Vince

I think Rich is spot on, methanol allows high compression and big flywheels which not only gives the right sort of power needed but a lot of engine braking too. The problem with road engines (or MX etc) on Speedway has always been the lack of flywheel effect.

I'm a fan of Nicki too, have been ever since he ran an Interspan training school at Newport which my lad attended. World Champion at the time he was out in the pouring rain all day and nothing was too much trouble for him, he was working on kids bikes, pushing them to get them started and explaining everything to them with a smile. Very different to a couple of the riders generally perceived to be 'nice' who did the minimum to collect the money. One of the nicest guys you could ever meet with no hint of the aggression he can show on track, to be fair there are many times you wouldn't want to be an on track opponent but off track a great bloke. As for arguing with the ref, they should get a bonus not a fine. Same with punch ups between riders which will always get spectators through the gate for future meetings. As far as I'm concerned the riders should be allowed to get on with it but any non rider or rider not in that meeting hitting a rider should be banned from the pits for life.

Supermarkets are open 24 hours so many of their workers plus delivery drivers and supply warehouses are on 24 hour shifts for starters compared to Speedways popular times. Same applies with so many businesses who now open extended hours that mean large numbers of staff work either very early or late. I'm not talking about the past year but in general over the past few years.

I think working hours have changed so much for both riders and fans that weekday meetings are no longer viable for quite a large percentage.

I hope that a way of funding legal action is found to fight the Speedway authorities. What they are doing is undoubtedly illegal and was proven so in the 1970s (maybe very early 80s) when the ACU were taken to court after threatening the withdrawal of ACU race licences of riders competing in AMCA mx events. Didn't stop the ACU just making threats they knew had no bite for years after the decision until it got to the stage everybody just ignored them. Remember how they threatened the licences of any rider practicing at Lydd not so very long ago? I can't remember it ever happening because they knew it was an empty threat. In addition if they are treating riders as professionals then their contracts should come under employment law, no more asset system, the addition of sick pay, holiday pay and pension schemes, no dropping riders to bring in somebody else because the numbers fit unless you're willing to keep paying the dropped rider. Put all that under threat and I suspect they will withdraw their threats to riders.

People who take the knee aren't booed because they receive racial abuse but because they do so in support of a decidedly dubious movement, many of whose members are as racist as anybody they protest against not forgetting the whole take a knee nonsense was inspired by the death of a career criminal. I have no issues with anybody wanting equality, everybody deserves it and it should be offered unconditionally by all. However I have always had doubts that the way to gain equality for anybody is for a relatively small minority of a minority to behave outrageously. I would go out of my way to back any individuals right to be treated in the same way as others but that includes the need to avoid the positive discrimination demanded by the more extreme minority groups. Equality will only come from the majority mixing with minorities on equal terms, we have come a very long way in the past few decades because of that but all BLM and the more outrageous Gay pride events do is create further division. Equality comes from people not caring about the race, religion or sexuality of others. Standing up and screaming 'look at me I'm not the same as you' achieves nothing good.

But clever enough to know that somebody having a different point of view and expressing it politely takes more intelligence than name calling!

I don't get the Gay pride thing at all, nobody should be ashamed of their sexuality but being proud of it is like being proud of having dark hair or blue eyes, it's not an achievement. While we are on the subject how come Homosexuals are always grouped with transgender people or those who refuse to identify when it is all completely different things that are not any more to do with being gay than straight in many cases. Are we to assume that every gay person thinks there should be no sexual identification? In which case why would they be proud to be gay? Or are we to assume that all straight people are completely unaccepting of minorities while all gay people are completely tolerant of all other aspects of sexuality and identification? Or, as seems most likely to me, are we to assume it's about the loud minority yet again needing to make themselves feel more important while the majority just want to get on with life regardless of what they think about sex and identification?

I think that is absolutely right, I spend the majority of my working life driving in the dark and it is very clear that many drivers struggle to see where they are going. Then again I would say that regular testing of all drivers should be compulsory too. Not like the standard driving test with it's ridiculous emphasis on stuff that isn't very important but just a quick round the block with an emergency stop thrown in and a few questions(first one should be what lane do you use on the motorway if you aren't overtaking!) to make sure that drivers have the basic abilities and reactions to be reasonably safe. My grandfather was still an excellent driver at 85 and I have an uncle of 80 who still drives his camper all over mainland Europe every year perfectly well. On the other hand my mother at 61 was dying of cancer and driving around full of morphine until I stopped her as the doctors wouldn't and I have a 19 year old niece who passed her test 3rd time but shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a car.

