STEVEHOLS54

Hi MFF Can you advise where these 2 highlighted comments are posted as I can find no ref to 5 new riders (whether that may be incl or excl C.Holder. Also cant find any ref to at least two riders who could possibly overtake him although both CH and Woryna are the names who would immediately spring to mind. Have looked at the Poole FB page and Twitter as well as SGB Twitter and no ref to other riders especially about 5 new riders. Also I notice this evening that Woryna has been REMOVED from the Poole 2018 Taem riders announced section on SGB. it was there yesterday and I think earlier today. Maybe some at the SGB/BSPA do read poster comments on the BSF after all. Well sometimes that is ;-)

Thanks for the seasoned supporter bit ;-) As for probably too young ?? - Well my first meeting was at Waterden Road, Hackney in 1970 as a 15/16 year old. Cant quite remember which month without turning out my loft and the many Hackney and other programmes from that period. I will let you work out if I am too young to remember, but thanks for the "probably too young to remember" comment as its nice to have someone think you are younger than you are LOL ;-) To answer your last question: I personally think he signed him on both ideas to be honest. Maybe if he was say a 7 assessed GSA then I think Matt would have had to think long and hard if he felt the rider would achieve that average and more importantly how it would affect team building plans bearing in mind the team point limit we assume was unknown when he signed him as an asset. Of course at 4.65 the decision was a no brainer. Honestly I get frustrated that with all these rule changes about one over 8 only, I find it amazing that the BSPA/SCB cant draw up the rules on riders GSA's be it SGP riders or those who last rode here in 2016 or whenever - young foreign riders under 21 who have never ridden here so we have no idea how they will perform - same with riders over 21 with the same situation. You would expect a professional organisation to have these things sorted in advance of an AGM so that promoters/managers/club owners etc all know the full brief on what they may be able to do when they attend the meeting. All we get is - new limit 42.5 points - one over 8 rule and then silence.... Has the 2 Brit rule (or 2 riders who qualify or rode NL) still apply as many say its been abolished ?? No firm rules on what SGP riders who didn't ride here in 2017 will be given (many say its been decided at 9) No GSA's or rider assessments done on the riders I mention earlier above. Clubs should be informed of this long before now as hardly surprising many cannot do team planning when they have no idea what riders covered by the above will be given as GSA's. But then perhaps I expect it to be run like a Professional Organisation having all the angles covered. Much of what I have seen etc is far from that in my opinion.

I put out sensible post and here we go again with another teams supporter having a go at Ford again. Read the post properly. The last comment I make is: "I think all these guys should be given lowish GSA's and let the individual promoters decide if they want to try and sign them and take the inevitable risks associated. We want young talent here not this constant dumbing down of the league with GSA's being set high just to distract promoters from taking that chance" In effect saying give them all a low GSA and let promoters decide if they want to sign and take whatever risk is involved. I don't care who signs them be it Ford or even Chapman..... If ANY premotor has the foresight and is willing to finance any of these guys coming over then I applaud them for bringing the real potential future World talent to these shores. Believe me if Woryna had signed for KL I would be saying well done Buster for taking a long term view and yes I think its worth it. All this crap about unfairness/manipulation of the rules, Ford always allegedly guilty of underhand dealing - pulling a fast one. I am sure if Buster had signed Woryna you would be saying, nice one Buster, you did well in having the foresight to sign what COULD be a future young star on a good low average. But no as its Matt Ford its viewed as manipulation or devious or unfair. Yes I like Poole but I also love Speedway and unlike maybe Football I would love to see any Prem side sign what could potentially be future World Stars as this is the kind of thing I want to see on tracks and not the same old same old every week. If Lynn signed Woryna, Drabik or Smektala my view would be good on them, they have made the effort and taken the chance. Its good to see a promoter take that chance as you never really know how it will work out on our trickier/tighter (and in may cases inferior quality) tracks. So I am not taking a one club view. Good luck to any promoter in bringing these guys over. The BSPA may be dumbing down our league bit by bit but these younger guys maybe offer a way around it for clubs. Also as I additionally stated. IF they are good enough they will be out of any potential reserve berth anyway come end of May/early June.

