RobMcCaffery

I can't remember the exact years offhand but the first division promotion failed, then there were several blank years as attempts to reopen at the lower level were then met by very stringent safety regulations brought in by Sheffield Council in the wake of Hillsborough. I'm sure the local fans can fill in the details. I seem to remember that when Owlerton did re-open the back straight remained closed. I haven't been for far too long. Can a Tigers fan confirm if it's still the case? At Sheffield RL's current level Owlerton's probably just about large enough but if the unlikely event they were to go to a higher level I doubt it would meet requirements.

Not initially, the speedway was sadly closed for a few years. I presume the RL team is homeless after the closure of the Don Valley Stadium. Let's hope the pitch size regulations haven't been changed. The infield was also used for American Football for a while, wasn't it?

Here's my posting on the other GP Challenge thread. " If anyone is interested there are six more showings, including one genuinely prime-time slot: 17.09 05.05 (yes, 5 am) 19.09 20.00 20.09 04.10 20.09 14.15 27.09 03.40 27.09 09.35 Motors TV UK is on Virgin 545 and Sky 447, but not on Freeview.

Just watched it through. All heats shown but no end titles. It went straight from a shot of the riders opening the champagne to an ad break so thanks to Pete Ballinger for his alternative insight into the production. If anyone is interested there are six more showings, including one genuinely prime-time slot: 17.09 05.05 (yes, 5 am) 19.09 20.00 20.09 04.10 20.09 14.15 27.09 03.40 27.09 09.35 Motors TV UK is on Virgin 545 and Sky 447, but not on Freeview. Hope this is of use to someone.

Despite being omitted from Virgin Media's EPG this programme was given its first airing tonight on Motors TV UK at 11.05 pm. The coverage is better than the ice racing - full heats and it looks like all heats were shown. Picture quality's a bit ropey and the commentator could be better informed, but well worth a viewing. It has been packaged as an FIM production with the FIM graphic present throughout. The replay timings are all over the place during the next week, sadly all well outside peak times. I'll try to confirm the production company and commentator but if it's like the ice racing it'll just be an FIM TV logo as credit to close.

It's simple enough, both meetings are compromised, one by doubts over Swindon and Lakeside's abilities to put on a fair and entertaining fixture, and the second over riders missing the Belle Vue fixture due to other commitments in a lower league. Neither situation is going to impress Sky.

Motors TV are showing a highlights package from Sept 12th - several showings, mainly well outside peak hours. If it's anything like the FIM coverage of the ice racing shown on Motors earlier in the year I wouldn't expect too much either, unfortunately. It's nearly thirty years since I last voiced a speedway video. While there are some excellent productions the market doesn't seem to have come on that far in certain other areas....

"Okay Sky, here's how it is. Next Monday you get two choices: 1 - You go to Swindon hoping that Lakeside aren't as abject as they were at Poole and hoping that the home side don't throw the match to get Poole out of the play-offs. 2 - You go to Belle Vue where several key riders will be missing because they have commitments in a lower league. Oh yes, enclosed is a copy of the 2014 agreement, can you sign where we've almost marked a cross please?. Sorry we've had to call off the social at the local beer factory."

A fourteen meeting season ending on September 9th? My what fine forward strides the sport's made in the past few seasons.

That's been changed since I checked earlier this evening which suggests that the match is indeed off.

Looks like it may well be off. The banner featured the word 'aflyst' after the match title and my on-line translator converts that to 'cancelled'. The club website, Danish Speedway League and Sportowy Fakte sites show it as on though but this could just be a matter of them not being updated yet.

Why, just because you're the most important poster on these threads? Ridiculous. By the way, number 19 Daniil Ivanov is the World Ice Racing Champion. Thought someone might be interested, evidently not.

For a novice, Day's doing a superb job.

It was a different presenter who was so heavily criticised for his summaries up to and including the Copenhagen Grand Prix. I believe his name was Tony Carter. This is Steve Day who presented the Cardiff Grand Prix, has commentated on both European Championship rounds so far and thankfully took over the GP summarising with Scott in Terenzano. It seems it's not only TV presenters who don't know names.... On a different point, anyone else think the meeting might get a little more interesting if number 19 were allowed out on his OTHER speedway bike?

