arnieg

Surely the test series that would pull in the crowds and get Sky coverage would be GB v Russia ...if only

Wow! Wow! Wow! That was a meeting and half. Brilliant racing. I thought King v Gollob would be the race of the season, but then came Crump and Zagar (not forgettting Miedzinski). Add a very tight contest between the Poles and the Aussies and a big crowd with a great atmosphere and it was an unforgettable night. Top marks to King, Zagar and Miedzinski in particular. Three of the best meetings I've ever seen are World Cup meetings (the race-offs at Wroclaw and Poole are the other two), but it is still only the second best meeting I've seen at Peterborough (Panthers v Long Eaton in 1994) My only complaint. Yet again they sold out of progs well before the start - If anyone has a programme that they no longer require and would be willing to pass it on (in return for a suitable payment) I'd be very grateful

Who is the top Brit in Elite League averages? Lee Richardson (Kennett is next) Who is the top Brit in the Swedish Elitiserien? Lee Richardson (Nicholls is next) Who is the top Brit in the Polish Extraliga? Lee Richardson (Woffinden is next) He may not be in the World's top ten, but he is the best we've got

What a fantastic meeting. Brilliant result for the Russians, and a superb show from Bjerre. I'd say the Laguta/Pedersen decision was right, but it was a marginal one. With international speedway dominated by a few nations predictability is one of the sport's greatest enemies. I've been expecting the Russians to do this, but not for another 3 or 4 years when Artem Laguta and Vodyakov are ready to compete at the top level. This result really gives the World Cup a shot in the arm. The only downside is the dreary abuse that seems to dominate this thread. Dooraki

Attendances seem to be holding up well - isn't the credit crunch being felt in Sweden? (If not, why not?) have Swedish clubs done anything specific to maintain attendances? Stats: (average Elitserien attendance) 2007: 2742 2008: 2738 2009 (to date): 2731

And who will they ride against? Mars's finest?

1 John Cook 2 Denny Pyeatt 3 Denis Sigalos

:lol: Nice line ....but isn't he too old for the under 21 world cup

Maybe we've been spoilt by Sky's coverage (even if it does generate endless complaints on here) Motors TV is low budget and the US speedway scene is not exactly up to the standards of the Polish Extraliga BUT I enjoy it, I'm grateful for having the opportunity to watch it, and it does make a pleasant change from Sky's drearily predictable Elite League coverage (It's going to be an exciting night tonight, both teams want to win...). Yes it could be improved and I'm sure that note will be taken of the constructive suggestions. However I'd like to thank those behind the coverage, Alex Raby's team and Motors TV, for their efforts.

Bit disappointing really - only passed the World Champion :wink: Enjoyed watching it live on't interweb thingy (thanks for the pointer RnR), didn't see you in the crowd shots Doug - you should have waved! Surely Bjarne wasn't trying to get his average down

Nicky Glanz rode in 2007, but Brits also competed in 2000 (Adam Allott and Glen Phillips) and 2008 (Joe Haines and Jack Roberts) Adam is the only Brit to reach the final so far

This looks like it should be converted to a sticky - very helpful

My recollection (from an article in an old Speedway News) was that there was betting on the racing, and after a few meetings it was apparent that riders were supplementing their income by betting and rigging the races. Nobody wanted to watch rigged races, and the riders were run out of town

For those of a statistical bent there are basically five sites that must be bookmarked. In no particular order: 1) Speedway Researcher (as already mentioned) 2) http://www.lubusports.pl/mat05/index.php particularly for its detailing of national championships from around the world 3) http://www.speedway.org/history/ for Swedish and World Championship results 4) Roman Lach's Polish speedway history at http://www.rlach.republika.pl/ 5) And my favourite - Brian's international speedway site (see above)

Charlie is long before my time, but his son Richard was my first boyhood idol. Richardi s alive and well and living in Southampton. I have been I regular contact with him since he bought my book I believe he will be paying a visit to Reading this week (he's providing some items for the Reading speedway exhibition at the Reading museum that opens in a couple of weeks)

There is a similar set of Swedish stamps. Ove Fundin, Olle Nygren and Tony Rickardsson all have a stamp devoted to them.

Not a bad idea - and maybe it'll be warmer than your last visit

WE went up to the Hunter Valley wineries yesterday (and after a little wine-tasting) - Maitland is just 15 miles up the rode. When we arrived the place looked all deserted and locked up, but we found an open gate where a water tanker was at work. So we got in to have a quick peek. The Showground is fairly easy to find. The site feels like Peterborough, although the buildings have the same air of modernity as those at Long Eaton. There is a greyhound track inside a trotting track. The large very elderly looking grandstand has a plaque (very discretely) attached to it commemorating the origins of speedway For more on Maitland: http://vintagespeedway.homestead.com/Maitland.html [more recent pix on www.speedwayplus.com (under West Maitland)] For more of the debate: http://www.historicspeedway.co.nz/Start%20...y%20(world).htm My observations: Sports aren't created, they evolve. So there can never be a meeting truly described as the first, just a series of events that converge into what we now recognise as the codified sport. Secondly history is determined by those who write the history books not those who actually make it!

From memory (as my reference books are 11,000 miles away - see my other post) the reference should be to nearby Charlton who were mentioned as a possible starter around this time. (As was Reading - as a replacement for Norwich)

Glad to hear it

Ward - awesome Adams - great win from back over Holder says it all Gathercole much better than Wednesday 44 races in 2 and 3/4 hours - very slick show (125cc races went on on centre green while main track was being graded) Sidecars and 125cc support were very good announcer said Arthur Sissis was reting - is this true? (Mind you he said a lot of things that were wrong) and I've been to warmer meetings in England! PS I did resent having to pay $5 for another programme (identical to the 2 I purchased in Mildura) just to get the insert with tonight's racecard)

Compared with his 2008 EL form Holder was fairly pedestrian. Doyle was certainly the stand out rider and had he not fallen the scrap for the minor places would be even tighter. Darcy Ward and Ty Proctor looked good, but Corey Gathercole disappointed. Including junior programme (including Declan Adams and Jack Holder) we got 44 heats of racing. As usual with this format the whole thing fell flat as the semi and final took 45 minutes to complete (a combination of the usual crap about riders choosing gates and Doyle's crash. ..and all for AU$25 (£12.50)

I find this one the best of the three that seem to be around. I agree that below about 250-300 the ranking becomes more random, but even in the lower places it gives a good idea of rankings within countries. The one thing I don't like is the inclusion of retired riders who have ridden just one meeting (often a testimonial). Most of the complaints along the 'why is Rider X so high?' can generally explained by looking at Polish and Swedish league form. For example Coventry fans might think that Rory Schlein should be higher than 34, but given his Swedish form (where he averaged less than Ludvig Lindgren and Kim Nilsson (242 & 178 in the rankings) but a Swedish speedway supporter might be surprised to find him that high. Riders from East Coast America and Argentina are included - but along with Canadians they are difficult to rank because they ride so little against anyone else. In past years the rankings of New Zealanders have been very erratic but with riders like Aldridge and Cunningham rising in the Conference league that may be less of a problem this year. (Although I note that David Bargh is third and Larry Ross fifth among the New Zealanders listed!) There is no element of past reputation in the ranking metric. The one thing I don't like is the inclusion of retired riders who have ridden just one meeting (often a testimonial) which is the cause of some of these odd positions. But overall I'm a fan

does that make him son of David?

The rest of this post has been deleted on grounds of good taste. This has really changed the way I think about you Doug