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He hasn't ridden at top form since he broke his back about 18 months ago. I hope he gets back to his best soon.

Poland could do with attracting more followers of 50+ years of age.. Dont seem to have many.. Missing a trick there...

Hope not, it is a blight on the sport, it has already been abused as not used what it was intended for, it will only get more abused as time goes on until it becomes the farce that British speedway is ,hate it , you ride for a team you are that team, it’s tribal and fans understand that

He is in for a very tough year in the GPs. I want him to do very well but can see him struggling to reach finals.

I hope Shovlar was watching Zmarzlik

Bear in mind the Russian names are translations from the Russian script, cyrillic, so there is no official spelling in our alphabet. We convert to how we would spell the names and the Poles their way. Their w is a v sound so what we would call Victor would be Wiktor in Polish, and something looking totally different but sounding pretty much the same n Russian. Going back over the years the English translations have varied. Take Grigori Chlinovsky, aka Grigory Khlinovsky. Likewise Grigori/Grigory/Grigorij Laguta. The problem gets more complex with Latvia where two alphabets are in use, Russian and Latvian so an ethnic Russian's name in his own language may be Andrei Lebedev (check the back of his kevlars) or Andzejs Lebedevs in Latvian! In English we have very few accents over or under letters like the e in cafe. Other languages have many. I don't want to wrestle with the keyboard too much but taking the Antonio Lindback case. The a in Lindback in Swedish has a double dot accent over the a, known in German as an umlaut, making his name phonetically closer to Lindbeck. In English we don't use that accent so we usually add an e to the vowel, hence the occasional use of Lindbaeck. The English alphabet isn't flexible to accommodate all these accents, usually applied to vowels to change their sounds. We compromise, and in so doing often get the pronunciation of foreign names very wrong. A y in Swedish is usually pronounced more like ew or a g like a y. The Poles don't just mess with vowels which is why Lech Walesa's name is pronounced Vawensa and Lodz as Woodz. In both cases the l has a bar across it, changing it to w. How do you cope? Compromise. We convert foreign names to our alphabet as best as we can and the pronunciations accordingly. Other nations do the same. I remember being amused at the 1982 Intercontinental Final at Vetlanda announcer refer to Kelly Moron. Well, he as many things, but not that.... It works in reverse. The Russians don't use the letter h so to get close to that sound they use a mix of x and i. I learned this when I covered ice racing n Russia using a programme obviously written in Russian and with the names similarly treated. It took a while to find Jarmo Hirvasoja..... So, it's all compromise in adjusting from one alphabet to another. Our lack of accents being used with vowels helps make English a tricky language to learn. Just a final one, Google Translate can offer some interesting translations. Dawid/Wiktor Leopard (Lampart) , Rafal Innkeeper (Karczmarz), Pawel Month (Miesiac). Oh and speedway to Zuzel, or .....Slag....... Hope this makes sense.

Anyone who quits the BSF over a difference of opinion, must have very thin skin. I've had plenty of digs aimed at me over the years, and i couldn't give a monkeys. The forum's purpose is to debate, not to agree with everything someone might say, wether that be positive or negative.

I'm sorry but you're totally wrong about hospitals.Once lockdown was announced, all cancer screenings were suspended, routine diagnostic work deferred and only urgent symptomatic cases were seen. All non Covid NHS services were decreased or ceased and staff moved to Covid wards. As I said in my original post we all know that early diagnosis and treatment is essential in beating cancer; what effect do you think stopping screening and diagnostic work had? Back in early July the Health Care Research Hub for Cancer estimated that 7,000 extra people at best, 35.000 at worst will die this year alone due to missed cancer treatments because of lockdown. The 'optimistic' figure was based on the hope that things will return to normal quickly. Sadly this hasn't happened. In my area cancer referrals are still 37% down on this time last year, in fact it's down in every area. I've banged on about cancer a few times over the past few months. I've lost family and friends to it, I'm sure you have to, in fact every single forum member will have lost someone close to them through this horrible illness. We've also all probably had a loved one diagnosed late or tragically, too late which is why screening is essential. Not rocket science, but clearly beyond the wit of this government. The lockdown has been a needless death sentence for thousands of people, killed so they can instead concentrate on a virus that in up to 80% of cases the person doesn't even know he's got it. To hammer home the point, read the attached report from the lancet about excess cancer deaths due to lockdown. Sobering reading. Then look up 'Transmission' in the dictionary. You clearly do not understand what it means. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045(20)30388-0/fulltext

Never been one to take any notice of the usual "could you ride a Speedway bike?" crap that many idiots come out with when their favourite gets criticised, however.. Anyone who throws their leg over a Speedway bike, and races it, definitely can never be regarded as 'gutless'..

Gutless. He's broken more bones than you have brain cells and still takes risks..

There's definitely a shortage of z's in English

Yes it normally is the best, but not today.

