Bruiser McHuge

i know that but it must be the speed and glamour of F1....it's not really my cup of tea although i take a passing interest in it but he just won't entertain speedway at all but loves F1...and his uncle was a speedway rider as well and even that won't sway him. i actually think if he could sit down and watch a speedway Grand Prix at a top stadium like Torun, Cardiff etc and the racing was good then he would enjoy it ..who wouldn't...but he won't........and even if he did then going along to his local track wouldn't be the same experience.

I like Hawksbee and Jacobs and they are far from neantherthals...especially Paul Hawksbee when i started going to speedway in the 70's all my mates at school said it was first out of the gate wins....30 odd years later and people still say that so it's no big deal my book...people have that opinion. The fact is that a lot of speedway is first out the gate wins..that's a fact...even riders when interviewed go on about how they need to make starts....my eldest lad won't watch speedway with me on TV because he says it's boring and the gater wins so you will never change attitudes....ironically he loves F1 and MotoGP though..

don't think Tai will be on the nominated 10 for people to vote for at SPOTY...these are decided by an sporting panel and will be dominated by high profile names or ones appearing regualarly on the BBC....cannot see Tai getting into that, although he will no doubt get a mention in the round up of British world champions i think he is a certainty to be invited on Question of Sport though...and A League of their Own on Sky maybe ..i think he would be ideal for that show a do agree that more people out there could name Cal Crutchlow though.....

now i am almost certain i heard that he had split with Blomfeldt and i am sure that was 12 months ago or more...i might be wrong but i am almost sure he has i had a scout about and found this from December 2012 Monday 3rd December 2012, 11:17 Swedish star Andreas Jonsson has cut his ties with engine tuner Carl Blomfeldt, according to Falubaz.com. The 2011 World Championship silver medallist dropped down to ninth in the standings this term. He only retained his SGP spot after Aussie legend Jason Crump announced his retirement from the series, vacating one of the top-eight qualification places. Jonsson finished second in the Croatian SGP at Gorican and was fourth in the European SGP at Leszno, but reached the semi-final stages in just five out of the 12 rounds. "I hope that without Carl we can maintain a high level, and maybe even get something more." - Andreas Jonsson AJ is determined to bounce back from a disappointing campaign and hopes simplifying his team will help. Discussing his preparations for 2013, he told Falubaz.com: “Up to now I’ve been dealing with organisational issues. I’ve talked with sponsors, changed my team in Sweden (joining Smederna) and I’ve been preparing my team for the next season. “On this last point, there have been a few changes. I decided to terminate my relationship with Carl Blomfeldt and I have only two mechanics. It's a return to the past, because it looks like my team from before. “I hope that without Carl we can maintain a high level, and maybe even get something more. I personally feel very good before the new season and hope to bounce back after this very tough year.”

Having being out of the loop a lot for the past 20 years as far as speedway is concerned can somebody say who are the engine tuners currently most in favour by the top riders ? When i was involved a lot of riders spent a fortune using German tuners...riders like Marvyn Cox used Otto Weiss...Wiggy used Hans Zierk ..others used Klaus Lausch, Otto Lattenhammer..... and Peter Johns, Carl Blomfeldt, Eddie Bull , Finn Jensen were all pretty popular I know Peter Johns does Tai's but are any of the above still active and who is currently in vogue for top riders to use these days ?

i think the only way Sky will be interested...and the general viewer as well is if some very top riders are riding in the Elite League....Sky won't be interested in showing Premier League every week as they want to broadcast the best sport available and this means the best names available...they want Ward..they want Hancock..they want Holder etc....if they don't get the names then i cannot see them continuing with it . The Premier League coverage may attract diehards on here and the product MAY be better in some cases but there is no way Sky will broadcast that every week and it won't appeal to the casual viewer who want NAMES. If the Elite League continues to watered down and more top stars disappear then more fans will disappear from the terraces, Sky will disappear from the screens and the chances of British riders challenging at world level will diminish even more than today....domestic speedway is a mess ..absolutely nothing there to attract new supporters...nothing to keep the kids wanting to go back and if the few top riders disappear then the future is even bleaker...a few diehards rattling round a near empty stadium with no media coverage at all. On the plus side though i think the Grand Prix's look great on TV and are a great advert for the sport.

