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While you are looking for that, could you please do my ironing.

Well if that doesn't liven the thread up nothing will

Without being disrespectful to our guests thus far - it has to be said we are a better team with Stevie in it

I think 5 away is better than 3 at home but I wouldn't use a score in one match to try to prove anything. I appreciate that you haven't had the advantage of seeing Worrall this year but those of us who have could see the marked improvement over his performances at the NSS last year. That coupled with knowing the efforts he has made to be in excellent physical shape and to lighten and improve his machinery is why I feel confident that he would have had a good season. Nobody has predicted he would this year develop into a GP rider, a PL No. 1 or an international star but the signs were there that he would improve significantly on his starting average. That is why it is so difficult to replace him.

Found a good story about the former German Champ,Hermann Gunzenhauser,whos career started pre-war and ended in 1955.In German and tells of the tragic crash he had with Austrian rival Martin Schneeweiß in Graz https://www.teckbote.de/lokalsport/lokalnachrichten-lokalsport_artikel,-profirennfahrer-in-der-hitlerzeit-_arid,87636.html Also,and this is what got me looking,found some old footage of Gunzenhauser winning a meeting at the old North German Ebstorf dirt track in 1951.Footage of the meeting is right at the end https://www.filmothek.bundesarchiv.de/video/585968?set_lang=de Gunzenhauser was of course a two time winner of the Zlata Prilba in Pardubice https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Helmet_of_Pardubice

I agree about the scoring system, it was one of British speedway's best ever ideas which worked really well, then they went and spoilt it by giving the home team three points for any win. Hopefully one day they'll put it back to how it was.

Peter Kildemand was the only rider to pass outside of 1 and 2 on the first laps (and even then it was only in the first heat after grading and track staff pulling all they could onto the outside line). If 13 out of 14 riders can't pass, then there is definitely something up with the track. The live updates are definitely misleading. That's not to say that Swindon wouldn't have hammered us either way, they were the riders to beat, in particular Nick Morris and Troy Batchelor were very fierce and the Swindon lot were gating like champs, but to pretend that the track was decent and Poole just couldn't get to grips with it is fantasy. There was 1 line and the gaters had first dibs on it. The Poole riders were all over the track looking for grip, but any slight deviation from inside-middle to middle line were huge "no mans land" speed scrubbers. I'd rather lose every meeting and have unpredictable heats, than 52 and a half laps of follow the leader every meeting.

We will never know what Vaculik would have produced unfortunately. Although a GP rider, how committed to the UK would he have been in terms of bike priorities for this country? (I think that there will be a few people looking closely at the current World Champion's UK performances this season). My impression is that the management want to make a real go of it this season and today's changes are positive. Sorry to see that MPT has to make way (loved watching Toffy at BP), but we do need an established No.1. Past seasons have shown that so called great signings with no UK experience have not delivered and either jump, get injured or are pushed back to where they came from. If KB has a season like last year, I do not honestly think that MV would have performed better. With the current race format, it seems that, providing a team is no more than 6 points adrift by Heat 13, you are in with a shout regarding match points if you have some clout with your top two riders. The Lions have fallen away many times at this stage of a meeting in recent times (sorry DK but you seem to bottle it in Heat 15). Kenneth and Hans in 2 out of the last 3 races would seem to be a match for anyone in this league. I hope the situation regarding Josh Bates is correct, in that team re-shaping is not based around his average when he becomes fit/available and that family connections are put to one side. Nothing against Josh, but if he is in the seven, it has to be on merit.

Quite agree, as some folks don't have the time that others think everyone else has. There are two threads on Ivan Mauger, but has anybody been hurt by this rule breaking ? Some folks need to grow up and get on with their lives.

Personally I think it's wrong/unfair that swindon are allowed to race Thursdays. If anything happens to any of the riders (hope it doesnt) and they need to have a guest they will have a bigger pool of riders to choose from unlike the rest who are limited because of set nights. Tnoughts

Believe it or not it does.

With respect, liveupdates gave a slightly different tone - don't get me wrong Gavan is a pillock of the highest order but updates didn't read exactly as you say. Anyway. Cheers

No doubt like the 3 Kurtz scored at home against Swindon shows where he is?

Early day's how many times have you seen a rider unable to ride Armadale in the first few meetings, i wouldn't write him off just yet.

Why can't those who don't want to watch and enjoy just switch off the TV. I'm lost why anyone could be upset about money coming into the sport, riders getting paid to race, a good crowd and those who enjoy watching having a nice time.

Was the tide out?

Batch hates everyone doesn’t he?

Sportowefakty reporting a crowd of 7000

The shale going on a Poole is proper stuff not cheap rubbish. Its a speedway blend to our specification . The other 10% is limestone 6mm to dust. Glyn

Quite agree that there is some pathetic statement on here from folks who should know better. Many like me, still think he was hardly innocent, but a powerfull expensive lawyer employed by his then girlfriend and now wife's father, managed to get the decision they were after. Money still talks eh.

Starman is an expert at digging holes for himself!

