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think there could be a couple of clubs changing riders before the season starts if there riders can’t make it over here

Has it happened anywhere in any other sport.................................just asking.

Thanks for the link, Grachan. It looks perfectly ok to me. It just looks like a great move by Gundersen - and I think we should remember that Gundersen always figures in discussions about the greatest riders of all time and this sort of move is why.

Just had a look here: 1985 - Speedway Individual World Final - Bradford (Great Britain) - Erik Gundersen (Denmark) - YouTube Hans Neilsen uses a similar line in heat 10 to pass Jan Andersson (36:30). I remember at the time I very much wanted Neilsen to win and when Erik passed King and Moran I got the hump because he was just copying Hans! The Gundersen race is at 1:03:00. First of all, King passes Gundersen early in the race. Why would he do that if he was chucking the race for Erik to win? It looks to me like King moves in because he is trying to pass Moran and wants to clamp him down, which gives Erik a clear run round the outside. Any idea that King threw the race looks like nonsense to me. I reckon Sam just got the hump because it gave him less chance of winning.

On track at Leicester yesterday

YOU make some good comments and we will take them on board. NewsTeam can only grow, let alone survive, if their delivery promises are fulfilled and the more publications they can handle, newspapers or periodicals, the more viable and profitable it becomes. We have to keep this in perspective (over 1800 delivered successfully last Thursday) but even one non-delivery is one too much. I would add that NewsTeam executives are working hard to resolve any issues but as long as the number staying with Royal Mail stays as it is we can swallow that. However, there are still a considerable number that at present cannot be delivered by NewsTeam and our hope is that as they expand that number will come down.

He's booked in for a chat with Cameron and Hancock so all safety aspects can be ignored

Just watch the race. There is no way they are chucking that race. Moran gets a flyer, nearly breaking tapes. Why do that if he's been paid off? King goes round Gundersen on the second bend. Why? Gundersen was a great starter. All they had to do was let him gate and Gundersen would have been gone. Watch the race. Forget Gundersen and watch King and Moran. They are flat out racing each other. If you met a guy who was in the pits and he said they were paid off he was probably told it by Sam Ermolenko!

Howarth,Proctor and Bates can be pretty hit or miss.Consistency are not their strong point IMO.

Not anti Godfrey comment at all, just pointing out a hypocritical comment on throwing money at one rider but not at another.

Hi guys, not posted on here for years. However i look at comments from time to time. Their is an interesting interview with Lance on youtube, from this year. He basically admits he wasn't exactly disappointed Erik won that race. Tbh it looks pretty obvious he clamps Shawn down on the inside going into the 4th bend. Don't get me wrong Gunder was a terrific rider and deserved it on the day, but he definitely got some help. It's well documented Sam and Lance didn't get on. Anyway I'm off, see you all in another 10 years lol!!!!Well worth watching that interview, you might just change your opinions.

But you want him to pay above the odds to get a rider who said he wasn’t interested in coming over ? That would be a fine example for the Chairmen to set when he’s telling everybody else to cut costs.

Yeah exactly so unlikely that Rob or any other promoter would want to have to put something towards his equipment

Off- and it`s 8 heats in Poland to call a result( 12 in play-offs)

Jake would not have to wait too long to get a premiership place, surely they can pay him a bit extra until he gets his double up spot.

1988 Intercontinental Final in Vetlanda. Gundersen let Ivarsson by in his last race to set up a run off for 2nd with Nielsen and Jonsson. Winning the run off got you race number 9 in the final. Finishing second got number 1. Coming off the last bend Nielsen slowed dramatically, Gundersen reacted and also slowed so that Nielsen just crossed the line first. I thought I had seen this race on YouTube before but can't find it now...Heat 17 where Gundersen sets up the run off is there, but I can't find the run off

Rumours that greyhounds are returning.

