for making my morning - this is so typical of why speedway is a joke sport! WHO exactly is the club he's 'earned' a testimonial for? I presume it's Oxford - but which 'incarnation' of the Oxford management actually owns his contract? Is there a club left in the EL that he HASN'T ridden for during those 10 years though...it really does make a mockery of the whole idea of Testimonials! Lupus - Johno first rode for Oxford in 1998, and became a fully contracted Oxford rider in 1999. He belonged to Steve Purchase, until Aaron Lanney bought the Oxford assets including Johno from Purchase, and then in turn reverted to Colin Horton. I assume Johno curently belongs to the BSPA, after Horton's Oxford assets reverted to them. So he hasn't been transferred. To be fair to Johno he has rode for Oxford in six seasons (1998-2002, 2007), which is a damn sight longer than some riders ride at a track and still get a testimonial. I, for one, will definitely be at Coventry to celebrate Johno's service to the Cheetahs. It's well deserved for the captain of our 2001 Elite League winning side (from the moment Johno was made captain in 2000 - his attitude transformed), is bound to be a fun day out (and a fun evening - I assume the meeting starts at 1.00pm to give plenty of drinking time ) and will help Johno regain some money after being left short by Horton last season. Johno was one rider who was giving it his absolute all for the Cheetahs last season, right up until our closure. He's an absolute gem, his commitment to British Speedway is 100%, and it was fantastic how things ended up for him at Coventry. The Ippo fans don't realise how lucky they are. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2008 10:41:15 GMT
You can't have a go at Johnno for choosing Coventry for the venue. After all if it weren't for the clowns at the BSPA choosing to dumb down the Elite League the man would STILL be at Coventry (and so would Scotty for that matter)!!
But then it wasn't his fault that he found himself in the wilderness after the Oxford demise either. So he's been a victim of circumstances beyond his control twice in the space of a year.
The man gives 110% - even if that is at reserve - and that's more than you get from a lot of riders. Over and above that he's a crowd pleaser off the track too - and that's really important for the sport. So I for one am delighted that he's having his testimonial at Brandon so we can give him a big cheer.
Yes I think it is a bit of a joke that he's not having it at his present club - or a club he'd spent a long time with. But that's down to the muppets running the sport screwing things up and causing him to be somewhat nomadic of late, rather than through any fault of his own.
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Post by Genghis on Mar 9, 2008 10:45:03 GMT
Yes I think it is a bit of a joke that he's not having it at his present club - or a club he'd spent a long time with. But that's down to the muppets running the sport screwing things up and causing him to be somewhat nomadic of late, rather than through any fault of his own. Cousteau - strictly speaking, the meeting should be at Oxford, which is the club Johno has 10 years service with. Johno didn't leave Oxford - he was left in the lurch after the promoter pulled out. So, Lupus, why shouldn't he enjoy a testimonial? And but for numerous changes to the Oxford promotion, it's likely he would have never moved anywhere. He was very happy riding at Oxford under the Purchase promotion. So the meeting should be at Oxford - but that can't happen for obvious reasons, so nearby Coventry (where Johno was very popular during his spell there in 2007) is the perfect alternative. I'm sure they will be a lot of Oxford fans up for this one. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2008 10:54:28 GMT
Cousteau - strictly speaking, the meeting should be at Oxford, which is the club Johno has 10 years service with. Johno didn't leave Oxford - he was left in the lurch after the promoter pulled out. So, Lupus, why shouldn't he enjoy a testimonial? And but for numerous changes to the Oxford promotion, it's likely he would have never moved anywhere. He was very happy riding at Oxford under the Purchase promotion. So the meeting should be at Oxford - but that can't happen for obvious reasons, so nearby Coventry (where Johno was very popular during his spell there in 2007) is the perfect alternative. I'm sure they will be a lot of Oxford fans up for this one. Completely agree - as he should still be wearing the Cheetah's race jacket now Not that its any consolation, but I still consider it Coventry's exceptionally good fortune and a great 'mini-chapter' in the Bees story that we were able to have Johnno in the team for the short time we did. As you say, 'he's an absolute gem' |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2008 10:59:47 GMT
Would have loved to have been at Johnno's testimonial but doubt it will be possible with Cardiff the following week.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2008 11:05:15 GMT
John and Chris Louis offered Johnno the use of Foxhall for his meeting if things didn't work out with Coventry - Brandon is a better choice for him by far though as it's easier travelling for the Oxford fans, whilst still being accessible for the Witches fans.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2008 11:19:39 GMT
Strange he didn't choose Ipswich - but then I suppose by June they'll have realised he IS only reserve standard and nobody from Ipswich will go! Johnno as our reserve in the watered down Elite League? Yes please! ;D As said before shame its the week before Cardiff but I'll certainly try my hardest to be there. It would have been nice to see it held at ippo but i can see the sense of it being at Brandon due to it being closer to Oxford |
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Post by admin on Mar 9, 2008 11:42:52 GMT
I'm with lupus on this - ridiculous that Johnston gets a testimonial.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2008 12:04:30 GMT
I do find all this testimonial stuff a bit odd  ...It seems that hardly any rider does a ten year stint at one particular club ( which I believe is the general rule)...and they are done in a willy nilly fashion. However if he's having his testimonial now and it's at Brandon then I'll be there. It seems rather fitting that Coventry offered to let him have it at Brandon and like Genghis says it will no doubt be a lot of fun.. ;D |
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I presume it's Oxford - but which 'incarnation' of the Oxford management actually owns his contract? Is there a club left in the EL that he HASN'T ridden for during those 10 years though...it really does make a mockery of the whole idea of Testimonials! 
His contract reverted to the bspa so I guess he could have taken his day just about anywhere. While the regulations are as they are it makes perfect sense for it to be at Brandon IMO. 
...It seems that hardly any rider does a ten year stint at one particular club ( which I believe is the general rule)...and they are done in a willy nilly fashion. However if he's having his testimonial now and it's at Brandon then I'll be there. It seems rather fitting that Coventry offered to let him have it at Brandon and like Genghis says it will no doubt be a lot of fun.. ;D