I think a bit unfair Gav. Cant help thinking that had Woryna signed for say Somerset/Leicester or say R.House then chances are most would be saying nothing. The fact that Matt Ford saw a possible opportunity to sign a young improving Pole on 4.65 says a lot for a promoter be it Ford or anyone else, in having the foresight to take a leap of faith in signing him so early ahead of others who might step in later. I see some of where you are coming from but where does one draw the line when there is always an element of risk involved. He rode here in 2016 as a 19/20 year old Polish Youngster with no known UK form and like all young riders be it UK or Foreign attained that low average as he struggled on UK tracks in the main in his first season. Last year yes he improved in Poland but let's not forget he was one of the Polish under 21 youngsters of which each POL EXL team has to track 2 per team. Also meaning a fair chunk of his rides were also against Polish under 21 riders a bit like we had our reserve races for those 2 riders who had to have qualified for the NL (i.e mainly 2 young Brits in each team). This was also part of the reason he got the av he did in Poland and it wasn't as a senior so can be misleading when looking at his av. There is NO guarantee Woryna will come back for his second season as a 21 year old and take to UK tracks although most of us agree we hope he will be a trump card if he transfers his recent form to the UK. In effect Matt ford has undertaken a risk knowing that he has a decent GSA and would fit nicely into a reserve slot with less risk attached should he struggle on UK tracks. So what would we be saying here. We all now Drabik is potentially a World champ in the making an may wipe the floor with many of our riders. BUT as a just turned 20 year old come March 2018 do we put him on say 8/8.5 as this is arguably maybe his true worth despite the fact he has no real experience on UK tracks and may not even take to them should he ever ride here. Of course I want to see Woryna here on his 2016 GSA 4.65 as it would show what a potential shrewed move that Ford made. if he is that good then he will naturally move out of reserve end May/June anyway. Just as I would like to see the likes of Drabik/Smektala/Jackobsen and no doubt other young riders like Chugunov who at 17 was a sensation in the World Team Champ meeting where he beat the likes of Doyle & Holder. But where do you pitch these guys with little to no experience, and who says that one of them who may not be as good on Polish tracks will turn out better than another rider on UK ones. I.E: Drabik beat Lambert hands down in U21 but Lambert may win hands down on our smaller/trickier tracks. Its an interesting debate and I don't know the answer but lets not punish young talent before it has even had a chance to prove itself on our tracks. I think all these guys should be given lowish GSA's and let the individual promoters decide if they want to try and sign them and take the inevitable risks associated. We want young talent here not this constant dumbing down of the league with GSA's being set high just to distract promoters from taking that chance. Anyway that's my view whether you agree or not.

Speedway is not much different to some other sports who have had success. Take Football - Man U fans loved Ferguson while most other teams fans either hated or disliked the guy. You will always have those that like the guy and some who hate Ford. The important thing is that near enough all Poole fans and Supporters think he is the best Promoter in the modern age of Speedway Promotion. That's all that really matters to those who like the Club. Others can, and on this forum certainly do voice their opinion. His success over the last 10 plus years is unmatched. His team selection other than what happened in the last 2 years has been good with plenty of young and exciting riders having ridden for the club. Even Ferguson didn't win the league every year, but judge Ford on Poole's long term performance and what he has brought to the club. Just have to accept that many not associated to the club will not like him for whatever reason they deem fit, which wont list here as one can only smile and admire his long term record and even today what he is trying to do to keep the club one step head of the others. If he could get say Woryna at 4.65 GSA then good luck to the guy for having the foresight to sign him so early as certainly no other club made the effort to go and sign him. Of course some will scream and shout UNFAIR but that's just typical of people envious of a promoter having made a proactive move. If it backfires and he gets higher so be it as still a decent signing despite the fact he has NO experience other than as a young 20 year old in his first season on UK tracks where like a lot of young guys be it a Brit or a foreigner he was learning the ropes. Who knows how he will ride UK tracks again. Cant help also thinking that maybe had he signed for say a Somerset/Rye House or Leicester, then chances are little to no noise would be made as those clubs would not be viewed as serious title contenders. Anyway the snipers wont stop and all Poole fans can do is let them have their Forum moment if it makes them feel better. Fords record of success at the club is all that matters as well as the supporters who turn up to see the club.

