DukesGreg

Now sold and despatched, many thanks.

Nice one mate.. good info, good thread. I'll bookmark this link and save. Many thanks. Greg.

Good luck with this one mate. The Park and Ride signs for the speedway started about 20 miles away from the venue, as soon as you approach Cardiff... they'll vanish and you're left for dead. Set off early to make good time for this one. Got into the centre and not a million miles from the stadium... pulled over a city centre 'official' near a shopping centre, asked him about speedway parking, and he didn't even know there was speedway on!! The alleged 'park and ride' we found was full for cars... and there were loads of spaces there looking at it. Nightmare with knobs on. Get there early, and wing it. Best advice I can give.

Ah yes.... great shout. The match-race format confusing me there.

Ah yes.... great shout. The match-race format confusing me there.

Wasn't the Peter Collins v Anders Michanek 'best race for many' at Hyde Road the Golden Helmet?? And yes, I remember KC doing Penhall for the helmet, I also remember Mike Lee SMASHING the track record at The Shay to strip Kenny of it as well on a faultless night in 83. It had good prestige. I even remember Ian Cartwright having a tilt at the Helmet, when Dave Jessup held it. Jessup won it of course, he was flying. A great era.

Hopefully, speedway will return here someday, as with all towns and cities with defunct tracks.

Tragic loss, still lamented. I was a boy of 10 watching speedway when this came up.. and was probably the first time that it hit home that people get killed racing. Steve Weatherley also paralysed in the same crash. Tragic loss.

I take it by that, you're also referring to my opinion?? As it differs from yours? I haven't gone out to state that you don't know what you're talking about, as in my opinion, none of us actually fully know whether Harris crashed on purpose. I have stated all along that I don't see it like that, but have not for one second stated that anybody on this thread with a different opinion 'clearly does not know what they are talking about.' I hope you're not stating that I don't know what I'm talking about because our opinions differ??? After all, you may be talking rubbish, I may be talking rubbish. It's all opinion. Greg.

Just before anyone says anything, of course my post earlier (see two posts above) has seen the above added to it by macca56, and are not the words or opinions of myself towards other forum members. I think macca56 may have added without quoting himself or putting responses in italics or bold type, accidently. I hope that clears it up, in case anyone thinks at a glance that I have been ranting about other forum members in my posts... it's a mix of both mine and his. Many thanks, Greg. FOOTNOTE: Nice one macca, you were editing your post as I was declaring it a mix of both myself and you, now my post here looks daft as you've made it read better. :rofl: Technology!!

Diving in speedway, in front of oncoming riders who can run into you at speed... the norm now then???? And yes, Pedersen's name does seem to be brought up regularly in this thread. It's about crashing, falling, hitting riders with your bike and allegations of unfair play. Dread to think why his name is mentioned then. Though I disagree with the suggestion that he (Pedersen) doesn't have the natural talent of others. He didn't fluke three World Crowns, he earned them by being a great rider over a full season, x3. And yes, Gollob occasionally does the daft moves, the last one vs. Pedersen in this years GP when he went down, Pedersen on that occasion wholeheartedly and fairly had the racing line and drop on Gollob when overtaking him. Gollob's ramraiding of Sayfudtinov last year on turn three another example. All three are good, hard riders. But let's be honest here, for those of us who watch and know speedway, Nicki takes it harder, dirtier and more unfairly when making his moves. And it's probably more frustrating for him nowadays, now that he's out of the frame and less of a dominant force / favourite to win the series. It appears to be win by attrition for him. Plus of course, it was his home GP. I could, if my arm was twisted, half get the concept of somebody 'laying their bike down' while clashing in vying for 3rd spot while tailed off by 70 yards, before an awarded 'last lap' scenario, to force a 3 man rerun. We've all seen people fall (in clashes) in team meetings, look up to see where their team mate was, and on them being on the back of a 1-5, stay down.. a similar gamesmanship effort. Appreciated. I'm just genuinely struggling with the concept of 'tactical crashing' in front of 3 x oncoming riders hitting the bend, while at the fastest part (the end of the straight) of a race. Call me old school. Agreed at the earlier comment though, about it being a healthy thread with no insults traded. Long me it continue, and here's to Cardiff, more Pedersen random craziness, some hard riding, and healthy debate.

