RobMcCaffery

We're lovers of speedway so will watch as much as we can out of interest and love for the sport. You should try it. Sorry, you only know hate. I enjoyed watching the meeting but didn't give a damn who won and I'm sure I'm not the only one. You really are wasting your time. Nobody gives a damn about your Mickey Mouse club over here.

Nobody cares.

More like completely - it's east of China and Korea - and due north of Japan.

Maybe they are hoping that nobody will check the facts? "Document not available" Which strengthens the argument to demolish the current stadium before building the new one. Risky, eh?

All dearly loved - okay, even Crayford Be glad I didn't refer to Sinderland. Forgot Berrington Lough and Coatbridge - how could I? At the latter I remember Brian Collins doing everything to help the Rockets - even reminding them it was green light & go. Must have had a row with the Tigers I seem to remember that every pane of glass in the end screens of Albion Rovers' main stand had been smashed.

Interesting extra trophy design, apart from the normal tin pot - based on a Polish army cap. Dudek's rehabilitation gathers pace. As for Marek, I wonder how much he had to pay nSport+ for that gig? Four hours with Daria can't come cheap.

Nice try by Janowski - trying to out his sticker in the final in red instead of the semi I think you'll find that's the Polish national team manager and ex White City Rebel Marek 'creepy' Cieslak.

Surprised at Zmarzilk and Janowski's performances. Four of the best......

Sadly not true. The site is a housing estate. See here - Stadium Drive enters the old site. https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Dudley+Wood+Rd,+Dudley,+West+Midlands+DY2+0DJ/@52.4753557,-2.085127,437m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x487090d3a23df6df:0x4bfae89754e4afde!8m2!3d52.4759743!4d-2.0866878

Rayleigh Barrow (both), Boston, Bradford, Canterbury, Cradley Heath, Crewe, Edinburgh (Powderhall) Ellesmere Port, Exeter, Hackney, Halifax, Hull (both) Rayleigh Leicester (Blackbird Road), Long Eaton, Milton Keynes (both), Newport, Oxford, Paisley, Reading, Rochdale, Romford, Sunderland, Wetmouth, Wembley, White City, Wimbledon. Okay - Crayford too I'm sure I've missed a few. Oh and, affordable speedway, tactical substitutes, World Finals, October BLRC at Belle Vue, test matches. And.... Rayleigh.

Thanks very much. The telling date on the website is the application date of May 26th. As you say, it's a fresh application. With your professional hat on is this normal procedure or are there procedural causes for concern? It's fascinating that it's being claimed that planning permission has been granted.

I'm glad and surprised to hear it given the nature and volume of flaws, as shown by the various council documents for which links were published here in the BSF and the queries raised in the article "Nine Years and Still a Work in Progress" published on 15.5.16 on http://www.speedwayplus.com/ Glad to hear things have moved on so rapidly after all these years! (EDIT: - I've looked up the application on the Swindon Council website and it confirms that the application was finally validated on June 21st. Those wishing to see for themselves, plus all of the back-up can see it for themselves here: http://pa1.swindon.gov.uk/publicaccess/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=O7RY9CPTHSC00 There has been quite a flurry of backup documentation dated June 27th, including the crucial amendment to stadium location and amended acoustic report. There is no indication that the overall application has been withdrawn.)

How to Win Friends and Influence People - Nicki Pedersen The Art of Zen and Motorcycle Maintenance - Chris Harris The Occasional Patriot - Tai Woffinden The Dummies Guide to Speedway - BSPA.

Naturally. If not keep going with snorkels. Goggles optional.....

Anyway, enough knocking of the car park - it served as my 'hotel' on many occasions in the late 70s. You try sleeping in a mini (car, I'm not a cross-dresser) with the only 'facilities' being a darkened, spider-infested loo block and getting a visit from the fuzz about 4 am. At least I got a free breakfast in the pit portakabin from Hugh Saunders inbetween him working on the track. As you can imagine those craters are a part of me - which probably explains a great deal.

There are times when I hear of riders wanting speedway to be more like F1 or Moto GP or Superbikes that they went off and raced in those sports rather than wreck the one they're currently in.

