Vince

Who do you think is missing from the current series that could win a Championship. On the other hand under the old system you could have a potential winner out of the World Championship in the first round. I went to some of the Wembley finals and while they were great occasions there was a deal of luck involved with gate positions let alone mechanical problems or injuries and don't ever forget it was possible to buy points off those who had a bad night toward the end of the meeting.. Great events but not the best way to find the worlds best rider that year in my opinion. One other thing to remember was that Wembley World finals didn't produce much in the way of great racing, certainly in these days of instant comment they would be slaughtered as race meetings.

You could equally argue that past British Champions only had to put 5 decent rides together on one night. The weather and track could have suited their riding style perfectly and they became World Champion. Likewise a single fall or breakdown break down by a rival could take them out of contention. In the GP series this year Tai will probably have to have around 50 good rides on different size tracks with different surfaces over several months to become Champion. Personally I think that takes a lot of the luck out of winning. The skills required today might be a bit different but I firmly believe that todays riders are at least as talented as their forebears and the top riders of any generation could have been there at any time. No way to know for sure whether Peter Craven or Tommy Price could have won a World Championship now but I suspect they could and I equally believe Tai could have ridden in their style and been at the very top in their era. I keep reading that todays riders don't have so much skill but I think it's complete nonsense, todays bikes are different but if you think all they do is pin the throttle and hang on you are very wrong. I'd put Tai right up there with the best of British riders and on results he is clearly the best. Not only that as I've said elsewhere I think he is the best first turn rider I have ever seen of any nationality in the 50 years I've been following the sport.

I think he would benefit from another years experience before being in the gp's in 2020.

I like bikes full stop and all racing has good and bad days. With sports other than Speedway I think that TV makes them look better because if the leader clears off they can usually find somebody racing even if it's for 15th place. I think the Speedway GP's are brilliant entertainment but like Moto GP equally, for me though the best racing is BSB where there is very little in the way of rider aids. I'd agree that the Speedway we see now can be better than I've ever seen in the past but a bad meeting can be dire. Generally Speedway, with the exception of the GP would be better served by highlights programs in my opinion. For many I think the popularity of Road Racing is about seeing bikes they or their mates have doing amazing things (OK they might not be the same but they look like it).

You'll struggle to find any mention of the World Titles making him the best British rider in my post. Best British rider is what I said and what I meant, irrespective of World titles although you don't get them by being lucky in a GP series. Woffinden is a much better first turn rider, Doyle is very hard and usually comes out of it well when it is 50/50, Woffinden has the skill to come out of it well when behind whether that's his bad gate or the track. I rate Doyle very highly when it comes to determination and hard riding and like watching him ride but he's a little behind a couple of the other top guys when it comes to skill in my opinion.

I've been watching Speedway since the mid 60's and Woffinden is the best British rider I have seen, might have been others who could be brilliant on their day but I've never seen one as consistently great. Not only that he is the best 1st turn rider I've ever seen of any nationality. I'd struggle to think of any riders who were FAR better and he still has plenty of time to catch those who are only just ahead of him in my opinion. As for the GP it started off badly but improved and ended up being far better than I expected. Woffinden did what only the very best can do and pulled the wins out of the hat when it really counted. Without bad luck he'll be a well deserved 3 times World Champion. He has also matured into a Champion kids can look up to, you only have to see his response to the disqualification at the last round to know that, he must have wanted to scream and shout but didn't.

No way you can have a concrete starting pad, the dirt will disappear from either side leaving a big ridge to get over, especially on smaller tracks riders are often sideways at that point as well. I've long said I think you should get choice of gates (1&3 or 2&4) when x points behind rather than any sort of tactical scheme. Maybe the start line should be slightly slanted with gate 4 a foot or two further forward than gate one. As for the statistics on gate success I think you need to know who goes onto the back straight in the lead rather than race winners.

I don't think the FIM know what Speedway is!

Appalling decision by the Ref that gives every appearance of being corrupt but the whole start situation was made worse by a start marshall who must have wanted his 15 minutes of fame. He was such a pain in the arse that by that stage of the meeting everybody had learned to ignore him.

Round 3 of the BMR Flat Track series at Rye House runs Saturday 25/8/18. Racing from midday, entrance for spectators is £5, burger bar is usually open and there has been some good racing at the first two rounds. Classes for pro/ expert, restricted/ intermediate, rookie/ novice, minibikes and vintage. If you come along say hi to the old fart riding No 95 in the pro class if you aren't too embarrassed to be seen with him after seeing him ride.

