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That was flippin' awesome. Loved every second and well done Lublin.

Jesus the sarnie police on patrol... ya can't even get a bacon banjo with a cuppa these days without getting rumbled... av got to keep the figure up somehow... after all "man can not live on beer alone" I know as I've tried Regards THJ

Best rider on the PLANET right now

Aye just one bacon banjo with mushrooms but back in the day when I was training five days a week and playing on a Saturday I used to double up on the savaloy dips on a weekday lunchtime... couldn't eat or drink enough back then... 14.10 and was under weight and nothing I done put the weight on... A small waffierr mint sir.... certainly wouldn't push me over the edge not then and not now... but if a could get down to somewhere near my fighting weight again would be nice... infact somewhere near the 16 stone mark but with various injuries and niggles I don't have the wherewithal the commitment or the will power to put in the graft required to get somewhere back into shape... Plus I like drinking eating to much and the socialising that goes with it to give a flying fig these days... you can't live forever and I'm happy with my lot... And on that note I'm now off out for several pints and a nose bag... Go on fatty... get in... yeah... Regards THJ

Wimbledon was opened in 1928 and ran until the team was moved to Eastbourne before it returned in the Conference league for a short time. Nice new stadium being built so all that needs to happen is to get AFC Wimbledon to move out!

Question mark remains for me on Holders temperament. Good in a good side when everything is going well.... when the going gets tough, Holder tends to lose the plot. Lambert however seems to be made of sterner stuff.

Sorry but there was lots of social distancing. I suppose you personally know all the groups of friends and relatives that can legitimately stand together? A good proportion of supporters (presumably more at risk folk ) were also wearing masks. Certain clubs are trying hard to give supporters some form of Speedway, give them credit ,rather than just knocking their efforts.

Hope it's slimming world takeaway & you will be as slim as me 1 day in the distance future ha

Not true.

It is something I had pointed out some years ago. The more riders are used around the less chance others have. But is it also the result of less riders coming into the sport. Whatever, the end looks bad for the future

Tough guys, that's speedway !

All 3 of my local tracks have been defunct for a spell after the initial first time ever of opening up! Ipswich had a chequered, struggling history in the 60's and it looked like Foxhall was lost completely to speedway in the late 60's when the original track was tarmaced for car racing. In 1969, John Berry and Joe Thurley as legend says, climbed the perimeter fence, surveyed the vast Foxhall arena and came up with the idea of carving a new track inside! - Since 1969 Ipswich speedway have been ever presents in League speedway and can probably claim to be one of the most stable tracks still operating! King's Lynn shut in 1996 while major improvements were made to what was at the time a crumbling stadium that had been possibly earmarked for the site of another warehouse. Nowadays the Norfolk arena has been improved with decent facilities and is a popular venue for speedway and stock cars. Mildenhall first shut in 1989, remerging in the 2nd half of 1991 with a new track and concrete terracing on the 1st and 2nd bends. A mid season 2nd Division closure followed in 1992 before a successful 3rd Division revival began in 1994. Another mid season closure occurred in 2010 but since then they have been a well supported Sunday afternoon speedway outfit. Other places like Wolves, Berwick, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Sheffield, Birmingham, Poole, Plymouth, Scunthorpe, Leicester and others have reopened at either their former venues or new venues after spells of no inactivity! So to answer your question Yes it does happen but obviously its hard to restart again especially in modern times with modest crowds and huge construction and land expenses. Lets hope that places like Coventry, Oxford, Bradford, Rye House, Cradley, Southampton, Norwich, Arena Essex, Stoke, Buxton, Newport, Exeter, Bristol, Workington, Hull and others can at some point stage speedway again!

Totally agree with Bagpuss. You have to remember that Lambert is 2 years younger than Holder. Where was Holder at Ekstraliga level 2 years ago? Holder also has had the benefit of some "easy" races for a bit of a confidence boost in the lower Polish league this year. Don't get me wrong, I've been impressed with Holder's efforts in the Ekstraliga this year, but I don't think a straight comparison with Lambert is fair right now.

Does it matter? The boys are committed to doing their best and not like footballers will do anything for success. Think its people like you who think it must be free Success is not free and demands dedication Poor call, ring your neck

Holder has been excellent this year for Gorzow but it should be remembered he is a couple of years older than Lambert Which is pretty significant for younger riders IMO (ie 25 and under). Robert was sensational up to winning the SEC including his starting but it seems he has gone off the boil a little since then....maybe the SEC was his main focus and winning it has taken its toll on him mentally. Can’t be easy riding in a poor team every week either. Rather than picking too many bones out of his performance tonight I’d say scoring ten away from home in Poland is pretty good for a young Brit against much more experienced riders. It’s commonplace for good riders to get blown away in the extraliga here and there so I wouldn’t dwell on it too much if I were him.

