Steve Shovlar

And who exactly would you have wanted through? They were the pick of the bunch, and if you think someone like Gjedde deserved a spot, well he was out of his depth yesterday and not worthy of a qualifying spot. same goes for BJ who made up the numbers. Only shocks were PK, Ulamek and L Dryml, and the later should hopefully get an automatic seed as he would have been there but for his injuries. PK also deserved a spot, and was favourite to win the meeting. Ulamek started brightly but faded, and all the others missed out because they were not good enough!

I have just got back from Wimborne Road after watching this afternoons/evening meeting. The whole thing was marred by an horrific crash, which was far worse than the recent L Dryml crash in the GP. :x Its happened on the first bend. Lukas and Peter Karlsson got tangled together and headed for the fence at full speed. There was no way either of them could avoid the crash and they ploughed into the fence at full speed, head on. :x The fence was smashed to pices, the supporting post demolished by Lukas's crash helmet which knocked him clean out. :x The two ambulances were at the scene within seconds, and the crew were running about getting the stretchers ready and the oygen to the injured pair. After a few tense minutes Lukas amazingly got to his feet, to the relief and applause of the very worried crowd. A minute later Peter kalsson also got up, and the relief on the crowds was clear to see. However, as a precaution Lukas was taken off to hospital, where it has just been diagnosed that he has a broken ankle, and is likely to be out for the remainder of the season. Hope this is not the case. :x P Karlsson took his place in the rerun and hour later, but pulled up after a lap and went to hospital and it looks like a broken rib for him. :x Other news is that Simon Stead was robbed of at least a runoff for 6th place by a referee from Denmark. :x Stead was on gate 4, and pushed out to the fence on the first bend by Dubrucki. He had to go down or through the fence. The ref excluded Stead and the crowd was in uproar. :-( A terrible decision that left Jensen of Denmark through. Luckily the ref wasn't lynched. :twisted: Cheers Steve Shovlar

Hi Middlo, best of luck tonight and get on that podium! Come on you Brits! Cheers Steve Shovlar

Spot on Sam. Trick would not choose to miss representing his country in a WC final if he had any real say in the matter. He is also missing big pay days in Poland and England as well. As a professional, only a couple of months ago he rode every night the week after his big smash in a GP, when other riders would have taken quite a bit of time off to recuperate. We will certainly miss him at Coventry on Monday, when Jason Lyons guests in his place. KNowing Trick he certainly would have ridden, especially as it's live on TV and the chance to show himself to potential sponsors. cheers Steve Shovlar

Lukas dryml can't gate for toffee. 99% of his points are scored coming from the back and on tracks like that he stood no chance. Every time he made a swoop he went backwards. Loram would probably have had the same problems, and said last night that why bother to have 85% of the track when it is unuseable. If the same conditions apply for Voyens, and chances are they will, then I hope the Brits have their bikes set up for gating and we can hold the others out. Up the Brits!

Great stuff from Team GB!! Murdered the opposition tonight and easily qualified for the final on Saturday, where they every opportunity of getting on the podium. Well done to Middlo who stuck with his convictions and choose the team he wanted, rather than the team the majority of fans thought he should take. Two fingers to the doubters. The guys all did us proud. Havvy, Floppy, Deano, Scotty and Rico are all heros tonight. Can't wait till Saturday night. Might even get a line of coverage in a couple of rags tomorrow. Then again....... cheers Steve Shovlar

Excellent effort from all the Brits. N one let the country down and they all tried their hearts out for the red, white and blue. The Aussies certainly got it stuffed up 'em, and once GB have got through the playoffs, which I am sure they will with ease, its all down to Voyens, where a place on the rostrum for the boys is acheivable. Special mention to floppy, who I said deserved his place and tonight proved me 100% correct. Well done you did your country proud. As for the rest, Havvy did a good job, he was never going to beat the likes of Crump, Adams and Sullivan but was solid throughout and there is life in the old dog yet. Nicholls did a good captains role, messing up at times through being over enthusatic at times. Richardson was the main man and deserves huge page, with a big pic of him punching the air on the back page of The Sun ( oh how we wish) Barker rode to his best and tha pass on Wiltshire was very very sweet. You could see the determination all the way! So lets get behind the boys for Thursday night and this year lets hope that things go for us and we sail into the finals. cheers Steve Shovlar

More than likely someone will post the race results as they happen on this board. Come back tomorrow and see if someone is doing it. Thanks Steve

Stonehewers elite average is 6.10 Norris is on 6.78 Robson is on 6.71, but mosly from the reserve berth. In fact he is a weak link in the Bees side at the moment. It's a rare thing when I defend and eastbourne rider but on this occassion Middlo has got it spot on. Wilson? Never in a onth of sundays. Simon Stead? No chance. Even Loram mentioned on Sky that the guy has stagnated and failed to move up to prove himself. Lets face it. At the moment the best GB are going to do is the playoffs. Now that USA have pulled out it makes our chance slightly better but to make the final with such a team will be an excellent effort. All this sack Middlo nonsense. What can the guy do when half his riders are injured?

Of course he would not have been in the usual squad, but he is certainly riding better than Joe Screen, who IMO is behind Havvy in the pecking order. Screen is not near the rider he used to be and it's not suprising he has been overlooked. The move to BV may help rescue a flagging career. Loram, Nicholls, Richardson, Howe and Barker would have ben the team to get the nod, with possibly Havvy, Norris and Stonehewer as standby's. havvy still rides in Sweden every week and gets good scores. The track shapes in Scandinavia are all similar and so he knows what to expect in Denmark.

