mike1944

I can well understand why Eurosport, or any TV company, wants to stay clear of early fixtures and that is the weather. Far too many meetings early and a some later in the season are called off because of the weather and setting up equipment and staff for a rained off meeting is just a pain and unwanted expense. I remember many years ago watching the Norwich Stars at the Firs, when the track appeared to be affected less by the rain than the present tracks do and the bikes and riders seemed to cope much better, no deflectors on the bikes and the riders did not have the sophisticated helmets and goggles/visors they have now. Yes we did still have rained off meetings but usually when it had been heavy rain all day and not just a little shower. Usually when we have the driest summer weather speedway takes a break. Speedway also needs to do something to improve the drainage and the track surface so that fewer meetings have to be called off.

What annoys me is when the riders get called back for a false start they go through the procedure of topping up tanks and adjusting chains, etc., and this is after just a few dozen yards of racing. All riders should go straight back to the start, all bikes should have enough fuel in them for this eventuality and as for adjusting chains and clutches it should be the same for them all if none of this play acting took place. Nobody should be allowed to have a full service and MOT. False start = 1 minute for ALL riders to get back to the tapes.

That is good news

To be fair Eurosport overran the speedway and would have shown the last couple of races IF they had taken place. That must be one of the disorganised televised meetings I have witnessed. Talk about headless chickens. Even when they eventually got going after the air bag debacle, there was poor organisation. All the officials knew there was a curfew, yet despite this fact there was too much faffing around. Good to see Bachelor was his usual useless self, I never had rated him.

They will have one race when they get started and then stop for 15 minutes soon for an interval.

A group standing by the air fence looking completely clueless. One would have thought they were designed to inflate them and just slot them in. Plenty of bods there, but little action. Not a good advert for British speedway.

and it will be very difficult to fill.

I was truly shocked to hear this sad news. He will be sadly missed for his speedway commentating and I loved his enthusiasm and presentation.. My condolences to his family. RIP Nigel.

It came up on screen about 9.30 Sunday morning (I copied this from a recording freeze frame)

Announced at the end of the Superbikes on Eurosport that Speedway GP would be shown from April and British Speedway from May on Eurosport

Sorry I posted the above post in the Swedish speedway thread in error

Just noticed that Lublin v Wroclaw is live on Freesports 7.00 pm Thursday night (tomorrow)

Eurosport do really like speedway as they are showing highlights of the Individual Championships from Belle Vue as apart from the repeats they have already shown since Saturday, Sky Q has shown me these are the others repeats for the following 7 days. So in case you missed the programme and the highlights that they have already shown folks, there are highlights at the following times Tomorrow 6pm -- Eurosport 2 Friday 10.30 am -- Eurosport 2 3 pm -- Eurosport 2 Sunday 6.30 am -- Eurosport 2 6.00 pm -- Eurosport 2 Monday 2.00 am Eurosport 2 3.00 am -- Eurosport 1 7 am -- Eurosport 1 6 pm -- Eurosport 2 11.00 pm -- Eurosport 2 Tuesday 11 am -- Eurosport 2 6 pm -- Eurosport 2 August 25 1 am -- Eurosport 1 2 am --- Eurosport 2 8.30 am -- Eurosport 2 and no doubt more to come after that, as my epg will only tell me 7 days ahead Be good to see some live matches instead of repeat after repeat

I thought the coverage by Eurosport was as good as any I have seen, if every meeting is covered like this it will only be good for speedway. That Belle Vue stadium and track is superb. I do not know if it was my imagination but there appeared to be far less gardening and general messing about at the tapes and the meeting was more fluent than many I have seen.

I just hope that Eurosport show ALL the races. I seem to remember in the past they have just missed heats out while showing much of the time they has showing riders messing about at the tapes and gardening. I do not even mind not seeing the meeting live but showing the same day with all the messing about edited out but ALL the races shown in full.

As I said 2 or 3 posts ago if this meeting does start it will never be finished -- it could be, but it will not be, because the reasons I gave

Even if there is a threat of rain later we will undoubtedly see the usual undue delays at the starting gate, false starts and anything to delay the proceedings. There is no reason why this match could not be done and dusted if organised efficiently when one considers there is no more than 20 minutes at the very most of actual racing. Riders could be out as soon as the previous riders return to the pit gates except when there is track grading or when a rider has 2 consecutive rides. Any false riders should return to the gates within 1 minute ready for a restart, bikes should be fuelled accordingly to allow for this. If they mess about with any rain forecast they will stand no chance of getting this meeting off the ground.

Might see the actual final on Christmas Day maybe ?

Cannot see this meeting getting off the ground tonight looking at various weather forecasts. Even if they do start the meeting the usual faffing about at the start and 10,000 mile servicing of the bikes after numerous false starts will just result in the the track getting wetter and wetter and ready for yet another call-off. It might only be light rain or drizzle forecast around 6 pm but it is what is forecast between 7.30 and 9.30 and it does not look like drizzle to me. But we live in hope.

Really worried about Holders toe, just hope he will be able to toe the line again.

I just hope we can get on with the meeting tonight and it not like the Swedish final and many meetings of late with false starts and the usual plethora of mechanics invading the track to top up the fuel and give the bikes a 10,000 mile service, then a return to the gate with the usual gardening adjusting the clutch and goggles and then one rider will turn around a go half way back round the track before the starting marshall even tries to get them to line up. False starts all four riders should be straight back to the tapes and lined up and ready to start under a one minute warning, those bikes should be mechanically capable of doing that and fuelled accordingly. No mechanics allowed a the track and no return to the pits.

We are coming to stay on holiday near Sheffield the week beginning July 5th and there is a scheduled meeting that week, assuming the weather is kind, we would like to attend that meeting and would have to travel by car. Please can some local supporter tell us what is the parking situation like at the track and any recommendations

Well I finally made it on Sunday, a great shame Sheffield lost but saying that an enjoyable meeting of racing. We found both the locals and also the opposition supporters very helpful and friendly. Glad we went, the one downside is that the whole track cannot he accessed for spectators. Good luck Sheffield —onwards and upwards. What was refreshing was that both groups of supporters could stand side by side, no trouble at all and I never saw a policeman all night. A credit to speedway.

Actually I watched in in HD live on add channels on my SkyQ box and also recorded it in SD and also the programme after as a back-up if it over-ran as I could not pause or record in HD. It was a great picture in HD and I stayed with it all the way. The Swedish track staff did a great job in getting a meeting on after that downpour, just shows what can be done with some effort, British speedway should take note, no good just dragging a piece of old steel girder behind a tractor churning up a wet track, with a couple of men chucking odd shovels of sawdust on it, hoping it will be rideable by doing so. One suggestion is that the new graphic showing the collective heat winners is good but I wish it was on screen longer to read it.

Sorry if this has been posted elsewhere but Swedish Speedway is back on FreeSports TV (Sky 422, Freeview 64 also other platforms see website link below) on Tues May 7th Round 1 (6.10 pm) and on Thursday May 9th Round 1 Part 2 (10.15 pm) or that is what is scheduled on their website https://www.freesports.tv/our-sports/motorsport.html