I made a decision. For my family the Sky package is more important than BT. I decided not to pay BT as to be honest don't think its worth the money just for one meeting per week (and even then not every week). That's league meetings by the way. My point being anyway, how many more were there like me who probably cldnt be bothered to pay out even more money just to see Speedway once per week (and not every week). I think there were probably a lot more who didn't than probably did. I am not surprised if BT do decide its not worth it as not enough support. Hopefully they will keep the GP though for those who want to watch the top guys racing. If that also goes then the sport really is in a bit of trouble. Just my opinion.

You would have thought that such a dramatic move should have been discussed and voted on at the BSPA AGM. All these promoters knew well in advance (imo) that the one over 8 rule would be voted on as well as the 42.5 limit. They should also have known that there would be plenty of promoters/riders (maybe) who would be looking to come back on their 2016 av as being the same. Also riders who rode before 2016 maybe being reassessed. So if they all know this then one questions why this has not been sorted yet. Same as what about young overseas riders under 21 who have never ridden also riders over 21 with same criteria. I find it difficult to believe that the likes of Poole and Leicester would have forked out money to sign Woryna/Vaculik/Pieszczek without having a clue which GSA they would be allocated ?? It sure doesn't help the wall of silence on any rules coming out of the BSPA are kept silent. same with what happens on the 2 riders rule who have ridden or qualify for the NL (i.e 2 Brits) that each team had to track. Plenty of comments that this rule may NOT apply any more but yet again a wall of silence from any official sources. Maybe they are still making up the rules for 2018 in which case what point of a 3 day AGM in Tenerife ???

Sadly I tend to agree. I did not subscribe to BT Sport purely out of principal because I use the full SKY package incl movies & sport. I felt it an insult that what allowed SKY to charge premium rate was watered down by the loss of Champions League - MOTO GP and finally Speedway. Out of pure principal I was not prepared to be held to ransom to watch the sport via BT when it was part of my Sky Sports package with Sky which is expensive per month with all the other channels such as movies etc. I wonder how many other SKY Subscribers felt similar and also those who may have ben occasional visitors to Sky Speedway as it was part of their sports package. Lets be honest even for the neutral sports fan there wansnt much compulsive sports viewing on a Monday so why not look in on Speedway as it didn't cost any more. Of course all the rumours flying around could be w rong as we know there wld not be anything anyway until the BSPA had agreed on fixed race nights etc. Maybe something will be negotiated/forthcoming. But as they say there is no smoke without fire so maybe some heavily diluted package in in the offering. No doubt as well the BSPA may say yes to virtually any watered down deal rather than see the sport from a League perspective go into media oblivion forever lost to the Speedway public. Its not only TV. You rarely see any news in National papers these days re Speedway. Not even corner snippets. If you are lucky some of the tabloids will show the results somewhere probably near the greyhound results which is another thing slowly dying on its feet.

