mikebv

Good ride from Krakowiak... Kept Emil occupied as well as beating Kolodziej...

It was Jason Lyons and he didn't get excluded. . Presume a 'tad' pissed off....

One of my favourite ever riders.. Used to use a uni cycle to practice balancing... Several times I saw him slide off' and then picked the bike up all in one movement and carried on.. I remember him doing it at Kirky Lane and getting excluded because (I think) Ronnie Correy laid his bike down to avoid him.. His face must have been a picture, laying a bike down to avoid another rider and that rider clearing off into the distance.. And Wolves '93 for me gave me one of the best nights ever of my life.. I can still see Peter Karlsson and Henka Gustafsson talking tactics at the gate of the Championship last heat decider when Bobby rode in between them and said something along the lines of "Hi Guys, isn't this great?".. And then went off and won the race handing the Aces the title.. An Aces legend for ever more...

Those pesky Wine Gums...

So he 'cheats' time, and time, and time, and time, again...? For two years? And he hasn't been tested and found out? The unique thing about Speedway is that it takes place on all shapes and sizes of tracks, and it also takes place on tracks with differing levels of grip/slickness etc. All of which will impact a bikes characteristics very acutely... Meaning a 'too fast bike' is no use.. You then have the completely random riding order which may favour certain gates given the track grading schedule.. You then have the weather which can influence many a meeting dependant on your gates when the adverse weather strikes... Yet, within all these variables Zmarzlik is still 100% head and shoulders the best on the planet.. Maybe, (therefore), he is just very, very good....? And also maybe we should just sit back, relax, and enjoy watching a potential 'great' at work.. Him and Woffy are truly a couple of all time greats whose races are (cliche alert), always worth the admission alone.. Just enjoy the unique spectacle..

Really enjoyed that.. Zmarzlik truly a potential 'great' of the sport.. His bikes are fast but surely that is the point of a motor sport? And there are plenty of 'all the gear but no idea' riders over the years who have 'rocket ships' but haven't done anything like this kid.. And the beauty of Speedway is the fastest bike isn't always the one that can get around the track the quickest given too much power can result in no grip and, therefore, no forward propulsion.. Inside, and outside, freshly graded track or not, this lad stalks you and passes you for fun.. A true joy to watch, and with Woffy they truly showcase how good this sport is.. Lets hope he wins this and the ludicrous scoring system doesn't take his deserved 'back to back' titles away..

Wow... Zmarzlik and deservedly so... Woffy to be a bit harsh has to cover inside to mid track and shouldn't be passed underneath, make your opponent go round you if they want to win, but fair play... The best rider in the world should be World Champ, and it looks like no Mickey Mouse scoring system will prevent that happening.. Woofy and Zmarzlik a joy to watch when they race...

The reality is that a few riders (maybe 8?) are 'stand out' and the next 20 or so are pretty much of muchness..

And to be fair his sponsors do get maximum exposure given he goes past each camera so slowly..

All set up for Zmarzlik this.. The way they are only running GP's at tracks that are oval and have dirt on them.. The way they are running races over four laps just in case he isn't leading at the end of lap one.. The way every other rider just slows up and let's him fly past them, inside and outside.. Should have a GP at Buxton and see how well he does there..

Nicki P would have left his left leg out there and slid off... Then stayed down until his mechanic told him his bike was fine...

Maybe do what Athletics do. You move and you are out.. It caused issues initially when introduced, but very quickly the athletes learned not to "go early" and restarts are now rare, even in the races similar to Speedway where split seconds count First time you get put out of the race, do it again and you are out of the meeting. Simple to understand. Give every rider one review to use if they feel hard done to. If clearly the ref got it wrong they get reinstated, if not the refs call is used..

They should just do four finals.. That way you race off against your peer Group to determine your final points earned.. And EVERY race then becomes important to which final you race in, and your performance through the evening leaves you in and around the position you deserve to be.. And will also mean the last round of heat races have lots to race for so even if the racing is poor (like this GP for example always delivers), then at least you have interest and drama to keep you watching. To have anyone beaten by SEVEN different riders, meaning almost half the field have beaten you, and finishing 'Second Best' on the night, is simply ludicrous.. No system is perfect (if you want to run the meeting with a final rather than just using the 'simple' what you score over 20 heats determining the result) but currently the one used is miles off given such huge anomalies are allowed to exist..

