PHILIPRISING

THEN why have qualifiers and instead use a competition that is not open to all riders in the world?

THE legendary Trevor Redmond used to promote stock cars at St Austell. En route to the track from his London home he would more often than not call in to see Barry Briggs and "borrow" one of Briggo's magnificent trophies that he had acquired during his career. TR would place it in full view on the centre green at St A and the drivers would assume that it was up for grabs that evening. At the meeting's conclusion, TR would present the winner with a cheap little trophy he had bought in somewhere like Woolworth and drop Briggo's back to him on the way home. Loved that man ... could tell stories all night long.

WOULD take a complete U-turn by the FIM who insist these days that a rider who doesn't enter the qualifiers for the SGP cannot get a wild card. Chris Holder won't get one.

NOT sure you know me at all... would actually agree that Poland and GB are the most viable with the decline of world class riders in Denmark and Sweden. No doubt BSI would like to see the FIM spend more of the money that goes into its coffers on grassroots speedway and to help develop the discipline in new countries but that doesn't appear to be high on the agenda in Geneva. I do think that BSI have problems finding SGP venues just as they are in need of new top class riders emerging in Denmark, Sweden, the USA and elsewhere other than Poland. One of the issues with the SGP going to Russia a few years back was that BSI is owned by IMG, an American company, and the US and other countries had imposed sanctions on Russia which muddied the waters and their office in Moscow was not exactly enthusiastic. It is a bit clearer now.

ASSETS are a figment of promoters' imagination

NO he doesn't and I doubt whether Chris thinks so either. Has much going on his life off the track along with his injury after winning the World title and what happened to his best friend Darcy. Hopefully he might get things sorted during the winter and make a comeback.

LET'S not over react here. It hasn't happened before probably won't again.

GREEN lights cannot go on until the start marshal has moved away

THERE have been hundreds if not thousands of SGP races when all four riders are ready when the two minutes expires. It is the norm. Saturday's fiasco was very rare and, personally, think it was because all four were messing around when the clock ran out. But the referee could have started the race as the quartet were ready, albeit after the two minutes. The two minutes allowance can be frustrating at certain tracks. Malilla, for example, where it takes the riders less than 15 seconds to get from the point gate to the tapes. But inevitably they will still use up the full allowance, gardening, etc for over 90 seconds. It seems an eternity. At other tracks, where riders have to go much further, it is less apparent. I do know that different procedures are being looked at but riders being excluded under the two minute rule when they are within the starting area is very, very rare.

SO, not ready.

HT 13 was much more than Fricke's last bend heroics. It was a great race between Doyle, Holder and Cook for almost the whole four laps before Fricke stole their thunder.

CARE to tell us why? Always found him to be a quiet, polite, nice guy...

THE referee and the start marshal will always have a meeting but that does not include the riders, who know that they have to be ready at the tapes within the time limit. The process adopted by the referee and the start marshal last night may be common practice in Poland but it isn't in the SGPs. Yesterday in the race in question none of the four riders was actually ready so the question is why the referee chose to exclude one, and not the others, or warn all four.

CANNOT answer your last point other than to say that I attended over 100 riders briefings and it was never mentioned. Most referees said very little although most common was "it won't be green light and go."

NO one is suggesting that Tai was ready ... just that nor were the other three riders. It's not another discussion ... it is the same one. They then came to the tapes to the satisfaction of the start marshal so the race could have been started.

PRETTY well spot on. It was a decision the referee didn't have to make. The riders were actually ready when he put on the exclusion light. He should simply have got on with starting the race and nobody would have been none the wiser. Also agree it was a very poor SGP.

THEN why not also exclude those that were also not ready?

RIDERS have to be ready not just at the tapes

CRAZY decision by the referee ... if Tai was to be thrown out so too should the other three riders. FIM referees are getting worse and worse

EMIL has lost his spark. Might need more racing but says he only wants to ride at weekends, hence his decision to turn down a big offer from Sweden. Think a wild card might be debatable, which is not something I would have said a few weeks back.

YOU don't have to be on Facebook to donate to gofundme ... just go to their website and search for the person you wish to donate to.

IT'S no secret that he is looking to get out

THE FIM are very keen for these events to be taken to new venues.

COULD do with some Danes, Swedes and an American!

DON'T think it will happen much as I would like it to. BSI are fearful of doing anything that would diminish the crowd at Cardiff, which is their jewel in the crown. The fact of the matter is that none of us actually know whether it would or it wouldn't. The two events would be very different, no one is going to spend the day hanging around Kirky Lane, the weather could be a factor, the stadium doesn't have the facilities of the Principality, etc, etc. But what we saw last night underlines what a fantastic race track they have at the NSS and that alone should attract a decent crowd. But would fans go to one or the other or both? That is the 64,000 dollar question that we cannot answer and I don't see BSI taking a risk, at least not in 2019. Cardiff attracts many, many fans who do not go to any other speedway event in the UK during the course of a season.