Your avtar is one of Hull Vikings. Slavery was an important part of the Norse economy I those times. Similarly, are we going to ban Poole Pirates because the Barbary Pirates were slave traders ? How far are these analogies going to go ?These are Speedway teams for goodness sake not political rallies. People’s political , religious or racial outlooks are not governed by which speedway team they support.

I doubt it. Adam is 24 and these days most riders peak between 26 and 32. The number peaking before that (Batchelor, Karol Zabik, Ed Kennett) is small. I fully expect Ellis to continue improving for another 3-4 years and under the circumstances his seeding seems justified. He's not ready for the GP series yet, but in three years he just might be and the Challenge will be good experience for him.

But this is 2020 no league at at all it’s a meeting to keep speedway in the spotlight

Yeah I particularly enjoyed the pairs (Peterborough seemed to have an unfair advantage in the fours.) Saying that Hackney hosted the pairs in 84/85/86 and 89 and never won. Ironically we won in 1990 when it was at Glasgow, which was a bit too far for me..So I bought the video

You've missed the point. I'm assuming the rules will be similar. In which case Vissing doesn't get a Visa because he hasn't reached the Danish Championship Final. Smetana is currently fourth in the 'erzatsz' Czech Championship, and that might be enough. Skorja will be in top 3 of Slovenian Champ (unless something very odd happens) so ought to qualify for a Visa.

Hey hang on there. Yeatesy made it to the Overseas Final on merit. The conditions were the same for everyone on the night. He just coped with those conditions better than others. Another thing to remember is that he did it at a time when there were still about 16 teams in the top division so there were a lot more top league riders competing than in later years. At the Overseas Final he got a decent second place in his first ride but then found things things a bit too tough. Not unlike at least some riders in every qualifying round there has ever been. I would agree that Martin was a very good NL rider who didn’t make a consistent splash in the BL but like a lot of competitors in a lot of sports he had his moments and it is not really fair to pt down one of the highlights of his career. Not many people can say they finished 4th (or 5th) in a British Championship.

Don t think ward was overrated at all he was a bloody good rider . Speedway is a lot worse off not having him in there now battling away with the likes of woffy smarzlik madsen and all the gp riders

Bartosz is just having a good run. A bit like Woffinden a few years ago. Emil is more talented though.

Will Madsen do his sneak into the final and win it routine

Makes no difference in this meeting. No passing after the back straight of lap one.

Bit back to normal for me tonight, a couple of ciders and some scran from the toxic takeaway, all good so far

Bit of a borefest. Racing takes place over the first and second bend and all over by the third.

Haha.

Bartosz certainly entertains,Janowski is a bit of an enigma could easily be a World Champ at times.

Grigory Laguta E/w for me.

It will be match between the Czech and the Latvians. Two very evenly balanced sides.

Newcastle have re-opened more times than Katie Price's legs

I would think Newcastle would fall into this category. It closed and reopened a few times, over the years, all at Brough Park

Good ride from Anders Rowe in heat 9

I think it's difficult to assess between J.Holder & Lambert in the Exstraliga. Jack has a consistent position in the team whereas Lambert being No8 gets dumped into all the tougher heats because Rybnik are so so bad as a team. Next season should be a good comparison as I can't see Lambert & Holder not getting in an Exstraliga team's 7. For the record, Jack is 2 years older at 24 so should actually be a bit further on than he is in his career.

I don`t know the rules- they are partner clubs which has something to do with it but it`s definitely not right and needs addressing, and this has nothing to do with this seasons Covid rules. Maybe it should be restricted to Polish U 21 at the most.

Bet it wasn't just the 1 sarnie

Not being run on that basis as matches are at amateur (ndl or below) level. Pilot will be at professional PL/CL level. Only track authorised by BSPL - whose Chairman is????

