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Crescent Girl has cleared this up on the Berwick match thread this morning The compassionate grounds for the facility related to Mrs Lawson being admitted to hospital late Friday and therefore permission was granted for Richard to miss the meeting in order to be with her Seems perfectly reasonable to me and the ensuing debate wouldve been avoided with a better worded Lakeside press release Best wishes to the Lawsons - hope any scare is over and recovery is full and speedy

Let's end this one. Mrs Lawson was taken into hospital late on Friday night. Lakeside given a facility by MC to allow Richard Lawson to be with her. There was no complaint by Berwick about this, and with the lady now back home and resting, Richard can resume racing, as he did last night.

Its all in response to one or two very very smug Poole fans telling everyone before the season started how Poole were so much better than everyone else and would win the league easily. Sensible Poole fans knew not to get carried away as last season the same numptys said the same things only to get egg on their face. Poole can still turn it around.........but if you are going to dish out rubbish before a wheel is turned you have to expect a bit back when it goes wrong

From the Save Coventry Speedway website. http://www.savecoventryspeedway.com/ THE latest show of support for the campaign to bring speedway and stock car racing back to Brandon has come direct from Westminster.A group of eleven Members of Parliament/House of Lords have submitted a joint letter to Rugby Borough Council, urging rejection of the Brandon Estates planning application.This speculative application, on a site which is not part of the Rugby Local Plan, seeks to destroy decades of sporting heritage and includes no satisfactory provision for the two popular family sports to be relocated elsewhere in the area.The letter not only calls on the Council to reject the application; it also urges them to support efforts to bring the sports back to Brandon.It is signed by a number of local MPs as well as others who have shown solidarity with the unacceptable position all fans of motorsports at Coventry have been placed in, and has been brought about thanks to speedway’s All Party Parliamentary Group.The Campaign Group would like to sincerely thank all of the MPs and Lords who have taken such an interest in our fight, and who have signed the letter, and especially Mark Pawsey and his office for co-ordinating this response.

Harris never seems to blame himself it's always his bike or something else he's been around long enough now to work set ups out

If Lakeside had put out an accurate statement to start off with, none of this would have taken place.

Be madness to replace Schlein, even with Lindgren. Schlein is always consistent and very reliable. If Wolverhampton wants Lindgren back in it would have to be Thorsell that goes. Schlein adds so much more to the team than just being a rider scoring points. He puts his heart and soul into every club he represents.

you worry to much bless

I think it changed under Labour by Abbott.

We also pay their wages and forums are for people to express their feelings, whether others agree or not. I think if Chris hadn't reacted as he did, the whole thing would have blown over. If (as he claims) his personal life is put to one side while racing, why does he keep bringing it up? Anyway, hopefully he'll be back on form and things are forgotten.

I was at Wolverhampton a few weeks back and Scott struggled for set up also that night. You listen to riders during the gp's and even if unbeaten they want to tinker with something, I have little knowledge on how to set a speedway bike up but with the different size tracks, differently prepared tracks and riding style and even temperature i don't think its as easy as we would like to think it is. I don't agree with all of Bombers comments, i think riders do go through bad spells and when you can't start for toffee on a consistent basis you have got to have good equipment or equipment that's working well. KK looked unstoppable in some races and then others he just wasn't on it and that's another case of man and machine not being right. These bikes are not what they were 15-20 years ago, they look ready to launch one way or another and as much as we close our eyes i think anybody who rides one deserves the upmost respect, themselves or somebody else can finish their career or worse in an instant and it is worth remembering that we go home safe and we want all riders to do the same.

Ludvig Lindgren is flying away from home at the minute!!!

its not lakesides thing to inform other people of private lives of riders .

Maybe Lawson wanted to keep the matter private.

A few weeks ago Bomber was urging Coventry fans to boycott going to see them ride at Leicester. For the old fans who went to see him last night many would think that he would have trouble getting into the N l Bees team any way! He's been going downhill for more years than most. Perhaps now , after this pathetic performance he will keep his comments to himself. The Bees are fine without him!

If Kennett had started as badly as Harris then the knives would be out. There is no excuse for a number one to score a big fat zero. The same with Stuart Robson who hasn’t been go particularly well so far and is now injured. Sadly we can’t hang around for Robson and he should be replaced now. But of course if your face fit at Rye you will be ok. Made me laugh that some are calling for Freddie Lindgren when the promotion won’t fork out for race jackets let alone Kevlars. Sad state of affairs that the stadium is far worse now than under Len Silver with the club in the wrong league on a race night no one wants. Only one way this is going to end. And Leicester fans thought their past situation was bad

You and Scotty Fan need to have a catch up, you’d chat for hours about how bad Poole Pirates are. Its the 1st May, calm the chuff down!