I don't think so. Maybe the sensible thing long term is to have one big league. Let's not get into specifics of how/what/why now. If there is no deal then ultimately to survive the sport and the clubs have to live within its/their means. I think there still has to be a situation where those clubs who feel they can afford and sustain within whatever points limit is set, any overseas stars, but where they go top heavy on such riders they will have to facilitate with younger lower av further down. I believe its up to each team who they track if it is one league and the biggest leveller to flooding the Uk with big names will be the points limits. We will always have the haves and have not's but not unlike most sports. Let's not go overboard here. A rider with a high GSA here in Prem is not guaranteed to top that in the one big league. Look at Morris who has a higher GSA at Swindon then he has at Berwick in 2017. If there is no TV money and no sensible pay per view deal can be harnessed to help compensate, then for me the one big league (slide and dice it how you see fit BSPA) is the long term answer. If not then I question how many clubs will be around in 2/3 years other than maybe those who get good support and have the best promoters. I read somewhere that Swindon lost money last year. If that turns out to be correct then it shows the state of the sport if the league winners couldnt make it pay. Having said that their stadium hardly is the most welcoming place to watch and enjoy speedway. Anyway lets see if this gains traction after 2018 season end.

Interesting as I thought he was on there at one stage. Maybe not. I see Gomolski who only rode 4 meetings is showing his assessed GSA from 2015 as his final GSA. Who knows with the BSPA these days. I know for example a lot of the BV Forum contributors have been planning a team with Zagar in at his 2016 GSA as he wont even get into a UK team if reassessed seeing how the one over 8 rule is now applying and at least 2 riders looking for new teams. 3 if you include K.Bjerre. Although with the Polish EXL rules on 3 leagues max incl your Nationality league still not having been announced as relaxed or changed (to my knowledge) also muddys the waters even further.

If that is the case then in effect this would be the most over manipulation of a statement he has ever put out. There are some very exciting things in the pipeline, bigger and better things than have ever happened before. Ask 1000 speedway supporters how they would interpret the above comment and I am sure 999 of them (you being the odd 1) would think it was something innovative and possible ground breaking. A change of Club Officers would not in my opinion be that. Whoever and whatever such individuals do that is. What I cant work out is whether it was connected to the line below about new personnel coming in (i.e riders) or was something linked to something bigger at the club itself (like sponsorship) or something part of the wider interest of the sport as part of the discussions and working groups set up by the BSPA like maybe PPTV if BT Sports have decided they don't want to do a deal for 2018 I do hope you are wrong Skidder ;-) Suppose like anything revolving around this sport - nobody outside of the inner sanctum seems to know anything about any of the recent questions I have raised on the Poole Forum. Lets hope either the Speedway Star or the BSPA start clarifying soon on many of the unanswered questions still remaining. Some of which may still be holding up Promoters announcing signings due to the lack of info on riders GSA's or assessed GSA's for younger overseas riders ??

Think it may be a way fwd. Take myself as an example. I am based nr Chelmsford - Essex but support Poole in the Prem. I took early retirement last year and spend plenty of my spare time reading up on the forum and other Speedway sites mainly because its my main sports hobby. There is no way I am going to drive 3.25 to 3.75 hours every week during the season to get to all Poole matches much as I would like to. If it was 30/40 mins drive for me like Lakeside (or even up to say 1.5 hours) then it would be a no brainer. For me if Poole were regularly on a PPV even if a small time delay if live TV proves a problem, I would be happy to pay for it, even if say £10 per meeting ( I would pay even more but appreciate it has to be within a number of peoples budgets). Even more attractive if the facility allowed me to also go back and review a meeting I had paid to watch so you can see again overtaking - exciting races - incidents etc. Maybe even a 2 tier system so if you want to view say 24 hours later for the first time you pay a lower figure than say live. Just knocking ideas around. On top of that I would be more than happy to pay to watch other teams at home be it against Poole or even other matches on a demand basis. Also would be great again if I had the choice to pay more to see live (or on a small time delay if it is better for the production companies) and less if I go on 24 hours later (or more) to watch. In a perfect World I would like it to be a situation where those who have financial restrictions pay less, as I for sure would pay more if it lets a wider audience in. I don't pretend to know the internal mechanics of how it would work, but I would also consider some form of subscription payment if it helps get it going. Cant believe I am the only one who would like to see it. I would rather pay something to get my weekly fix of Poole (and maybe other teams) as for sure I will not be embarking on a 6/7 hour weekly commute to see my beloved Pirates even though I could afford to. It will be selective meetings to do such a commute. Anyway its jut an opinion from a fan/supporter who wants to see the sport move forward with more money coming in to support it.

