PHILIPRISING

PROBABLY because NZ has a longer and richer speedway history than almost any other nation, IMG has a presence there and there is a motorsports promoter who wants to do it. There is no weather guarantee anywhere these days and Auckland is no different. Have been there twice in March ... once it was gorgeous, once wet.

WELCOME back Humphrey, haven't seen you around lately. End of March is first available date at Western Springs, the only viable venue in NZ. They are very close at the moment and it would be a real shame were it to fall out of bed at this late (very) stage.

POSSIBLY but would rather defeat the object of one GP rider per team which is to reduce their wage bills.

BEEN waiting for that ... you get the biscuit!

TRUE ... I'm going for a lay down

UNLESS, of course, the rider who had third choice in the first semi says that he took the gate he did because he also wanted the remaining rider inside or outside him... it does happen.

I would imagine that they would try to go to Australia earlier than NZ. Apart from anything else, they have to be mindful of the fact that riders earn their money through league racing (notably in Poland). Yes, Speedway Star was against the GPs a lifetime ago but just about everything has changed since 1994. But that was nothing to do with domestic calendar and, of course, Polish domestic speedway wasn't the force then that it is now. Of course, this might be yet another reason why a squad system could be beneficial to Elite League clubs here.

FIRST available date at Western Springs is March 31 ... riders need only be away for a week and given that date would be known well in advance cannot be beyond the wit of man to work out fixtures

I REALISE that you have great animosity towards me, which is no problem, but how you can reach the conclusion that I was in any way responsible for the mix up over the draw order is stretching it. We (Tony Olsson and i) have to wait until the referee has confirmed the draw order before notifying the riders and going ahead with the draw. It was, in fact, Jury President Tony Steele who realised only seconds before the riders went out for the first semi that an error had been made. The referee had, in fact, miscalculated, thinking that Holder had beaten two of the other riders (Laguta and Sayfutdinov) who had identical heat records. They had in fact one win each which meant that their season long riding numbers would determine their order in the draw. Fortunately both Laguta and Sayfutdinov (who didn't actually have a pick) were in white. Had either been in a different colour the whole draw would have had to be done again. We actually got out of jail but it was embarrassing and the result of human error but, sadly for you, not mine. Had the semis proceeded after an erroneous draw process riders would have been at liberty to contest the final result with the FIM.

HOW many GP riders will be involved with British tracks? Not many, at most, so doubt whether it will be a major problem in the UK. Polish authorities have already agreed to a later start IF the GP event goes ahead. Swedish league won't have started anyway. Why shouldn't riders he happy with a Grand Prix in NZ as long as it doesn't really affect their European commitments (which it won't) and the travel and freight arrangements are what they might expect, which they are. At this stage BSI/IMG would prefer to concentrate all their efforts on one southern hemisphere GP. Hopefully, once that is established expansion into Australia will follow.

A LITTLE premature but hopefully will become a reality when all the i's are dotted and the t's crossed but they aren't there yet

LUNCH time and its still dry! Forecast is okay but this is Vojens so all options are open...

PRACTICE went well on a dry and sunny afternoon ... yes, at Vojens! Hopefully the weather will be be kind on Saturday evening, too. Harris 'special engine' did not arrive until after practice. But it is still his intention to use it today. Andreas Jonsson looked very good. But as Ivan Mauger once told me: "Everyone's practice times will be within half a second ... it's how quick you get from the tapes to the first corner that counts."

YES there will be a GP in Prague ....

THERE will be a Grand Prix in Torun next year but the date has yet to be finalised.

SAYFUTDINOV winning on his first appearance probably trumps that ...

NO lack of watering holes in what is a terrific city. Enjoy...

IF you haven't watched this yet I suggest you do... http://speedwaygp.com/news/article/612/at-home-with-herbie The really nice side of speedway.

BUT the referee in Terenzano didn't see the tapes malfunction (as he couldn't from his position) and had called the result of the race before a complaint was made. Under FIM rules he cannot then order a rerun, even though he was subsequently aware of the problem from TV replays. This is why the FIM are reviewing the situation and looking at how a referee can be made aware of a mishap before declaring a result. I still cannot agree about letting the start marshal make the decision about the tapes going up correctly. It would open a can of worms. What is he going to do ... stand in the middle of the track waving at the referee who is watching the riders as the race unfolds. Some meetings would take days to run.

NOT a sensible idea at all. As likely as not the starting marshal would be blinded by dirt coming off the track but are you really suggesting that he should have the power to initiate a restart rather than the referee? That would be placing a huge onus on an untrained guy who may or may not get it right. Far too risky and unprofessional. This subject is actually being discussed at the highest level right now. My own suggestion is that the referee has immediate access at the end of each race, should he request it, to replays of the head on TV camera, which has the best view in the stadium. The powers-that-be are looking into ways of having a separate TV monitor in the referee's box that could have that view available even before the end of the race. If the referee was in any doubt he could look at the replay or even a static picture within seconds and before announcing the result of the race. The technology is there so let's use it.

SWEDISH GP in Gothenburg has already been announced as May 26 and Terenzano has another year of its contract to run.

AND how often do you think there would be a World Final in Britain? Every four years, five, six? There is massive national newspaper coverage of each GP ... in Denmark, Poland and, to a lesser extent, Sweden. It is not the GP system that fails to appeal to British papers ... it is the lack of success by British riders that is the root of the apathy.

HARRIS is actually 28 years old right now so his best years are hardly behind him. As stated previously, I don't think he is lacking in ability or determination but for a long time now his off-track set-up was wrong and if he can sort that out (as he is trying to do) then he can survive at the highest level, which sadly is more than we can say of any other British rider at present.

BUT he was sixth last year after a very poor first half to the season.

NOT sure I totally agree with that although I appreciate where you are coming from. Harris fully understands that he needs to finish in the top eight and went into this season high on confidence after his sterling end-of-year performances in 2010. I honestly believe that Chris Harris is a top five rider as long as he has the right equipment. He will never be a first class starter - those are born rather than created - but his ability from the back, allied to his guts and determination, can help to compensate for that. Incidentally, sat with Ole Olsen at a reception in Italy on Friday and he was saying how old school Gollob and Hancock are from the start. The modern way is chin on the handlebars and the throttle wide open. The two old-times are much more upright and start with very little throttle. You can try and teach that but it is more natural than anything else. Harris truly believed that having tried the new silencers last year he would have no trouble with them this. But, like many others, he has been caught out and still hasn't found the right set-up. Hancock and his team had it sorted during the winter while tuner Peter Johns (Holder and Ward) was always one step ahead. But, as Harris says, what might suit Holder won't necessarily suit him. You can argue, and I wouldn't disagree, that GP riders should know what is required but the fact is that many today simply want to get on a bike and ride it. Gollob is the exception to the rule. But then, look at Ove Fundin, who I was chatting to in Gorzow. He never got involved in the mechanics although he knew basically what he wanted. But it was all pretty standard stuff and the bike he used to win in 1967, a JAP/JAWA hybrid, was basically the Belle Vue track spare. Of course it will be a problem if Harris, by a long way the best British rider at present, doesn't qualify automatically. Ask most GP riders who they think has the most natural talent and they will name Tai Woffinden but he still has a major attitude problem that remains a high hurdle to his aspirations. Would Harris take a wild card by default? Probably, but don't run away with the idea that he either expects one or will not be extremely disappointed if he doesn't get there on merit. He may not say much but he is very frustrated that he is currently off the pace and knows that he is much better than his scores suggest.