Stal Gorzow - Unia Tarnow https://www.cda.pl/video/223378504?wersja=720p Wlokniarz Czestochowa - Sparta Wroclaw https://www.cda.pl/video/222941677?wersja=720p Apator Torun - GKM Grudziadz https://www.cda.pl/video/2229014e4?wersja=720p Unia Leszno - Falubaz ZG https://www.cda.pl/video/22251112b

Buxton have done a lot for British Speedway, I take my hat of to them.

As BSI named the World Cup winners award " The Ove Fundin trophy" I wonder if any other forum members think that it would an idea if they named the overall Grand Prix winner's trophy after the late great Ivan Mauger, any thoughts

I’m putting together some stats on Ivan Mauger’s remarkable 1969 season with Belle Vue, when he was almost unbeatable in races that he completed. I’m trying to get to the bottom of the five exclusions he suffered during the course of that season. According to the brilliant Speedway Researcher website: April 18: Hackney (A) Heat 11: Chris Pusey, Jimmy Gooch, Des Lukehurst, Norman Nevitt (fell), MAUGER (tapes) May 9: Glasgow (A) Heat 9: Oyvind Berg, Tommy Roper, Russ Dent, Eric Broadbelt, MAUGER (tapes) July 29: Leicester (A) Heat 11: 11: John Boulger, Chris Pusey, Malcolm Brown, Bill Powell, MAUGER (tapes) August 26: West Ham (A) Heat 1: Ken McKinlay, Steve Waplington, Eric Broadbelt, Stan Stevens, MAUGER (tapes) September 27: Wolverhampton (H) Excluded from Heat 1 (2 mins) However, according to a Peter Oakes article in Speedway Star in 2003, Mauger was excluded for tapes infringements against Hackney, West Ham and Wolverhampton. No mention of either Glasgow or Leicester. Speedway Star did not include tapes or two-minute exclusions in their heat details in 1969. Is anyone able to clarify the nature of Ivan’s exclusions from these 1969 meetings? It would be great if someone had original marked programmes. Thanks for any help that can be given.

If it exists, it would be in the rules.

Thats not good, do you think he's been riding them too fast ??? one of them was 'back-firing' the other day, and me dog ended up hiding in the shower,,, he was really upset and a don't think he'll ever get over it, a had to take him home :(

WKD,,, you could be right and Lindgren could have a spell at reserve,,, but of the 6 riders we have at present, Lindgren will end the season on a higher average than Robbo, Wethers, Wilko and Tero. I am open to a wager on it

Shambolic, you seem surprised.

Wells is the guest.

You may say watered down product but from what I see in Poland our racing is more exciting. Maybe small tracks are better. Unfortunately we don’t get their crowds that appear to be more ‘football’ than motorsport.

To prevent sudden large changes in CL averages the Rolling Average matches reduces gradually (to 20) during this season. Last season's Green Sheets were based on up to 36 matches. To drop to 20 immediately would have wiped out almost half a season's stats. May's RA is based on 30 matches and the figure will reduce by 2 matches each month.

You don't honestly believe this do you? There were plenty who didn't agree with certain aspects of how the club and how certain riders performed and would post saying as much when we were in the Premier League. The bit in bold is bonkers. The club earns money through fans attending meetings. Granted every penny of Rider X's wages isn't paid directly by one fan but, newsflash, no fans = no money = no wages for the riders. Or even more bluntly, no fans = no speedway. It isn't a pathetic excuse, it is the truth. It isn't the fault of fans that Speedway is in the state it is in either, so if promotions are having to subsidise their riders from their own, non-speedway cashflow, who should they be looking at to find a reason as to why they're having to do so? That is sport wide, not just in relation to Rye. In fairness to our promotion, the seeds for the state the sport is now in were sown many years before they were even involved in the sport. Your definition of being a supporter is incredibly off the mark. Fans should have patience, yes, but they also have a right to comment on things, otherwise what is the point of a forum? Calls to sack riders may not help, but they also shouldn't hinder when they are in a place that frankly, a rider should not be looking if he doesn't want to see criticism directed towards his performances. It doesn't make people unintelligent if their opinion and yours are different.

A very well-balanced post, Gavan.

