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Showing content with the highest reputation on 02/19/2020 in all areas

  1. 7 points
    A bit like Swindon?
  2. 6 points
    Despite not being a GP rider Nicki had the 12th highest average in the Polish top flight last year. He is still one of the best riders in the world.
  3. 4 points
    I think it's great that Crump is back. Ok, he and Nicki may not be the riders they were but these guys have an aura about them which no other rider here - with the possible exception of Doyle - has. Their signings will surely improve crowd levels at Ipswich and Sheffield, and hopefully at away tracks when they visit..I'll certainly be paying a visit to both tracks this year for the first time in yonks.
  4. 3 points
    Look I know my comments here are not going to make me any friends but here we go. The bottom line I think is that the BSPA has finally lost patience with "Ghost Teams" popping up year after year in the junior leagues and now that Cradley have folded, the thorn in the side of that argument has finally been removed. I've sat on the fence over the last few years and watched the MDL/MDSL with interest and In my honest opinion for what it's worth it has started to look a bit silly with all these old names being used. One or two like we had a few years ago is fine but when the league is made up of more defunct teams than actual junior teams of the promotion it starts to look a bit of a joke. Do the speedway star still run a fantasy league for people wanting to use such team names? I know the people running these teams are helping juniors get track time and that has to be applauded. But, I do believe that people running the likes of Reading, Weymouth, Crayford, New Cross, Wembley, etc, etc, have a very different agenda to those running the junior teams at Birmingham, I.O.W or Belle Vue. I could be very wrong of cause. I do sympathise with the people running the ghost teams. I know it takes a lot of hard work and enthusiasm, but if you are genuine about giving young lads track time and helping them develop then just swallow the bullet and call your teams Swindon juniors, Plymouth reserves, etc. After all if you are genuine then you will not care about team names, trophies and so on as long as the lads (and girls) are benefiting from a meaningful team competition. I know the objective of such enthusiast's it to find land and build a new track to revive them, but please, please, please wake up and smell the coffee. Unless you have endless pockets of cash, and are even lucky to get a patch of land when councils are after more land for homes, then you are just living in a romantic fantasy land. Cradley have failed and given up. Take lessons from that. The other thing you have to take into account is the 2 men now running the BSPA have no time what so ever for the junior leagues I will just finish on this. The language used in recent weeks on social media by the organisers of such teams to describe the powers that be has been very unsavoury when you are "promoting" yourselves as a family sport on the other side of the coin. It makes you look childish and like you are throwing your toys out of the pram. Sorry if my comments are a bit harsh but there's no point sugarcoating the truth.
  5. 2 points
    Forget exactly how many matches Egon rode for Hull 1976 but know he averaged 8.75 so none too shabby, he was a more than decent speedway rider but think he was strongly 'encouraged' to ride speedway in order for his permission to ride to ride longtrack be processed quicker & more hassle free, long / sand / grass track being his first love. I have the official VHS video of 1983 Final with Barry Briggs translating Egon's German commentary, recall the start marshall, who got skittled by an Engine Failed rider (Hans Nielsen) - how often did that happen in a World Final, was at school with Egon. As well as 'road developing' his bike, he took just the one machine - how's that for confidence, Egon later admitted to practising all he wanted on the Norden track prior to the final. He also appeared to 'advise' on track watering / grading during the actual meeting. It's true Hull ran R/R for Egon in 1977, Ian Thomas said Hull fans would be required to pay adult entrance (75p ?) + £2.50 each to meet Egon's demands, so maybe today's entrance + £30 ? Also, anyone who saw Egon ride will recall Egon's super-wide, 'cow horn'-style handlbars. He wasn't a cheap rider but when the mood struck he was dynamite, had speedway been his main thing reckon he would have been unstoppable....
  6. 2 points
    Are we allowed to boo Nikki straight away for all his dirty riding in the past, or do we have to wait for some more?
  7. 2 points
    I suppose you need to take my comments in the knowledge I have never been a Crump fan - indeed he once scored an 18 point max guesting for the Witches and I didnt cheer at all Even in his prime I wouldn't have been too fussed about him becoming a Witch such is my indifference to him - I just have just never warmed to him (admittedly this is partly due to him being the arch rival No1 who scored countless points against us) Now that's not to say I didnt or dont appreciate his talent. Infact despite my general view I would class him in the top 5-10 riders of all time However after 8 years retired following what was significant injury I dont see that he will be anywhere near the level some are predicting He looked decent in the WA matches and will through his natural talent and undoubted professionalism hold his own in this years PL but somewhere around 6 points will be it IMO His influence on others could be a great positive for the team and cant be underestimated. His commentary and punditry is excellent and insightful. His experience and knowledge is 2nd to none His signing is probably bigger for the league as a whole than it is for the Witches in particular and will generate significant interest which is much needed It will be strange and initially difficult for me to cheer him but at the end of the day he is now a Witch and therefore he will get my unreserved support. You never know I may even learn to like him
  8. 2 points
    Jason Crump's return, at whatever age, is exciting. He was one of speedway's last superstars (in my eyes). Luckily for British speedway, the other - Nicki Pedersen - is also showing his face again. These names mean more with their presence than the points they will score. The sport just doesn't have bums-on-seaters anymore. I'd disregard their tallies and just be thankful they've chosen to bless these shores again. Your team winning isn't always as important as the sport itself. And British speedway has received a boost with these two returning. All the best to both.
