JoeW

Just read this week's Star. Seems all (apart from Peter White who does't say anything much about the meeting) is written by Paul Burbidge and it is all "Grin this and Grin that'". Seems he can't do anything wrong despite cheating and pulling out of a meeting because he apparently didn't feel right. And, amazingly, getting no punishment at all.No comment at all from Rising, Clark & Skeels? Hope next week's edition includes a more balanced view. Or do Monster Energy actually control world speedway and the press these days? Been buying the Star since 1961 and it is sad to see what it has become. Just renewed my subscription three weeks ago and I have serious doubts if I will bother next year. The rules in British Speedway over the last twenty years are bad enough without our only weekly magazine not giving a balanced view.

But his own website says he withdrew from the meeting in protest!!!!

What simple word is missing?

I accept your sentiments but rules is rules and should be followed. Perhaps next month's AGM will get rid of many of the ridiculous rules that have ruined the sport since the turn of the millennium.

BWitcher opened this topic after reading my opinion on another topic. I am not a fan of Woffinden but decided to look at the regulations when I saw that Greg had not received any punishment for his walk out. Even if he is a fan of Woffinden (which he may be - I don't know) why should he be criticised for opening the topic?

But this is not what the regulations say. He is not eligible to be the champion. You can't make up what you think the punishment should be if the actual punishment is set out in the regulations.

He withdrew from the championship before the end of it. There was still, despite him having accrued enough points to win it, the remainder of the championship left ie Heats 10 to 20, two semi finals and the final. After his walkout he became ineligible for the championship for the remainder of the season which means he could not win it. There is nothing retrospective about it at all.

So he cheated in a race and, contrary to the regulations, walked out of the meeting in a huff. As I understand it his only punishment has been exclusion from the race in which he cheated!!! Makes you wonder who is actually in charge of the fiasco the Grand Prix series has become.

The punishment being advocated and legislated for Hancock is for walking out of the meeting and not for letting someone pass him! As things stand he has not been punished at all for his childish action.

You cannot look at the sentence in isolation. The key word is the first word "Furthermore" which means that the previous sentence also is relevant. This states "A rider who has entered the FIM Speedway Grand Prix World Championship and refuses or is unable to take part is deemed to be suspended competing internationally for a period of a day before and up to 3 days after the Grand Prix meetings concerned." The sentence after the one you quote says "A rider who has started ....must participate therein unless prevented from doing so by injury ..." Hancock pulled out of the meeting and was not injured. In my opinion he should be deemed as suspended from 21 to 25 October, his points gained in Melbourne be deducted and he made himself ineligible for the world championship. Why does the regulations include the last sentence if this is not to be the case? He surely has to be punished (although FIM obviously want to ignore their regulations for some "monstrous" reason) for walking out on the meeting. With regard to your argument re "remainder of the season" surely this is included so that he can compete next season ie not ineligible from the championship for ever?

Meetings are not mentioned. Only the Championship is. If he had walked out of the first meeting he would be ineligible so why should the last be any different?

Nice to see some coming to the same conclusion I did. Can any representation be made to FIM to ensure their rules are implemented. Or would this upset the event's sponsors who will have paid them loadsamoney to do so?

I am aware he would still be ahead of Woffinden. All I am giving is my interpretation of the rules and what I believe should have happened. It states he would be ineligible for the Championship not that he was ineligible to take his place in the rest of it. Someone who is ineligible for the Championship cannot be the winner of it.

Yes. Remarkable isn't it. Regulation 077.3.3 of FIM Grand Prix World Championship states - "A rider who has entered the FIM Speedway Grand Prix World Championship and refuses or is unable to take part, is deemed to be suspended competing internationally for a period of 1 day before and up to 3 days after the Grand Prix meetings concerned. Furthermore, he shall be considered as ineligible for the FIM Speedway Grand Prix World Championship for the remainder of the season. A rider who has started in the FIM Speedway Grand Prix World Championship must participate therein unless prevented from doing so by injury or other force majeure. A suitably qualified medical practitioner must certify injury or illness in writing to that effect." I may be misconstruing this but as Hancock pulled out of the meeting and was not injured he should be deemed to be suspended from 21 October to 25 October. The points scored in the Australian Grand Prix should be taken away from him. In addition as the regulation states ineligible for the Championship (as opposed to ineligible for Championship meetings for the rest of the season) he cannot be World Champion. Since when has an ineligible person been able to be a winner? Be interested to hear the thoughts of others.

Does not the fact that the sponsors of the GP series have three of their sponsored riders or team in it bring the whole series into disrepute anyway???

Could the other three be Nick Doncaster, Pete Boston & Chris Manchester?

