britmet

Those that think double pts for a Joker will make racing more exciting.

. Thanks Hawkeye, The background to NZ / Oz sidecars Tests, as well as national sidecars speedway championships worldwide can be seen HERE .

. There's a difference between keeping the score close and exciting, and keeping races close and exciting. . It's possible to have races tight and close, decided on the last bend, but still result in a 50-28 score, (sorry, 60 - 30,) OR having boring trailed-out heats, with 3-3's every time, (or alternate 4-2s / 2-4s). The match is close and can still go to a last heat decider. .

. No, - it didn't work. Fans wouldn't go that far, and the Heathens closed for 14 years.

Henry Long is still around at 90, down home in S.Africa.

Thanks for your work, BL65.

. I long ago ruled out speedway in March and October !

Someone may give you the definitive answer, but the first thing that comes to mind is that at this time he was in dispute with management for refusing to let him move to Brum. He had missed some matches, and was riding under protest. Either he was limiting his rides, or mgt were penalising him putting him there. .

. My congrats to Jason Doyle, - Well deserved after missing out last year. .

. Mark Cossar & Carl Blyth won the 4th and final round at Belle Vue to take the 2017 1000cc British Sidecar Speedway title, . . but it wasn't straight forward, as they had to go through the Repercharge heat to reach the Final after their machine left them on the starting line in their final heat. In the Final they made no mistake, giving Whitelam & Saunters their only defeat of the night. Mick Cave & Bradley Steer took Silver: in third spot were Paul Whitelam & Terry Saunters. Mitch Godden & Paul Smith won the 500cc sidecar support event. Overall results, 1000cc BSSC :

The 4th and final round of the 2017 ACU British Sidecar Speedway Championship takes place at Belle Vue tomorrow, Saturday 14th, commencing 7pm. This will be the first time that the National Speedway Stadium has seen and heard the throaty roar of 1000cc machines, featuring the fastest Sidecar racers in the UK. Presently leading the championship is the Rugby duo of Mark Cossar & Carl Blyth, with 45pts, - a 6 pt. lead over Mick Cave & Bradley Steer. In third spot currently is Paul Whitelam & Terry Saunters on 27pts. . Full line-up : Tris Winterburn & Billy Winterburn Mick Stace & Kizz Ivy Simon Beaney & Sam Fumarola Tom Cossar & Ryan Barker Andy Cossar & Jake Fumarola Matt Fumarola & Gareth Williams Rod Winterburn & Ryan Wharton Mick Cave & Bradley Steer Mark Cossar & Carl Blyth Philip Wynn & Adam Cowper Smith Will Penfold & Ricky Pay Stef Blyth & Paul Whitelam & Terry Saunters Nevill Penfold & Kev Jones Will Offen & Sam Black Joe Mogg & Jake Cutler . All previous winners, as well as World, European and other national Sidecar Speedway champions can be found HERE. along with results of all known sidecar speedway Test Matches and International events.

. Surely its 'The Wooden Spoon'. ( or has that been deemed unacceptable by the PC brigade, so that no one can be upset by being the looser, - ?) .

. What a coincidence that 10 years later, with Pat Clarke retired and gone, the 2nd and 3rd, Trevor Redmond and Ken Middleditch, moved up to be winner and second at the 1960 equivalent competition, the Provincial Lge. RC at Cradley Heath. Between times they had though both performed at senior level, the former with Wembley. Middleditch had won the Div.3 and Div.2 titles in 1951 and 1954 resp'ly. before becoming part of Swindon's Nat'l Lge winning team of '57 as well as in Poole's stints in the senior league prior to 1960.

. If you turn to the 'League Riders Championships' page of 'Speedway Champions' website you'll see the event listed there, along with a copy of the Walthamstow programme of the Oct. 23rd. http://www.speedwaychampions.com/league-riders-chmpshps.php

. We've had plenty in the past, . . .but no idea about today..

. Half of those are not real tracks; - Czestochowa 402yds, Rybnik 390yds, Wroclaw 423yds, Grudziadz414yds. . . . .. .

.. No, we wish our tracks were like a speedway should be,. . used to be be, - , not more and more like a cycle speedway circuit. Then our riders could mix it with the rest of Europe. - Belle Vue 415yds, Exeter 433yds, Norwich 425yds, Ipswich 410yds, Crewe 470/430yds, . . I could go on.

. I make it the first Czech (home) winner in over 20 years, - Topinka in 1996. Quite a dearth since Jiri Štancl's 5 GH wins of the 1970s. See them all listed HERE

. How long have you been following speedway? . . . and still haven't got it ! - ? A slow learner, obviously !

Do We Still Need The Play-offs ? . NO ! The league champions should be the team that's at the top of the table at the end of the season. If a couple of eliminator-style matches are needed in Sept / October, that okay, but call it what it is, a Knock-Out Cup/Shield/ Rose bowl, . . anything you like, but lets not rewrite the English language, - a league is a league, a KOC is KOC.

. First won by Eric Langton on Sept. 28th, - Whitfield was the last holder of the 1928 season, - Nov. 9th. Full details on Speedway Champions.com http://www.speedwaychampions.com/spplt-3-uk-local-helmets.php .

- ? . winners Brian Havelock, 1978, Ty Proctor 2009

. There was no Silver Helmet raced for back in '28 or '29 ! But a Golden Helmet race was staged regularly, by heats and a Final in 1928, and by a weekly challenge in 1929. All results were reported in 'The Auto' of the day. The first mention of a Silver Helmet competition, again a 2nd-Half event, was in October 1945, won by Bill kitchen. Obviously the full face helmet of today isn't that one.

. All past Silver Helmet winners HERE, plus their Golden Helmet of 1928 & '29.