Midland Red

I missed the interview on Sky What questions were asked and what answers were given?

Spot on, except that when you say "Sky" you should really say "Sky/GSI"

Zach Wajtknecht is my bet for a future World Champion

The final of Elite League Speedway. In last season's finale, Poole Pirates defeated Coventry Bees. Also in HD. That's what my Sky planner is showing for tonight! 😰

Just seen this which seems to say the same thing!

Thoroughly enjoyed a great meeting, via Eurosport 7pm programme - top, top racing Was this enjoyment enhanced by the fact that they showed the heats (with replays) and we didn't have to put up with the interminable gaps between heats, between reruns, between track grading? My point is, I have always favoured Sky moving from live televising of league meetings, to a highlights or weekly magazine-type broadcast, and I think last evening shows how much better the sport comes across, how much more enjoyable it is, when the woffle-filled gaps are nowhere to be seen Any newbie watching last night would have been greatly impressed with our wonderful sport, the way it was presented I also agree with the comment that the absence of Mr Jaye was most welcome (I often wonder what Scott really thinks about him!)

English translation???

I thought the feelings were only running high over the involvement of GSI, also their statement, and the inaction of Peter Clarke As stated elsewhere, I see no blame attributable to either Poole or Coventry, riders or officials Let's hope for a class meeting between two top outfits, and for good weather to allow for track preparation and racing standard of high quality And for all riders to stay safe

You seem to be ignoring the comparative standard of riders at the two events - the SWC would have produced a great meeting at Brandon, and some of NL riders would have fallen at Vojens

John Jørgensen?

You mean Olsen's staff, clueless? Wonder where they get that from? Would do if I knew how!

Bad idea! The engine will then go 'snap, crackle and pop'!

This has nothing to do with Poole or Bees or any other specific team - it is about overall fairness and common sense I have never agreed with the present rules, even when Bees have picked up heat 10 cut-off points or Poole or any other team have lost out Couldn't give a fig who is involved - let's get the bloomin' thing right!

Is the Bees/Poole meeting going to be rerun, then, next year at the new stadium in Manchester?

I cannot believe that you continue to make this comment, despite others trying to have explained it to you - so I'll try Coventry, assuming they make the play-offs, will not generate from that achievement any extra funds/profit to recover the losses they clearly made over the debacle of the Poole/Sky meeting If the weather had been good, and the attendance on that night had been as big as expected, or budgetted for, the income from the play-offs will be still be the same - therefore, those losses will not be recovered [it would be interesting to know, by the way, if any figures for losses on that night are losses against break even (ie the cost of the debacle) or losses against expected/budgetted profit] Whatever the figure, £10,000 is different things to different people - to me it's a vast sum, to Richard Branson a drop in the ocean - to virtually all speedway promoters in the UK, I suggest it is a big sum - so for you to say that £10,000 "isn't that much money" is a very poor, misleading comment Mr Horton is probably more keen for the meeting to be rerun as it would be the only opportunity to recover some, if not all, of the losses he has incurred Remember, the losses are due to the (dis)organisation of GSI (with Sky) over the running of televised meetings in bad weather, and this was a meeting virtually everyone agrees should never have taken place As far as the league points are concerned, it is perhaps time to take stock of how they are awarded in rain-offs At present, a home win brings 3 points for the home side - after 15 heats It cannot be right that 3 points are also awarded at the "cut-off" stage of 10 heats, if the home side could still lose, or draw, a meeting had it gone the full distance Similarly, an away win brings 3 points (1-6 match points up) or 4 points (7+ points up) - if those are the scores at the "cut-off stage" of 10 heats, they could still be overturned if the meeting had gone the full distance I do not offer an alternative league points suggestion, merely to say that the rewards at heat 10 should not be the same as at heat 15 My stance on the meeting on 1 June is that the responsibility/blame lies squarely with GSI/Sky, which includes the actions and inactions of the meeting steward, and absolutely no blame can be attached to either team manager [since clearly with the regulations as they are, the winning team manager will almost always want to get to heat 10] or to the riders - the only time I would blame a team manager is risking the safety of a rider, and the only time I would blame a rider is risking his safety, of that of another rider Hopefully, some good will come out of all this - it's time for a full-blown review on how UK speedway operates, and perhaps a 2015 version of Nelson Mills-Baldwin should be brought in as soon as possible

Calling Mr Neil Watson, of this parish - sorry, this forum So, where were you Saturday morning? Down the Asda with your mobile switched off? Shame on you! Mr MD of GoSpeed International wanted you! Look what a mess you got us all into by going AWOL at such an important time!

Top post The fault lies squarely with the live televising of meetings - we all know from experience dating back to the late 1920s that when bad weather intervenes, there's either no meeting, a poor one or an abandoned one The poor weather is never going to go away, and until Sky came on the scene, weather disruptions were dealt with, in the main, with little or no problem Now we have the situation where track preparation is taken away from the promoting track, meetings which should never start are forced on, hopefully to reach heat 10 for a result, and it also seems that the general governance for a televised league meeting on Sky is totally different from the norm I attach no blame to Havvy, or to Muddlo, or any team manager in fact, who wants a meeting called off immediately heat 10 is reached when their team is in front Sky live league meetings are the main contributor to the devaluation of a decent family sport and have helped to cause the BSPA to generally lose the plot on how to run the sport (black and white double points, green helmet covers, heat 10 cut-off, play-offs creating champions from 4th place, loss of a decent cup competition, televised meetings off tracks' normal nights, etc etc) Let's get our sport back! Peter Clarke, who promised a track inspection after heat 9, live on TV, then reneged on it, was sporting an SCB logo on his coat

Oh dear - no more Comedy Gold!

Not total nonsense! Look at the sparse attendance last night, compared with the same fixture a few weeks ago, not televised So many chose to stay in front of the TV last night - yes, the weather played its part, but that's the point - more would have taken a chance and attended in the terrible weather had it not been on TV

I said earlier the 10 heat rule should be abolished In addition, I would say, for the sake of British speedway, let's do away with live televised meetings Perhaps a weekly " highlights" programme - there still are highlights in this wonderful sport Get the remains of the speedway public back in the stadia instead of their armchairs

Bomber and Garrity will ride, and race, almost everywhere - but clearly the track was too dangerous even for them

Abolish the heat 10 rule

If Garrity thinks it's dangerous, then it is Steward doesn't keep to his word about inspection Poole rule - sorry, Poole's rules

TONIGHT's meeting at Brandon between the Buildbase Bees and Poole is ON. The track is currently dry and the stadium has escaped any significant rainfall during the afternoon. As at 5pm, conditions are good and it is all systems go for the meeting, starting at 7.30pm.

Financial suicide to reduce admission prices for a televised meeting when the weather's like today's - cold, wet and windy - which is likely to deter a number who would have attended in better weather Imagine - the meeting goes ahead in bad weather, many choose to watch on TV because of the weather, those who do attend pay reduced admission Not very clever I know the meeting at Swindon last week looked good on TV with a big crowd - but it won't always work, and today's a day when it wouldn't