Excellent article on this in the current Classic Speedway magazine. I think that the following adjustments/additions need to be made; Ken McKinlay rode in three meetings at Belfast (Dunmore) in 1950 taking his total up to 67. George Major rode for Doncaster at Newtongrange in 1970 taking his total up to 62. Stan Stevens in a career from 1959 to 1976 appears to have been overlooked. I make it that he rode at 61 tracks at least - Aldershot, Barrow (Holker Street), Belle Vue (Hyde Road), Berwick (Shielfield), Birmingham (Perry Bar), Boston, Bradford (Odsal), Bradford (Greenfield), Brafield, Bristol (Knowle), Canterbury, Coatbridge, Coventry, Cradley Heath, Crayford, Crewe, Eastbourne, Edinburgh (Old Meadowbank), Ellesmere Port, Exeter, Glasgow (White City), Glasgow (Hampden Park), Hackney, Halifax, Hull (Boulevard), Ipswich, King's Lynn, Leicester, Liverpool, Long Eaton, Middlesbrough, Mildenhall, Neath, New Cross, Newcastle, Newport, Norwich, Oxford, Paisley, Peterborough, Plymouth (Pennycross), Poole, Rayleigh, Rochdale, Romford, Rye House, Scunthorpe (Quibell Park), Sheffield, Southampton, St Austell, Stoke (Hanley), Stoke (Loomer Road), Sunderland, Swindon, Wembley, West Ham, Weymouth, Wimbledon, Wolverhampton, Workington, Yarmouth.

It was actually a three team tournament on that date which ended Coatbridge Tiger Cubs 41 Crewe Locos 36 Inter-City 29. Ht 1: Hack, Richardson, Jarvie, Adshead Ht 2: Messer, Eastwood, Cash, Williamson Ht 3: Hall, Slade, Dow (f), Cook ® Ht 4: Fieldhouse, Poole, Allan, McGuinness Ht 5: Slade, Woodcock, Adshead ®, Hack ® Ht 6: Jarvie, Cook, Richardson, Stamford Ht 7: Eastwood, Messer, Allan, King Ht 8: Woodcock, Slade, Fieldhouse, Westwell Ht 9: Hall, Cash, Williamson, Dow Ht 10: Jarvie, Richardson, Poole, Fieldhouse Ht 11: Hack, Slade, Cook, Adshead ® Ht 12: McGuinness, Allan, Woodcock, Stamford Ht 13: Hall, Eastwood, Messer, Dow Ht 14: Fieldhouse, Cash, Westwell, Williamson Ht 15: Jarvie, Slade, Richardson, Woodcock Ht 16: Hall, Hack, Dow, Westwell Ht 17: Messer, Slade, Eastwood, Cook ® Ht 18: McGuinness, Allan, Cash, Williamson Coatbridge - Frankie Hall 12, Kenny Jarvie 10, Norrie Allan 6, Jim McGuinness 6, Paul Richardson 6, Ross Dow 1, Tam King 0 Crewe - Shaun Messer 9, Paul Eastwood 8, John Hack 8, Billy Fieldhouse 7, Dougie Poole 3, Ian Westwell 1, Brian Adshead 0 Inter-City - Tony Slade 12, Tim Cash 6, Geoff Woodcock 6, Steve Cook 4, Keith Williamson 1, Steve Stamford 0 Source of information is the book "When They Were Kings The Crewe Speedway Story".

Well spotted. So at the moment it's Jimmy Squibb on 68 from George Hunter on 64 and Colin Gooddy on 60?

I thought Jimmy Squibb would lead the way. Scunthorpe rode at Quibell Park until 1978 and Ashby Ville 1979 onwards. Edinburgh rode at Old Meadowbank from 1948 to 1954 and 1960 until 1967. Marine Gardens was just pre war. Glasgow rode at Hampden Park in 1969 and 1970.

Agreed. 63 it is then for George Hunter. Jimmy Squibb is another possibility?

During a league career lasting from 1960 to 1983 George Hunter rode in league meetings at the following tracks; Barrow,Belle Vue, Berwick (Berrington Lough), Berwick (Shielfield), Birmingham, Boston, Bradford (Odsal), Bradford (Greenfields), Bristol (Knowle Stadium), Bristol (Eastville), Canterbury, Coatbridge, Coventry, Cradley Heath, Crayford, Eastbourne, Edinburgh (Old Meadowbank), Edinburgh (Powderhall), Ellesmere Port, Exeter, Glasgow (White City), Glasgow (Hampden), Glasgow (Blantyre), Glasgow (Craighead), Hackney, Halifax, Hull, Ipswich, King's Lynn, Leicester, Liverpool, Long Eaton, Middlesbrough, Mildenhall, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, Newport, Oxford, Peterborough, Plymouth, Poole, Rayleigh, Reading (Tilehurst), Reading (Smallmead), Rye House, St Austell, Scunthorpe (Quibell), Scunthorpe (Ashby Ville), Sheffield, Stoke (Sun Street), Stoke (Loomer Road), Swindon, Wembley, West Ham, Weymouth, White City, Wimbledon, Wolverhampton, Workington, Yarmouth. He also rode at non league Motherwell in 1958 and in a Northern League match at Sunderland in 1964. I make this 62 different tracks in the UK during his career. There may be others where he appeared in open meetings etc. As he rode Provincial, British & National Leagues for more than five years each I think this would take some beating. Source of information for tracks appeared at is his testimonial brochure from 1982.

5/5/69 at Newcastle exists as I sold my copy a couple of years ago. Never seen a copy of 28/8/61 at Newcastle.

Has anyone got a copy of "The Complete A-Z of Post-War British League Riders Part One - The 1940's" disc that they would sell to me? If so please PM me with details.

Sidney. See this link (hope it works) for Reading v Newcastle in 1984. Could this also include all the old Screensport meetings? http://www.classicspeedwayvideos.com/km1.html