And still is, the Germans just turned it around and pointed it the other way

Result from Czech Republic 1. Dennis Fazekas (Hungary) - 1, 1, R, 1, NS = 32. Drew Kemp (GB) - 3, 2, 1, 3, 3 = 123. Kacper Lobodzinski (Poland) - 0, 1, 0, 0, 1 = 24. Esben Hjerrild (Denmark) - 2, 3, 2, 3, 2 = 125. Petr Chlupac (Czech Republic) - 2, 3, 2, 2, 3 = 126. Mika Meijer (Netherlands) - 1, 0, 2, 0, 2 = 57. Mario Niedermeier (Germany) - F, X, 0, 0, 0 = 08. Steven Goret (France) - 3, 1, 1, 2, 1 = 89. Ricards Ansviesulis (Latvia) - 2, 2, 3, 2, 2 = 1110. Ben Ernst (Germany) - 1, 1, 3, 3, 0 = 811. Daniel Silhan (Czech Republic) - 0, 0, 1, 0, 0 = 112. Ernests Matjusonoks (Latvia) - 3, 2, 3, 3, 3 = 1413. Jason Edwards (GB) - 0, FX, 1, 1, 0 = 214. Daniel Klima (Czech Republic) - 3, 3, 2, 2, 1 = 1115. Jordan Palin (GB) - 2, 3, 0, 1, 3 = 916. Leon Flint (GB) - 1, 0, 3, 1, 1 = 6

Good to know he's not too bad. I feared the worst after he hit that lamp standard. A little confused by the report saying he should not touch a toad is toad touching a thing in Sweden? I'm sure it got lost in translation

Another country mile win for Kemp in 18

Didn't all the great promoters of the past treat every meeting like a one off event. If you can't big up the product you are trying to sell, what chance do you have. As an IOW regular, i would say that Barry's communication skills go down well with the punters. Keeping the fans involved is a big plus, especially when I'm making a mad dash for the 21.47 ferry. I always remember Johnnie Hoksins greeting every fan as he passed through the turnstiles at Canterbury. That's what you call customer care!

Indeed. The connotations in the west have changed however since the Nazi party picked it up. I think the main issue here is more people getting offended on behalf of other people than anything else. Somerset made a smart business move because some people will be offended or complain about it because they need to have something to complain about. Whatever way you want to look at it they’ve saved themselves potential criticism and a headache.

As I’ve said elsewhere, a big issue here is that we insist on running the leagues to a higher standard than the riders that are available. If we cut cloth to measure people would complain that the product is being “watered down.” The other excuse is that there “aren’t enough riders.” There are enough riders, just not enough willing to ride here who are of the unrealistic standard British Speedway is trying to run at. Look at the top tier teams due to race this season. Realistically I would say there are five riders we would definitely lose from that league should we cut our cloth to measure. Ironically they’re five who don’t need to double down to make the sport pay, Doyle, Pedersen, Iversen, B. Kurtz and Kildemand. The main issue I guess is that landlords are still going to want the same rent from their tenants whether the sport is part time or not. However without so much money going out on wages it wouldn’t be an insurmountable hurdle. The die hards will attend whatever is served up. They’re pretty much all we have left in terms of boots on the ground in stadiums anyway, so to suggest a league of a more realistic standard wouldn’t work due to fan numbers is a lazy excuse. It wouldn’t be that hard to reset Speedway on a better path here but nobody is seemingly interested in doing so. To do so we need to take a step back, instead we keep trying to build a palace on the sand. But at least each Premiership track would have got to see Nicki Pedersen twice across the year eh.

Speedway in years gone by had personalities and rivalries and these characters and behaviours have long since been banned by the the current establishment. Take a look through the history of the local derbies and for example the shenanigans that took place between Rayleigh, Eastbourne and Canterbury and then throw in the big fuel debate between Rayleigh and Eastbourne, leaping Len entertaining from the Centre Green, Johnnie Hoskins, Dave Lanning kicking verbal wotsit out of each other plus the Romford Bombers in the Essex Gold cup and speedway had a great mix of rivalry with some entertainment thrown into the mix. The same scenario applied to other teams around the country. You had riders who were personalities with the likes of Arthur Price, the Kennett brothers, Ted Hubbard, Brian Foote, Lou Swanson, Peter Moore, and these were in the lower divisions. Move up a league and you had the greats such as Olsen, Mauger, Briggs, etc to name but a few. In the second division added those at number six and seven who were invariably ex grass track and starting off were probably the equivalent standard of riders plying their trade at the IOW and Mildenhall. The sport was entertaining albeit the racing was no more spectacular but these were guys using effectively standard bikes or the track spare who honed their riding skills. Now you have a sanitised watered down form of entertainment that is no longer a raw sport where you support the guy next door who was giving it a go. Today you have the gate and go merchant who throws more money at the equipment then that are likely to earn hence the need for sponsors and treats the punter with contempt, most have zero in terms of personality, little in the way of team rivalry and the belief that as a sport it owes them a living. Professional some may be but as entertainers few make the grade until you move down to the third tier where the riders are willing to give it a go irrespective of the conditions and most of them do it because they want to prove themselves and enjoy riding. Without sponsors those in the upper echelons cannot make a living and is financially unviable hence the sport is now at a crossroads in this country. The third tier will be here long after some of the others have fallen by the wayside.

