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that’s the Cookie I know and love. Watching Craig in full flight is a sight to behold. We took in the Scunthorpe meeting too and it was so good to see the smile back. So great to see!!! Very happy for him

It's also been discussed at length on here. To a certain extent, I think it's fair to say that the SGP generated revenue that didn't exist (or no longer existed ) in the sport, and there is some argument that it provided the sport with some wider exposure on which other revenues (television and sponsorship) might be attracted elsewhere in the sport. However, the SGP (and now the SEC to a lesser extent) lives off the back off the professional leagues as the participating riders can in no way make a living from those competitions alone, and has the choice of the most attractive dates whilst the leagues who do provide riders with their main source of earnings have had to just give way. This did badly affect the British Elite League, even though other factors were certainly involved, and probably substantially contributed to the demise of formerly 'big' tracks like Coventry, although even Poland has been occasionally affected as well. Of course, this also happens in English cricket where the top players now rarely play in domestic competitions, but the difference is that most of the revenues from international cricket accrue to the ECB who use them to support domestic teams. There's a lot more money in international cricket, but the ECB (through the ICC) kept control of the licensing of the top level competitions to ensure that domestic and even grassroots cricket derives some benefit, which does not happen in speedway. The sad reality is that no-one within speedway, especially British speedway, seemingly had the foresight or gumption to do what the likes of BSI did. There was a burgeoning cable and satellite television market at the time, desperate to fill air time with relatively cheap content, and the opportunities were there for a promoters body to go and run this for themselves. At the very least, they should not have allowed the rights to be sold off by the FIM without insisting that some of the revenue came back directly to them (and not just disappear into the FIM coffers), and that just shows a collective lack of vision and cooperation. I'm afraid that I don't really buy into this notion that the SGP required substantial investment to start with, and if the major national leagues had been able to cooperate, could have more easily shared any risk between themselves. And whilst I'm realistic enough to realise that the old World Championship would be pretty difficult to market, I do think it was either deliberately or neglectful allowed to be run down because attendances still held up in the decent venues even at the end.

A few years ago at i track I rode for we had some shale delivered that was rubbish and didn’t bind at all and made it’s terrible to ride so when we were prepping the track at 11pm the night before our next meeting the tractor accidentally knocked over the waste oil drum in the pits which rolled onto the track and continued to roll round the track untill it was completely empty,as much as we tried we just couldn’t stop it rolling the next day it rained in the morning and the track was a nice shade of blue and yellow but was nice to ride if not a little sticky

The rule makes no reference whatsoever to staying down on purpose to get a rerun In this case Morris was 3rd and fell challenging and in no way faked his staying down (it was a nasty one) However his fall meant he wouldnt get a point even if he got straight up and meanwhile Bellego was 50m behind the leader after nesrly 2 laps Even with a 15m handicap he wouldve closer to the rider in 2nd let alone the leader Leicester deserved that advantage and the rule could and should have been used

I think the issue with speedway is not just the style of music played but the fact that everyone has to stand around listening to it for more time than is necessary.

"A number of factors came together to create a perfect storm of problems" That makes it sound like a near apocalyptic event rather than a monumental self inflicted eff up!! Actually come to think of it what was really needed and wouldve been perfect was in fact a storm

And certainly don’t ever show that sort of crap live on TV

A very mature and constructive post Trackrat!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Disagree Grachan. If the roles had been reversed you might be far from happy. Clearly the rule should have been used as Swindon gained a full advantage. Whether or not Morris fell deliberately or not, Bellego was out of the race being so far back so why should he gain advantage by coming off the gate again? The opportunity shouldn’t have been granted to him. Not sure Stead got on the phone to the ref to remind him but if not it was a missed opportunity.

Pawlicki,Lambert and Millik would be my 3.

I've known this accident happen many times after the ban was introduced, but the difficulty is that you had to have at least one receipt of having an oil drum taken away by the environment agency. Difficult to stop these sort of accidents.