Wednesday night,Golden Helmet night,and 15,000 attended to see another step in Franz Hecks steady rise on the Lokstedt Dirt-Track.The 4 best riders,Heck,Niss,Heinrichs and Wunder had all qualified for the final,but the man at the top of the points table couldn't take his place due to feeling unwell,so it ended up a surprisingly easy win for Heck followed by Heinrichs and Wunder.The points table now looked....Niss 21,Heinrichs 20,Wunder 11,Plambeck 9,Strachwitz and Heck 5......The gradual development of the German riders was shown in that there were now 5 riders who had ridden under 79 seconds.Heck,Heinrichs,Niss,Wunder and Stölting,who had missed the last few meetings due to injury The handicap final again saw a battle between Heck and Lees,which this time Ginger couldn't quite manage to win.Oliver Langton was third and behind him Wunder managed to hold off the challenge from Niels Sörensen The Friday meeting saw the 'king' of Lokstedt take back his crown.The meeting opened with the advertised attempt on the world and track record by Ginger Lees which with his wonderful track technique he not only managed to break,but knocked a full second off the old record!!To loud applause Ginger made a lap of honour as it was announced the new world record stood at 72.4!!! After this great start the meeting fell victim to rain,and although it finished,many of the riders had trouble with the conditions and a number fell.Strangely when the track was built they made it egg shaped and so it had two very different bends.One large the other very sharp and over the season it was usually the sharp bend that gave the riders problems and in nasty conditions like this night even Ginger Lees had to take the sharp bend 'gingerly' as the rain continuedThe meeting also saw a 'revenge' challenge between Wunder and Morian Hansen,which this time Hansen won in two straight heats,the second of which saw Wunder fall and injure himself and put him out of the meeting.Shortly before the meeting ended Johannes did appear out on the track to show he was ok and received a round of applause from the crowd Ginger Lees won an English-Danish challenge ahead of fellow countryman Langton and Franz Heck won a german only final,which saw the first appearance(as far as I know) of Bill Kellner,who would later turn out for Preston,so it was looking likely that Heck and Lees would again clash in the main handicap final.Unfortunately in an earlier heat Heck had trouble with the track fell,remounted and then rode into the back of Heinrichs and caused both to crash and Heck was disqualified from the rest of the night.And so this time with all riders being very cautious it was difficult for Ginger to make up the time advantages the other riders held over him.Niels Sorensen won,followed by Bullas and Graf Strachwitz.Lees finished a lowly 4th ahead of Langton and Heinrichs The sunday meeting saw a Germany v Denmark test match and also a match race challenge between Oliver Langton and the returning Stewie St.George.12,000 saw Langton win the first heat in a super time of 74 seconds.St.George's track return was too early though and he couldn't come out for any more rides,so a handicap match race between Langton and Ginger Lees was arranged with Oliver receiving a 3 sec advantage which Ginger couldn't make up The Germany v Denmark test match was affected by the poor state of the German bikes.There were a large number of e.f's and in heat 6 neither of the german riders managed to cross the finish line,much to the frustration of the crowd.Funnily it all started quite well because Niels Sörensens bike didn't really get going at first and so Franz Heck could win and Fritz Niss managed to finish behind Sorensen,but ahead of his partner Otto Hansen,so Germany took a first heat advantage 7-4.But the next race gave the pattern for the night.Heinrichs bike packed up and Niemecks bike wasn't firing on all cylinders,but he did manage to finish and now the Danes were leading 9-12 and so it carried on.Heat 3 saw Thorkild Clausen of Denmark drop out due to a broken chain and although he fell Count Strachwitz managed to continue and finish.Heck managed to win heat 5 for Germany,but his partner Fritz Niss couldn't come out to take his ride,presumably not fully recovered from his illness that affected him the previous meeting and his replacement Plambeck didn't manage to complete the heat!!As mentioned,the next heat was a disaster for Germany as neither Strachwitz nor Arnold Stölting managed to finish and so it was now 25-37.Niss had recovered by the last heat and manged to win followed by his team mate Heck and with Morian Hansen not finishing it made the final score 54-40.Without the gremlins it was thought Germany could have managed a win Full details,though without any mention of the 'drop outs' can be found here http://www.internationalspeedway.co.uk/gervden.htm In the handicap final it was back to the normal routine of a battle between Heck and Lees,which Heck won,gaining revenge for the defeat by Lees in the quali heat

COULD be called the Ivan Mauger stadium. That might swing a few votes...

it could be even longer if the next meeting is rained or cancelled . 5/6 weeks ?

Someone's face fitting is much the same in road racing as it is in speedway and that's more to do with human nature than either of those sports. There are plenty of riders whose face didn't fit that have succeeded in their chosen sport and speedway is no different. Where anyone ends up in road racing is down to many things like dedication, sacrifices made and of course talent but being fast in road racing doesn't guarantee anything. I think you'll find that even if you were fast there would be plenty of things stopping you getting to Moto GP. Plenty of very fast riders never get beyond the club road racing scene.