Shaledodger

Just 2 from Edinburgh so far as I know. Not sure how we are getting to and from Manchester yet. May have to fly down the day before and stay the night. Looks like a stopover on the way back too. Hopefully James will organise this for us.

Mrs Shaledodger and I are doing the 4 Cities Tour too. Ideally I'd have liked to see more team matches, rather than individual meetings, but the lure of the trip was just too great. For anyone interested in breweries, Dreher's Brewery and Museum in Budapest's District X, do tours (they can be in English) every day between 9am and 4pm. Cost 1,300 forints (about £3.50). Beware the waiters in central Budapest bars. Negotiate the price before ordering or you run the risk of being ripped off. Cricket fans may like to know that the Prague Bohemians Cricket Club are planning to host an international 6-A-Side tournament over the Czech GP weekend. Their ground is right opposite the Marketa Stadium. See you on the Manchester plane, Addy. Any idea when it is taking off? We've got to get down from Edinburgh.

Thanks, Bryn. Hope you and the programme get back to the UK safely.

Can anyone post the heat details, please? I have the programme which I'd like to fill in.

I didn't see the Sky broadcast tonight, but after reading the posts on this topic, I am very glad I gave Cardiff a miss once again.

Honours or no honours, Leicester had one of the best race tracks in the country with lots of passing lines, unlike a certain other Midlands track in the same ownership. It was an act of speedway vandalism of the greatest magnitude when Blackbird Road was sold for housing - and I have only been to Coventry once since, in 2004.

Of course we already have an excellent speedway museum here in Scotland - From Cinders to Shale. Ex Berwick Bandit, Ian Paterson, has a large display of complete bikes, engines, body colours, leathers, helmets, programmes, badges, posters, trophies etc - in fact everything and anything to do with our wonderful sport from its earliest days right up to the present time. The open days for 2005 are as follows:- Sunday 24th April; Sunday 5th June; Sunday 31st July & Sunday 2nd October Opening hours are from 11am until 2pm and there is a £3 entrance fee. From Cinders to Shale can be found at the Edgefield Road Industrial Estate at Loanhead (off the A720 Edinburgh City Bypass at the Straiton junction onto the B702. The industrial estate is on the left). It's well worth a visit.

Report much appreciated and great to see Theo Pijper doing so well. Has anyone who was at the meeting got a spare programme or two? If so please get in touch.

As well as Paris, Canada has another track in Ontario at Welland (Niagara Speedway) and one at St Alex in Quebec. Speedway races may also be part of the programme of events at Coaticook (July 24th) and Leamington (10th July and 14th August), both of which are short track venues. The 2004 East Coast Speedway Series will be held at at five venues, Paris, Welland and St Alex in Canada, plus Jolly Roger at East Lempster (New Hampshire) and the Square Deal Riders track at Harpursville (New York State). Other tracks in New York State can be found at Owego (Champion Speedway) and at Greene (Action Park East). The promotor at both these tracks, Jason Bonsignore, has plans to open a third track at Rochester. In the Mid-West, Indianapolis will be running in 2004 and it is hoped the annual speedway meeting will again be staged at the nearby Lawrenceburg track. Across in Northern California, Chowchilla, a new track at Winchester and the long established Auburn will be running, as will Costa Mesa in the south. [With thanks to Duncan Luke for this information]

I used to have a programme in my collection from Noumea in New Caledonia. The meeting was in 1970 with riders being imported from either Australia or New Zealand. I vaguely recall Englishman, Tommy Sweetman, rode there. Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, has had two tracks. Granville operated between 1971 and 1978; Moitaka, circa April 1979. [info: Luke] Manilla on the Phillipines had a least one meeting circa 1975. [info: Luke] I have a copy of a list of speedway tracks by country, which was originally put together by Dirk Riemann with many additions by Duncan Luke from Ontario.