pandorum

If he comes here and reads this he will probably stick with the Germans. And he was no more mouthing off than any other rider who gives an interview in SS. I just read it in ASDA and he made some good points. The question he asked was why should he ride for GB when they have done nothing to help him. Something Scott Nicholls, Tai Woffinden and Lee Richardson have commented on in the past with 2 of them coming to the conclusion 'why bother'. And they weren't mouthing off. The kid is just a kid but he sounds like he has a plan. Riding for GB may well be a low priority for him and who is to blame for that. If the BSPA took more interest in the national side then kids like Lambert might have their interest piqued. The fast track was mentioned in the interview but we know that was only done to save money laudable as it surely is. Lambert has a couple of Euro berths as well as here and he may well be someone to court at international level in the near future. We certainly could do with someone like him. But as we have seen in Russia the governing body can cock it up disastrously. The BSPA are having trouble keeping their senior riders which I am sure Lambert is aware of so maybe he is playing it cagey and hoping that the powers that be come to him rather than he to them. If so he's not daft for a speedway rider.

I hope Bunyan wins a race just to give the NZ crowd something to cheer about. It's a pity that it is another failed antipodean experiment but Buckley deserves huge credit for daring to dream. With the Stones gig cancelled a few more might make the trip along. I guess until this jaunt can include a few more countries such as OZ and the US and maybe even Japan or China (yes I know they don't have speedway there) in a pre season series of meetings this will always be a bit of a disaster. Good luck to all riders Saturday and as there is no Emil my full support will go to the Brits so go Tai and hopefully Bomber will get a decent score.

It's a fair point but not some kind of gospel mate. I disagree as riders miss matches for plenty of reasons in both our leagues for both meaningful and meaningless fixtures but those definitions are always dependent on your POV. A meeting that has the line up this pairs competition has can hardly be called meaningless. Maybe you don't care about it but it's hardly that. And I am not moaning simply offering an opinion which differs from yours. Hell it does not bother me a bit as my team dissapeared decades ago but I would like to see the UK back on top But how will our riders get on riding in just EL and PL. Surely they need to be in among the top boys to learn? If they can't get into the top leagues these kinds of meetings allow them a chance to pit their skills against the top riders and learn something. Also it gives them a chance to showcase themselves that the ever weaker EL does not. Take Podzouks the Latvian as an example. He is a decent rider but nothing great. he takes a chance in a meaningless SEC series and shows potential. And perhaps as a result gets a chance in Sweden. Getting noticed is the first challenge these guys have. It's a shame our leagues are no longer among the top in Europe but that is the reality. For our riders to progress we need to ride outside the UK. I have argued for us to become insular and just look after our own for a few years but obviously that is not going to happen so in that case we need to ensure out best prospects compete at the top level or what's the point. If that means we end up with a few more guests then it is a price worth paying if those prospects can make a go of it. We want riders competing in Poland and Sweden. Cook and Worrall to name two should be there NOW! A competition like this is tailor made for those two to show what they can do. It's 3 meetings and how many clash with fixtures these two are in? If we want to be back at the top we have to take a chance. There is nothing here that showcases our talent. Excuse me while I laugh at the words 'BSPA' and 'action' in the same sentence

I did not compare anything to anything mate. And the Latvians are not that good although they have a couple of decent prospects. I simply stated an opinion that Latvia saw the benefit and we did not. UK speedway used to have over 40 teams and a lot of UK riders filling their rosters so your protecting the product comment is as silly as my Latvia comment was as it's a bit late for that I don't see what UK speedway has to protect really as we don't exactly have a shedload of riders just waiting to take the speedway world by storm so apart from more tracks we are in the same boat as Latvia really. Competitions like this are worthwhile and the Latvians see it but we don't. A chance for a couple of our best prospects to compete internationally is not going to bring UK speedway crashing down. Latvia want to be involved in everything yet we don't seem to want to be involved in anything says a lot about our attitude. The BSPA master plan has yet to be revealed as to how our next world beaters will become available but not getting involved in major competition whether official or not seems a tad short sighted.

Saw it last night and enjoyed it. Some decent racing although not much team riding. Jack Burnicle. What can one say? Never thought I would see the day when Sam Ermolenko sounded the most sane of the commentary team Those saddoes whining on about it not being as official as they require for a meeting make me smile. Who cares. It's official enough to be on TV and have riders in it. Perhaps it does not have the sanction of the Vatican or the UN but I never checked up on a meetings bona fides before going through a turnstile as I just liked the bikes going round and round and never much concerned myself with the rest. You people must have a very sad life and I bet you are a popular addition to a party although probably only 'official' parties. Don't agree with the argument that the Brits should not be there as it would benefit guys like Cook and Worrall unofficial or not to pit their skills against such a field. A pointless stand that damages our own riders. Latvia see a benefit but we don't apparently.