I think Glasgow proved that you don't need to bribe fans to watch TV meetings. When EL tracks are covered by Sky their fee appears to be considerably higher than that received by the PL which does help cushion the blow of dropping prices to £10. Without such financial assistance you can't blame Berwick and Glasgow for sticking to normal prices - and still got satisfactory or excellent crowds. Perhaps the rarity of such visits helps? This of course leaves the question - why do the PL tracks get a lower fee?

Football is a very different sport. It is stupid to compare. For starters: A runaway win, say by 6-0 in football and the neutral will thrill at the way one team has been able to play. In speedway no neutral will enjoy a 70-20 result. In football and other field sports the better the talent, the better the skill, the better the entertainment (well in theory). In speedway it's all about relative rather than absolute skills. You can have a meeting full of star names, no racing and a huge home win. You can also have a meeting of lesser-known riders with plenty of racing and a last heat decider. Which would you rather have? Broadly speaking there now seems to be two main forms of people attending speedway - those there to enjoy speedway or those who only want to see names and a win. The first group seems to be being squeezed out and that isn't healthy for the sport. Still, we live in a world where 'celebrities' rule, even if they do damn all.

Given Gaming International's appalling record of stadium closures and false promises for replacements it is sadly no surprise. How long have Reading fans been waiting for the Smallmead replacement? Where's the new stadium in Milton Keynes? When there's huge money involved developers can play the same 'long game' that killed Cradley and may well do the same to Wimbledon and Oxford. The fact that GI keep filing failed planning applications with obviously crucial flaws and the rapid development of the rest of the site it is hard to avoid the suspicion that their version of the 'long game' here is by building most of the estate, right up to the boundaries of the present stadium and to keep issuing unworkable plans for a replacement until they can finally win the argument that they can drop the subject and complete the housing estate. I hope I'm wrong since I really want Swindon like all tracks to survive. It will give me no pleasure at all if if the scenario I've suggested tragically comes true. There is no victory in being proved right by a stadium closing. There is one simple fact though amidst all the opinion. Without planning permission nothing can be built without the risk of having just to pull it all down.

Clearly the weather spoiled the racing. Ultimately it doesn't really matter what the EL snobs think. Let them enjoy their 14 home meetings a year and weeks without meetings. They take a sample of just two meetings and make stupid judgements - they see what they want to see. Apparently having their team compete in a higher league makes them some kind of superior supporter. Just enjoy the PL and its positive spirit. The PL has fun while the EL fights to exist. Great to finally get to see a Scottish derby, even if from a distance - and to see a British speedway track packed for a league match. Clearly the new owners have worked miracles there.

Could have got to heat 10, surely?

Despite all of the talk GI have yet to even gain planning permission. Applications to date have been rejected due to chronic flaws, which we have to assume are accidental rather than deliberate. Without planning permission there will be no stadium.

.....and the winners of the race to get the former Grand Prix winner to reserve are....... No wonder they took a month off

Riders only lose rides if they have failed to perform. Would you also block reserve replacement rides for the same reason? If a rider is hopelessly out of touch he has to take all of his programmed rides? Riders are guaranteed three rides. Whether they are replaced by reserves or tactical substitutes is irrelevant. Under the old system if you were in trouble you used your styar riders to recover. Now it's all about finding strong reserves to do the job instead which is totally about-face. It worked for years and still does in Sweden and Poland. If it didn't they'd have both dumped it years ago. Britain only did it because EL heat leaders wanted too much money to take the extra rides and the Golden Double, later Tactical; Ride was introduced. Part of the fascination for many was to watch skilled team managers use their riders to try to win matches. Now those tactics have been reduced to hoping you have a reserve that's on form and working out when to play the joker. Okay, some people don't have the ability to follow such tactical ploys but that's no reason why they should dumb the sport down for others.

The same as in Britain until replaced by the cost-cutting Tactical Ride double points that we currently have to endure. Many a match was made fascinating by watching a team manager work his resources to the maximum rather than being limited to the one TR ride and the odd reserve change. So unfair that it was used for decades in Britain and still is in Sweden and Poland.