  9. 1 point
  10. 1 point
    Give me a team including any 4 of the following and ill be there every week. Crump Hans M Poole R Pederson R Sullivan Z (Sam) Tesar NKI Hans Clausen K Bjerre Mario Jirout However bad the results are, I would pay to watch with a smile!
  11. 1 point
    Funnily enough Ben the way I found out the Rockets were back in 2000 was by a couple of big signs stuck on the roundabout at the Tesco A414/A1 interchange in Hatfield and then a few weeks later there was a display outside the Howard Centre in Welwyn Garden City. Can't remember which riders were there but guessing Russell Paine being local at the time, may have been there. After the 2000 season I never saw anything round my area (Welwyn/Hatfield) again.
  12. 1 point
    Todd Wiltshire made a comeback in 2006 after having had a farewell meeting in 2004.
  13. 1 point
    Me too, it shows what a load of old fogies we are. I really enjoyed the 1987 two day final. You can't beat a long weekend in Amsterdam!
  14. 1 point
  15. 1 point
    For the first decade of this century there were four outstanding riders, head and shoulders above the rest, and that included Hancock, who had to wait till they had retired or declined before he came back into prominence. They were Rickardsson, Pedersen, Gollob and Crump, with Crump probably second best of that lot. Yes, Crump has been out of the sport for a longish time, but he was in a different league to all but about three or four current PL riders. I can't see him being anything other than a major asset for Ipswich. Good on you, Chris, for signing up one of the all-time greats of speedway.
  16. 1 point
    Ledwith was out of sport for 25 years!.... and he’s not done too bad,and he’s no Crump!
  17. 1 point
    Non. But that’s my point in that it’s a changing dynamic. Jason has come back. Niki is still going. Greg would still be going if not for personal reasons. Being fit is the key. If you stay clear of imjury I see no reason why riders can’t go on into their mid forties/fifty.
  18. 1 point
    Little upside? One of the greatest riders ever is returning to the sport. If he can do well or even only entertain, what’s not to like?
  19. 1 point
    Only problem I see is the assessed average, quite how they’ve arrived at that figure is beyond me. From Jason’s perspective I think this is purely about his son. He is over here anyway, so he will have to earn some money. Gives him time to spend with him whilst only riding twice a week. He has some good sponsorship and in turn will have quality kit. You don’t forget how to ride a motorcycle and as long as he’s fully fit, I expect he will manage at least a 7 point average. Will take a few meetings to get his sharpness back, gating etc, but once he does he will be absolutely fine in my opinion. On a personal level it’s great to see him back, my favourite rider.
  20. 1 point
    I take it Coventry's match at Leicester is still on? ;-) Re Milan, it doesn't matter what the balance is between landlord and tenant the argument was put forward that all ground sharing is undesirable. The fact thast it works in a major sporting league is surely relevant, whether Internazionale are landlords or joint tenants?
  21. 1 point
    DON'T underestimate what riding alongside Crump, one of the great professionals, will have on the rest of the team.
  22. 1 point
    I don't see why Jason can't hold his own and average 7ish, he scored 9 and 10 in the winter test matches against a team including Woffenden and Bewley, the league is watered down and he'll probably do no worse then Danny King or Cameron Heeps to be fair.
  23. 1 point
    It’ll go one of two ways for me - crump will drop a couple of points and then drew will be exchanged for a 5.5 man and we’ll be stronger at the bottom, or he’ll show his class be a comfortable no.1 still and we’ll have a strong spearhead in him and nic who are both historically good gaters. bit of a left field signing but either way I’m rather looking forward to the season
  24. 1 point
    I hope Crump does well, would be a shame for a legend to come back and be a shadow of his former self. Looking at the standard of the league nowadays I think he’ll be ok given time, and people will pay to see him which speedway in the UK badly needs.
  25. 1 point
    We were blessed with the old fence at Rye. While the introduction of air fences as mandatory has been a revelation at many tracks the old fence at Rye was probably safer for riders in all honesty. It would give on impact and there was then a run off behind it, whereas with an air fence despite a cushion there is still a more sudden stop on impact. There are many incidents that I can recall that would have probably been worse had an air fence been in place. As mentioned in other posts the air fence did also make viewing worse at Rye, we do have to accept the times change however and air fences being mandatory is certainly a positive thing on the whole.
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