BobC

Glorious morning here in Rawicz.Over 25 degress already,and its only 10am! I will try and update from the meeting. Boys in good spirits and looking forward to racing.

This Saturday sees two Brits in the meeting. Brendan Johnson,IOW, and Kyle Newman Newport and Birmingham. In the 12 years of this competition,we have never had a medalist!! The last Brit to make the Final was Adam Allot. Signals permitting,I will be providing a limited update service from here. Anyone any ideas of who else is riding?

Very interesting draw. Looking forward to going to Landshut though.

Gorican finally went ahead,and considering conditions,it was a lively meeting.It never once stopped raining all the time we were there.After the meeting,on the way home,it had stopped raining just a few miles up the road. The track was worse at this point than if the meeting had started at its original time,on the Saturday.The problem then was more about the heavy rain causing problems. Apart from Ht1,none of the riders looked completely in control of their own actions.After the first 4 races,the track started to rut up quite a bit.The riders were going in all directions,including Pavlic and Ward who were as expected,in a different class. By Ht10,I thought the track was bording on dangerous.After Ht12,the they attempted to blade the surface,but all that seemed to do was fill in the ruts,making it even worse.It was definitely the right decision to call it day after Ht16.I congratulate all the riders for giving it a go,when most would have preferred not too. Sincere Thanks go to Youngy on the liveupdates team,and Steve Allen,the Poole Press Officer for staying on the other end of the line all the time.I would like to correct a quote I made to them.Dont shoot the messenger,it was MY error! Ht15.It was Kudrayshov who fell and was excluded,and got his bike caught in the air fence,not Ward. Good to meet up and chat with Graham Reeves,# Name Removed #,Gary Patchett,Darcy Ward,Justin Sedgman,Gino Manzares,Colin,Fez.With the potential flight problems looming,it was such a shame,Graham,Crouch and Gary werent able to stay and see for themselves. I know I am biased,but Kyle Newman deserves heaps of praise on his International debut.In very trying circumstances,he held his own in every way.He did himself a lot good for the way he handled it.Understandably down after the run off,but quickly put that aside,and looked for all the positves. On the drive back,he took a call from Graham Reeves,who heartily congratulated him.He also told him that a German Promoter had invited Kyle to an open booking next month.He wanted to put himself in the shop window,in the hope of other bookings. Job done mate! Thank You to the Newman family for inviting me to share this experience with them.It was long,wet,windy,very tiring,and a 25hr drive each way.I wouldnt have missed it for the World. Here is a link to some photos I took while there.Mainly for Kyles record of the event.No action etc,mainly of the Stadium and facilities. http://sports.webshots.com/album/577691792APzkhe Feel free to use the pics if you wish,but if being used on Websites,etc,please simply credit me.

Well,absolutely no let up in the rain. Cannot see any other outcome other than to go with a 9am start on Monday morning.(8am UK time) We await the FIM verdict.Another 3 hours before riders briefing. Now,back to the superb bar facilities they have here. Yesterday we watched the FA Cup Final,today,the F1 GP and Superbikes.

Perhaps my reply should have been Bridger didnt want to represent his Country when asked and didnt want to travel. Arrived at the Gorican stadium just after 7am here,,and almost certainly will be off today.Rain hasnt stopped at all overnight,and if anything is heavier now than yesterday. Have to wait for official FIM confirmation though.

Because he was good enough to represent his Country when asked,and was happy to take his chance,while others didnt want to travel.

This is why Gorican was rained off..... http://sports.webshots.com/album/577690272JQVySO Photos 4 & 5 were taken at 11am today Photos 57 & 58 taken after call off. Still absolutely pouring down now.I dont hold out much hope for tomorrow to be honest.

That is the point Im trying to make. Last season,Brendan Johnson had to have THREE seperate licences.The standard ACU,UEM,and FIM ACU....covers him for domestic meetings in the UK. UEM....covers him for any meeting run by UEM.As per last season,he is also riding in the UEM U19's Championships again this year. FIM....One of the reasons he was included in the British U21 World Team Cup team last season was that he already had the medical,eye tests,etc. Why on earth cant ALL riders have just ONE international licence,with certain exclusions,as per the standard driving licences? With todays technologies,it should be very easy to email any relative information. Kiwi,I believe that each nation has an allocation of places for each event.So if a Brit is drawn to ride,it is up to the British to replace him,before offering the place to anyone else.

Not really. I gather it was for rider injury. Why doesnt British Speedway get itself organised properly? We had a similar happening for last seasons U21 World Cup in Germany. Riders were willing to travel,but the required paperwork couldnt be processed in time. Once all the riders had qualified for the British U21 Final at Lakeside,surely they should have ALL been required to take medicals etc? BSPA to cover that cost.The top 8 automatically going through to the next stages.Allowing for withdrawals and injuries etc,that would have put all the others on immediate standby. If a space became available,all they would have had to do was pack the van and go. The one rider I spoke to who WANTED to travel,wasnt even aware of the medical and licence requirements.I put it down to downright poor management at the BSPA. Its no wonder the other Nations are overtaking us.They seem to get riders here there and everywhere.Why cant we? In the European U19 Championships,we only have one certain place.Why? Because Graham Reeve only applied for ONE place! Again,while talking to other riders,they were not aware of any dealines to apply.I understand that efforts are being made to get more riders in. Until the BSPA etc get their act together and start acting in a professional manner,Britain will remain as a 3rd tier Speedway nation.