Agreed. I also think that falling purposefully in front of 3 oncoming riders in a cut and thrust race (nobody would be able to avoid him) would amount to virtual suicide.. not just injury was, but career wise. Somebody like Chris Harris NEEDS to be riding GP's, and, as we know, he's a borderline case for repeat qualification next year. Chris Harris isn't a top three rider.. he would settle for eighth now, I would imagine.. the way his GP campaign has started. To drop it in front of 3 riders, risking injury and probable missed GP's (including his home one), getting behind on points (with people like Hancock gatecrashing the leader board, and others yet to get really going) would make finishing 8th a huge ask. Once you're out of that GP top 8, you're reliant on qualification or good fortune to get a place. You want to ride there, but just as importantly in speedway, a sport where you're not paid enough for what you do, your SPONSORS really want you to ride the GP's. Harris could have easily have finished 2nd in heat 9, picked up 9 points on the night, got a better Semi-Final grid, and blagged a place in the final, if he had stayed on board his bike, that would have been a very possible outcome. Just checked it again Impartial... he was definately in front in my opinion... under NORMAL circumstances Pedersen WOULD have had the drop... but surely we all agree he was out of control???? And if Harris had stayed on... he would have drifted wide, INTO Crump's immediate line, what would have happened there is purely hypothetical. At the point of Pedersen / Harris impact, Harris was leading, in my opinion. He was knocked out of line. The split-second he was hit, his bike could only have slid towards the fence with him on it. He was never going to make the turn. Of course, in my opinion. And that's why the sport is great. It's all ifs and buts. Greg.

But he was leading Pedersen and Crump... and in the races which he led on that track... he rode well enough to win. It doesn't add up. Why.. when in front of two riders LIKELY to beat you in a re-run (if truth be told), as Crump and Pedersen are multiple world champions, and better than Harris.. would you risk exclusion, by purposefully falling, then hope to OUTGATE them (yeah right.. it's Chris Harris), and beat them in a re-run????? We've seen it in slo-mo now dozens of times. He was hit and fell off. In real-time.... it was an accident. I just can't see, for the life of me.. why the world's worst gater (on a par with Josh Auty) would throw his bike into a crash when doing well against two speedway legends, who were breathing down his neck, in the hope that he would get a re-run against them. Not a pop at anyone in any way, but in this particular race, it doesn't add up for me. He was in a better position v. Crump and Pedersen than he could have dreamed of before the tapes went up. Just how I see it.. especially taking into account the riders involved. I'm sure Harris would have settled for being passed ONCE and therefore risking getting TWO points against such high class opposition. Falling, and getting a rerun, and risking getting NOTHING (his Grand Prix campaign so far is littered with last places) just doesn't make sense. The track was short enough, and slick enough, to see slower riders hang on to places anyway.. to me, he was good for second. Pedersen clanged into him, once you've got the wobble and imbalance, you're gone. Ermolenko saying Pedersen clattered him, and was lucky to stay in, is good enough for me. Sam's no mug. Genuinely my take on it anyway, but fair enough, different opinions all round. Greg.

Loving the versions of 'falling' on this thread. If you get hit, going into the first bend, from behind... YOU FALL!!!! You don't debate it.. you don't worry about your points tally. You don't wonder about the effect on the meeting and exclusions. You kiss your backside goodbye, and hope that the rider behind doesn't rip you a fresh one. If a motorcyclist rode past you at 50mph, and you could kick him gently from the side, or behind near his wheel. He would fall over. I'm fascinated by the 'different types of falling' nonsense on here. We all, especially the riders, know that most innocuous and innocent looking of all falls can cause the most damage. Alan Wilkinson's, which we all know caused paralysis, was supposedly the most innocent looking of crashes. The most horrific can be nothing, the gentlest can maim. To suggest that riders are 'taking a dive' in general out there is utterly ridiculous. It's not the penalty box in football. It's life or death speedway. Let's keep it real.

