TwoMinuteWarning

Meetings, and each heat, are started when the riders and the referee are ready, it seems to me. Just part of the generally poor presentation these days. In the early days of the sport, some tracks had start times against each race in the programme, as is done with greyhound races. Can't really see that catching on these days!

Going to a speedway meeting in the 21st Century is like entering a time warp, or an episode of the "Goodnight Sweetheart" TV series. I first went to speedway in the early 1960's - very little has changed! The bikes are faster (TOO fast), there are air fences now, and coloured leathers. None of which turns the all-to-often mundane speedway meeting into a 21st century entertainment, or improves the standard of racing. Speedway needs a massive injection of capital - but I can't see where it's coming from. The promoters do their best - but with very limited money available. Speedway basically hasn't changed since the 1960's. The paying public's expectations have.

By NOT giving double points for the final, you are increasing the likelihood of the winner of the final not being the top point scorer in the meeting. Dosen't bother me too much, but several people have complained about this in the past.

This will mean that we get even more meetings where the winner of the Final is not the top point scorer. And still no points reward for a rider reaching the semis and then finishing 4th. I'd like to see scoring 4-3-2-1 in semis and 6-4-2-1 in Final (non-finishers to score 0)

Looks like a 3-round U-21 championship this year. That's more than enough. Common sense rules ... well done Armando!

10 days to the first GP ... if they aren't careful, it'll be history before the camera crews get there!

Result of inquest : An international speedway rider would have known "perfectly well" the risks he faced competing in the sport before he was killed in a horrific crash following a race in Poland, a coroner said. Lee Richardson, 33, suffered multiple injuries after careering into a wooden safety fence while competing for PGE Marma Rzeszow against Betard Sparta Wroclaw on May 13 last year. An inquest in Hastings, East Sussex, heard that the Great Britain star's front wheel touched the rear wheel of another rider as he prepared to overtake him on the inside. The impact, on the first bend of the third heat at the Olympic Stadium in Wroclaw, sent Richardson at "full force" into the 4ft (1.25-metre) barrier, mechanic Dariusz Lapa said in a statement. Lakeside Hammers captain Richardson, known to fans as Rico, was stretched off the track while still conscious and driven by ambulance to the local accident and emergency department. But, the inquest heard, after being transferred to general surgery he suffered a cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead at just after 8.30pm, prompting tributes to the 1999 world under-21 champion from across the speedway community. Recording a verdict that he died following a motorcycle accident, East Sussex coroner Alan Craze said father-of-three Richardson, who lived in St Leonards-on-Sea, would have been well aware of the dangers involved in his sport. Mr Craze said: "At the end of the day, you have got to recognise that brave and courageous people like him who want to take part in sport which carries with them a considerable degree of danger know perfectly well that there is a chance that something like this can happen. "It's a chance that they accept in most cases. "This is the first speedway death I have encountered in 15 years but I have dealt with maritime deaths and in aviation, and the people who do it are ultra careful. "They practice like anything and Lee Richardson was an extremely experienced rider, an international speedway rider. I haven't got any evidence that equipment played a part at all in causing this accident. "I can't look at it and say rider error ... and I wouldn't want to." He added: "What has happened is someone has participated in a dangerous sport voluntarily knowing the dangers of it and has become one of the very very very few who has become injured and, in this case, fatally injured."

Interesting figures, but I think that every track's attendances are way down from those of the 1980's and 90's Speedway today (apart from Cardiff) is a mid-20th century sport that hasn't reinvented itself for the 21st century. People want glamour, excitement, entertainment in a seated, smart stadium, and there is just no money in the sport in the UK to achieve those things. For heavens sake, we can't even afford to even pay all the bonus points in the PL, how desperate is that? Speedway shot to popularity in the 1920's and 30's 1. on the back of the motorcycle being the working man's personal transport. That has long-since changed, few are seen on the roads these days, and 2. on the back of the introduction of greyhound racing in 1927, whose promoters kindly built many of the city-centre stadia which ensured the establishment of our sport. And whose promoters have been, and still are, closing the remaining greyhound tracks. Time has come full circle. Throw out the specialist bikes by all means, and use only stripped down road bikes with little or no modifications allowed, devise some sort of all-weather track surface if you can - but you'd still need a big injection of capital to sort out some of the truly awful near-derelict stadiums in which our sport is raced, and I can't see where this would come from. I'm trying to be realistic, and I can't subscribe to Uncle Len's "everything in the garden is rosy" mentality. But if promoters can't see what's happening to our sport, I can only see it's future being a circus event of big stadium "entertainments" (something like motocross has become) and some Sunday afternoon events at a field in the deepest countryside.

