International Speedway 2022

[Guest]

45 minutes ago, WembleyLion said:

A very interesting subject and one that I have monitored closely having been to all 31 countries that staged Speedway (including Ice) since I missed Switzerland’s last staged Ice meeting 2017. The last country I missed before then was Bulgaria in 2016.

I thoroughly enjoyed travelling the world to accomplish this and I could probably write a book about my experiences.

Sadly I saw pretty much the last Speedway in both Canada and South Africa. I also saw at first hand the decline of tracks in Europe with many countries just down to one operating track 

Lack of interested riders with few youngsters coming through was a common theme. Some countries were still very reliant on riders who had ‘retired’ some years earlier. Speaking to those riders left in Canada and South Africa I was told that getting parts and bikes were very difficult The machinery was often very old. Kyle Legault was riding a bike he rode in the UK when I saw him at Welland in Canada.

I did notice that Flattrack racing seemed very popular in most places outside of Europe. Also in Europe it seemed to be doing well in some countries such as Austria, Holland and Belgium.

Seeing the decline first hand was very sad but I’m glad I visited several of the countries when I did as I am not certain I would be able to see Speedway at some of those places again in future.

 

A great and interesting comment WembleyLion. I envy the fact you have seen the sport in so many different countries. I first saw speedway at New Cross in 1946 and domestically over near 80 years have only seen speedway (cheating here a little on the domestic side) England and Scotland and outside the UK in Germany and Holland. Not much to boast about!

[erinil1 7]

Out of curiousity does anybody know what happened to the track in Portugal that existed atleast somewere in the 2000s. Remember seeing on some old polish result site about some meeting being arranged there. It was also mentioned in a shortlived speedway magazine in Sweden somewere around 2003-2005.

[racers and royals 8,736]

4 minutes ago, erinil1 said:

Out of curiousity does anybody know what happened to the track in Portugal that existed atleast somewere in the 2000s. Remember seeing on some old polish result site about some meeting being arranged there. It was also mentioned in a shortlived speedway magazine in Sweden somewere around 2003-2005.

 

[steve69 49]

Can anyone point me in the direction of where I may get the results for the Argentinian Speedway from their start of the season in November until now?

Have been watching the racing from Carhue & Bahia Blanco tracks

(via En Carrera on Youtube) but would like to keep a record of the riders scores.

[arnieg 3,644]

34 minutes ago, steve69 said:

Can anyone point me in the direction of where I may get the results for the Argentinian Speedway from their start of the season in November until now?

Have been watching the racing from Carhue & Bahia Blanco tracks

(via En Carrera on Youtube) but would like to keep a record of the riders scores.

You could try https://www.facebook.com/tianilda.speedway

[DutchGrasstrack 804]

Results are often posted on the German forum: https://www.speedway-forum.de/forum/index.php?thread/15795-argentinien/&pageNo=9

[steve69 49]

3 hours ago, DutchGrasstrack said:

Results are often posted on the German forum: https://www.speedway-forum.de/forum/index.php?thread/15795-argentinien/&pageNo=9

Many thanks

[Bavarian 767]

20 hours ago, erinil1 said:

Out of curiousity does anybody know what happened to the track in Portugal that existed atleast somewere in the 2000s. Remember seeing on some old polish result site about some meeting being arranged there. It was also mentioned in a shortlived speedway magazine in Sweden somewere around 2003-2005.

Yes, at least two international speedway meetings were held at Santarem in Portugal. The first was a European Club Team Cup round in 1999, and the second a world under 21 qualifying round, featuring a couple of British riders, Danny Bird and Grant MacDonald, as well as a couple of Aussies, Kevin Doolan and Travis McGowan, and Canada's Chris Slabon. There were no Portugese riders though.

Here is a link to the German Speedway Forum were You can find a scan of the program cover for this meeting  https://www.speedway-forum.de/gallery/index.php?image/3495-world-junior-speedway-championship-qr-14-05-2000-santarém-portugal-official-prog/ 

The current FIM president Jorge Viegas had something to do with the introduction of speedway to his home country. You can find the story (in Polish language) with a couple of pictures of the venue at the speedwaynews.pl website https://www.speedwaynews.pl/aktualnosci/item/68342-z-a-marle-tory-15-miedzynarodowy-speedway-na-arenie-do-corridy  

Edited January 30, 2022 by Bavarian

[crescent girl 1,907]

On a totally-different slant, will speedway be dramatically-changed this year, following Russia's aggression in Ukraine?

Already, we are reading that UEFA will be moving their Champions League Final from St Petersburg, and tennis authorities are advising players not to attend competitions in Russia.

Two immediate questions arise: Will the Russian GP round take place?  And will the World Champion be welcomed to all the GP rounds in other countries?

[OveFundinFan 4,143]

They can take the Togliatti GP away to somewhere else - rubbish track for racing.

Nationalism is the source of a lot of problems in the world, do away with the flags etc, strip it back to just racers names.

[stewmac 476]

2 hours ago, crescent girl said:

On a totally-different slant, will speedway be dramatically-changed this year, following Russia's aggression in Ukraine?

Two immediate questions arise: Will the Russian GP round take place?  And will the World Champion be welcomed to all the GP rounds in other countries?

There have already been ominous noises from Marcin Majewski, head of speedway presenting at Canal+ in Poland, who said yesterday that, in his opinion, Russians should not be allowed to participate in Polish leagues this season. 

Edited February 23, 2022 by stewmac

[iris123 20,994]

41 minutes ago, stewmac said:

There have already been ominous noises from Marcin Majewski, head of speedway presenting at Canal+ in Poland, who said yesterday that, in his opinion, Russians should not be allowed to participate in Polish leagues this season. 

I sort of fear, if war does break out, then maybe it wouldn't even be safe for a Russian rider to be travelling around Poland and possible other countries as well. Certainy not in a nice painted van with their name and flag etc over it. The way things go, it only takes one nutter

As for international meetings in Russia, well that would be a total no go, as most countries are telling people to leave

[ch958 2,395]

1 hour ago, stewmac said:

There have already been ominous noises from Marcin Majewski, head of speedway presenting at Canal+ in Poland, who said yesterday that, in his opinion, Russians should not be allowed to participate in Polish leagues this season. 

if anyone else needs to fear the Russians, its the Poles. That stupid Russian Federation, or whatever in the olympics was pathetic. They're cheats and none of them should have been there. If we're going to rely on sanctions, etc they need totally isolating. Personally I'd nuke the fkr off the planet

[JamesHarris 390]

1 hour ago, ch958 said:

if anyone else needs to fear the Russians, its the Poles. That stupid Russian Federation, or whatever in the olympics was pathetic. They're cheats and none of them should have been there. If we're going to rely on sanctions, etc they need totally isolating. Personally I'd nuke the fkr off the planet

You're never going to get a job at the United Nations with that attitude 

[ch958 2,395]

1 hour ago, JamesHarris said:

You're never going to get a job at the United Nations with that attitude 

i don't suppose i would haha