Are they claiming they are Wiki? I just thought they were people who put on speedway meetings for TV. And the event must be authorised by someone as it exists so surely it's a bit unfair to call it unauthorised. And how are these people 'private' promoters I would have thought they are just promoters organising a speedway meeting. Lots of speedway events masquerade as something they are not is it really worth worrying that much about it. The EL is not Elite, the PL is not Premier. The world championships rarely have the best riders in the world, the WTC is not a world cup as lots of places are not in it. I have seen lots of Best pairs meetings that were not remotely that. It's speedway ............................

So not content with swiping the Crimea from Ukraine, Russia has also annexed Aleksandr Loktaev as well. (yes I know he was born in Russia) Does the UN know about this I like Alex but it's a shame one of the upandcoming young Russian Russians was not given a chance. Who cares it will be an exciting meeting hopefully. Speedway is a Mickey Mouse sport to the vast majority of the world and nobody would care outside the tiny minority of shale fans whether it is made up or not so why get so heated about it. You will be telling us next that the Elite League is not really Elite. It's speedway and it's on telly and has a good field. When you are the starving pigeon of the sporting world you should embrace any crumb that lands your way.

Which is blindingly obvious to nearly everybody

No we don't as we are not them. We have no idea at all what they would do if they were in the SGP and faced with these situations. You speak for yourself like the rest of us and anything you say is simply opionion just like anyone else. If you think the costs then are comparable to the cost now and that the way the WC operated similar then that's fine but I disagree. And the lads are not paupers (and I never claimed they were just to be clear) but that does not mean they do this as a form of charity anymore than Mauger and Briggs did. And you believed that?

Exactly after all that's what the rest do. It's a bit silly comparing Briggo and Mauger with todays riders for this scenario as the sport is a Universe away from those days in terms of world championships and to be fair nobody knows what those riders would have done if faced with huge costs and minimal rewards. These guys do this for a living first and foremost and if SGP does not pay then Emil won't be the last to be injured at the start of a season then make a miraculous recovery to ride in SEC and Polish league. It seems riders are mercenaries when they look after themselves but when stupid rules and ideas overwhelm them with added costs and endless hassle it's little wonder they get p#ssed off.

He has gone from being 'fighting fit' to 'withdrawn through injury' on the SGP website so something is not quite right. It certainly is a massive blow for the series but whoever wins is a worthy world champ and I am a massive Emil fan. It's pretty obvious it's about money and the way the sport is run. There are big problems with the Russian side as we have seen thier entire team withdraw from the SWC through 'injuries' and now this. But the replacements for two top riders are very 2nd eleven and the SGP has been degraded badly and something has to be done to stop this or it's in danger of becoming an ERC. Emil not having bottle is a bit of a laugh as he is one of the bravest riders in the sport but sadly off track nonsense has spoilt 2014 as a spectacle. Hopefully Wuffy will wipe out all comers and retain the title but whatever is causing the problems needs to be addressed as we want to see the worlds best compete in SGP not the likes of Bomber and Batch who with respect will never qualify for that accord. Another sad day for a dying sport

Beggars can't be choosers so of course it's fine if Rory discovered he was an Australian with an Englishman desperately trying to get out. Has anyone checked Eddie Kennet is not really Albanian?

Looks like a good line up. Pity we are not there. Enjoyed it last year and look forward to this one. Go Russia

Yes but these are not just 'bricks' these are Marks & Spencer bricks!

Nope I read it fine. I just don't happen to agree with him is all. That is called a discussion. I left out the History of sport bit as I know what the world cup is SEC IS an established championship as 'a few years' turned out to be 12. A lot for speedway. It's not the first speedway event to evolve. Look at SWC which has been many things in it's history The world championship has evolved as has the under 21s. And as far as pointless competitions go speedway has had more than it's fair share. Many here say this is some sort of power struggle or about money and if that is the case then what you, I or Humpy say is irrelevant as these people will not care but don't try to peddle your 'you are not reading it' crap as I read really well and have done for a long time. I simply don't agree with Humpy no matter how many sports he tries to bring in to the argument. He has every right to do so of course as thats discussion but the yin also has a yang or else it would not be a discussion but simply a love in

My God have the UN been informed. Forgive my flippancy but surely that is not a reason to destroy SEC. It will probably grow if it becomes popular. That is inevitable. But UK speedway is the poverty stricken relation and will be at the mercy of any ideas that come out of Europe. SGP, Under 21s, Polish league all will impact on the UK.

