PHILIPRISING

TRY telling NKI that...

MADSEN didn't win the Danish Championship which surely determines their best rider. Had his chance in the GP Challenge. DOESN'T follow that they will announce the names immediately

WELL, over 20,000 did and according to NP that was more than watched Australia v England in the rugby league World Cup the previous night in the same city. There was undoubtedly a firm hope that a SGP at the Etihad would attract non-speedway fans, and it has, but we have to be realistic about the attendance figures speedway can attract anywhere outside of Cardiff and Warsaw these days. And even you, surely, cannot deny that the distances involved in travelling around Australia are a factor.

AGREE ... and it's not just the SGP riders themselves but the equipment they possess

MORE likely to be two Danes than two Swedes in any opinion. Agree that Holder has probably ruled himself out with poor display in Melbourne.

DOES that all the time FANTASTIC performance by Jason Doyle throughout the season and a very worthy World Champion. Let's just hope he continues to race in the UK next year.

AND let's not forget the huge distances, as just mentioned by NP and KT, required to reach Melbourne from other parts of Australia. It's not exactly like Manchester to Cardiff IT'S stuffed under his cap ...

SO are some football matches in half empty stadiums but it doesn't mean they move elsewhere

BT have been pleased with viewing figures for both the SGP and the PL. No doubt they are keen to continue in 2018 but depends what sort of deal the BSPA are prepared to accept. My guess would be that if BT pick up the cost of production and pay a meeting fee, perhaps £10,000, the BSPA will bite their hand off. As well they should.

FIRST time I have ever watched a SGP live at 4am in the morning ... 15 hours behind Oz here in Florida

NO pressure then

VERY few tracks try to raise significant funds outside of gate revenue and sponsorship. Many small football clubs only exist by staging a host of extra activities which bring in significant sums of money. To borrow a phrase from a well known supermarket ... every little bit helps.

OR just an oversight. It happens.

THE bikes, spare engines, tools, etc had to be in Amsterdam two days after Torun to be air-freighted to Melbourne. Once there they undergo extremely vigorous customs examination by the Australian authorities who are paranoid about anything that could bring an infestation into the country. The decision about who would complete the line-up in Melbourne was taken by the FIM SGP committee after consultation with Motorcycle Australia. Has I have said previously, injured riders are an inherent problem more likely to occur at the end of a season. There was never a problem at the three SGPs in New Zealand which opened rather than closed the campaign.

NOT that I know of.

TOO costly perhaps. Swedish tracks feeling the pinch.

THERE are plenty of names on the list that, shall we say, is "pushing the boat a little."

IT was written by Brian Burford ... if it was my decision (and it wasn't) it would not have been our published without at the very least the BV management been given an opportunity for a balanced response. Actually in the process of writing a piece for next week's SS but the last thing I would want to do, and won't, is trash PC. He has been a mate for over 40 years and, yes, he has had health issues.

WORKING on it but not sure it is a discussion they want to get into if it requires publicly criticising PC in any way.

CAN we just make one thing clear ... Peter Collins has never been asked to pay to get into Belle Vue speedway.

WOULD Man U let ever ex-player in for nothing? And it wasn't only ex-riders that PC had on the list he submitted to BV for free admission.

PC doesn't need a paying adult with him to get into BV.

MUCH of which is also one-sided. LOTS. Read the WalterPlinge reply again. PC refused to budge on his demand that hundreds of people should be afforded free entry. He tried to insist that the WSRA accept his view or would turn down their invitation to become President, which is what happened. Like many on here, PC is not just a hero but a mate. Was at all his greatest triumphs. But, sadly, he finds it hard to accept that the NSS came into being without him and that his demands simply cannot be accommodated. Very sad. As previously said, he is to BV what Bobby Charlton is to Man U and he should be the natural figure head for the stadium. The fact that he isn't is down to him as even some of his closest BV mates will testify. Belle Vue...

PC refused to accept that WSRA compromise at BV and is the reason why he turned down an invitation to become President of the WSRA next year.

ASSETS could be the new bitcoin.