TheReturn

Very good points, I think Middlo said the right things when asked about Ward in the interview last night, I assumed Middlo being his team manager would be advising Ward, then again if Middlo is advising Ward it explains everything lol How ironic.

Loud enough to come across through the TV though and it was not just once, it always seemed to happen a lot when Sky are at Poole.

Makes a change from them cheering when an opposition rider falls off, something they did a lot when on Sky last season. I think that says more about you than Kelvin. I don't think Kelvin was trying to stifle a laugh. I respect anyone (male or female) for giving anything a go, fair play to them whatever their ability. After all, it's easy to sit behind a keyboard and be critical, takes guts to get up and give it a go.

As I posted the other day I was looking forward to seeing him race again, but the interview last night was quite a eye opener (it should not have been). I don't expect Ward to be the sharpest tool in the box but surely his advisors have told him to express some kind of apologetic approach whenever interviewed.

Depends how you look at it, Harris worked damn hard, so deserved the points/money after Bjarre screwed the team up earlier in the night.

There is someone shouting like a demented fool, and for once it is not Pearson, some loud mouth Poole fan seeking attention no doubt... Shovlar, Starman? Depends what happened in that hotel room.

Not rubbish at all. It's just that you don't agree with my thoughts, so have dismissed them to be rubbish which of course is your right.

Technically, they refused to ride before it was abandoned so they should be fined, if the opposition were happy to ride. Although on the assumption they were instructed not to ride by Havelock I would have fined the manager, not the riders.

But had Coventry been leading at heat 9, I do not for one minute think he would have been so vociferous. I get the impression on TV that he was pushing for a postponement for points over safety.

I thought Havelock came out badly last night, far more than any officials.

To be fair it is not just speedway, in other sports they often call results without full play. Personally I think heat 12 is a more realistic 'end point' for a result, I thought it always used to be heat 12 in the past or maybe I am making that up (I am getting old). I guess the only other and fair way to decide when to call a meeting is if rain is threatening to end a meeting early, it can only be called a result at the point where the other team can no longer mathematically (using 5-1's) not take (win) points, be that somehow heat 10 or up to heat 14 etc. Otherwise it is everyone back for a re-run meeting.

This is a fascinating thread (for a non technical person). Going back through history, does anybody know who the first rider to ride a lay down engine in a competitive meeting?

Thank you Philip. It will be interesting to see how he is riding after a long period off when his peers have a few months competitive racing under their belts.

When does his ban end?

If that is the case then it is woeful that Sky glossed over that throughout the evening. They are supposed to be broadcasters informing the public, not glossing over stuff in some kind of BSPA mouthpiece way.

I am a bit late to the thread, but depression can be bubbling under the service for years, so it is very feasible that the death of a friend years prior could be a catalyst for a serious episode of depression years later. Depression and other mental health problems should never be trivialised. For someone living through such problems, enjoying things you used to enjoy becomes harder. So in that scenarios yes retiring so many times in such a short space of time makes sense.

Not at all, what is the point of mentioning it midway through the meeting when it changes heat to heat?

Fair enough at the end of the night (which is what most sports do) but not midway through GP number 2.

Why does that idiot Pearson keep banging on about the World Championship positions at this stage of the season, we did not finish round 1 and we are not even through the heats of round 2 yet so the over standings are totally pointless right now, and will be for a couple of GP's yet.

And at some point in the next 24 hours, the speedway press (that don't pay to attend) will try and defend the approach and tell us how the riders all love this big stadiums blah, blah, blah.

Was there an official announcement for the abandonment of the last GP? Because if it was about the track, this track seems far more challenging than last month!

So what stopped you coming on the forum and STARTING a tribute thread? I am 100% certain absolutely nobody would have objected to that. Not like you acting like a prat on this thread.

I bet you said that last time, and the time before that and the time before that... shall I go on?

Was that late 80s? I remember he was flying one season, scoring maximums for fun everywhere he rode then had a really bad crash one night (I think maybe at Oxford) and he was not quite the same after that.

Oh you are right, it is a bit strange and sad seeing that with the outlay of where the new streets are now. I have screenshot the image and added to the Flickr set.