I can see where Middlo is coming from. I certainly don't think Norris was likely to get the call if we didn't have such an injury crisis, however needs must and so Norris gets the nod. Why pick Floppy over Stonehewer and Wilson? Fairly easy answer. Because he is better. There is no contest why he has been picked over Wilson. Last year on his home track, Wilson proved that he just doesn't cut the mustard at a higher level and chocked. he prefers to ride his speedway at a lower level and that's why he has been overlooked. Stonehewer does ride at Elite league level, and has proved in the past that he can mix it with some of the top boys, however his comments about being glad to be out of the GP circus etc have probably gone aganst him. Norris plies his trade at the highest level and is a proved heat leader over the years, and not shy to race against the best week in week out. Sure, he is a poor traveller nowadays, as is Havvy, but Middlo has very litle room for maneouvre and so must pick riders who have the experience and want to be there. I am not a Norris fan. However, if I was to pick the team he ould be one of the guys I would be calling on, and hope that he is up for it.

Admission Prices: Adults £18 OAP £12 Child £6 Family Ticket £42 Poole didn't set the admission prices. 1. Ales Dryml CZ 2. Kaj Laukkanen FI 3. Bjarne Pedersen DK 4. David Howe GB 5. Charlie Gjedde DK 6. Sebastain Ulamek PL 7. Bohumil Brhel CZ 8. Piotr Protasiewicz PL 9. Lukas Dryml CZ 10. Tomas Topinka CZ 11. Romany Povazhny RU 12. Peter Karlsson SE 13. Theo Pijper NL 14. Rafal Dobrucki PL 15. Jesper B Jensen DK 16. Billy Janniro US R1. Joonas Kymlakorpi FI R2. Matej Zagar SI

No disrepect to your favourite Wasp riders but if Newport found themselves in the elite league, you certainly would be impressed if Gollob, Screen or Loram rode for you. Just because they have names? Yes of course, how do you think they got so famous? Because they are EXCELLENT and EXCITING riders. Watto et all coould still ride as reserves and second strings, and you would see racing beyond your imagination!

Personally I think the EL is a far better product than the Premier. Of course less clubs is the main problem but on the whole it would be a bitter pill to swallow if we didn't get to see several top GP riders a week. The argument of the premier being a better product just doesn't hold up. Whilst meeting can still be close and exciting, the premier fans miss out big time on seeing the top guys in action at their track. these guys are worth the admission alone, and to see Rickardsson, Crump, Sullivan and Loram at your track can only be great for the sport. The main argument seems to be that premier league has more teams so more variation every week. A good point but does Sheffield V Somerset have the same appeal as Sheffield V Poole, with, just say for example, Trcick, Adams and Dryml Vs Wilson, Screen and Gollob. (just using Screen and Gollob as two possible signings for Sheffield) I cannot believe Sheffield fans would prefer premier over elite league if it wss presented to them properly. Surely the Sheffield promotion and fans want their team to be the best in the country? That will never happen if they just sit where they are. The elite league will prevail in some form or another. It has to for the premier and conference leagues to survive. Without the elite GB will never, ever have another world champion. GB will end up in speedways backwater(although it's heading slowly but surely that way as I type this) Four clubs are needed to move up to strengthen the elite and make the sport a more sturdy ship to steer. With the likelyhood of further conference league teams applyng tomove into the premier, the premier itself will become unviable with too many teams and the problems of fitting too many meetings into the season. Si I say to all premier league fans, the elite is not some horrible place, but a place for the best racing in the world with the best riders. And something I enjoy and wouldn't want to swap any day of the week.

Easy to stop rolling starts. Make sure the riders know the rules, tell the starting marshall that the riders front wheel is only a couple of inches from the tapes when the green light comes on. If a rider moves back when the light comes on its classed the same at tape touching and he is excluded. the rules state that riders must not move when the green light comes on, so enforce it rigerously!

I am arriving at Cardiff early so i might pop along to Sams bar to see who you lot are. I won't recognise anyone but Tina and i am not sure she will be there, so look out for a very handsome guy in his early 40's sporting a Swedish Match Tony Rickardsson Cap. Nice to put a few faces to names and I promise not to stir! :twisted:

Well I thought it a very enjoyable meeting. Admitedly the track was far too slick but there was quite a bit of overtaking after the first 5 heats. Cream always rises to the top and the final had the correct 4 riders battling it out. Well, battling it out for second as Trick was head, shoulders, chest and waist above the opposition all night. Total dominance and I think this was Tony's easiest win in all the GP's he has competed in. Some think it boring but Tony is laying down the level of commitment and ability that others need to attain if they wish to compete, and in the long term it is only good for the sport to bring it to higher standards. Tricks averages have been down this year, and this is completely due to bike troubles. The only way he would have lost this GP is for an EF but luckily it looks like the gremlins have been exterminated. It is a well known fact that all sporting legends prove to be extremely unpopular when they dominate their sport. Only when they are about to retire do they suddenly become a hero of sorts. Schumacker in F1, Steve Davis or Henry in Snooker, Tiger Woods in Golf, the list is endless. Unless you actually support that sporting legend, then you find it boring and anybody but them please. With Trick on such fine form, the rest need to raise their game or the series will be sewn up with three GPs to go. Don't blame Tony. What should he do? not try? Ask to start off 15 meters? Not bother to turn up for a couple of rounds? Or race with one arm tied behind his back! At the end of the day every generation sees a Speedway great. Fundin, Briggs, Mauger, Nielsen, Rickardsson. Rather than thinking it boring because you are not a fan, realise that this guy is riding now and you are probably watching speedway history in the making. Maugers six titles? Six? Schmix! Seven is heaven and Trick WILL get them before he finally pulls off that steel shoe. Enjoy watching him now and you can tell your grand children you saw the greatest speedway rider of all time at your track against your boys. Now that ain't a bad thing. cheers Steve Shovlar