Subedei

Leszno, about right. Zielona Gora, again, about right - devoted fans who sometimes go a little too far. Gorzow are hardly upstarts - one of the great names of Polish speedway and home to Jancarz and Plech, but just returned to the top flight. Czestochowa have the world champion and their stadium was re-constructed a couple of years ago. Torun - a little unfair, but shows how an isolated incident can adversely affect perceptions. And their backer is the fifth richest man in Poland, Roman Krzysztof Karkosik. Rzeszow aren't that bad - they were missing Nicholls and Zagar at the weekend. Tarnow - lost the crucial sponsorship which enabled the Rickardsson-Gollob golden years. Wroclaw - champions in 2006, but suffered a lot of rider losses over the winter (Andersen, Holder, Bjerre and Klindt) Gdansk were in the Ekstraliga in 2005 and avoided relegation on track, but financial problems meant that they were relegated to the third tier of Polish speedway - it was all a bit messy, I remember, but they ended up in the second tier and appear strong at the moment.

Unless it's postponed, which it seems to have been. So, as it turns out, it will be on Thursday: http://www.przegladzuzlowy.pl/news_zgora.php?id=1089897772 You have to hand it to the Poles - the whole GP qualification final will take place at Zielona Gora, so they host their own elimination final at Zielona Gora. If the GP qualification final was being held at Brandon, the BSPA would probably hold their eliminator (the British Final) at Poole.

Here's today's result from Ostrow: http://live.sportowefakty.pl/launch_speedway_744.html

And it looks like Tarnow are looking at re-staging the fixture on April 14th, 2008, which is, naturally enough, a Monday. This means, of course, that many of Zielona Gora's riders (including Iversen and Lindgren) will be riding for clubs in the United Kingdom.

Here's hoping everything goes well for Huszcza in the future - his career on track has been remarkable.

Wasn't Togliatti the name of the leader of the Italian Communist Party after World War II?

Except that Leszno had the SWC race-off and final in 2007, will hold one of the rounds in 2008 and will have the race-off and final in 2009.

The contract he signed ahead of the 2007 season was for two years.

Or perhaps not so good. How long before something goes wrong and he's retired again? And then back again? And then retired again? This looks to have all the makings of a disaster for me. I think he needs to take a little more time out. But, it's his life.

But, if you're lucky, Mama, they'll not be riding together too often for Bydgoszcz - what on earth possessed them to sign Stead?

He's also in Avesta's squad in Sweden and I'd guess he'll be riding for one of the Russian clubs. So, for an eighteen-year-old, he's got quite a bit to be getting on with. He'll also be making an appearance in Poole's season-opening £60,000 meeting.

Dear me, you're jumping the gun a little. The season hasn't started and already you've claimed Sajfutdinov is the 2008 World Under-21 champion and want to know where he'll be riding in 2009. Steady on, take things year by year. In 2008 he'll be riding for Bydgoszcz in Poland.

An illustration, perhaps, of why Britain is now a second rate speedway nation, where riders are indulged by the likes of Middlo.

They were in 1984, but in the meetings I saw, Joe Owen couldn't cope with riders from the top bracket.

The averages are misleading, since Newcastle's averages would've included bonus points, whereas the Belle Vue ones wouldn't. And Alan Emerson was the bonus point king of the National League.

Ian Thomas, always a wily character, took advantage of a loophole in the regulations, which meant British League riders dropping into the National League were given an assessed 7.50 average. Theoretically, that meant that the likes of Kenny Carter, Michael Lee, Chris Morton and Peter Collins would've had 7.50 averages had they dropped to the National League. In Newcastle's case, Joe Owen and Bobby Beaton were the two riders given assessed 7.50 averages and, as can be seen, they averaged somewhat higher, with Owen making an absolute nonsense of his. Needless to say, the rules were changed for the 1983 season, with riders dropping to the National League having their average assessed by means of increasing their British League average by a factor of 1.5, thus a 8.00 averaged British League rider would have an assessed average of 12.00.

IMG have found an Australian with more money than sense, have they?

Not as far as I can see. I guess Rybnik will be hoping he lines up for them again this season.

And here's a random youtube clip thrown in: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYW-9eNbXz8

Very true. Here's Liga I: http://www.sportowefakty.pl/index.php?dysc...01&dzial_id=363 I think.

Here's the Ekstraliga fixtures for 2008 (starting on 06-04-08): http://www.sportowefakty.pl/index.php?dysc...00&dzial_id=357 And here's Liga I fixtures for 2008 (again, starting on 06-04-08): http://www.sportowefakty.pl/index.php?dysc...00&dzial_id=357

Antonio Lindback has now been removed from the Czestochowa squad.

I've been there, once by mistake, honestly.

It's one of the most beautiful cities in the world, full of architectural gems, history and culture.

Are those speedway capacities or general capacities? A number of lower tier seats are not available when speedway is running at the likes of Cardiff.