I like Chris Harris alot but this is just plain ridiculous. Concentrate on sorting your mechanical issues AGAIN and ignore what fans put on social media. There are no "keyboard warriors" as he states. Just passionate fans letting out there frustration on a poor start to the year

Back in the day of Michael Lee and Terry Betts and that old wooden stadium we had at Saddlebow Road, there were a group of 22 people who religiously brought their Grandstand tickets for the seated areas next to the pit gate, entering the first bend. This group of people attended every Lynn meeting for years and frequently away meetings as well. Where ever the Stars raced that group was represented every time. Everyone was on first name terms, and bantered with each other over their favourite rider. Such was the closeness of that group of people Christmas and birthday cards were and are always sent . The point I'm making, These cards are still sent and it is through them that contact is still there. Through these cards, last Christmas I actually questioned those about their once devotion of speedway and asked their feeling now. I except most have moved on and are now considerably older, but some of them still watch when its on the tele, Quite a few had visited Lynn and didn't like what they saw, Some said their weren't enough races , other said there was no excitement, but all said it cost way too much for them to be interested. Of them 22 people, 4 have since past away, 8 watched it on the television, and 4 more said they read about when possible. Of those one still purchased the SS to keep abreast of the news . Which meant I am the only one remaining that continues to go and support the Kings Lynn Stars... How many other clubs can say of similar occurrence.... The big question here is: If the sport cannot tempt those fans, who once had a devotion , to attend now, What chance has it of attracting new fans who know nothing about the sport..

Correct, again. Supplementary Regulation to be issued shortly.

It was a problem that irritated fans when doubling up riders were missing to ride for their other team but that problem has largely been eradicated by the fixed nights. Fans are more concerned about being able to identify with their riders and a lack of continuity is a bigger reason for fans to lose interest than being concerned about doubling up. I think that most Belle Vue fans see Bewley riding for Workington or, Fricke riding in Poland, as something that will help make them better riders but that in no way makes them any less Belle Vue riders.

I didn't realise Steve. I don't look at the rule book. It's hard enough working out what feet to put my shoes on in the mornings

Let no one challenge Chris Harris's commitment to riding his Speedway bike either for himself or his teams, club and country!

This is from Dave Goddards Twitter feed last Thursday. Right, as I've had people asking for months about the live Speedway coverage on Premier Sports/Freesports, I think it's finally time to respond. The reason I have not been commentating on the live Polish League meetings so far this year is because, due to them now being covered live, I am unable to travel to the studio and commentate due to my various car racing commitments. Therefore a new commentator has had to be brought in to cover them, and he is learning the job as he goes as he is new to speedway. I will however be covering the Swedish Elitserien live on Tuesday evenings this summer, beginning on May 8th (my birthday) and when the new commentator is not available will cover some of the Polish matches delayed. So international speedway has not lost my services!

That struck me as soon as I read it. I don't know what was written on any other forums but you do have to be prepared to accept criticism, it's often a result of bitter disappointment from the sender. A few double figure scores from Chris would be widely welcomed I should think, otherwise he might need to don his tin hat!

You look at Poole's website,it makes you laugh because they are trying to paint a better picture of the league table.It has Poole in 5th.Strange as they have the same points as Lynn and Somerset but an inferior points difference.

It's time we start using r/r or get a permanent rider in. Eric Riss would be decent. But so would wozniak

An entertaining and enjoyable meeting with some very good racing and both teams deserved the league points they gained. Bewley continued his remarkable form, 14 paid 16 from 6 rides, Drozdz looked fast and impressive in his race one win but then had mechanical problems but was still on the pace and Tungate showed he has got over his early season problems. Bjerre had a night to forget but everyone else put in a solid performance. For Somerset, Doyle and Holder were outstanding and Jeppersen was impressive on his NSS debut. Wright, normally good at Belle Vue, had a night to forget. Good to see that a few Rebels fans made the journey to support their team..

This is the main reason for the decline of the sport in the UK (in my opinion). Seriously, would you have seen Kings Lynn as 'your team' back in the day if Terry Betts had ridden for Peterborough the following night and Malcolm Simmons was representing Ipswich the following day?

I'd suggest you take that up with Lakeside, as oppose to Somerset.

The official reason for Lawson and Howarth missing recent meetings were Howarth -" Speedway injury (bruised thigh) supported by medical certificate" Lawson - "Family commitment (Management Committee approved)"

I thought the idea was riders to improve their average not drop them! So no he isn't doing ok.

I forgot Starman needs the full explanation!

Pleased you enjoyed it as the dad of one of the Berwick lads can’t tell you how much he enjoys being part of the club and the support he’s given by those who stay behind.

It appears that way but I would have thought that having a league of second tier riders dedicated to riding in the UK would only accelerate that regression. If this was the solution wouldn't the Championship clubs would be doing a lot better than they are?

You enjoyed the trip and the scenery? Good God. If you're an example of the tiny remnant of speedway's extant fan base, no wonder the sport's clubs get away with treating their few remaining customers so badly. You're either pathologically supine or a sandwich short of a picnic. I wouldn't care to hazard which.

From the official Newcastle Diamonds website: " Team building for the Newcastle "Boiler Technical Services" Diamonds over the latter part of the winter came in for a bit of a bashing it has to be aid, but the managerial plan seems to be falling into place." I suspect we need to go back to the drawing board. Might be the rather embarassing situation where the no 7 ends up being no 1 after the first official averages come into effect.