As part of the fundraising for the new junior track the Edinburgh Monarchs 100 fundraising club are hosting an auction this Sunday off various parts of speedway memorabilia (and some boxing and bay city rollers stuff also) As you would expect it is predominantly Monarchs stuff that is up for grabs but there are some other interesting items including a Les Collins signed Great Britain race jacket, Alun Rossiter testimonial race jacket and Krzysztof Kasprzak testimonial race jacket among others Full details of all items and how to bid it join can be found here https://www.edinburghmonarchs.co.uk/monarchs100-auction

Again, I just can't buy that. Regardless of whether some bloke on a terracing said it or not. Too much happened in the race and too many risks were taken for it to be anything but legit. Plus Gundersen's fist pumping celebration at the race conclusion is not that of a man who knew the race was in his pocket already.

Very interesting that this has been brought up as never heard anyone say it in public before but never been able to get it out of my head that it was fixed. This was because at the time me & my Mum stood at Halifax with a guy quite well connected in Speedway and at the evening meeting against Belle Vue he told us that he was in the pits at Odsal and that Gundo had paid off Moran & King for that race. I was only 12 at the time but it’s just one of those things that I remember like it was yesterday and that has always stuck in my mind. Absolutely no idea if it’s true or not but every time I see the race or see someone praising Gundo, I always think back to what I was told!!!!! Very interesting

Thanks Steve. Hasn't changed my mind though. I think Ermolenko is hinting at something that's without merit there. As an add on, King was so put out on being dropped by Cradley after 1984 in favour of Erik (due to averages) that he missed the UK altogether...and never went back to Dudley Wood. I don't think he was out for doing Erik or Cradley any favours in 85.

Year it was good to see Harris pushing ( not too hard young Jordan ) as they will be probably paird together in heat 4 for Peterborough

Seems quite possible it is the same rider Looking at the link with Hastings, I can find a 'Bud' Flanagan riding on 17th May 1948 at Hastings. Then a Pat Flanagan is riding for Hastings in Ireland on 11th July that year https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/hastings1948.pdf

Don't leave it to late i believe season ticket sales have gone well and tickets for the 2 opening fixtures are selling well.

Unless Klindt gets stuck in Poland....

Financial suicide if the admission prices do go up from 2019 rates if anything with a much lower standard of teams strength they should go down if anything - but in 50 years of following the sport I can’t recall that ever happening .

Interesting. Not a theory I've heard before. I'd question whether it has much credibility. If King wanted to stay out of Erik's way, then he wouldn't have passed him on the first bend. I can't buy into the idea that it was fixed. It's a some fix if the script was for Moran to outgate Gundersen, King to pass him on the turn, team ride him out with Moran on the inside and King on the outside, then let him get past them both. I think that's a stretch. For me, there was a minor error on King's part and Gundersen took advantage with a brilliant bit of opportunism. I think it's one of THE great world final rides. Only Gundersen, Nielsen, Ermolenko and Niemi seemed to have the track properly weighed up that afternoon.

I thought it was me, so that makes me feel better! With regard to Steve's comment, I had a problem like that when I turned 30; ten years ago, I was a sprightly 20-year-old, and and ten years time, I'll be an ancient 40! Now I'm 58, I'm positively crapping myself... It's not just speedway that ages me, but music too. When I was a teenager, the Beatles were "oldies" to me. Now, I think of OMD as recent...

I often make that comparison too. When something comes on telly that I remember etc., I think to myself what was that number of years before the event. It is quite frightening at times.

£15 for National League. Steep imo

The great man is 50 today- birthday wishes.

I find the threads about the not-so-great (and often forgotten) riders the most interesting of all - and heaven knows, there were enough of 'em in the 80's!

The main thing for me is he manages to help both clubs, we know speedway is in a precarious position in the UK, clubs need all the help they can get. Rob Lyon and Peter Schroek will make sure the teams are fired up to win against each other and every other team, the stuff that goes on behind the scenes is just that "behind the scenes". Don't get me wrong I totally and utterly appreciate Knighty for his work to help the clubs but on race day it's our riders, our team manager and us!!!!