Nicki Pedersen, fair enough, triple world champion and all that but, but sadly lacking in the sportsmanship and grace of his compatriots who went before him in bygone years. Nielsen, Gundersen, Olsen, all multi winning champions, but showing grace, class and maturity that Pedersen couldn't even dream of. After winning the first Grand Prix of 2011, riding up to Gollob and holding 3 fingers up.. then 1.. stating 'you may be a champion, but I'm a triple champion' really is the sign of an immature man. As for Harris falling off all the time on purpose. He knew Crump was loitering behind him, and didn't have the benefit of slow motion to make a decision to fall when Pedersen reared and clipped him. You get hit in speedway, taking the bend, and your balance is upturned and you're off. Look how Lindgren flipped on the first bend bunching, these guys are in the throws of an irregular centre of balance situation... clipped wrongly... you're off. Harris shouldn't have been excluded... Pedersen should... if you're excluding anybody... as he was (albeit accidently)... the cause. Another example of the crazy rules of speedway, only 'all four riders' back for a restart during first corner incident, yet this incident, in many respects, with all four riders battling it out together was identical to a first bend clash. So Pedersen hit some drive or whatever, accidently (for sure) picked up drive, and the riders dominoed. Possible a rule-book review needed?? If Harris was inclined to purposefully do such things, admittedly, it would have been difficult at the British Final v. Nicholls. However, if this was the gameplan, surely he would have had time to slow down to a standstill, go near the fence, pull up and look up at the ref?? If Chris Harris was a type of rider who could not pass, then maybe, but how many times in his career have we seen Harris get the bit between his teeth and give it a go?? It's not like he's not capable. Regarding the Lindback incident, Lindback had the drop, did go wide (a la Pedersen style it has to be said!!!!) and Nicki got dosed up with his own medicine. Interesting seeing him say how unfair it is after his exclusion.. after being let off in the Harris clash. Oh woe is me!!!! Still, a decent enough GP, good to see Gollob in full flow in his last few rides, superb dash down the back straight in the Final to round everyone in one foul swoop.. and a great effort from Mr. Crump to seal second, in what was a superb Final indeed. There are a few of them now, challenging. It's gonna be a good one. I wouldn't back against Mr. Gollob now though. His best is yet to come, it's so far mirroring last year, a couple of changes of lead, and the cream is now settling at the top. Could be back-to-back wins for him. When he's good.... he's flipping good!!

Sorry to gatecrash this thread slightly OP, but my question is on a similar vein. I have now an HTC Wildfire, and purchased the relatively cheap Tapatalk for phone browsing on another website. Having had a nosey on the index there, I see that this forum is listed as a Tapatalk name. I can click it and view it, but it won't let me log in. Can any moderators here please advise me if there's a block on this, or is it a generic thing not being able to log in on the Tapatalk facility?? I'd appreciated a PM or a response on here. Many thanks in advance. Greg.

Agreed, Gollob winning it as such an age, and Ivan in Poland at 40 (which then REALLY WAS deemed old.. hence the nickname The Galloping Grandad) makes it an absolute possibility for someone like Greg to scoop the title this year. Holta and Hampel have been hit and miss, Pedersen has won a GP but won't, for me, keep that kind of pace up, Sayfutdinov great at times, but liable to having a turkey now and again, Gollob still constistent but not running away with it, another Hancock win or placement in the next GP will make it hard to rake up and catch points as the season goes on. To be honest, nothing would please me more than Hancock winning the title. For the sport, Greg himself, and people in their early 40's like myself!!!!

Understood and appreciated Philip. Most riders get on with it, a slick trick offers not much racing but is probably quite safe. At the end of the day, it wasn't a quagmire, like the previous affair, so was at least rideable. We're just being selfish, as fans, I suppose, and want the best racing we can see, especially after a Gothenburg washout. It's just fascinating that Cardiff has a track for one meeting a year, and yet it will, even at it's potential worst, match yesterday's meeting racing wise. At its best, it can provide great racing. Chris Harris not liking the track? As much as I admire Chris, he would probably best best served not gating last in every single race he starts. That might help his cause. It's one thing being last out of the traps in weekly league meetings, but in a field of this GP calibre over the season, passing other riders for fun... it just ain't happening. Anyway, not all is lost. I have so much time for Greg Hancock, and to see him on the rostrum grinning as a winner was a great sight. Greg.

Cheers for highlighting this, attending this will be my second priority, after the speedway.

