iris123

If anyone thinks the problem with british speedway lies soley at PL level then we have no hope.The first and basic problem lies in attracting enough youngsters in the first place and then we have a problem at almost every step on from there.Just look at how many kids start riding in Denmark and tell me we match their standard

The guy is 23 going on 24,he isn't some junior starting out and having to live with his parents!!!!That is a difference.Another difference is that all the riders mentioned are starting out in their career and could prove useful to the national team in the future.No way is someone who has ridden speedway since 1996 and not got very far,going to make the national team.Another differenceThere are clearly big differences that people either can't or won't see.Holta might have changed nationality,but it was a two way thing.Both Poland and Holta gained.In this situation i can't see how Britain will gain,only Pascal.But like it has been mentioned it will only happen if someone thinks he is good enough for their team.It does show just how far we have fallen though that we don't even have enough juniors to fill the team places that we have to give a place in our junior league to a mediocre experienced rider from the Netherlands.At least previous "foreign" riders like Nielsen,Glanz and some from Australia looked like they would improve

Sure we all hope St.Johann goes ahead.Not just for you,but now you say that then a special crossing of the fingers for you I sometimes get the chance to watch a programme on the Swiss Channel 3sat early in the morning called Alpenpanorama.All it is,is webcams from the Alp/Tirol region i.e Switzerland,Austria,Germany and Italy,with weather and snow depth plus info on the ski lifts.All accompanied by oompah music.One of my favourite programmes and probably dirt cheap to make.But when i looked in over Xmas most areas were relatively mild with North Italy looking coldest,but the temps can vary quite a bit in a small area,so i do hope St.Johann is lying nicely in a cold spot

Well it seems from Jesper that Steingaden has been cancelled

But as he was Dutch Champion back in about 2006 and has been riding since 2003 when he was 13th in the Dutch Championship surely he has ridden in a Dutch national meeting more than a few times?

I think the big difference and surely you can see that,is that both Stefan and more so Jason have what looks like a decent career ahead of them.Hand on heart if you have seen him,you can't say the same about Pascal.It isn't the same situation.But at least he will be over to show promoters what he can do.Better than signing someone up without seeing him like Berwick did with Hertrich last season in the PL!!!!! Pascal will be 24 before the season starts and will be doing his 10th season on 500cc in 2013.Come on..........

Huxley and even Lamoreaux have a decent claim,but surely the claim of tauser and Kempster is somewhat tenuous?They couldn't have contributed much to the club.Just as Ivan Mauger didn't ,even though he is a speedway great

Yeah ok,but he is 23,been riding speedway for a number of years and isn't very good.Surely there must be a british youngster out there that can take a team place and maybe just maybe move up.Can't see Swart ever being a PL standard rider,so what is the point?He is hardly going to put bums on seats either....

Maybe it isn't Danish/Swedish league,but the new European league?

Think the German/Austrian meetings must be in doubt at the moment.Been warm for over a week now and it was the warmest Christmas on record in Munich with a temp over +20C.Picture in todays paper of a few people in shorts bathing in Chiemsee!!!!

Sure Mads said he was sorted for CZ,so look on his website. Brokstedt are celebrating their 30th anniversary next season and when they celebrated 25 years they gave Matten a medal.He did tell me it was a bit of a cheat as he had only been there 24 years.So i guess he will get a medal for 30 years service.Even if he has only been there 29 years running that is still a great record

And i know from Kacper Worynas father that he was the first rider to sign for Rybnik.

Best bet is sportowefakty most probably.They just copy things from other sites etc,but at least it is all in one place.I see Mads announced he was sorted everywhere,so i guess that is him at Brokstedt.You can also put Matten Kröger and Stephan Katt down for 2013 and 2014.....lol

If i have this right there will be a programme on the Argentina trip on DK4,thursday at 22:55 uk time Will also be a season review on 1st Xmas day at 17:00 your time

Ha ha... And have to say from my little experience Longtrack is boring.A follow the leader race over 300m is bad enough,just think how strung out the riders get when there is 1,000 m per lap.And then how long it takes to prepare the track when the tractors have to go round a 1,000m track instead of 300m.Maybe i have been unlucky,but the 3 meetings i went to and they had some top riders in were all what you would technically call crap

Sure and from what i gather it is also pressure from the riders.f-s-p could probably confirm,but i think world champ Joonas Kylmäkorpi would also like to be earning more from longtrack meetings.He was in the press a few months back moaning about the amount of money in the sport and he only rides in the GPs,it isn't worth him doing other meetings

Been invited to Rybnik for a meeting,so am hoping there will be something at the beginning of May.Was told that they have an individual meeting that might be around that time.Hoping to see young Kacper Woryna

Franky announces his retirement!!!!! Well,sort of.He talks about St.Johann being his last meeting if he doesn't manage to get through under his own steam.Unless of course he has technical problems.He had long talks with the FIM who had put him down as one of the fixed riders in the GPs.But it is vital for the well being of Austrian ice speedway that he rides.No Franky,no crowd.So the Polish rider Knapp took Franky's place in the GPs http://www.speedweek.de/news/30844/Weshalb-Franz-Zorn-seinen-GP-Platz-ablehnte.html

Honestly......get the bloody tracks right,not muck around with this sort of thing!!!!! Let's hope Prague is sorted as we have been told for a year or two....Everything was going quite well as f-s-p say's and then they have to fiddle with the system again.Like a few ohers i found the semi draw dragged out,but figured the tv companies wanted it like that

You are making a silly argument now.We had this from someone a few weeks back.Nonsense.We have a set of meetings,because this is a sport that are attended by fans and watched by 1,000s of others on tv and this brings in publicity and sponsors to the sport.What you suggest does none of those things.Crazy........We have been here before.Last winter and you and the others that share your opinion came up with nothing other than what everyone agrees with.The one off world final was more often than not a tense affair.yes.But what we have now is much better than that.You don't agree,but you have no realistic counter-argument.Isn't it time to agree that time has moved on?We might as well bring back scrath races and 4 lap flying starts as speedway was brilliant back in 1928 and that was obviously the reason why

I don't know if it is.I guess every ferderation has the chance to apply for a qualifying place.But back in the 60s and early 70s how would an American get into the world championships?Didn't Rick Woods go back to the States once he learnt he wouldn't be allowed to qualify?

I don't know how you can say that when some riders weren't even allowed to enter the world championship system because of their country of birth!!!

Like i said it does say 2013 for 2014.Now that obviousy doesn't count out a meeting being held at the end of 2013.Say next December.

I am wondering just what they mean by a 2013 challenge meeting for the 2014 season?Are they going down the longtrack route of having a challenge meeting this season to decide the riders for next season along with the riders that qualify through their performance in this seasons GPs?????

Think with the reference to planes maybe the "Wings".All you need is sponsorship from a fast food firm and you could be the Kent "yucky fried chicken" Wings