It'll never work with 4 valve bikes, re-introduce the DT Douglas and the plan is perfection.

Saturday 28th July sees round 2 of the Rye House Flat Track championship. Pro class at round 1 was won by ex Rye Speedway rider Rob Mear at a canter from some old fart with ex European Trials Champion Alexz Wigg in third. There are also classes for Intermediates, Rookies and mini bikes. Round 1 was an enjoyable event with some excellent racing. Meetings also on 25th August, 29th September and 20th October. Not sure of spectator cost but I'll find out.

In all their years in the 500 GP series I can't remember Honda ever having a mechanical failure, every breakdown was due to the ignition

Learn something new every day, I had no idea the ignition controlled the fuel tap! Good GP, despite a completely incompetent ref doing his best to ruin it.

I thought the article in the Star was excellent and when Peter Oakes talks about Speedway it's a good time to stop talking and listen. I doubt if there is anybody on here who has seen Speedway from as many angles as Peter and he's a clever bloke as well. He won't have just pulled the name ha suggests out of a hat, he clearly knows the man and thinks he could do a good job (as always that's if he was allowed to). For me that is a good enough recommendation.

Very sad news, understand the racers mentality but the price for the rest of their family, especially his mother is beyond belief.

If they didn't intend paying any money that may or may not be outstanding wouldn't they have bankrupted the company? There's a whole lot of speculation based on very little knowledge here. Before anybody says they should have all the facts many companies have problems and don't advise all their customers of the financial issues. If you are personally owed money then you've every right to contact them and ask questions but otherwise while you may be greatly disappointed the details aren't really relevant. I'm sure more detail will come out in time but I can't see paying a few quid every week or as with most asking questions sitting at a computer and never putting a penny into the coffers entitles us to know the ins and outs of promoters or riders finances. Like riders wages when they are discussed a lot of the guesswork is out of the country let alone the ballpark.

I also think it was very unfair on Philip, however there is a huge difference between him and Rob McCaffrey who, however good his intentions, is abusive and has no respect for any opinion other than his own as far as I can see.

If you do away with averages far from getting a huge crowd when the 'big' clubs turn up you will decimate your fan base the rest of the year and even if crowds increase by 20% for the big club it will be a poor turnout. One proven fact with Speedway (like most team sports) is that winning at home brings the best crowds so you have to do that the majority of the time. As much as I'm in favour of producing tracks that provide good, fair racing if I were a Promoter in need of as much income as possible I'd be providing my riders with whatever they asked for in order to win at home!

I'm sure I've posted this before but as far as getting new people into Speedway the big names don't really matter much. When Weymouth first re-opened David mason was top man there and I was asked by a new fan how come he wasn't racing in the World Championship he'd seen on the TV. Of course if you move up a league then drop back down people will understand the difference in quality of riders and probably be disappointed. When it comes to getting them through the gate in the first place it really doesn't count for much. In my opinion what counts far more is fans feeling connected with riders in the long term. I have long advocated average allowances for retaining riders year on year, I would add to that another allowance for tracks which provide training that brings riders through and doing away with the asset system. I'd be willing to bet that a good local rider brings in as many fans as regular outings from a GP star. Also individual meetings featuring the GP stars would be a much bigger draw if you only get to see them a couple of times a year. Guests are a necessary evil in a sport which has such a high injury count, given that they should make the most of it by telling everybody repeatedly just how dangerous it is. Fans are definitely fickle, seems like there are a good few on here who were all in favour of fixed race nights who now condemn it. As for Rye House I really hope something can be worked out that keeps the track open for the sake of Speedway and for the selfish reason that it's the nearest place I get to ride my bike whether practicing or racing.

Wasn't that the point I was making? You have to wait until there is something factual to report. Not a clue what you think I said!

They've released the relevant information, the match has been postponed. Everything else is gossip and while it may or may not be the whole or part of the truth there's no point fuelling gossip until you can provide definitive answers.

As a new promotion did they even get a vote?

I think it's a valid point that modern bikes are more prone to spitting riders off even if I disagree with the reasons for it being like that.

Can't see that either to be honest, if upright engines were still used they would be tuned just like the laydowns, in fact the laydowns are apparently more forgiving. I can't say I have ridden a laydown fast enough to know in all honesty but the leading link forks appear far more stable.