There shouldn't be Philip! If I could drop the clutch and get out of the start faster than most of the guys in speedway, I'd want it even slicker!! :wink:

Perhaps it would be a good idea if Tony Olsson is in COMPLETE control of the track preparation for a GP. If these guys are as knowledgeable as we are led to believe... and to be fair, it they are put there by the FIM powers-that-be to prepare and oversee tracks at this level, then I am willing to accept their knowledge... then they should be there, say a week before, CONTROLLING the preparation of a track. I know there are guys who prep these tracks every week, fair enough, but they will prep a track no doubt in favour of the home team racing there. Somebody like Tony Olsson, in conjuction with (but with the last word over) the regular guys, should be instructed to get the BEST AVAILABLE racing GP for the track he is working on. Of course, I appreciate that you can't just throw dirt on, and expect it to be raceable. But surely it can be better, racing wise, than it has been. If not, and they won't let the FIM curator oversee the whole thing, then I'd remove them from the circuit (that track), find an alternative, either at another stadium or have a GP elsewhere, country wise... ie Australia, USA or another in the UK. Poland can host more than one, I'm sure we can too. Whatever the situation, I find it hard to accept that this track in Prague could not be better. If that's the best that they can do, due to it HAVING to be slick, then shame on the SGP and the FIM for accepting this meeting onto the series. Knowingly having bad GP's is not the way forward. A rubbish advert for the sport in general.

Well mate, I was expecting less people to be there, if you factor in travelling costs etc., this was possibly one on the fixture list that was easy to miss if you were dropping a fixture. I though that for a 3rd tier meeting, it was a decent enough turn out. I wouldn't expect the crowd to be anywhere near that of a PL meet.

Bit of a late addition to this thread, but I really enjoyed this meet. Wet and processional early doors, but it really got going once the weather and track settled. Garrity was poor in the wet until that ride, he had 3 points on the board before that (and every one of them was gifted via falls or engine failures... he was well off the pace) then he sprung to life in that amazing see-saw race... worth the admission fee alone. Full credit to Lambo in the second meeting, nasty crash followed by some unbeaten rides, fair play to the lad. The Worralls were very good, and there was some nice displays and rides. It's a predominantly young, and of course British league, and this was great to watch. I caught Scunthorpe v Buxton last season in the Scunny/Sheffield double header last year, and loved the standard back then. I'd take having a National League track near me, West Yorkshire is dry of speedway, and somewhere local to drop by and watch this league as well as nipping to Owlerton on a Thursday would be ideal. It's speedway, it's entertaining, and these lads are desperate to do well as they aspire to be the next generation of riders. I'll catch as much as I can of the National League. Felt for Paul Cooper, he was actually on the pace most of the time, had a couple of falls and engine troubles, if he tried 100 percent as opposed to 130 percent, he'd probably (no... definitely) not be prone to falling / slipping and errors, and would consolidate more points. Overtrying probably ruined his display, and of course he got dropped in a race for the very impressive Worrall at reserve. He won't be hanging around the lower divisions for much longer... on this display. I think that double headers are great at this level. And more importantly, there was a decent turn out by the fans. More please.

Fully appreciated and noted, but if you love your speedway, you simply follow speedway. I'm adamantly opposed to many issues that speedway has with it's regulations and red tapes, but I don't expect to have any power or say in affecting anything. You tell me there's a rule.. I lump it. And go watch. As I love the sport. To jack following speedway because you're opposed to the silencer is a bit of a ridiculous concept, although I do appreciate, a possible one over there. But to be honest, the FIM wear the trousers, not the Polish fans. I'm still struggling with this one, motorcyclings governing body has implemented something, as it does with all it's other (abiding) affiliates, but in speedway it becomes a head scratching protested issue. You blanket every rider, and tell them they have to have one. Sounds like a level playing field to me. Though I am sure I'm missing the point on this one. I'm not referring to this thread when I say that, I've just seen it trundle on and I am still confused. Riders are moaning about them in the pits at clubs, blaming them for this and that. Yet I've seen great racing, the riders who I expect to ride well do, and the ones who I don't expect to ride so well.. don't. If I didn't know about the issue... I wouldn't even have picked up on it. As it seems a cut and dried, level, equal thing, in general.

Whatever the weather, this silencer is here to stay, and even looking back over speedway from other eras, there was previous issues and arguments over silencers... can't remember the exact year, but I'm sure that in the late 70's the same thing was raging then. It's the same for all, and they've had time to prepare, each and every one of them.