I am reading plenty of posts on the BSF that Prem/Champ Speedway many NOT be on BT Sport next season. I know it may be rumours but would be a shame if true. Moving on from that I notice Matt made some interesting comments in the Echo article on Friday which I copy as mentioned in the interview: There are some very exciting things in the pipeline, bigger and better things than have ever happened before. “We have new personnel coming on board and people will see the difference in the coming season.” I highlight the first comment as we know there will be at least some new riders (or returnees??) in 2018. Anyone have a clue what Matt may be on about ?? My first thought was maybe something special on Club Sponsorship ?? Although one poster said he thought it was as is for 2018 which assume he meant Volvo which I didn't think was the biggest Sponsorship compared to Readypower ?? My mind now goes to the TV thing. IF we don't get BT for 2018 could Matt be considering some form of Pay Per View deal with someone to bring in addl revenue. The subject of PPV seems to be being mentioned on the BSF and it was just a thought. Having said that its quite a statement he has made without being specific. Especially the .bigger and better things than have ever happened before comment. Anyone in the know or any ideas on what he could mean ??

Much as Kyle may be a nice guy we are ultimately in a results driven sport like many others. Kyle's final Prem GSA from 15 meetings was 4.86 - The lowest in the team and also at reserve which is hardly inspiring. His GSA for Ipswich from 27 meetings was 6.10 which again hardly anything to enthuse about, bearing in mind its one league lower. Ipswich decided not to resign him it would seem, as I thought maybe they would sign both him and Shanes as they are neighbours. I bet he is also not best pleased he is shown in the team photo where the BSPA have announced the team for 2018 saying six of the seven riders from 2017 have been retained, and they have gone for continuity. Like not really rubbing salt into the wound huh ?? Louis is no fool as he maybe saw that Kyle is not pushing on with his GSA at Ipswich, and at his age maybe he does not offer much scope for improvement in the team where maybe another young rider offers a lower GSA and possibility to offer more long term ?? Kyle has been around a long time now in the sport, having started at Weymouth way back in 2007. I hope Kyle does get signed up somewhere as he offers something maybe at reserve in Prem and will make a good fit hopefully for a club in Champ. Maybe this is his level and although a nice guy with an all action style some never quite make that final breakthrough. I hope for his sake he can improve more but for me after 10 years riding in both Prem/Champ or equiv ?? Having said that Jason Doyle I suppose is the best ever case of never say never ;-)

Still doesn't answer my question though. Is the rule done away with or still in effect for 2018. If its done away with then whichever way you cut it, this will in effect mean you don't really have to put any Brits in your team ??

Well on the TV deal that doesn't say if there is not a deal period or just that there isn't one yet as I would have thought BT wanted to know outcome and details of the AGM before entering into discussions with the BSPA if they are interested to continue in some format. I would expect hat to come out later or if no deal at all, then in line with anything negative on Speedway the BSPA will just stay silent. As for the sponsorship comment that surprises me as I got the impression (maybe I am wrong) that the Volvo deal may only be a fraction of what the previous multiple season deal was. Also a little confused as Matt Ford's own comments in the Echo stated and I quote: “There are some very exciting things in the pipeline, bigger and better things than have ever happened before. I didn't think he meant riders as he then went on to mention new personnel coming on board in the sentence below the above. As for the comment re my other questions that I will have to read the Speedway Star.... Is it only the Speedway Star then that is allowed access to what should be fairly standard information on the sport. If such information is known on the 2 Brit rule and riders assessed av etc then I cant see why its such a secret. Even what the guidelines are would be better than a total lack on information.

