Technik

Only 45 minutes from the centre of Swindon........... So Bristol or Reading it is then!!!

My view point is there has been ample time to race these meetings prior to the close of season deadline so the home teams should forfit the result 0 - 75. I think a lot of these fixtures have been delayed because one or the other club wants to host the final leg. I don't care who is to blame but it needs sorting!

I'm not Terry Russell's biggest fan but he is in business & it suprises me that he has continued to keep faith in the hope that GI will come up with the new stadium given their history, I suspect he may feel that he has been strung along for long enough by GI & their empty promises. Swindons time as a club may not be over look at Oxford, Only Terry Russells time at the club is over I don't believe he has flushed Swindons history I believe he has tried to keep the speedway going, I havent seen or heard of any promotion wanting to come in & take over from Mr Russell in the time that there has been no racing at Blunsdon. I'm sure he has taken a good sum from speedway over the years but also put a fair bit in

GI have a long history of closing sporting venues, GI (Gaming International) Stadia UK or Clarke Osbourne have Milton Keynes, Reading & Torquay on their list that now includes Swindon. To Blame Terry Russell is harsh he was only a tennant of the owners & his decision to cease trading as Swindon speedway is purely business.

I believe there's at least another season at Armadale

I have felt for many years the Challenge is the most cut-throat meeting in speedway. With only the top 3 making the next years SGP series. I was happy when the list of seeded riders was reduced from 8 to 6 But I feel that those that believe they may fail to make the top 6 should be required to go to the Challenge & join at the semi final rounds & take 6 riders forwards then the winner of the SEC plus the SGP2 Champion & finally re-introduce an intercontinental championship so a rider from outside the Euro boundries can qualify that makes up the 15 regulars + the normal local wildcard

I believe the only way Laguta or Sayfutinov will be allowed to return to SGP is they take out another nations licence & go through the qualification process

I really can't see it being a big issue. I don't think it will be close to a sell out crowd given the attendance figures at previous NDL meetings & if the worst case happens I'm sure you can book on your phone whilst at the stadium.

I think there might be a bit of a wait for the announcement of the wild cards given the FIMs current ruling on Russian nationals. It's easy to say Laguta & Sayfutinov should get a pick but for the 2022 season they entered as Russian so would not be allowed until they take another federations licence in 2023. Should they declare as Polish will it mean to many Poles in the line up. Also Kolodziej must be in with a chance as runner up in the SEC with Champion Madsen already qualified

I passed Chilton Foliat yesterday on my way to Lambourn

Thanks for your support

I'm not so sure. I find those that have stopped coming to the live events will still watch on TV but when it comes to going to a stadium they will have a string of reasons not to go price, distance, VFM or the standard being lower. It's easier to take someone who has never been & hope they get excited enough to come again. But these days British speedway is not helping it self with late starts, prolonged grading, only 15 races often taking nearly 2 & a half hours at a cost of nearly £20 per person.

Both Milik & Kvech will put in some miles this weekend. On Friday they will race in Pardubice in the SEC final then off to Poland for the meeting at Krosno on Saturday & back to Pardubice for the Golden Helmet on Sunday afternoon & if they feel really keen on Monday night the Lubos Tomicek Memorial in Prague. Then theres Footballers who struggle to make two matches in one week then stop for an international break.

Whilst I wish Lee Complin the best of luck in his future, I have to say he has at times shown a lack of ability to control his machine & has at times caused a team mate to backoff or be involved in a big crash. I'm sure there is no intent & I'm in no way saying he is a danger, he just needs to calm himself down.

Line-up near completion now only a single gap left that I suspect will be filled by current champion Patryk Dudek or ZP regular Rune Holta

It will be disappointing mainly for the Czech fans not to have their top two riders present, But Czech speedway is growing it's rider base up to a higher level . For years the weight rested on the shoulders of the Dryml family but now with Milik & Kvech leading there is Chulpac & Klima close behind in SGP2 & others fighting to improve the nations position. The Czech people will be proud enough that they have two riders involved in the top leagues of World speedway

At The Stadskanal circuit they have a memorial headstone at the entry that Vaclav Verner presented. I think Milan Spinka also rode in the ice & speedway finals. He was World Champion on Ice in 1272 I think

Many have used belts in the past. It is a more efficient drive train when it is correctly aligned. However there is little or no warning prior to a failure. The belts do not stretch & show very little signs of wear. I know Simon Wigg used them on the long track with great success but he did use a new belt for each race

The dog track has done well to hold on this long. But with nothing moving in the redevelopment of the stadium I'd say the Council will be getting itchy feet & no shortage of pressure from developers for a large piece of land. The writing has been on the wall for long enough & the history surrounding GI, Stadia UK & Clarke Osbourne is not to be overlooked. It is a sad day but unless a new site can be found & financed then speedway in Swindon is finished

A racing incident would be the obvious answer. But as I have stated before a lot depends on the riders involved teams home or away it's a catch 22 situation if the race is stopped & sometimes we need to look at not who is to blame for the incident but why the race was stopped. We have all heard a rider after an exclusion crying foul that "He had nowhere to go" in this case I often think so why did you continue to try & go there! This has been mentioned many times but comes down to manpower & money. it's hard enough to find people who want to be Referees but to find linesmen or assistants would be even harder. They would need to be independent & paid for their duties also they would have to be placed in a position with an unobstructed view & where they cannot be influenced by supporters or competitors.

The main issues with any decision is that the Referee is often in the same position within the circuit, that being at the start line so they will always get the same view ie looking at the rear of the riders entering turn 1 & the front exiting turn 4. The Referee is at a disadvantage when any incident happens on the far side of the track as the inside rider blocks the view of the outer riders. Sometimes TV cameras are on hand with multiple views & then a more involved view can be considered. But lets put this in a match with no TV just the local cameraman with a single camera, on this occasion it would not be worth looking at the playback. In short for any move towards changing the current situation from the single match Referee to anything else will involve a lot of money & manpower. So as I suggested before you might not like one decision but the next might just favour your team.

Will there be a reunion this year?

If Clarke Osbourne, Gaming International or Stadia UK are not involved then there's always a chance. Just ask at Swindon, Reading or Milton Keynes. If the ground is still vacant there's a chance, Oxford was left sleeping for 14 years but has returned for racing again. I'd say the council would be happy with the crowd figures showing that it is an asset to the area. Lets hope they can maintain that status & continue past their current 10 year lease.

At times some crashes could be declared as "A racing incident" where no fault can be decided. To call all riders back for a re-run maybe acceptable if it is the two lead riders but what if it is for 3rd & 4th place then in the re-run one of them wins. We have to accept that we make a rule & stick with it, that rule should not be adapted to suit any one of a number of possible scenarios. The scenario must fall within the rule & currently that rule calls for the primary offender to be disqualified. My overall view is that a large percentage of spectators support the home team & only want to see all 4 re-start if it is their rider that is missing where if it should be a visitor then they are more than happy with a three rider race

It's taken a good while but some of those names are making their name within the sport