Mylor

Some very valid points there ytsejam. It got me thinking, which tracks are the best with the capacity to hold such events? It wasn’t long ago that Bydgoszcz was considered the bees knees but they haven’t held a GP for years. I struggle to think of many ‘world class’ tracks in the UK. Belle Vue, yes but beyond that? Perhaps it’s for a dedicated thread but can you list more?

Is Eurosport 2 not showing the SON? I don’t see it listed anywhere. ☹️

I suppose this lull after the stormy winter was only to be expected, however, are we about to see any of the content of the agreement, a new rule book and details of the arbitration setup and procedures? I'm not intending to restart the vitriol but it does seem a shame after all that kicking, scratching and blood letting to know so little of what it was all for and whether it was indeed good for the future of the sport in the UK? Only by seeing at least some of the detail can we begin to make a reasoned judgement, not that we're much good at that here these days eh?

I was uncomfortable with bomber's inclusion too but if you were forced to choose a brit on merit you'd surely have to go with the British Champion. With, hopefully, some dirt on the GP tracks surely he'll do a little better next year. Still not a top eight finisher though methinks but he should finish the year with more confidence.

Good grief ianmartin! I was a Wolves fan then and couldn't understand why Mike Parker transferred riders around like that. He ran Newcastle, Sunderland and Wolves if I remember correctly. Can someone give me a potted history of what happened to him, and Bill Bridget etc? Ahhh..........those were the days. Guasco, sadly missed, Graham Warren, Tommy Sweetman (did anyone else ride wearing glasses?), Ivor Brown (we hated him too of course), Jimmy Squibb (who was still riding for Canterbury at 54!!) and others who didn't quite make it to greatness but gave us fabulous entertainment, Dave Hemus, Fred Priest (2nd halfer who once managed to stay on for all four laps, a bit like a half speed early Ben Barker), Kid Bodie,..........

Let's put the cat amongst the pigeons............... The EuroSport International Series................... I wonder who'd be interested in televising this? 8 7-man teams, 2 groups of 4 in a mini league, home and away. 2 semis over 2 legs each 1 final over 2 legs. That means the Winners would ride 5 'home' meetings.......... Poole, Coventry, Sheffield,........ anybody else fancy a round? Australia could ride their 'home' meetings wherever they like. Discuss!

I missed that one but by all accounts it was probably the best ever. Anyone know where I can get a video or dvd?

Now correct me if I'm wrong but aren't noise, traffic and parking the main objections raised when promoters seek to open a new track? Just as Trelawny hardly has a noise problem, being in a quarry, and as Imerys, who are up to their ears in 'em, are trying to find them another, couldn't the same apply to other potential venues ? I would think just about every area, and indeed city, would have an unused sandpit, gravel pit, clay pit, stone quarry or open cast mine or a site not suitable for landfill due to drainage or other problems. They don't need to be very big, in fact small would be beautiful as, often being somewhat bowl shaped you get instant 'grandstands'. Car parking shouldn't be a problem and the trucks would have made a usable access road. Success and stability should start to bring with it some permanent structures, shelter, toilet blocks, stands etc but Portacabins do a grand job at Trelawny, are quick and easy to install and, as temporary structures, should be fairly easy to get past the planning and building regs. Natural ampitheatres these..........................the way to go?? How about venues that are already noisy, under-used during the week, and already have ample car parking and catering facilities? The country is dotted with motor racing circuits struggling to make ends meet. I'm not talking about the Silverstone's & Brands Hatches but the smaller ones used for club, banger and stock cars........... Any of these near you? http://www.bmrc.co.uk/ Ok, the stands may be in the wrong place etc, or more likely, the facilities may have seen better days and the club may welcome some help in remodelling them. They may even be trying to fund a new stand which could be double sided, race track one side, speedway the other with catering and toilets underneath. Converting the site for multi-sport use may make them eligible for regional funding etc Of course this would be more costly but could produce permanent tracks of a very high quality with excellent facilities in quite a short timeframe. What do you think?

There's a 3 page thread on the 'European Club Championship' in 'The Way Ahead' forum................ http://www.speedway-forum.co.uk/forums/ind...?showtopic=3294

So........promoters want to improve their profit & loss account, Sky want a great product so they can sell more advertising and we all want to see more variety whether on Sky or at our local track. Now BSI also want a great product for much the same reasons as Sky. Assuming BSI are the only ones interested at present I can see no reason why they don't go to the FIM and buy the rights to a competition that doesn't even exist..............should cost them next to nothing. They could then approach Sky or (C4 or others) and the leading teams to thrash out a deal which would reduce costs to the promoters, provide broadcasters with another level of international speedway and give us the chance to see teams we hardly ever see at present. Will we/they ever have a better opportunity to launch a European Club Championship? So how does it reduce costs? Because riders can only ride for one team in such a competition. They would reduce their travelling, machinery, workshop and support costs, but, when it takes off, the spinoffs should be enormous. The promoters don't have to spend enormous amounts hiring 2 or more GP riders to stay competitive and some PL teams may, in this new environment, like to take up the opportunity to ride in a higher league. How many would it put on attendances if your team were riding against Bydgoszcz in a European Championship tie? The Polish Champions v the British Champions? How much would Sky pay to televise it? How much would the advertisers pay to have their logo's on the air fence? Is there a market for corporate hospitality? Ok, perhaps not a lot in the first year...........but the potential is enormous. We have to move forward. Please take a look at my sig, think about it, then, if you think it could, just possibly work, I suggest you write to BSI.