Ok its now 4.30 p.m and the reports were that both MF & NM would be at the pop up shop today for its opening. I assume therefore plenty of opportunity for all those that live locally to ask some searching questions of both assuming that Matt and Neil talk to each other. There are questions they could have been asked without giving away the full team. Questions such as: Has the 2 Brit rue been abolished for 2018?? and if so is there any rule i.e must there be 1 Brit or no need to have any Brits ?? Has Woryna who is now a Club asset (I assume) been given his 2016 GSA i.e 4.65 (Not too difficult a question to ask and doesn't actually say if he is in the team or not, Just asks for clarification of his GSA Has Matt now been given a list of the riders GSA's he may want to sign. What will young overseas riders say under 21 who have never ridden in UK be given as assessed GSA'S ?? Similar question to say riders over 21 who have never ridden in UK like KP of Leicester - Similar question for riders such as Vaculik Will riders who last rode here in 2016 still be assessed as per their 2016 GSA. Also what about riders who rode here before 2016 like both Pawlickis and numerous others one could list. If I didn't live over 3.25 to 3.75 hours from Poole and lived locally, these are the kind of questions I would have been firing at both Matt & Neil. I would not expect them of course to name riders but it would at least give some clarification of some of the info we are all a bit short on. So far I have seen nothing posted on the Poole 2018 BSF to indicate anyone has even been to the shop let alone asked any questions.

Nothing should surprise us speedway supporters after the announcements made by Leicester. Doubt virtually anyone outside of the top table at Leicester could really see either MV or KP signing for them at this early stage. I am sure that any promoter in the know about rider plans (also not knowing a lot of overseas riders GSA or assessed av for 2018) will let anything slip this early. You hear such conflicting info. Matt said in one article he wanted James back for 2018 - another one where he said cant guarantee him a place as will depend on points make up of the team - another one where he says young riders lower down the team might lose out to more experienced riders returning to these shores (was that in general or a specific mention to the Poole team ??) - The latest comment was about a radio interview he has done where he allegedly said that he has concerns Shanes may be too exposed ??. Not helped I suppose with Shanes commitments to both Grass and Longtrack which will almost certainly rule him out of the Champ this season due to clash of fixtures and he wont give either of those 2 up where he is more of a up and coming young star. I personally think he will struggle if he doesn't broaden his Speedway experience and also sort his gating out, which imo he cant just riding Prem. To be honest I don't know what to believe with all these snippets coming out which neither confirm or deny who may or may not be in the team.

Perhaps he will get found out in both SWE/POL next season & DK. Think KL def better off without the guy. After last season what Chapman does not need is posers or passengers. I for one, even not being a KL supporter really want to see them do a lot better in 2018 and have a much better team all pulling together in the right direction. Buster needs stability in 2018 after the horrors of 2017. Guys in sport sponsored Mercs doing a 4 plus point av can stay away thanks. Jeez the guy had 5 years riding for KL and as a so called exciting young Dane, if he cldnt work it out now then imo he never will. Its happened with quite a lot of these young Danes. They seem to be put on bikes as soon as they are out of diapers, meet a kind of high level very young but still in their early/mid 20's they suddenly seem to taper off and fade somewhat. You could say that's the case with Bech - Jepsen Jensen - Klindt - Porsing and no doubt others who showed such early dash and promise.

With the silence from all areas I don't think any rider is guaranteed to be anywhere at the moment. (other than the 2 Leicester boys and Woryna) Let's hope the BSPA/SCB really do get their finger out on these GSA's that probably all promoters are waiting on so they can move forward. Not even Swindon have announced their 2 new assets as actually team appointed for 2018 yet. But that probably more to do with if its Doyle or Morris due to the points diff.