the old GP format of the top 2 continuing and the last 2 being elimated was the worst format ever...it was artificially exciting at times but totally unfair and ridiculous and i do remember Rickardsson having 7 rides once, all off gate 1 ...i know he had to actually win the races but it was still a ridiculous format ...i think the current format with all points counting is probably the best and fairest i would say.

he was ahead of all of those at the time each of them got injured wasn't he ?.....yes it would have been tighter but Woffinden has been the most consistent rider in the series this year and would fully justify being World Champion.. For me the lowest key world champ was probably Havelock, despite being British....i think the one off final was well on the wane by then...TV and media reporting was poor and for me Havelock is almost the forgotten world champion.....i remember Lee's win having constant updates every couple of races on the local radio in Manchester and it was a big deal and received plenty of media coverage....Loram's had Sky TV but received much less media coverage than Lee and i fear Woffinden's win will hardly raise a ripple in the national media which would be a great shame.

a bit out of touch these days but why is Brian Havelock so reviled by Bears fans ?

i still think the old tac sub rule of being 6 behind was fine and added to the excitement of a meeting....no gimmicks, no double points but just a genuine ride for genuine points.....a number 1 coming in to heat 8 and losing , which did happen, was great excitement.....i had no problem with that rule....i do have problems with the double points tactical though. if you want speedway to a totally fair team sport then just have every rider complete their programmed rides...no tacticals and no reserve rides...that is the only way it would be a totally fair team sport as one of the biggest advantages a team has always has is having a quality reserve able to take 6 or 7 rides a night.......i personally have no problem with benefitting from a quality reserve myself but it could be seen as being as unfair as the tactical sub rule if you wanted ..a rider taking 2 rides while another takes 7.

yes i would say Jan O Pedersen is one of the most naturally talented riders i have ever seen and probably the greatest i have seen from the back in my era - i only saw Peter Collins from 1978 - but Jan O was possibly the worst gater for a real top level rider i have seen but definitely the best overtaker, amd always in control... i do love watching Ward though, but he does leave your heart in your mouth at times, but definitely a world champion in the making and a far better rider than Holder in my opinion

i only watch speedway on TV these days and as far as riders go i would say that currently with the new big 3 in my book, Sayfutdinov, Woffinden and Ward i would say the future is in good hands....there are other good riders and more will break through but those 3 would keep me watching alone and create and keep bums on seats.. yes, Gollob and Hancock have been great servants but time does move on and the 3 i have mentioned are more than adequate successors and will keep interest going i think

he was a charactet...he was the flag man at Claremont speedway in Perth and rose up to do the 1981 World Final at Wembley....amazing that a flag waiver can make a name for himself and actually have kids wanting to get his autograph...not many flag waivers do that !!! How did he end up at Ipswich ?....was he spotted in Australia and asked to come over ?....

i got his autograph as a kid...i had him noted in the corner of the page as "Paul Johnson - fancy flag waver"

not a comment on Michael Lee as i do not know his circumstances and the reasons behind why the police called in the first place......but those saying that cannabis is harmless are totally wrong...i have seen first hand the damage it can do and to flippantly say it is harmless is totally incorrect....every case is different but it is certainly not harmless in all cases that is for sure,

he should go for basically bringing in Barker and Bridger...possibly the most ludicrous decision in years....so a new face is needed for sure... but there needs to be more Test matches...not just a match a season around a tiny track in the UK...matches abroad against European teams ..experience is needed......Peter Collins got over 130 England caps....a rider would need to ride for about 80 years to get that number of caps these days but yes Middleditch must go.