We'll agree to differ on the structure then Kevin, your assymetric full blown, full time Euro League on the North American pattern verses my 'Champions League' approach where teams compete in the 'EL' and Europe which will still allow for qualification, local derbies etc. You missed my workaround for this point posted a few days ago.......... I favoured a different route Matt, one where riders riding for more than one team would nominate which ONE of those teams they'd ride for in the European Club Championship.

Far too complex Kevin. The sport would gain no credibility from Wolverhapmton or Poole actually fielding different teams for different competitions. The media and the fans wouldn't wear it. How would teams qualify for a competition under these rules, by winning their equivalent of the EL? And if so, what team would they put out the following year? Would the 'EL' winning team become the ECC team? Far better it be kept as simple as possible using a format well understood by the media. An 'EL' playoff place means a place in the ECC for the following year and all the additional income that'd produce. The ECC and the international tournaments should be structured, sponsored and broadcast in such a way as to bring in the maximum income for this cash starved sport of ours. Certainly enough cash should be generated to allow promotions to move towards ownership of the stadia initially.

I favoured a different route Matt, one where riders riding for more than one team would nominate which one of those teams they'd ride for in the European Club Championship. Over time this would make them less attractive signings for other teams and they would become more committed to their favoured team, especially if it stood the best chance of succeeding in Europe. The sport would then slowly work it's way towards a one-rider one-team position (with some allowance for riders from developing countries, allowing them a limited number of matches for teams in their home country). This needs to happen at some point if speedway is to gain any sort of credibility as a serious sport. Various ways of achieving this and how riders could be compensated for the initial loss of earnings are well covered in these 'Way Ahead' threads. Fans would feel some pain too as there would be less opportunity to see the world's very best week-in, week-out but the additional variety (international tournaments, the return of prestige individual events, the ECC etc) should, over time, more than compensate for this.

Take a look here Matt........ http://www.speedway-forum.co.uk/forums/ind...?showtopic=3294 There's more on this in the 'Future' threads

European GP at Coventry end of September?........................Reading??

But who owns the rights to something that doesn't exist? The BSPA own them for domestic speedway and BSI bought them for the GP's. Both competitions existed before so there was someone to buy them from. When will the FIM latch on to the fact there's something else to organise then sell? While they're at it can they also get their heads round a proper European Club Championship and sell that too?

But Cardiff does need more reasonable cost accommodation within walking distance of the city centre and a central booking website........... put in your criteria and up pops a choice of online bookable AVAILABLE accommodation. Cardiff IS a pain if you have to get there and back in a day so we like to stop over Friday and Saturday nights. Expensive, yes, but really worthwhile when the sun shines, as it always does. So much less hassle and a few hours in Cardiff Bay on a Sunday morning sets you up for the journey home. Cardiff is a brilliant place to spend some time. I just wish the local tourist board or someone would make it easy for us to spend more money with the local traders and not fortunes on hotel rooms 5 miles away.

Rugby's 5, now 6 Nations is popular so why can't speedway put together something similar. We could make a 6th team - Rest of the World - using the Hancocks and Zagars of this world. It could alternate with a biennial WTC. My only reservation is to do with how many would turn up for Australia 'home' matches.

We know he's not brilliant. We know none of the Brits are which is why we love it when they pull out all the stops to almost make it. That said, you have to agree with him to some degree as if riders now accept that's what they need to do to progress there will be carnage and you, me and their families will be the losers.

Exactly as I saw it too home straight. Pedersen's thumbs-up to him as they approached the pit gate confirmed it methinks. The Pedersen/Olsen bit?..............I loved it. So did Pedersen who was caught having a good laugh as he walked away. Were they arguing in Danish? The Anderson incident was not good though and, whatever he thought of the incident he should be fined for his verbal and physical reaction.

Realistically there are only four countries capable of fielding competitive 7-man teams. I'm all for a 7-man competition but it should be separate from the WTC. Call it the Nations Cup or something like that run every 2nd year perhaps with qualifiers in the intervening years for other aspiring nations. Straight 4-team league, home and away, 12 matches in all, a Grand Final if you must for the Channel 4(?) TV guys.

They didn't when they won their last World Cup without him either.

15 heats before the track came good. Perhaps they should have held a league meeting on it before the main event eh?

Crap track, no grip, no atmosphere, so little overtaking..............what a difference from Sunday!