Speedway has no long term future in Swindon because of the close proximity of new houses to the stadium. And I'm sure Terry Russell wants out as well.

Yes at Newcastle. We opened Newcastle in 1997 and had a local Aluminium smelter, Alcan, on the coast at Newbiggin. We trialled 'furnace bottoms' on a path in Northumberland during the winter and it looked Ok to do the job. The new track and the fence were put in, and the track compacted like shale tracks. A difficulty was found on P % P day, when a hole appeared which caused Andre Compton to fall and he receive a spiral fracture on the leg bone. More work was carried out and during our first opening meeting, the track broke up badly and the riders were not happy, but with intervention from my 'friend' Ian Thomas he helped us to get thought the meeting with the riders agreeing to see the meeting out with a new inside line down to avoid the holes. The problem was that the furnace bottoms doesn't bind like shale. despite any amount of compaction. In fact compaction only toughened up the top surface, but it you spun the rear wheel it went through the toughened surface, and dropped into a new hole created by the spinning. During the following week this material was dug out and scattered around the car park and interior areas to get rid of it whilst the then closed Cleveland Park was opened up and all it's shale transported to Brough by lorries. This was compacted in layers, and meant we are fit enough to open up with our second meeting the following week with massive praise from all the riders at such good track. Later on in 1999, Newport had a similar problem with compaction of their 'oatmeal' looking shale, and Tim Stone had to stop riders warming their tyres on the home straight. The main issue with a material is compaction, and the materials ability to bind under pressure. Old engine oil from 'loss' engine systems, and some later on, helped this sticky problem, but that is now not allowed under the H % S environment rules. The test of any track is to squeeze a handful of shale to see it is sucks together, and hope that the pinky/red shale is dark during a meeting as a change to pink means it is now too dry and needs some water.

WARSAW and Prague (probably). Personally, would drop either Malilla or Hallstavik (lack of Swedish riders) and have an early SGP at the NSS in Manchester. British fans are generally more supportive of the riders whatever their nationality and the gap from say May to September wouldn't detract from Cardiff. It might even help.

I don't know if anyone has been watching the Hockey World Cup on BT Sport, but it's interesting to see that the music they play is similar to what they play at speedway. Kashmir by Led Zep, and that one that goes "Right Here, Right Now" blaring out. And when England scored, they played the same tune that they play at Swindon when there is a 5-1. Also interesting, that someone commented that it was a big difference playing in front of a big crowd as they are used to playing in front of crowds of about 200. Speedway has its problems, but Hockey is something everyone knows about, yet apparently attracts crowds of about 200 despite GB winning a Gold Medal at the Olympics, and plays the same old music to a crowd consisting mainly of young women.

To save them from further embarrassment.

Presumably there’s room for only one bell ego in your house? Go back to Reading.

Test matches are always 6 rider teams.

Well done Wolves , sounded a really enjoyable meeting at Monmore ? Looking forward to the return tomorrow at the 'dust free' NSS

Over those 69 years, they should have had lots of practice at track preparation. Maybe the very hot conditions in the area have been few and far between over the years, but there must have been some similar days. If it can be done on the same night and hugely better, somewhere not so far away, what went wrong. The fact that it was on TV and a kind of "showpiece" seemed of disinterest to the promotion.

Unlikely to rush off to Rome this season either oops sorry Mr Shovlar....

If Kent need to replace Luke (impossible i no) Boxall or Knight would be good choices & both averages fit. As for guests, Bowtell was a good guest yesterday but i don't think there is anyone better & more reliable than Ben Morley he always delivers.

Full international at a tier 2 track...when did that last happen? Glasgow deserve it...wish we had similarly excellent promoters and track down south..

Yes, but I mean as part of the meeting where scores count. In most cases like the meetings last night the other three laps are pointless.

Ljung as a wild card is a complete joke. Berntzon would have been the obvious choice since he so far is having a good season, especially at his hometrack in Målilla. Ljung haven't shown anything that warrants a wild card. IMO it's really boring when old has-beens like Jonsson and Ljung are given the wild card.