RobMcCaffery

https://www.productsandservices.bt.com/products/bt-sport

I do wonder if it depends on the track you watch at. Some tracks were as appalling for racing in the past as they are now. Never once used the crass phrase "good old days". I just have the ability to remember and have the video to help. People had genuine concerns in the mid 70s how the four valve engines were spoiling the quality of racing. I suppose in the late seventies we were all reminiscing about the "good old days" of the early 70s. The same happened later with lay-downs. Some people believe what they wish to believe and try to dismiss those with a contrary view of stupidly living in the past - all very convenient and prevents actually having to think. Perhaps I spent too much time at decent tracks which produced great racing?....and Rye House.... ;-) - Well we did our best with what we had but it was a heck of a step down from Rayleigh. So, next time I'm at a track watching 15 processions from the gate I can console myself by thinking it was just as bad in 1972? Dream on guys. You can fool yourselves but don't try to fool me.

Very much so, but you'd have thought the World Champion was a 'must'. The Poles ran a series of rather contrived meetings under this format last year. So far it looks like this is the only one of its type this season. Still, as long ass the two sides are evenly-matched it should be worth a look.

If only more people would open their minds like this and give NL a chance. I'm delighted you tried and have had your reward.

I was trying to stress that you can't blindly try to adopt the past. Let me offer an analogy. A friend is diagnosed with a serious illness. Do you help them fight the illness and restore the good health that they used to have or do you wring your hands, give up and say "the world has moved on"? Your point regarding SGP and SWC is correct though in many cases.. It's clear that when riders are sufficiently motivated and the track given to them suitable for purpose (obviously this excludes several GPs) you can still have excellent speedway. Likewise in Poland. Sadly that vital combination so rarely comes together in Britain. There's not enough money on offer for most star riders to put in their best efforts or use their best equipment, even if they can be bothered or are allowed to turn up. Britain is just a source of a bit of 'pin money' and practice for too many. In the short to mid term while we rebuild we have to show them the door. The names may be box office but how often do their UK performances match and crucially bring in the revenue to pay them?

British Speedway was at its strongest when it had weekly fixtures, almost always on the same race night, except for matches between two teams sharing the same race night. Fridays and Saturdays were key nights. A wider appreciation of the sport beyond winning league points allowed open events to succeed and vary the entertainment. Individual events were taken seriously by riders and public. Racing was not so dependent on machinery. Most of all the sport was fun. We'd have public rants by team managers and promoters (often staged) and the odd villainous rider to hate. It was a show and everyone contributed to make it so. Meetings were affordable. We have lost almost every one of those positive attributes. This isn't blind, rosy-tinted memory of the 'good old days'. I can list forever matters outside speedway that have improved hugely. The key is - outside speedway. About the only positive changes within the sport I can think of are air and foam fences, greater control of safety and making riders stay still at the start. Yes the world has moved on but that does not mean that we cannot repair the errors made over many years although it will be a long process. Customers need to be made welcome, whichever side they support, facilities must be acceptable, tracks up to standard to allow good racing, running under clear, sensible rules. Most of all everyone from promoter to fan must work together to make it work. I am privileged to have seen some wonderful years of speedway and want them back. Costs have to be controlled and the entertainment raised. We must offer value for money. I've seen speedway work and want to see it do so again. That won't happen as long as we dismiss the lessons of the past in the futile belief that the only way to progress is to carry on in the same direction. In my opinion that path leads to a very large cliff. We cannot rely on winning keeping fans. Only three teams can win league titles and someone has to lose for someone else to win. We need the competition to come out of the meeting room and back on the track. Perhaps if we only used riders who were committed to the sport here the fans might sense and respond? There is so much wrong now that it is hard to know where to start, but still I love this sport but too often now I wonder why.

The format they used last year was this (all R B W Y): 1 - 9 10 2 1 2 - 11 12 4 3 3 - 13 14 6 5 4 - 12 12 2 1 5 - 13 14 4 3 6 - 9 10 6 5 7 - 13 14 2 1 8 - 9 10 4 3 9 - 11 12 6 5 10 13 10 4 1 11 - 9 12 6 3 12 - 11 14 2 5 13 - 13 10 1 3 14 - 11 14 4 1 15 - 9 12 2 5 The Polish website Sportowe Fakty should have the race chart up on their website over the weekend. The link is: http://sportowefakty.wp.pl/zuzel/wydarzenie/60876 Right now it doesn't even have the teams listed but that will change during Saturday. As you can see from the above the home side is numbered 9-14 and the away 1-6, and that yellow is the heat-leader helmet colour, not white as over here and in Sweden. I hope this helps.

For me, the day I once too often saw a true racer open the throttle and head for the outside line, only to lose ground horribly. About the late 80s.

I don't doubt that the rest of the meeting wasn't but I am only commenting on the one heat that's available, not the meeting itself. I trust your judgement of the overall meeting but that heat 11 entertained me hugely, hence my comment which acknowledged that there was still far to go. To me the mark of a good track is the ability to pass on the outside but I can still know a good race when I see one. Obviously I can't comment on the other 14 heats.

Brian, you have been a devoted and loyal friend of speedway who has achieved remarkable things for your club, Birmingham. Please don't feel the need to apologise to those who record is entirely the opposite. I do wish you success in this latest battle. Those who never made a mistake probably never tried......

What the BT argument comes down to is "Sky are charging me so much that I can't afford another service. How dare speedway sell rights to anyone but Sky?" Ever thought of stopping Sky bleeding you dry?

Proper speedway. Once the outside line develops fully it's going to be marvellous.

No World Champion? Is he worried about burn-out?