Honestly I agree wholeheartedly with Steve Park... Dalbers is one of life's good guys... honourable... genuine and consistent and it's great that the new promotion have recognised his efforts for the Diamonds... Yes others have done good work over the years however even when he was dumped on by one or two others he consistently stood up to be counted he consistently backed the team and his absence although self imposed was due to him not being treat with much respect by a couple of previous promoters who still had the audacity to hold their hands out for his cash as a fellow promoter... and he never once complained or ducked his obligations or responsibilities... Great guy... oh hang on he does have one skeleton in his cupboard.... He's a closet Makem... I know... I've outed him now and it's embarrassing (very embarrassing) but we can surely allow him this one guilty pleasure after all he has done for the Diamonds.. Well done Andy... keep it up and well done to the current promotion for recognising the support provided over the years... well deserved credit... Regards THJ

Anybody else having streaming problems?

Have to have my twopenneth here Keith! Had it not been for Dalbers, the Diamonds wouldn't be still running, it would have closed down years ago, thanks to his financial input. As far as away meeting attendance goes, as you know he works at both Newcastle and Sunderland Dogs, so making it to away meetings is virtually impossible, but he was a frequent visitor to away tracks, especially between the mid-late 90's to mid 2010's, and I should know because I travelled with him most of the time. He and I (and sometimes Dave Fraser) were the only Gems fans at the away meetings with them quite often. I agree others also deserve a mention, but to say "he's done his bit" is, in my opinion, a massive understatement and no I'm "not just saying that, because he's a very good friend."

Is it just me or is this behaviour just beyond bizarre... I genuinely think this guy needs help. Does anybody on this forum actually know BWitcher in person? Because I think you need to carry out an intervention. I can't make up my mind whether he's a bully or mentally ill, maybe a bit of both. PLEASE! this guy needs your help. BWitcher I plead with you, please go see a doctor... when the NHS reopens of course

I thought it was a link for a surf board not a book about a Scunny speedway rider!!!

Smarzlik and Emil are the stand out riders in Poland this year IMo.

That s me mate can't make me mind up lol but as your pushing me I ll go with smarzlik madsen Emil doyle and dudek

But that has been Klindt throughout his career. Very fast from the traps, but generally gets overtaken by the better riders, or if he misses the start, he scores next to nothing. At both Wolverhampton and Workington, where I saw him in different phases of his career, his scorecard would often resemble 3, 0, 3, 0, 3.

And I wouldn't be surprised if they keep the "guest' system next year too as it gives sides greater flexibility and puts pressure on riders to perform.. Obvously it's not the same blight on the sport as our guest system is as its really doubling up which will provide a fair few riders with dual income.. Very good dual income..

I woke suddenly at 4am this morning- rather frightening !!!!! with the thought that teams are not racing each other twice apart from the " derby" rounds 7 and 8 where they meet one team twice !! I can confirm that there are no bonus points for aggregate score in Sweden this season

Bring back Doyle

Woffy's gating has been truly appalling for the past season and a half at least.. Miss gate, then blast around the boards is his regular tactic these days.. Great to watch when it comes off, but against top riders regularly hitting the first turn third or fourth wont deliver much success.. I would suggest he is maybe just still in the Top 10 in the world but not in the very top echelon anymore.. Bikes and talent still good enough, but starting simply miles off..

Also bear in mind that there is no V in polish alphabet.

Done Woffy over 9 so hoping for extra rides lol.

Maniak is ok

Not disagreeing with you Steve and yes I agree that Andrew’s cash has probably helped keep the speedway going at certain times, I just thought to single one person out for praise was in my opinion not correct as how many others over the years have went out looking for sponsorship, worked in all weathers at the track over many winters , held supporters functions etc.. Did that not help keep the speedway open aswell ?

That's my point!

It looks to me that it is more Rob Grant thanking him for his help in getting things done last winter to help him save the Club.

Announcing/commentating isn't as easy as some might think.

Yup... Eriksen certainly wasn't the most popular visitor to Plough Lane in the 80's! Of course, a few years earlier we had a similar situation with Steve Bastable, when Rudy ended up in hospital. Even though he eventually came back, he was never the same.

I agree he has done his bit for Newcastle Speedway over the years but why single him out? In over 40 years of attending why not mention others who have done a lot ( if not more ) to keep Newcastle Speedway going .. Yes maybe his money input has helped but he did disappear off the scene and away from the speedway for a number of years(though he was still having an input) .. How often do you see him at an away meeting ? So yes maybe he deserves a mention but I can think of a lot more who do so also .

I went to what turned out to be the last two meetings at Skegness. Complete dust bowl and barely anybody watching.

