Pinny

I genuinely thought that he would of been well suited to the new system when it first came in in the mid 00's . From memory, I think he got a runners up medal the year Pedersen won it in 07 or 08. But think Pedersen was streets ahead of the rest that season. As said, just as good as Crump in the leagues for me but when it came to GP's, he wasn't in the Elite class. Had he stuck around longer before retiring (think he was well under 40 when he called it a day) he could well of gone on to do well in the GP's , once Pedersen and Crump weren't dominating. Look at Hancock, OK he won his first title amongst great company but his last 3 titles were won when the likes of Crump and Pedersen were fading and the top end of the series was nowhere near as strong as it once was. Be a toss up between Crump and Adams for best EL rider ever though.

Love Adams, brilliant rider in league speedway. Stylish as they come. However, calls of him being the best rider to not win a world title are a bit off. He really never looked like winning one and was in the GPs for a long time.

Looks perfect for speedway but the place would look empty even with crowds between 1-2000.

Hope Puk has a brilliant day. Well deserved. Wont forget the winter when Tim Stone signed him as third heatleader on a 9.00 average. I remember he had won the Danish u21 final ahead of Bjerre the year before and just had that feeling he would be an instant success at Newport. Must of been one of the only ones as most predicted he would do well to average 5. He went on to average over his 9.00 assessed figure in his only year in the Premier and was superb everywhere he went. I went to many away meetings that season and don't think I seen him have a bad one on tracks he was visiting for the first time. An extremely good guy, always turned out well and gave nothing less than 100 percent. I think injuries knocked him back a bit, he started to make big strides in the GP's and topped the Polish and British averages for a few seasons before going on a run of nasty crashes. Had he avoided them with the form he was in, its not unreasonable to think he would of picked up more GP wins and podiums. His partnership at Newport with Tony Atkin will go down as probably the most popular partnership at Newport after Wato and Smarty. Hope he has a big crowd and good weather.

I was thinking the same thing about this forum being dead lately. The winters used to be just as busy on here as the season itself. I wonder how many people from its original launch (was it 2001/2ish) still read it.

I was thinking the same thing about this forum being dead lately. The winters used to be just as busy on here as the season itself. I wonder how many people from its original launch (was it 2001/2ish) still read it.

So do the "powers that be" at Swindon honestly think the fans are stupid enough to believe the latest nonsense?

Be better if Mads was in. A Lynn favourite and an actual team mate of Puks at Newport and then Lynn and Pboro. Plus hasnt been retired too long has he, be still able to mix it a bit .

The Hancocks were offered a few million for the land were they not? And took it, hence the closure of the speedway. thats what the story was at the time anyway.

The Hancocks were offered a few million for the land were they not? And took it, hence the closure of the speedway. thats what the story was at the time anyway.

Simple answer - because the people who bought the land off the Hancocks didn't want speedway there?

Because in reality its the same as British riders going abroad and in the main struggling. Okay, you have your Bewleys, Lamberts and Woffys who succeed but how many others hold down regular spots in the top leagues over seas? If you watch racing from Swedish and Danish tracks, you will realize they aren't actually that similar to UK tracks. And Polish tracks definitely aren't. It's what makes it even more impressive when you see a foreign rider come to the UK and hit the ground running straight away.

Be good to see PUK in a Newport race jacket again, guess he could be lining up for any of the four sides though.

Mullett had a serious injury I think in 99 when Andre Compton took him out at Reading. He came back from that but was never the same rider. Held the track record at Newport for a while, think he was the top boy in that great Reading side that won the league in 97 (?) with Glenn Cunningham and Lee Richardson also in that side.

Zagar was beyond expensive in his Reading days , stayed PL longer than he should of done as was getting that good a deal at Reading.

Fair enough, thought was more. I think Klindt will be a steady enough signing , just can't see him being a 9-10 pt number one whereas its hard for me to see Zagar averaging less than that in this league. As you say though, Zagar wasn't in the mix so a pointless discussion.

Does it matter? Bjarne Pedersen averaged near 10 for Plymouth and he was over 40 and way, way past his peak . Zagar would be nigh on unbeatable around Plymouth. will end the subject there as he hasn't signed and Klindt has.

Did you read my post properly? from a quick google search he averaged 7.78 with bonus points that season, if you class that as a stand out season as a number one then good on you. But most would disagree. Matej Zagar is a better rider than Klindt and would comfortably average more than him in the championship.

I read a comment by Nick Mallett somewhere on facebook where he has stated he is ready to reinvest in speedway in Newport if they can find the land and set up a Workington style track. 😶

British Speedway regarding young up and comers and general top riders is in the best place it has been for a long time - since 2000 and Lorams win you have only had one rider at best from the UK mixing it in the top 8. Now we have two and they are only going to improve , plus a list of young future top riders coming through. i don't see the reason for UK speedway falling apart as being anything to do with lack of riders coming through. Its the people running the sport that are ruining it.

They have to get the ticket prices right for it to be a success IMO. I have seen prices of around 65-70 quid a ticket which is absolutely insane money for an event at Belle Vue. No matter where you are sat, its worth nowhere near that.

We're not talking about riders though are we. Talking about fans in general. The Cardiff crowds have fallen off alarmingly since 2001-2010 ish and it isn't a surprise they canned it. GB have two top talents in the series now for the first time in years and years yet the crowds for the British GP were at their lowest for 20 years so not sure what having no riders coming through has to do with it. The sport is poorly promoted in the UK and ran by promoters with their own interests which shouldn't happen. It should be ran by independent people. Silly farcical decisions as well as poor fixture planning... the list is endless.

I remember he was tipped for the top way back when his older brother was over in the UK with Newport, many said he will be a future top GP rider. Looked for a while like he was going to level out as a decent heatleader and thats it. Great to see him kick on and would put him as number one Aussie now.

One thing you are forgetting - rugby does well there because its a far, far more popular sport than speedway. Both worldwide and more importantly in Wales. Speedway is a dying sport in the UK and the quicker people face up to it, the better.

Is there a proven case of a team moving to another club and sharing stadiums and it being a success?