Think you may be wishful thinking on KP at 5 but in a way hope you are right. In effect that would mean any foreign rider under say 22/23 who have never ridden UK should also be assessed at 5. Also bearing in mind KP was a World U21 runner up in last couple of seasons. Anyway we all CONTINUE to wait on the rider GSA's who rode prior to the 2016 season (we assume that is the cut off) and all these young riders around Europe who have never ridden UK, who promoters may want to take a leap of faith on. That's on top of senior riders like Vaculik who have never ridden UK but are proven GP riders.

Damn it ;-) There was me thinking that we could at least have one of the two riding alongside Woryna at Poole on hopefully a low assessed GSA in 2108 as both are under 21 and neither have ever ridden British Speedway. I would have either as both have VERY bright futures in POL but prefer to have Drabyk who for me is a future WC. But am not greedy - If you get one will gladly take the other. Unfortunately I fear we can only dream as both have signed for both POL & SWE and being young riders will probably get lots of meetings in things like World U21 indv and POL U21 team events and maybe even POL senior team comp. But that's why we have a BSF so we can speculate/dream and hope we can secure young riders of such great quality. I know we have one on hopefully that crazy low GSA in Woryna but I will always support having the Worlds best young riders learning their trade also on our smaller trickier/more technical tracks that have held riders like Magic Janowski in such good stead in the SGP. In the meantime lets continue the dream huh ?? ;-)

I read that both Matt & Middlo will be at the pop up Speedway shop in Poole on Saturday. Cant help thinking most of their day will be spent fending off questions from the eager Poole faithful as to what is going on re signings for 2018. I am not going to make a 3 plus hour drive down Poole way just for the shop opening. Any who are going may want to ask what is going on re the rider assessment & new rider GSA situation is bearing in mind that probably most interested BSF followers & Speedway would probably like to know. Cant believe nearly one week on that Promotors still don't know what the likes of the 2 new Leicester boys and any other good riders without a current (or within last 2 years) GSA will be for 2018. I am also intrigued what those young riders say under 21 with no Uk experience will be assessed at like your Drabyks - Smektala's plus the young Danes/Swedes in similar situations. Also will Woryna def be given his 4.65 GSA from 2016 bearing in mind he is on the BSPA signed list of riders for Poole in 2018.

So Hans Andersen has managed late to squeeze into a SWE side with just announcing a return to Dackarna for 2018. That's a load off from him as the journeyman now has at least 2 leagues agreed and will no doubt walk into a Danish League side to make it 3 leagues so far. I am sure he will sign for UK in 2018, but question is with who ?? Doubt he will do UK double up as most of his time will be flying around Europe in the twilight of his career earning as much money as he can. How the guy does 4 leagues amazes me, but he had done if for some years now. Add in Danish Champ - another stab maybe at SEC and other indv meeting. Guy cant know half the time if he is on his ar** or his elbow ;-) No surprise that he throws the odd few bad rides and last year in SWE it hit his av badly as he was down at 40 as an av per ride. That must be an all time low by his standards. I thought he had missed it this year in SWE but seems he has been given a get out of jail card.

Yep I agree. The BSPA knew about this one over 8 rule well before the AGM imo. The Tenerife meeting was probably only to confirm the already agreed draft. That being so I fully agree the powers that be should already have been well in advance on drawing up the list plus also the guidelines on what assessment would be given to overseas riders say under 21 who have never ridden in UK plus also what assessment for riders over 21 like Pieszczek who have never ridden UK. Find it a bit strange that Leicester have signed 2 riders with no assessed GSA unless they re just taking a gung ho approach with the attitude fill in lower down the team as and went we have to. Can imagine there are plenty of teams urgently awaiting what these assessed GSA's and guidelines will be for both older & younger overseas riders who may be considering UK. Also are we to assume that riders who rode here 2016 or later will be assessed as per their last GSA such as Zagar/NKI/Woryna etc. That's without considering say riders who rode here last 2015 or earlier like Pawlicki/Zmarzlik & others.What also will be the cut off year for keeping a previous GSA. Plenty of grey areas at the moment which is partly blocking promoters team building plans.