I can and I have. You just go on and on and on posting stuff you've found on the web which justifies and 'backs up' your opinion. You're whole agenda is based upon media stories, internet news articles, published numbers on various web sites etc etc. It's not based upon any kind of personal knowledge or expertise. It's like a hobby for you. God knows how much time you spend trawling the web for yet another article you feel is relevant to your OPINION which you can post on here. I would be happy to discuss things with someone who is open to other folks points of view and opinions. However that someone is not you. Good luck with your crusade, the rest of us will spend our precious time (and that's what it is at the moment) doing more constructive things.

Can't be bothered any more, you are a closed obsessed book.

Yes- it`s been reported that Tungate refused to sign as it would have probably been just the 1 meeting- because you cannot guest for more than one team.

Spelling related,Sayfutdinov and Loktaev both end with a W on Polish captions.

Went there a few times in the 80's for stock cars (we had some hols up there). Narrow track, so it may take a bit of work. Of course, if they couldn't get it back when speedway was still "popular", I think it may be a struggle now... In response to old Bob's question, there have been quite a few tracks that have reopened after being out of action for a while. Unfortunately, most have since been flattened. The ones that spring to mind since the mid-60's are the London quartet (Hackney, Wembley, White City, and Wimbledon), Plymouth (Pennycross), and Birmingham (Perry Barr). Berwick (Shielfield Park), Newcastle (Brough Park), and Workington (Derwent Park) all reopened successfully, and although we don't know what will happen with the latter, it is still standing.

Yarmouth and Brafield (Northampton) are both operated by Spedeworth I believe, who also run bangers out of Eastbourne, Ipswich and Mildenhall. Which means there is a working relationship at least potentially, and also surely opening a Speedway track in a venue that already hosts motorsport should make the noise complaints an easier hurdle to cross. Whether the venues would draw a sustainable crowd is another matter altogether.

I'm sure Terry Mussett would agree...

All the riders anyone have mentioned on here are OK in my book.....yes I understand why some of the comments are made. It took many years, like about 60 years for me to dislike one rider and one rider only so much and that is Nicki (not my fault) Pedersen, up to his usual stuff again today. Yes I know I will get the NP lovers saying how nice a person he is and he probably is OFF the track and then they will say he is just a "Hard" rider, whatever that means......Personally I would not use that word! Having said that....he IS box office......I guess that is what Speedway is missing these days!

I know some are using pushbike inner tubes in the front wheels to save that ounce in weight but are they using them in the rear tyres too ? Seems a high amount of punctures this year

Quite decent prospect Kvech mind you I said that about Milik when he was that age

It's nice to have you back. I look forward to a positive post or three from you on the sport.

Forums are for debate Rob. So as fans we should fight because the people we would be fighting for seemingly couldn’t run a piss up in a brewery? It isn’t the job of the fans to save the sport, it is the job of the people running the sport to save the sport. For. The. Fans. No fans, no sport. It amuses me that anyone who doesn’t agree with your opinion is apparently trying to “be clever” and trying to put people off the sport. How about some reasoned debate as opposed to toy throwing.

The fact that people are looking at centre green shenanigans from the likes of Johnnie Hoskins, Dave Lanning and 'Leaping Len' says everything we need to know about the awful state we find ourselves in. This is like 40, 50 years ago. The world has changed, times have changed. The benchmark is other professional sports, other forms of entertainment. I don't know the answer, but it doesn't lie in the past.

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.

The 80's were that last peak and that peak was filled with mostly Americans who were flamboyant and sold the sport and the Danes who were marketable and professional. By the late 80's the rot set in and despite a few positive times that feel-good factor has never returned. The GP formula moved the power outside of the UK and many will still yearn for the old WC format, starting in Australasia early in the calendar year, rounds in dozens of countries culminating in a final in UK, Sweden or Poland. Sky came along, threw previously unseen sums at a cabal of around 10-12 Promoters and they did the drinking equivalent of peeing it up the wall. Paying over inflated sums to average riders from various parts of the Globe, NOTHING was put back in to the grass roots of the sport. The recent move to take Team GB and GB Academy away from the clutches of the BSPA, staffed as it is by a majority who to this day want to stuff their teams with foreign riders at every opportunity, is a positive first step. Woffinden and Lambert now lead the fight back, we can but hope that Ellis and Bewley can join them and then hope that the likes of Brennan, Flint;Rowe and Kemp can step up and attain those levels, behind them the likes of Palin, Edwards, Thompson twins etc. There is a glimmer on the horizon but still the nagging doubt that the idiots at the top table will do everything they can to look after the interests of their own small circle before they look outside the window and see the bigger wider picture. The Sport is ruled by the equivalent of the flat earth society, in complete denial of the real speedway world. Painter, Blackwell, Sinderson, Cotton, Adrian Smith (speedway fans but also successful businessmen prepared to put their hands in their pocket for the sport and not their own ego;s).....let them take over the Sport, run it with independent governance and line promoters in to them, not Godfrey and his cohorts.