if a British rider is actually going to be good enough for the international stage then they will always find a team spot..no foreigner will keep out genuine talent......run of the mill British riders will be kept out for run of the mill foreigners which can;t be right but genuine talent will always get a place no matter how may foreigners are riding.. Too many small technical tracks, lack of riding abroad and lack of investment in tip top machinery and being in a home country comfort zone is the problem for British riders

ok, so no team manager is currently going to win the World Cup with Britain but last night was a shambles....British riders seem to have no idea how to ride these big European circuits which are a world apart from going round Lakeside, Wolves, Rye House etc....it is a different sport ....We have too many small tracks in greyound staduims in Britain which do nothing when trying to ride a Polish or Czech track The BSPA or whoever should be sending British teams to ride Tests abroad on these type of tracks but they won't because that costs money and they won't or can't spend any of that.. The team selection was a joke...Craig Cook is one of the brightest British talents i have seen for a while..he struggled at Kings Lynn but it was his first cap..he probably would have struggled last night but that is not the point..Barker and Bridger were always going to struggle and they are not the future...tried, tested and failed.....at least let a better rider gain experience which will benefit everyone down the line....poor that.. Cook is not a youngster as such but in speedway terms he is...like John Louis years ago it's not his age it's his experience and he needs that experience...Barker and Bridger are never World Cup riders and never will be...Cook isn't yet either but one day i think he will be and to drop him last night was criminal How many young riders are coming through grasstrack these days ?....i think grasstrack used to prepare riders a lot more for the bigger European circuits...the riders today don't seem to have a clue on those circuits and never will until they ride them more and adapt their equipment accordingly for them..

i think you are right that both would get a wildcard if they dropped out of the top 8 and i don't have a problem with that as their history deserves that honour....i cannot see the organisers dispensing with 2 high profile riders like them if the riders themselves want to continue..and they have both been fantastic for the GP's. My own view is that sport moves on and the wildcards should be offered to younger hungry up and comers which keeps the sport fresh and moving on..the problem is that 2 40 odd year old blokes are probably better still than the likely replacements for them !

both great riders and great servants but neither should get a widcard if they drop out of the top 8 in my opinion....as long as they are in the top 8 they should carry on for as long as they want and as long as they feel competitive, although i must say that both seem to have lost a little bit of edge recently which is hardly a surprise at 40 plus...it is amazing they have stayed as competitive as they have at their age. Not sure i can see either carrying on purely as a league rider without GP's as well

always rode a Weslake engine when he started and remained on Weslake for quite a while when hardly anybody used them in speedway..such a natural talent on a bike.

i first saw Joe Screen practicing when he was about 14 and i remember his first ever meeting for Belle Vue when he was 16....he got double figures and shortly after remember him storming past Sam Ermolenko who was possibly the best rider in the league at the time. he was probably the best 16 year old i have ever seen ( i never saw Michael Lee at that age) and was convinced he was a world champion in the making....he never really fulfilled that potential for whatever reason although at his peak was an incredibly talented and exciting rider who had a great career but perhaps not as great as i initially thought he would have.

the tattoos may not appeal to the older generation but they are very popular with the younger generation and will not harm his sponsorship deals in any way whatsoever.....the blank cap etc was very clever and is exactly the same as when Steve Waugh batted for Australia with a totally blank bat..it actually highlights the situation and enables a better deal to be made than otherwise may be the case....very good marketing indeed Tai's image is actually likely to gain a far larger following among teenagers than a clean cut image and therefore is more likely to capture future speedway fans ...the older generation may not see it but it is true...i think Tai is very important for the future of British speedway

not seen the Star for a bit but had a look the other day....are people complaining about the match reports being mixed together in date order rather than league by league ?..if so then i cannot see the problem and i think i prefer the results done on a date basis...it doesn't really matter what league it is surely , but it is easier just to look for a specific date...makes sense to me... Apart from that i couldn't see a massive change...it looked fine to me though

i agree there are far too many team changes year by year...far too much emphasis on averages...fans do like to feel they are watching a team and it is ridiculous that teams are decimated each season because of averages.....when i was involved in speedway i knew a couple of riders were riding themselves out of a club the following season because they were improving too much....not number 1 standard but too high to stay at the club...that was weeks and weeks before the season end...that just seems wrong.. There probably does need to be some regulation of team strenghts but the current method isn't working and means fans cannot continue to identify with riders as much...plus the top guys on the whole ride round Europe so much they are less likely to stick with one team for years like in the past.....team speedway seems a pale shadow of its past. i just cannot see how a squad system could possibly work though..it is inot practical for Elite League speedway in my opinion