Regards your first paragraph... you should really read some reviews or attend it.... our presentation is good for speedway and is objectively good. Track Staff are smart - all dressed the same thanks to our sponsors Sydenhams. Are they polite.... read ANYWHERE about the welcome people are given on the Island and you will read just how polite, welcoming, helpful, engaging, interpersonal all our staff are - you see we view every person as equally as important as the next... who do you view the most important person on race day...? Actually for me there are 2 The carpark team (our carpark is free so they are purely there to welcome and direct) and then the team on the gate... why because they are the first people anyone who comes meets... if they are smart, polite, trained, and knowledgable its the right start... then also its what a visitor takes away with them... the thrill of the last heat, great food at the right price, seeing the kids on the track in the running race or our riders signing tareoffs to give away at halftime... is it their visit to the pits, the drink in the bar, our clean toilets or using our baby changing facility, maybe it was the visit to the centre green, or the old boys on the JAPs after the meeting, could be our brilliant programme, or the videos on the TVs in the stand... could be me interviewing as I go live before the meeting starts..or it could be the tractors grading or just perhaps they have really enjoyed their night with us... Sorry I got carried away.. to continue... is it tidy? Oh my we have probably the most beautiful stadium before race day, after race day and any day... it is always clean.. ask anyone who has been every air fence panel (all of which are sponsored by the way) are cleaned for every one of the 20 weekly meetings we stage, the grass is alway on point, our toilets are clean, with flowers most weeks, and painted every off season, our stands are clean, our bins are emptied, our weeds are... oh we dont have weeds in the stands of course, or that main spectator area, or the picnic area, or the pits.. but there are a few where no one goes on race day until they are outgrown by blackberries which we encourage fans to come and pick (wash before you eat them), are we sign posted? Yes we are and we have banners across the island, pop ups in cinemas, and other attractions, can we improve this bit.. of course we can. Is the PA system good.. ,we have a great PA, a two mic presentation (fixed and mobile) but it wasnt always perfect but as soon as it was reported guess what ... it was fixed. Is the parade good... OK our meetings go like this... firstly our MASCOTs are introduced to the crowd..normally 13 every week they go off into the crowd (signing autographs and inspiring others).. then the riders decend through the crowd high fiving the kids on to the track.. the brilliant Rob Dyer introduces them one by one, giving an overview of any recent news about the rider (he knows his stuff) and when the final rider has been introduced do we allow riders to go off... although if we have our second team the Wizards in the main event we have them on parade too to be introduced in front of the crowd... so yep I think its good but we always look to improve. I guess we always try to be different, we know we will be copied, we know we must innovate to maintain our sponsors, we know we have to work hard but the most interesting thing is we are all a team... I am the promoter, toilet cleaner, tractor driver, drain cleaner, painter, joker, receptionist, car part attendant, burger flipper, drink supplier, raker, trainer, confident, accountant, marketing manager, My First Skid coordinator, track watering specialist, roving mic, sponsorship coordinator and anyone of our volunteers could be exactly the same.. they are all equal and all so very important to us.. I think the only difference is that they look to Martin and I for leadership and direction... Our reputation is pretty much known outside the UK too... we staged the first ever NICE meeting - now when I was in Poland I could have lied and said we had gates of 2000, we were loaded we had every possible machine.. but I didnt I told the truth.... when the Poles arrived the night before (from Bydgoszcz) to look at the stadium, I was watering the track - by a hose pipe..... at first they thought I was crazy...then they helped me.... look at the feedback of the riders, fans, NICE management of how we presented the NICE Challenge... no one has done better, no one. As for racing I just dont believe the racing is better... it may be faster but it never better... I dont care if the track record gets broken... what I believe fans want is action, passes, elbows, characters, appreciation from riders, interaction.... not flat out first bend new track record..... we are maybe lucky in that most of our meetings are last 3 heats deciders... and this of course adds to the tension and suspence.... but ask anyone who travels all over and watches all three leagues the entertainment value of the 3rd tier is by far the better... Now i am not saying there are processional races or thrashings of a side... but this is in every league... By the way I really enjoy this type of thread and I learn from it...normally I read more than I comment but for sure we are super proud of our product.

His last meeting last year was the GB / Denmark test. He scored 10, apart from a couple of French league meetings, ( admittedly not very strong although he beat Bomber a few times ) he’s only raced three meetings in the last 10 days, scoring 15, 10+1 & 13+1. And more meetings this Friday and next Tuesday I know he’s my son and therefore I’m biased but who else would you put in who’s getting regular competitive racing at the moment bearing in mind the meeting’s in 10 days time ?

see you next Tuesday