Chalkie

Go to The Chris Evans Show and listen at 2 hrs 21mins & 42 secs, for a not half bad interview with a young man who thoroughly deserves his World Championship.

Ah well, at least we've now got a Speedway APPG in the Commons-that should do the trick!

You certainly surprised me there, as I was expecting an apology! Let me quote Collins Dictionary. Boneheaded is an adjective of Bonehead "a foolish, stupid or obstinate person" well I may be foolish/stupid but obstinate I ain't so I won't be responding to any more of your comments because if you have nothing against me personally, I would hate to experience it if you did!

Well, you are a very rude individual, whose surname seems to be thoroughly apt. I had ignored costs of running the extra 11 meetings and I thank you for pointing out my omission. You could have also argued with my other assumptions, e.g. 2 extra attendees for each diehard, each extra attendee attends 5 matches and the fact that I also proposed some fairly radical cost cutting by promoters. However, you cannot argue the basic laws of supply and demand, which were the basic premiss of my theory. Mind you, you have made me question why I bother to post on this forum with people like you who have to be aggressive and call others names, just because your opinion is more worthy then theirs. It's supposed to be a place where we can discuss and debate things of interest but I'm pretty sure the rules ask that you do not abuse other members.

DIdn't think you were, matey!

But surely I am comparing like for like, i.e. there is currently VAT on the £17. The killer is that (with my imaginary figures) you get an increase in revenue of 47%-I'd take that if I were a so called promoter!

'Tis my belief that Speedway should be a £10 sport. To achieve this, however costs do need to be reduced. That is both the costs of running a team (so called promoters costs) and the cost of riding the bikes (engine tuning, equipment, flashy clothing, flash vans etc.) One of the other key things which need to be done is to increase the supply of Speedway matches, because a basic rule of economics is supply and demand. If supply is limited then price will rise as the wealthy will pay more to have what the poor can't afford! So, say I attend 14 home matches at £17, that's an expenditure of £238. Say there are 25 matches throughout a season at £10 each and I attend all of them. That's an income of £250. Not much of an increase I hear you say but at £10 a few (let's say for every die hard 2) ex-fans get interested again and in year 1 attend 5 matches perceived to be the best the season has to offer, e.g. Swindon v Poole; King's Lynn; Birmingham; Wolves and Lakeside in the current season. Let's say there are 1000 die hards who each spend £250 in the season, that's an income of £250,000. But also, for every die hard you have 2 (another 2000) spending £10 on 5 matches (£100,000!) So now you have an income of £350,000 a year as opposed to 1000 X 14 X £17= £238,000!!! An increase in revenue of 47% on the basis of reducing the price and increasing the supply-both things which every fan would die for. OK you may have to settle at PL standard for the main league but from what I have heard and seen of that it's a much more exciting product and you do tend to see all your team ride against all the opposition's teams each week. Give me consistency and continuity over what I am being dished up each three weeks at Swindon at the moment! In addition to seeing the promotion spending megabucks to fly in lacklustre Polish juniors to score Gr00000000m00000lski each time* *Please refer to my earlier comment re costs, promoters!

Does A Real Callow Youth realise What A Ruddy Dope he looks?

At least by then I had ditched the 1972 GF and managed to attend the last ever Wembley World Final, which was amazing. 90,000 attendance, you could taste the gas from the airhorns, full of drama!

How could you have done that after he had knocked Briggo off in Heat 5 and caused Grigori Chlinovski or Valeri Goreev to take his index finger off!!!? Briggo had, incidentally, beaten Mauger by a country mile in his first race. I always say he would have added a further title to his name that night! See it here:- September 16th 1972-I remember it because there was nowhere on this earth I wanted to be except Wembley that night on my 21st birthday! Instead, I spent it with my then girlfriend in the Rifleman's, Swindon (a Berni Inn in those days) Prawn Cocktail, Rump steak, followed by Black Forest Gateau. Ahhhh! the 70's what an era!

Thankyou Jacek!

Just the kernel of a plan at the moment but I would like to revisit the lovely town of Pardubice for this year's Golden Ribbon & Helmet meetings-does anyone know what the dates are and what the whole weekend will include. I.e. is there an U21 Championship round included or something else? Thanks Chalkie

We're off from Luton tomorrow at 7.55am to Zagreb, will have a couple of days there prior to the GP, then afterwards travelling to Budapest for the return journey on Tuesday, so making a whole week of it. Really looking forward to it-must go and pack now because work is OVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rico didn't take his place as reserve in the Cardiff GP and at Belle Vue last night due to a kidney infection-do you think this might have anything to do with it, i.e. resting him for as long as possible to get over it before the race-off?

Yes, I think you are right, now I come to think of it!! Sorry!

Why no Matej Ferjan?

Hello to you too! You have summed up my feelings exactly-I was minded not to bother next year due to the content, volume and sheer circusness of it all. Speedway is a sport that I have been following (as a Swindon Fan for my sins) for 41 years-I love music, I don't notice it at a domestic meeting, although the volume thing is an issue at Swindon also-I am there to see and hear racing-I would like to converse with my friends and neighbours in the crowd, as a reult of my intense interest in the sport-at Cardiff that was an impossibility! Please listen to what might be a minority-improve the sound system, don't try to be clever and bastardise good music-keep it in it's place, don't make Speedway a laughing stock, it's got enough trouble as it is!!!!!!!!

For me the music which accompanied incidents or was themed for riders was fine and a good idea-well done. The rest of it was absolute distorted, muddled, tripe (hardly fitting the description of music) which spoilt the whole event for me and makes me doubt whether I'll bother again. I feel that the music should be stopped when there are interviews being shown from the live Sky feed, so that you have half a chance, despite the boos and airhorns, of hearing what is being said. I don't have Sky at home but will prabably go to the New Inn in Swindon next year, so that I can hear what is happening and get a much better view of the action and save myself £8 or will it be £10 for a programme!!!!

Myself and a group of friends are planning to travel to the Chzech Golden Helmet meeting on 6 October 2007 in Pardubice. Trouble is we have no experience of doing this kind of trip and none of Chzechoslovakia/Prague. Is there anyone out there who can give any advice or has done it before who could give giudance. We are unaware of any Speedway related package deals-are there any? Ideally we want to also take in another meeting that weekend and had thought that the Lubos Tomicek Memorial would be good but it appears that this one is being held on Monday 8 October-does anyone know of any others on the Sunday. Answers to any or all of these questions would be greatly appreciated. If there is specific detail you want to email directly to me please do so via thewhitehouse@onetel.net Thanks in anticipation!