Col

Looks like Swindon ended their season in stalemate, luckily. Any keepers in that septet (other than Zee Dub).

Heat 13. Awesome.

Congratulations to Vastervik, tremendous meeting to watch on TV. Ljung & Madsen (surprised me) were excellent entertainment. Vetlanda's chances evaporated in heat 3 with Jonassons exclusion & Madsens bike problem. Fair play to the team manager, he did everything possible with the TSs available. Except for Pedersen the GP riders on show didn't have a good nights.

Proctor pulling out of the meeting at one of his former tracks, what a stroke of luck.

Wolves win, for Stars to take a point home, Iversen & Proctor need to match Lambert.

Looks like the Ekstraliga fixtures next week are largely redundant, which is a shame. Only seen the recording on TV box from Free Sports. Riders very well behaved for Green Light start but the commentator was far too excitable. Standard fare racing wise that I'd expect from Wroclaw. Shame Czestochowa had injury problems for Lindgren & Zagar at a crucial time but it is part & percel of the sport.

I guess I was lucky to be at Gorzow for the GP two years ago, it was admittedly not as good this year as previoulsy. Wroclaw v Rybnik which I attended last year, the SoN this year & the World Final which Havelock won in atrocious conditions is all I believe I have seen of Wroclaw.

Wroclaw replaces Gorzow on the calendar. Both good stadiums, Gorzow is a better track for racing from the limited views I've had of both.

Can you not be more specific?

If they do indeed schedule Prague the week after Warsaw I will probably adjust travel plans and do both in one trip, makes sense.

The SWC event I was thinking of was in Västervik.

Horsens & Halstavik were on consecutive weekends this year.

Planning to do GP's in Warsaw (hotel booked already) & Torun next season assuming the calendar is similar. Been to Krsko, its not a great location, track or stadium IMO. Except for the Speedway there isn't much to Daugavpils, but the racing is usually good there, stadium has better facilities than the older Polish stadiums (Bydgoszcz & Leszno at least). Riga is a cracking city, the GP they booked there never happened so I'd like to see them get another chance. The good thing about Poland & the Baltic is that they're really affordable. Haven't been to Marketa but have been to Prague, another fabulous city, I went in 2003 it wasn't expensive then, I can't imagine it is as cheap now. Would rather see Pardubice get the GP for racing. Went to Gothenburg for the 1991 World final, but I don't think Ullevi stadium is setup for speedway any more. Scandinavia certainly deserve a stadium GP. Also been to Parken to see a FC Copenhagen game a long time ago, 2001 I think. But Scandinavia is super expensive. Never thought the racing at GP's held in Italy were good racing wise. They are also a fair distance from anything - like the German stadiums. Surely Russia deserves a GP with two GP riders. But I haven't investigated where their speedway stadiums are located or ever watched a meeting from Russia. Have been to a meeting in Los Angeles also, I don't know what kind of crowd they would get a big event, but the one I went to wasn't well attended. Would be fun seeing some of the GP riders on such a tight track. The track I went to looked like it could fit inside the Monmore Green track. Warsaw. Manchester. Copenhagen. Pardubice. Gothenburg. Somewhere in Russia. Cardiff. Sweden - Kumla or Malila being the best racing from what I have seen on the TV. Or wherever semi of the SWC (2017?) was when Latvia knocked out Denmark, that was great stuff. Riga. Torun.

Is it not sorted. Q1. Is the team from a landlocked county? Yes. You're out. Q2. Is the team Animal related? Yes. You're e out.

Rebels by 14.

There is no way Freddie won't get a Wildcard if he doesn't finish top 8.... Which he probably will. He is being primed as the new SGP panto bad guy.

Watched Indians v Blacksmiths, but not live. Don't know how the Kumla track usually rides but before the interval if riders were not a millimetre from the fence on turn 2 they were going backwards. The outside line wasn't so much of an advantage elsewhere. The main problem for the Indian's was that their riders seemed more interested in racing each other than chasing their opponents. Oh.. And they gated like Harris .... often No one could claim it wasn't entertaining - the 3 Danes that weren't Bjerrre & Iversen put on a hell of a race just after the interval. Buczkowski & Gomolski had a right ding dong early on too.

Guess it is wait & see. I will probably only sort the flight out before anything else gets announced. Hoping there is a meeting at Czestochowa as it's not that far to drive & a track I've not been to before.

I assumed hotels would go as fast as Cardiff on GP weekend, but got one for $91 for the Friday & Saturday. I know it can only be speculative but how likely is there to be a reasonable fixture on the Sunday?

This was added to the calendar recently although tickets yet to be made available. Any suggestions of hotels in Warsaw which are reasonably priced & have car parking would be appreciated. Also, when the tickets for the event are made available where is the best area to sit for view?

As far as the Fricke/Holder debate goes. Who knows. If in 2005 you'd have told me Hancock & Pedersen would win 5 future world Championships but Lindback & Lindgren wouldn't make a World Championship rostrum I'd have laughed at you. If when Doyle signed for Leicester as a #1 if you'd asked me if he'd ever have held his own as a #1 I'd have said he wasn't capable. But he was the best rider in the World in 16 & 17. Hancock having as many World Championships as Penhall, Ermolenko & Hamill combined is frankly incomprehensible considering those riders natural talent. If in the era where Pedersen still wins GP's. Iversen is still winning GP Challenges while MJJ & Kildemand have had time to adapt to the demands of being a top rider yet Leon Madsen is the best Danish rider in the world. Again I'd have laughed. Perhaps it isn't as predictable as we think.

Watching the Daugavpils meeting on TV now. It definetly didn't seem that dusty when you were in the stadium. Pretty surprised by it TBH.

Whatever it was... I thought came off Milik's bike, which would make sense as his bike packed up down the back straight.

I am guessing because Milik won the semi from gate 3? Was convinced Lambert has passed Sayfutidnov as they passed me entering lap 3. Fair play to the Russian for hanging on to second. Something fell off Milik's bike at the end of the semi & it packed up on the way to the pits. One of the track graders picked it up but didn't return it. No idea what it was.

Good job I'm not a betting person.