Think Rob was one of the lads who came into Speedway with plenty of Grass track experience so in the lower leagues looked to be very talented immediately then as he moved up the levels it became harder to impress. Very decent rider but not that extra little bit that makes them into international stars in my opinion. Right little chav at 16 but now matured and been riding Flat track for a couple of years and a good lad to have around, wouldn't be surprised to see him in the top 3 of the British Championships over the next couple of years. Think he would get dispensation to ride a 600 if he returned to Speedway as he is carrying a fair bit of extra padding around these days

As a 16 year old I was waiting to go out for my first ever laps of a Speedway track on a grass bike at Eastbourne following a meeting when Kelly came over and very politely asked if I would mind him either going out before or with me. There was no need for him to ask, as the big star at the time he could have just gone out or even had my ride cancelled so he could get some laps in. Genuinely nice guy who always seemed to chat to everybody and was helpful to youngsters riding, although if I'd been a fan of his team he would have driven me mad at times when he turned up totally unprepared to go racing. Incidentally about 25 years later it was Greg Hancock did exactly the same with my son at Oxford. Very different to some riders of the time who forced the cancellation of a whole set of after meeting races for youngsters so they could test engines (although to be fair that may have been the Promoter saying it was the riders as at least one of the riders was horrified when he found out afterwards)

I think you are right in many ways but am still to be convinced that an upright is any cheaper to run than a laydown of the same specification.

It'd be interesting to see them trying to take licenses from riders for riding in meetings held under an alternative authority, the ACU went to court over this in the 1970's and told it was illegal. They have blustered and threatened many times since but never actually carried out their threat. Didn't the BSPA or ACU make a similar threat about Lydd but didn't take any action when it came down to it? I'd love to ride the Island on a flat tracker so you're right about getting excited but whether there is any chance of a DTRA meeting there this year is very doubtful. Only issue I can see for following years is that it is an expensive trip in a van so a rained off weekend would be a disaster. I hope for both Martin and Barry though that Speedway returns, they must have put an unbelievable amount of work in and have left everybody impressed with their efforts. The rest of the sport should be looking at the Island for answers not shutting it out.

You also see novices sometimes get so fixated on looking at a fallen rider because they are trying to miss him that instead they head towards him. I went to quite a few amateur meetings with a lad a few years back and saw that quite often. We also see it regularly in the rookie class at flat track.

That's because they were Olle's bikes plus with two riders half a lap apart it shouldn't be necessary. Those schools of his must have been the start of many a Speedway career.

Trouble is that there is a world of difference knowing you have to lay the bike down and then doing it at the right time when you don't even get chance to think about it. I think all riders who go round a dirt oval eventually get to the stage where they lay the bike down automatically it's at the novice level it's often a problem and I doubt it's something you can actually teach in reality. I think that all that sliding out when learning takes away the fear of a lowside crash so laying it down becomes less of a mental block with time.

That flick was caused by a bit more throttle to point the bike down the straight, I don't see any way in which he deliberately did that to hit Lyons. He didn't know exactly where he was for starters. As for the Phil Morris incident it's been done to death but I don't see that as anything other than a racing incident either, two riders rode lines that converged on the exit. I agree totally with that, I think there are very few deliberately dirty moves in Speedway. The higher the level the harder moves can be without disastrous consequences but at the end of the day it is a very small world and riders deliberately riding dirty will soon be getting retaliation from all angles. Having said that I do think the one thing that you see, mostly at lower levels, that should always result in disqualification whether it results in an accident or not is turning right. The move can and does cause the type of accidents that will often result in serious injury and there is no sensible reason for it. Luckily it's not common but I have seen a couple of riders who have used it as a blocking move and possibly not even realised how dangerous it is.

Not really they are just the words of a bigot.

Only those of very limited capabilities think they can describe the opinions of 17m people with two words.

I'll bet not a single vote was cast to get rid of the red tape imposing limitations on credit card charges! The way is now clear for the UK government to to as they wish with regard to that and for people to campaign for what they want. Despite the percentage headlines and predictions of disaster it is a small thing for the vast majority of people with the possibility to look around and get a better deal.

Was notified the other day that I can get an ATA boomerang carnet for £175. As for the checks considering the number of stolen bikes leaving the UK I'm all for it. Way more than half the people I know with off road bikes have had one or more stolen. Its a massive international business and anything that makes it more difficult can only be good. The past few years driving a van full of bikes across Europe has been easy. Unfortunately just as easy for criminals as racers.

I'm all for that with the exception of the concrete start which can't work in my opinion. I'd settle for the 2 minute warning being the time to tapes up though so they can garden if they get there early enough.

I would imagine a GP series run outside of FIM authorisation but paying well would gain much support and like the ACU here it has been proven time and again that they cannot revoke riders license for riding under a different authority. However it might stumble at the paying well bit unless you get the right people involved to bring in sponsorship. just yesterday we heard that one of the many ACU alternatives, the MCF are shutting their doors after many years but to be fair they bought about a lot of change for the good in their time, especially for riders.

That's all I remember him doing and I also thought he was very good at it. Got across the respect I've found that racers from other motorcycle disciplines have for Speedway, it's only their fans talk about 'going around in circles, the riders understand the skills required. Don't see how as a very knowledgeable and experienced Speedway rider his views are irrelevant. His comedic value was much appreciated when he was behind the microphone, in my house anyway. That's probably a good point, it would be a risk!

I think Kelvin Tatum and David Norris would be the dream ticket! However seemingly unlike most I do think that Nigel Pearson and Kelvin Tatum are excellent, I also think Keith Heuwen was very good and David Rowe is good too, unfortunately Sam Ermolenko, as knowledgeable as he is, in my opinion is awful on commentary.