Anyone know who is the leading light behind this series? Anyone got a name? They seem to be very shy

Never heard of "FIM Europe" Is this another name for UEM?

No, but it's gone VERY quiet on the subject!

For all TRUE speedway fans, the world does not revolve around just the GP's. There are also plenty of other sports to watch apart from speedway. The question seems to be aimed at speedway fans who watch only the GP, and have no other interest in sport. Don't think there is many of those about.

Looks like Monster Energy are getting involved big-time in our sport. At Industry, California on Dec. 29th: POLAND - Tomasz Gollob, Maciej Janowski SWEDEN - Antonio Lindback RUSSIA - Emil Sajfutdinov GREAT BRITAIN - Scott Nicholls, Edward Kennett USA - Greg Hancock, Billy Hamill, Ricky Wells, Bryan Yarrow, Gino Manzares, Tyson Burmeister, Jimmy Fishback, Billy Janniro, Charlie Venegas

Can only imagine how Gollob and Emil will cope with an eighth-of-a-mile track ... Don't think I'd want to be sitting too close to the fence! It's cheap too - only 18 US dollars for an advance ticket - so bound to sell out. Now, will an American GP follow in 2014???

04.05 : Qualifying Round 1: Daugavpils, Latvia : Latvia v Ukraine v Germany v Argentina or Croatia or France 20.05 : Qualifying Round 2 : Miskolc, Hungary : Hungary v Slovenia v USA v Italy 13.07 : Event 1 : Czestochowa, Poland : Poland v Australia v Russia v Winner Qual.Round 1 15.07 : Event 2 : King's Lynn, Great Britain : Great Britain v Denmark v Sweden v Winner Qual.Round 2 18.07 : Race-Off : Prague, Czech Rep : 20.07 : Final : Prague, Czech Rep : Czech Rep v

I have updated my chart showing all the reported attendance figures for each GP and World Cup Final since the competitions began. The chart is at http://www.internati...o.uk/extra9.htm

Too true. 2 years ago - at the Dubliner pub on the main drag - 2 pints of Carlsberg & 2 Burger and Chips = £37.50 !!! NEVER again!

I went to Parken twice, in 2006 and 2008, and it was noticable on both occasions that quite a lot of people were still coming into the arena up to around heat 12. I formed the impression (which may be wrong) that the stadium was selling tickets cheap after the meeting had started. When I returned in 2010, there were hardly any latecomers. And later I noticed that the crowd for that year had dropped considerably.

They have, I believe. The only source I can now find consistently is the Polish speedway weekly, Tygodnik Zuzlowy. I dont know how reliable the figures are, but then some of the FIM figures were inaccurate in my opinion. And we don't know how either source accounts for the sometimes copious number of "complimentary" (i.e free) tickets.

Lots of riders have been riding in 2 leagues this season Adam Roynon has been riding in all 3 leagues all year! Even in Sweden, he would have been allowed to double up in the Allsvenskan (which A J has done all year) But a young talented British rider in the EL threatens to call it a day because he can't get enough rides? Crazy - no wonder the GB team is rubbish at the moment.

Final Russian League Table 2012 1. Balakovo M8 W7 D0 L1 Race Pts +171 Match Pts 14 2. Togliatti M8 W7 D0 L1 Race Pts +121 Match Pts 14 3. Vladivostok M8 W4 D0 L4 Race Pts +47 Match Pts 8 4. Salavat M8 W2 D0 L6 Race Pts -119 Match Pts 4 5. Oktyabrsky M8 W0 D0 L8 Race Pts -224 Match Pts 0 Russian Champion Grigory Laguta Russian U-21 Champion Andrey Kudryashov Russian U-19 Champion Vadim Tarasenko

Just like to say thanks to Premier Sports for the coverage in 2012, and to manchesterpaul for the scoresheets for each match. I think Dave Goddard deserves a medal for his commentaries - such a relief from the adrenalin fuelled nutter on another channel - but I do think that Premier could at least give him an on-screen credit! Lets do it all again in 2013

Gollob an expensive luxury for Hammarby this year - 69 pts in 40 rides. Dosen't look interested some of the time.

I dont think the Joker is any more popular with the riders than it is with many fans. The "blame" for the rule rests solely with the FIM. Who must also expect the blame for the injuries which are going to be sustained by some poor rider who one day finds two riders immediately in front of him suddenly stopping. Potentially it's an extremely dangerous rule.

This is a disgraceful commentary by Pearson and Tatum. It is repetitive to the point of total boredom. The ONLY things they are discussing are the delays and the virtual certainty that it will not proceed beyond heat 12. I should think that any casual viewers will have switched off by now, thanks to their depressing commentary. Sky should sack the pair of them, they are doing the sport no favours at all