One of the most nauseating aspects of online forums is the way very unpleasant personal attacks are made by people conveniently hiding behind false names. Have you ever actually met Steve? He's a decent, intelligent guy, straight in his dealings, which is probably why he's had so many problems dealing with the BSPA. I would far rather share his company than the vast majority of people I've met in speedway. It is incredibly difficult to discuss the true story of what happened at Wimbledon due to legal bullying by one of the participants. Indeed I cannot even state their name here for fear of causing Phil and his forum severe problems. Still, people will believe what they wish to believe and if nothing else this forum loves a hate figure to focus its sad little vendettas on whether it be promoters, riders or commentators, all conducted from the convenient safety of anonymity. To drag this back on-topic, if someone genuinely has a decent site for speedway in south Wales they should be encouraged and not met with this depressing example of forum members' needs to look important, or heaven forbid, even relevant. What the forum had said in response to the OP is: "Don't bother, we know better and it isn't worth it, and anyway someone we've got a problem with will probably bugger it up anyway. Now let's get the bile out for other matters". I do hope you're proud of yourselves. Now I hope the poison pen letters are going well.... Oh, just spotted a closing point - all is forgiven if Steve re-opens your club? It redefines moral bankruptcy.It's all okay as long as YOU benefit. Disgusting. Rob McCaffery

There are damn good reasons why I turned my back on Rye House after thirty years and anyone there at the time with the faintest of a clue what was going on would know. We used to have some pretty decent fans at Rye House. Seeing the comments on this forum the best decision I ever made was top get out. By the way, next time you see Ron Russell I really do recommend that you tackle him with your whinges over his time at Rye House. You really might learn something. It really does sum up the state this forum has got into. You take the time to come online and explain something and get an ignorant, nasty post in return.

His name is Roy Delaney and he was associated with the 'Friends of Speedway' organisation. When we were bringing the Rockets back in 1999 Roy was superb in giving his support to the venture and we were quite happy for him to his bit as Rocket Man. We needed all the friends and help we could get. Sadly after our year's efforts the successive management did not appear to share our views. Glad to hear he's still about and prepared to spend his money at Rye House.

Thanks, Phil, just the kind of information that we need.

It IS possible to like more than one sport you know. Are you sure you're in the right section? We normally only see such yobbishness in the British sections of BSF.

I said it once when it was relevant and accurate. You say it endlessly when it is totally irrelevant and inaccurate. By the way I have never met or knowingly contacted Nigel Pearson. He does a good job but he is not my 'mate'.Carter does not do even do a job that approaches acceptability. It's that simple. If I were to repeat my criticism of Carter hundreds of times in a worryingly obsessive manner I would just about begin to consider your criticism valid. I haven't and don't. Your suggestion that one can only defend a 'mate' is beneath contempt. Get back in the playground before you bore yet more people with your stupidity.. For one who presumes to use logic, albeit a rather twisted form, you're pretty appalling at actually applying it. And all I am saying is there are very good reasons why it is unlikely to be possible. I was only trying to inform you based on my experience. Clearly I was wasting my time. My contributions to the debate over the televising of speedway in this and other threads has been intended to try to help people to understand what has been going on. To be honest it's one aspect of the sport where I do have some professional experience, albeit many years ago, to fall back on. I offer this to help people and yet the old forum curse seems impossible to avoid. I read this forum to get information and some insight into what's going on, although you have to sift through a hell of a lot of rubbish to get to the real information. In return I try to make a hopefully valid contribution. Sadly others only see this as a place to further their obsessive points of view or to just have a good old fight. They win, it's back to 'read only' on my part. I've done my bit, and as usual it just gets thrown back in my face.

Anyway, thanks to Dave Goddard for another very professional evening's work and thanks also to Ghostwalker for the information. I have so many fond memories of my trips to Sweden - not as much as one of our cameramen at Vargana's Norrkopping track when as the meeting ended a gorgeous blonde ran up the grass bank to plant a smacker on him. Tragically it was a one-off.

Compared to ours they're superb. I know there are problems over there, as Smederna fans are all-too aware but compared to here...

Seeing these Swedish matches with the world's best riding in front of healthy crowds really does make you realise how much we have lost in the UK - and they can still afford proper tactical substitutions too!

I do expect that Dave is totally on his own. Bear in mind it's not just Premier Sports taking that feed - Orange Sport in Poland get the same pictures. Unfortunately what should happen and what can happen are often a good way apart, Ultimately it's probably all a matter of money. Dave clearly uses his research well to cover the gap. If only I'd had the internet in the 80s!

Talking of yanks racing in Sweden I remember at the 1982 Intercontinental Final at Vetlanda (where I got the story about Njud) that the much-missed Kelly Moran was accidentally referred throughout the meeting as 'Kelly Moron'. Makes you realise how brave Greg Hancock was to set up home over there....