I agree totally. To be honest I have no idea what OneSport is as I am not really interested nor am I interested in BSI or in the rules of the FIM. I am just a fan who enjoys his TV speedway and can't understand how increased TV coverage can be bad for the sport if it brings in new countries and new sponsors and new interest. It's not like speedway has any great following. Make your mind up it's a parallel GP but distinctly different. And it's been going since 2001 which is well established for this sport.

How so. The European championship has simply done what the Speedway World Championship and World under 21 has done. Made itself into a series. Your argument is not valid as the SEC has not been pulled out of anyones arce and is a competition with a history. It's not a separate SGP series it's a well established European championship now benefitting from an influx of money and rider interest.. It already existed and how is it some competitions are allowed to expand but they are not. Smart lawyers will eat the FIM for breakfast over this. Why should a European football championship be allowed when we have a World Cup. Oh wait a minute that happens with a great many sports. Your argument that the SGP has not done a great job overall for the sport is valid, many here think the SGP bad for the sport. Not one of them myself. It's a spat about money plain and simple. Someone is not getting their wedge and they are annoyed. But funnily enough it was on telly last year and the SGP has not collapsed because of it. It is collapsing now however as it has forced riders and sponsors to choose. If what we see is true and the Russians favour the SEC and sponsors like NICE and FOGO have made a choice what damage will the SGP suffer as a result of all the fallout from this argument.

What an absolute mess these lunatics are making of the sport forcing riders to choose. Were there any riders from weekend British tracks there last year or due to be there this year? Only I think 3 of SEC last year rode in the UK and none from Brit weekend tracks. I don't really think we are important enough to formulate any kind of policy regarding this speedway spat sadly. How are OneSport trampling over the sport? Providing valuable TV coverage and some interesting TV speedway. Can't the GP and SEC just live together it's not like speedway has any great worldwide popularity. Surely the SEC creates interest that might rub of on other sections of the sport.

And decimals. I would choose 3.142 just to show I am 'cleverer' than the rest

The sport is going bonkers. Maybe a good legal battle to sort it all out might end up doing some good.

After lap one I doubt they will be reffering to him much at all Now that's thinking outside the box and just what the sport needs. Brilliant

Excellent news. I have seen some div one on youtube and they have some great racing. Chance to see Scotty and Bomber. Cool!

Plenty of riders I 'hated' as a kid but have too much respect for them to hold any grudges agianst them. Mad Jack Millen always booed to the rafters but always gave 100% and always entertained the crowd. People go on about Nicki knocking people off but Vaclav Verner was a master of the hard ride. I was a big fan of him and Zdenek Kudrna. Saw another so called hard rider Robbie Blackadder try to mix it with Vaclav at Birmingham and end up with a mouthful of shale for his trouble. Mad Jack v Vaclav would have been a sight to see. Not a fan of Darcy as a person but what a hell of a speedway rider he is. I get what people say about Greg as he is a bit clinical. But so was Mauger and he was pretty good. After watching a lot of Polish speedway Tomas Gollob infuriates me. Such a talent but takes a huff too easy and then gives nothing for his team. I always liked the 100% trier which was why I always enjoyed watching a lot of guys who never really made it. Gutsy little buggers who never cared who they raced against but never had a decent bike so ended up never better than 2nd division 2nd string. Chris Harris annoys me as the guy was such a talent but never seemed to live up to that talent and has lived off his one GP win far too long. Scott Nicholls is another. Great talent and should have done better.

But they just had 15 years of superb SKY TV coverage and did none of that. But suddenly having one camera concentrating on the guy in front in a betting shop where nobody is interested at all in the racing just who wins will bring these opportunities? For punters to be able to bet on 3-3, 4-2 and 5-1 they would have to understand the sport and it's hard enough for those of us interested in it to figure it out. So it will be RBYW but as rmc above mentioned people will soon get p#ssed off when they realise red and blue may team ride and a rider may deliberately come 2nd or 3rd. Chasing stuffed rabbits is an established sport that punters like and the idea that speedway will be in every betting shop in the country is beyond laughable. A fad for a week and then back to the stuffed bunny. Another rainbow chased by speedway in a vain attempt to find another pot of gold that will never materialise.