AndyM

Possibly so, but if you're going to build a footie stadium anyway why not kill two birds with one stone and save yourself £300 mill in the process? Two stadiums = twice the chance of constructing at least one white elephant. Strikes me as total madness The only conceivable advantage in having a separate athletics stadium is that they could run events without having to double check dates with the football authorities, and their centrepiece would be closer to other facilities and the Olympic village at Stratford, but it's a hell of a price to pay for convenience. Why is it we in the UK cock up things like this time and again, when the French manage to do it right?

Mine didn't, but then I've long since given up all expectation that she would do something thoughtful and considerate like that!

Think there's no doubt that when we do have a proper and effective disciplinary system in speedway, which inevitably we must, Pedersen is bound to pick up a ban for repeated misconduct. Unlike football, that would have serious implications for a rider by reducing his earning power. If it's hitting him hard in the pocket, how would Nicki react? He certainly won't be friends with any ref, but he's got to learn to toe the line or face the consequences.

Perhaps it depends on tuners. Most of the Aces riders on Jawas this year look to have a lot more horse power at their disposal than the GMs. Joe Screen looked a different rider on the Jawas.

No, I meant D&D really, but they probably figured that would be counterproductive too.

So I take it drunken Swedes weren't lining the walls of the Welsh cells on Saturday night, OS?

Cardiff ain't necessarily going to be available for all time, even if the big footy events return to London. Depends on the length of the agreement with BSI and what else the stadium will be used for at the time the contract is up for renewal. The price could go up, down or stay the same.

One difference. Tennis players and footballers get bans and fines for swearing in public. Do speedway riders?

Sounds like PR. If they'd really been interested in athletics, Wembley would have been the centrepiece of the 2012 Olympics bid!

Can't think of any reason why it would be wrong for under-15s to put on exhibition rides at Cadiff. Seems wholly admirable to me, much in the same way that Andy Smith and Joe Screen first came to my attention by riding as 15-year olds at Belle Vue and Coventry respectively.

Don't think that's right. The original proposal included retractable seating and an athletics track on a platform that came up through the floor, but both of those features were dropped for the final version on cost grounds. What this Wembley will not be is a versatile multi-sport venue - football and rubgy, yes; anything else and they're not interested.

Raises a question about policing and stewarding for these events. Where are the stewards recruited and how are they trained? And more to the point, are BSI required to fund policing for these events to have troublemakers thrown out if the stewards don't do their job? I guess if there are no arrests the police would simply say that everyone was well-behaved and they weren't needed! If I were you, OS, I'd write to BSI, the Millennium stadium and the local police to object in the strongest terms. May not have any effect but at least they'll have a formal warning on record.

No bother, CedarMan - you go by train rather than car (Wembley station is being massively expanded), and you use some of the money you saved in travel expenses to go down the West End, or pretty much anywhere in London to get bladdered afterwards!

They weren't prepared to compromise Wembley to accept atheletics, so there's not much hope they'll sully themselves with speedway (no pun intended!) Assuming that BSI were prepared to pay the astronomic rent in the first place, of course.

Oh come on, it happens to almost every sportsman you can name - football, tennis, golf, F1, you name it. Why should speedway be any different?

Since I've just come back from a weekend in Poland, I've not seen the incidents in question and can't therefore comment on the rights and wrongs. However, professional sportsmen must get used to having a microphone stuck under their noses at the most awkward moments. It comes with the turf - you have to be polite, respectful and make some kind of constructive noise, no matter how much you feel like ramming the mike where the sun don't shine!

Persistent rolling seems a prime candidate for a yellow card offence, as and when it's introduced -surely this coming close season, though by the BSPA's usual standard it will be badly thought-through and will get to the 3rd or 4th variation before it's working properly.

Hyde Road was also the fairest track, with plenty of riding lines and always plenty of opportunities for passing and team riding. Fans raised on the current tracks would be amazed at the sort of racing we used to enjoy there.

Steve, you rode under a different name, didn't you? Something like Dave Jessup, was it?

Granada covered that meeting, and eventually showed Mort's fastest time of 66.4 on an end of year sports round up programme. Don't think it's available on any video compilation but that would be a good one for the archives. If I had the time and money to do so, I'd really love to recreate the Hyde Road track on a brown field site somewhere around Manchester - big enough to build a dedicated speedway track for running all the showcase meetings. Good fantasy, but can't see it ever happening, sad to say.

Have to agree that there are plenty of riders who draw back and roll at starts, and it's totally irritating. According to the rules, all riders are supposed to be stationary and should be excluded for persistent infringement. Trouble is, it's difficult to prove though some refs to their credit are warning riders and issuing fines. The second tape idea was tried before in the 80s if I remember correctly. Evidently it didn't make the statute book, possibly for practical reasons. If I'm convinced of anything, it's that returning to the era of tape pushing would be the biggest retrograde step in speedway, unless we could find tape that disintegrated on contact and therefore exclusions! All tape touching does is play into the hands of starting gate psychologists who aim to psyche out opponents before the start.

You're so right! It was the greatest speedway track and a sad loss. A good place to start looking for footage is the Aces of Yesteryear series, most of which include at least some Hyde Road racing. Try eBay for starters, where they regularly come up for auction (I've also got part 1 if you'd like to borrow it.) You could also approach Roy Nicol Video Productions direct. As Steve says, Roy was the chap who used to film the Aces, but he also put the AoY series together and he would certainly know about other sources of Hyde Road action. His number is 0161-220 7278.

Having missed the GP due to being away for the weekend, it doesn't sound as good as the previous one. Shame Crumpie wasn't well - the result makes it tough for the rest to compete. Congrats to Zagar; he certainly used the format to his advantage. Notice too criticism of young Ken's progress from the usual crowd, but it seems he came above a certain A Lindback and B Pedersen. Keep at it lad - you'll show 'em on!

Well, I'm not going this year, but only because I'll be attending a stag weekend in Cracow. Another seat available for somebody?

Did hear Don Godden was building engines again, though Kelvin surely won't be the man if his various injuries are still playing him up. Unless it's long track, because that apparently doesn't affect him! A modern-day miracle?