OveFundinFan

I like the solar panels at the track, more tracks should have them. Thank you for the race cards. Joe

So Vaclav Milik does not get a ride this time? Shame if he doesnt.

I thought I remembered seeing a meeting their couple or three years ago and, yes, it was decent racing, so why mess up a meeting this time. Surely they knew the importance of the meeting, not only the fact it was determining 3 GP riders for next year, but also, put on a good meeting and possibly the track is in line for a GP meeting in 2018 and beyond. Or perhaps they didnt want a big meeting - too costly to put the show on with too little return,

Get wet and cold somewhere else.

It was a very poor track for the GP Challenge. If I was deciding to go to it in 2018 or not, as it stands it would be a definite NO. That should of been a show meeting, the organisers must know they were under a watchful eye with 2018 maybe in the offering. Not much attempt to provide a race track at all. Think you could count the number of passes on one hand - and thats for a whole meeting, not one race.

You may read the comments from speedways paying public, but from whats been said (ie more guests) its apparent BSPA are not reading. Either not reading or they couldnt care less what the paying public are saying. Just when I was thinking "it cant get any worse", it looks as if it is. Oh dear.

I just revised the average age of posters on this forum - now down to 7

I think the top 3 Brits (post war) are nailed - PC, PC and TW, its deciding what order they are.

I suppose I am not surprised the "quiet man" of speedway has not been mentioned - Bob Duckworth - a Belle Vue Aces rider back in the 60's and also Newcastle Diamonds. Whilst with the Aces Bob and his family used to live in Partington, Manchester, where the Collins/Morton families came from. Bob used to use my dads garage to mechanic his bikes. In 1963 he was invited to present trophies at a cycle speedway meeting in Manchester, he took mum, dad and myself to the meeting and that was the start of myself being a cycle speedway rider then later grass track racing.

What a farce speedway is in this country. Big gaps in meeting schedules and then come to the end of the season there are double headers with the same team, or miles/hours of travelling between one meeting and another, and all this at a time it could be reasoned teams may have injuries to riders. Time for a massive shake up, or has that been said for the last xx number of years!

Seems strange to introduce something new to a trak that was known to produce good racing. Wonder what the thinking was behind that move?

Many years ago I remember Wal Phillips developed fuel injection system. Dont know how successful it was, or whether it was a failure or whether it was banned.

The way Holder was last night I think his bubble has well and truly burst. If he gates he could hold on for a win, but he is not consistently a brilliant gater. He struggles from the back and is pulling out of many tight riding spots. Something amazing will have to happen if he wants to get back where he was pre DW accident days.

I certainly didnt like what he did last year in the WTC. He rode in getting USA to the Friday night play off then he should have ridden in it. If, at the start of the competition he said he was not riding to give youngsters a chance then fair enough, I can accept that. "Love" for Greg as a rider cooled off after last summer, but that was then. Having said that, he is the current world champion, still is until the end of the Melbourne GP. Someone said he was only 2 points inside the top 8 this year.....that is a great achievement no matter who the rider is. Most on here say this years line up is the most competitive for years, so why pull down someone who was in the lying 7th in the series. You can say at 48 he is the past. While agreeing he is not the future as he wont be gracing the GPs in 5 years time (IMO), he is the present and age doesnt come into it - performance does, and we all know Hancock could get the right set up and whip the youngsters and teach them a lesson. Greg for a 2018 wild card - he gets my vote.

The travel is not the potential problem........, KK is not in the hunt for a world championship. Would you want to risk injury the night before a GP and possibly ruin your chance of being a world champ or qualify for next year.

So you dont think BV will make the top 4 but Poole will. Strange.

First half of the meeting was Gate 4, second half of the meeting was gate 2. Inside only won 3 times, once by Emil in the heats and the two semis. Poorly prepared track. TW really on it tonight, looking much like he was in 2015. Piotr Pawlicki becomes the "new" Kildemand, but does more appealing to the ref.

Well done to Dan and of course Robert. Hope Dan has a good management behind him.

Why not have one every year, looks like one year it will be true, sadly

They cant do that - they had their final meeting last year!

Noticed from the photos uploaded by DutchGrasstrack (thanks for photos) Smolinski was using a GTR, even though his bike os plastered with JAWA stickers.

I love bacon rolls (or butties) so it caught my attention. Well done.

But you got fresh talent in 2018 - Pzem Pawlicki, Artum Laguta and potentially Craig Cook - I think 3 fresh ones are sufficient, after all fresh ones dont usually cut the mustard in their first year of GP's (Zmarzlick apart). Any more and the 2018 GPs could fall flat on its face after such a good 2017. Riding in 12 gps in a year at the very top level every couple or three weeks is different to being good in the Polish/Swedish leagues

Both Greg and Iversen are saying they want to ride again this year. That should give some indication of how they are riding. I wouldnt be surprised if Nicki got back riding this year as well. So thats potentially 3 wild cards. The other could be the 9th man in the GPs which could be Piotr Pawlicki - which makes it about right, what with 3 newcomers from the GP Challenge.

What British speedway doesnt want to do at this time is stifle the progress of young Brits, think we all should agree that Britain needs more young talent to get Brit back on the world scene with more then 1 rider, or even 2 as of next year (hopefully). So those suggesting that development riders should be restricted to the 2 lower leagues would in effect be stifling exceptional talent from coming to the fore. What a developing rider needs is experience, if that developing rider shows a huge amount of talent they need to be exposed to all sorts of riding experiences. IMO this means being able to ride in all 3 leagues, at least for 1 or 2 seasons. Gaining confidence by riding all sorts of tracks, winning races in the lower league(s), but having to fight for points in the upper league(s). Not all riders will have that talent to be able to attack all 3 leagues, but those that do should no, IMO, be stifled. At the same time, they need protection from over exposure, that is to "burn out". Too many meeting, too many miles getting to meetings, can all cause burn out, so they (the young rider) needs someone to protect them, hence the reason why I am supporting the decision for Dan and Jack not to be up and down the country so much in too few days. The reasons why there are so many meetings in too few days is up for serious invetigation, but whilst it is going on then riders, particularly young riders need some sort of "protection".