The best value for money racing I have seen at the NSS was NL standard. The Colts v Kent and Colts v Mildenhall are two great meetings that stand out over the past few years.. Just £10 for me and my U18 lad combined, true VFM.. Remove the names from the programme and just call them "Red, Blue, White and Yellow" and just watch the racing, and you would be hard pushed to see better racing anywhere and at any level.. 'Superstars of UK Speedway' is very much a misnomer anyway for me, given so few non Speedway sports fans (given the sports' wider awareness), would recognise these riders either visually or by name, and even Speedway fans hardly recognise you as a 'Superstar' anyway I would suggest if only 1200 to 1500 in total or so are prepared to turn up and watch you when you hit their town two or three times a year as a visitor, or weekly(ish) as a home rider.. It will be interesting to see exactly what level UK Speedway will be able to afford post Covid 19 if they want to maintain the three league structure, and continue with so many teams and all with seven team places each.. There cannot be, I would suggest, "haves and have nots" riding in the same league if it is to remain viable from a wider collective perspective.. 'Walkovers' would quickly decrease crowds even more, even at home for those who are winning every week.. Setting the "sweet spot level" for each league will be a major challenge, but 100% fundamental for the viability and survival, let alone future growth, of all clubs for me.. What an opportunity though for a 100% complete and innovative reset...

Well, as long as Carlton's ok with it, who are we to judge? .

Which is why he shouldn't let himself be seen globally as a bit of a slapped arse... He has taken a few front wheels out of commission a few times, (and fair play for doing so as it is racing.).. So... Just don't moan when you cop a bit back.. Doesnt do much for your reputation with people who respect and admire you..

Doyle has moved plenty over and rode across many a front wheel over the years... And nothing wrong with that in my book.. Its just best not to bitch about it when you get some in return... As it makes you look a bit mad arsed, and a soft moaning 'git' when you get it back...

The final showed what the ruthless lads will do to win... Tai wouldn't get involved in that anymore... And that isn't a criticism... He has done more than his bit, and earned more than enough money I hope.. Top six standing on his head, but the top step now past him for me.. NB Doyley being a moaning bitch about hard riding...

Mmmmm... Hear what you are saying but don't agree... Tai isn't the same rider of three and more years ago... Hasn't been getting out of the gate well enough for two years.. Just hasn't got that 'edge' that the very best needs.. Lindgren an example of 'being ruthless'... Tai seems to be a 'good guy in the paddock' with lots of riders liking him.. Nice guys seldom win.. Great rider, the best GB has ever had for me without doubt, but not anymore someone with that 'winning is everything' desire..

And that is the frustration.. Obviously got the talent but almost only shows it when forced into it.. Someone as uniquely talented as Tai should be doing that run round the outside more often.. I just think he has gone 'slightly' off the boil and even a 5% drop at world level is massive.. Still a great rider, but just maybe is now (understandably) happy with is lot.

For those watching BT you are missing some commentary 'Gold' from Nigel and Kelvin... In these 'breaks' they truly go off on some tangents...

Watching tonight on the YouTube world feed for the first time.. Ukraine VPN Nigel and Kelvin are truly a tremendous commentary duo... The way they keep the conversation going and bounce off each other is tremendous..

Woffy misses gate.. Woffy rides around the inside and picks off points to minimise the impact.. Rinse and repeat... Woffy makes a gate and wins easily.. Rinse and repeat.. He seems to have lost his ability (desire?) over the past two years or so to pass anyone on the outside... Won't win the title riding like this, which will be unfortunate given he isn't too far away in 'real terms'.. Seem to have lost that extra hunger you need to be at the very top..

A rare warning for Doyley there...

My lad has played six pre season friendlies and has the first game of the season tomorrow in the North West Counties League... Playing in the FA Youth Cup Prelim Round on Wednesday.. Approx 100 expected tomorrow and 300 on Wednesday.. All matches played in Stadiums.. Social distancing an optional extra I believe from what I have observed pre season.. ..