At least David Rowe included the result going into heat 7 which does suggest that either the studio commentary was added after editing or they knew live that heat 6 wasn't going to be shown. Just like any meeting I go to I keep a programme running so prefer not to have to work out heat results from later scorecharts. I just worry about those time slots.

John has brought this on himself with his unpleasant attacks and ridicule on subjects such as the National Speedway Stadium, National League speedway and those valiant people who are running 'nomadic' teams as part of their campaigns to restore speedway to their towns. His constant reference to stock car racing and speedway in the 1940s were tolerable but his insults and childish behaviour have exhausted patience. I tried to sympathise and help him with advice, if only out of respect for his past achievements some time back but it was rejected out of hand. He clearly has no love or respect for present-day speedway and you have to question his motivation for being on this forum. Yes, I have him firmly on ignore but sadly people quote his messages, thus defeating that. I am dismayed that an attempt to voice my frustration with John's behaviour with some gentle satire has been grossly misrepresented by some and what indeed should have been a thread about a speedway reunion so diverted. Perhaps if certain people with Wimbledon connections had realised that the criticism was of the messenger NOT the message we might have avoided all of this?

Eurosport 2 are running just a weekly one hour programme on Wednesday mornings. In the first meeting they at least carried all 15 heats. Timings for the next three weeks are: May 11th 10.45 am (as above) May 18th 9.45 am May 25th 7 am. Not exactly prime time and no repeats.

It's not that difficult unless you have a problem counting to six. Home - Win 3, Draw 1, Loss 0 Away - Loss over 6 0 Loss 6 and under 1 Draw 2 Win 6 and under 3 Win over 6 4 It's scarcely cricket's Duckworth-Lewis method!

Sadly I think the group owner has given up. The moderators seem to have disappeared long ago. It's best to ignore the Polish troll. No, avoiding this section of the forum when a certain Pole hijacks it - and also when I'm relying on watching the Sunday matches midweek on You Tube. I've only just read yours and Pawel's postings and obviously won't read any from May 8th onwards until after I've caught up with the matches staged on Sunday. In the same way I'll avoid Sportowe Fakty until then, so no, not out of the country, just avoiding the results. ;-) (spent Sunday at a vintage vehicle event in Taunton in glorious sunshine - even Polish speedway takes a back seat to that )

It's amazing the contacts you make working on the journalistic juggernaut that is the South London Press (circulation 10,000). The circulation was much better in 1948 though. Bryn, remember when his column in the Speedway Mail were mostly about how Grand Prix Midget cars should form part of speedway meetings? When I later got involved in stock cars there was quite a bit about Grand Prix Midgets in the mags. I think you can guess who wrote those..... It's all so very sad. Belle Vue have opened to great acclaim, people are thrilled at the prospects of so many wonderful meetings to come, except for one desperately sad and irrelevant individual clinging pathetically to the past. For once something wonderful has happened to the sport and all a once-respected former editor of the Speedway Star can do is make senile, petty comments trying to ridicule it. He's become a troll and it's desperately sad to see. Perhaps we can all watch that video, let this thread come to its natural end and move on to the next match, leaving one person to shout into the wind?

Every match originates with C More Sport who are rights holders in Sweden so yes, they show it live. Not everyone is knowledgeable enough to use or comfortable with the quasi-legality of streaming so their only realistic option is the Eurosport coverage. Additionally, unlike Poland there are fewer streamers and you often cannot be sure until the last minute whether any will be available.

After the success of last week's highlights programme here are the British timings for this week and the next two weeks. All are on Eurosport 2. Wednesday 11th - 10.45-11.45 am Wednesday 18th - 9.45-10.45 am Wednesday 25th - 7-8 am. Doesn't even make an afternoon repeat now, sadly. Hopefully things will pick up but it's hard to see with those 'graveyard' slots.

Away from the shallow end of the Polish gene pool, some good news. Telewizjada is back. http://www.telewizjada.net/

I am so glad that Belle Vue is up and running and I look forward to the NSS proving the old adage "Great things are worth waiting for". I can't wait to get there, for either league. It's sad that someone tried to poison the well - no, tragic....for them, not Belle Vue. You're very kind and comments like these mean so much when they come from such a respected poster. Despite appearances I actually hate having to tackle people like that - I've always had a real problem with injustice. Now all I have to do is face my old Rye House friends and explain how I had to stick up for the Fen Tigers - I'm already in enough trouble for announcing there. It's just so sad that someone who has made a significant contribution to speedway journalism in the past, far, far more significant than mine, can be trying so hard to damage the sport now. I do hope I don't end up like that in my dotage, which I think is due next week. Anyway, it should be all about Belle Vue here now so I'll shut up. I can't believe that Belle Vue have a proper track again after all these years! Party time!

It does seem that they have a two stage system for team declarations in Poland. While I expect R&R's explanation is correct I've often seen curious line-ups named, amended to a more logical version on the day - then there's the common practice of naming only one reserve then adding the second on the day - usually the one that's been in the team regularly in the past.

It should have been your local highlight of the season so that's sad, albeit understandable. I do suspect there's more to the switch from 'national' teams to sponsors' than has been put into the public domain. I wonder if the FIM were unhappy with the close resemblance to an official revival of the World Best Pairs? Although it wasn't his only passing move I think we can see why Martin Smolinski specialises on the inside line after seeing him on his home track. It always depresses me to see racers bravely opening the throttle and going for the outside pass only to find the track won't allow them. While there was some 'outside action' I felt too much of the passing at Landshut came from riders sneaking through on the inside taking advantage of rivals' errors. It would be unfair not to concede that the final few races were entertaining but it does take much away when you don't care who's winning. eport2000.pl's day will come!