stewmac

Tracks are always faster when they are prepared grippily. That's basic science my friend. But they have to be rideable by all. I guess we all have our own opinions on this, but we are all speedway fans who want our own team to win. The question we all have to answer though is this: Do we want to see our team win on 1) a track that is fair to all, that produces entertaining and close racing or 2) a track that allows only the home riders to know how to race on it, producing processional, strung out races and no entertainment ?? If you answer anything other than the first answer, then I think you are part and parcel of the problem of the way speedway is going down the tubes. Please, think about it...

Gmuncie has tried to clarify things and he has done an admirable job, except for a couple of things which I am about to point out, and others on the forum can judge for themselves who to believe. In his point number 4 above he claims that remedial work done in the delay as Joel Andersson was attended to in heat 2 alleviated the situation to the point that the track was perfectly "rideable". All I'd say to that is yes, it was rideable but what followed proved to every single person who was in the stadium that it was hardly raceable and certainly not by all 13 riders who were there. He then disputes that Erik Riss stated publicly on the mic that the track conditions were dangerous and tries again to claim that the work done in heat 2 fixed things. One problem with that. What Erik actually said (during a delay between heat 7 or 8 taking place) was this: "The track is too grippy tonight, even for me. It's dangerous when it's this grippy." Erik didn't take his first ride until heat 4, which was two races after gMuncie claims the work done on the track fixed things. Any reasonably intelligent person can, I'm sure, work out what the implications of that are. Riss stated it was too grippy even for him, and he didn't even appear until heat 4. Something doesn't add up there. I'd suggest gmuncie has got confused. Maybe he's been listening to too many politicians who like to bend the truth a little to suit their own agendas. Maybe he's trying to convince folk what has already has been stated in the thread is lies. The easy way to prove it would be if there is a video recording of what Erik said available and he can put it up for everyone to decide. Meantime, I know what I heard. So will everyone else who was in the stadium listening.

Michael Brecon

Yes, I read that too. He's known for his witty and sarcastic quips so I really wonder if he said that tongue in cheek. In 42 years of following speedway weekly all I am saying is this. I think I can say what constitutes a good meeting. I pay my money and expect to watch 4 riders in each race giving it their all. Last night, for the first half of the meeting that was impossible for almost all the riders, and even for the rest of the meeting, several, including both the home captain, Riss, as well as the home number one, Wells, looked like they were being distinctly tentative, and for me there was zero entertainment. That's not speedway. That's farcical. It won't attract any new fans. And when even some of your own team end up injured as a result of this "mistake" as Blobby calls it, then it's high time to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.

It was ridiculous tonight. Total non event with only Worrall looking at ease in the first half of the meeting. Others losing control, rearing, crashing or simply coasting around, including Richard Lawson and Nick Morris. Erik Riss said on the mic it was very dangerous due to being too grippy - even for him - and the net result was two Edinburgh riders withdrawn. When you pay £18.50 to watch that utter crap it sticks in the throat. Zero entertainment as a speedway meeting. And I say that as a Monarchs fan of 42 years.

Why does the starting marshall persist in trying to move riders at the starting gate who are well within their starting area?

It's called lack of $$$$$, is it not?

Superb recovery from Czestochowa in heat 7!

Glad to see Zagar get up from what could have been a serious injury. That bike's for the bin though!

Absolutely fantastic scrap between Zmarzlik and Zagar in heat 4! Didn't think Zagar could possibly get back, but wow!

Great how it looks like they held the meeting up until the cameras were back on. Much appreciated!

Let's hope the lost transmission comes back soon!

Hyvinkää.

I have raced a speedway bike, so it's you who needs to crack on, pal !

Are you for real? Any rider taking your approach would never even bother turning up to race any meeting anywhere, as they'd have talked themselves out of it before they started.

Like Ghost rider said originally, any rider worth their salt with half a brain would be able to work that lot out after a heat on the track. It IS their job, after all... Just ask the two debutants from Sheffield who rode it a couple of weeks back - they seemed to manage just fine.

What a lot of nonsense. It would take any rider a few weeks to get back up to speed after missing half a season, yet Willie has been out for 8 years - so what on earth do you expect? He's improving heat by heat, week by week at the moment and last night the main issue for him was just being a tad slow to get to the 1st bend. He came from the back to pass Bach in heat 2 and also heat 14, though Rene repassed him later in the heat, and he also took Campton from the back after a couple of laps in heat 7, though again he was caught on the run in to the line. If he keeps improving at the rate he is doing so, (bearing in mind he was well off the pace when he rode his first match back) he'll be what he stated he hoped he might be on the mic last week - able to bang in 4 or 5 each week at home by playoff time and add a couple away. He could well yet turn out to be the secret weapon, not the Achilles heel...

Protasiewicz certainly couldn't be faulted in heat 5. Superb ride.

To be fair to the guy, he is nearly 44 years old! I was at Zielona Góra three weeks ago and while he didn't score many he was never off the pace, just was a fraction slow to the first bend, which is what I've seen repeatedly from him this season.

Which is precisely what happens in Poland before every match. Riders from each team are nominated to test the track, feed back to the rest, and this happens in the 30 mins prior to the meeting starting. If that had happened last night it would quickly have been obvious whether the track could be raced on or not.

But how many locals do Glasgow track? The fact is that that by returning from retirement after 8 or 9 years, Willie Lawson instantly assumes the mantle of Scotland's number 1 rider. That's sad. Until both Glasgow and Edinburgh think seriously about how to develop the next generation of riders, the situation will only worsen further, and hasten the UK's demise as a speedway nation altogether. That's the real problem, not the fact that Edinburgh are prepared to fly in foreigners.

Had Edinburgh added a couple of sentences to their press release, explaining the fact that the move was forced on them by Clegg being determined to race in Belgium on a day he should be turning out for the Monarchs, then none of this nonsense from either set of fans would have been necessary.

What's going on at Rzeszów, with Hancock missing for the 2nd week running? Last week I was at Rawicz, and was disappointed to see him missing, and they announced it was due to "heat exhaustion" . Haha. Is it down to money??

The final third of this meeting has been superb.

So remote? Are you for real?