In typical British fashion,I know of a couple of riders who were asked to go as late as THURSDAY. Absolutely no time to get a full medical,licences,arrange ferry,drive out there,etc.Its at least a 12hr drive from Calais,plus stops. Surely British Speedway hasnt got anymore feet left to shoot at?

Ive got that one in my collection somewhere. I will let you know when I find it! (Still packed away after almost moving in 2005!!!)

You know him too well! See here........ http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/sport/484...as_number_one_/

The rider concerned was England Skipper,Ray Wilson.

The team were known as The Junior Pirates.I think they raced in about 1972. They raced in the reverse colours of the Pirates: White background with blue skull and crossbones. Riders who plied their trade then included Martin Yeates,Steve Lomas,Steve Claridge,Russell Foot,Melvyn Soffe and others. I will have to look up my programmes when I get home!

Great to hear positive talk from Sonke Petersen. The Wuffy entourage,which included former rider Loius Carr,did drive through the night,and arrived at 8am,just as we were having brekkie at the hotel.After a quick bite to eat,we handed over our room keys so that anyone of them could at least take a shower and freshen up.The Brits had to go through scrutineering at 10am,yet the meeting didnt start till 2pm.Glamorous life being a speedway rider,isnt it? Crazy though it is,smoking was supposed to be banned in the under cover cowshed part of the pits.Fair enough.Rob Woffinden and crew brought out a very well used camping stove,the only instructions we were given was to help ourselves anytime,as Rob wasnt going to act as mother! Very tasty,as Ive not had a decent cuppa while abroad.Perfect.No smoking in a wooden shed,but you can light up a burner! Yep,that makes sense! Its only when you see the sport from the riders view,that you get to appreciate what actually goes on.Its another world completely.Its so easy to sit and criticise from a keyboard.Brendan has given me this opportunity to see it for myself.I wouldnt have missed it for the World. As PhilK said earlier,it has only enhanced my admiration for ANY of the guys.

First and foremost, my heartfelt Best Wishes to Sonke Petersen and family. Brendan, his Dad Dave ,PhilK and myself were unaware of the extent of Sonke’s injuries until I received texts from Rabbit. We were told at the track, via interpreters, that he suffered a possible broken hip. He was driven from the circuit in an ambulance. So now reading that he was airlifted directly to hospital came as a huge shock to us all. I will try and answer some of the questions raised in other posts. Please note I am NOT a BSPA spokesperson, just a fan with a little knowledge from the meeting. Many people have asked how Brendan was nominated for this event. The answer is, he was asked and said yes! It really is a simple as that. When riding in the British U21’s series, the riders sign a contract to ride in any subsequent U21 meetings, subject to availability. The riders are then asked, in finishing order, if they would like to ride here or there. For whatever reasons, those above Brendan in the British U21’s either couldn’t or wouldn’t go. I don’t know their reasons so will not speculate further. When they got as far a Brendan, the answer was an emphatic YES. He recently rode in Debrecen in the European U19’s Championships, along with Jay Pickard. He also rode in the World U21’s Championship in Krsko, along with Paul Starke. This hasn’t gone unnoticed by the Authorities, which is one of the reasons why he was selected for this meeting. The budget from the BSPA is very poor, imo. Generally its £250 towards costs. For the 3 meetings Brendan attended, it cost just over £1200 in fuel alone. It was more for this meeting, as the Hotel rooms were paid for. I cannot give you precise figures. While driving over, I heard that we would be a rider short. Many riders were asked, but were unable to make it. One of the stumbling blocks appears to be paperwork. To ride in an FIM meeting, riders must have a full medical, and eye test to gain their licence. The BSPA were unable to process it all in time to get anyone else out there. At least, that’s my understanding of the situation. The comment about using 4 riders covering all rides was an error on my part. I should have said we could use a tactical substitute if we were 6 points behind the meeting leaders meaning all our lads COULD possibly take an extra ride each My apologies for mis leading you on that one. Don’t shoot Rabbit!! Thomas H Jonasson and Lewis Bridger tangled on the 1st/2nd turn. Both seemed to wobble before touching and falling awkwardly. Hard to say from my angle (in the riders enclosure in the pits) who was to blame. Bridger was excluded, yet in the pits afterwards, it was discovered that THJ had actually shed a chain, which caused the accident. Cant really blame the referee for that one, he couldn’t possibly know that at the time, as they were literally inches apart. Lewis was complaining of a dead leg while lying on the track, and couldn’t see properly. Thankfully, this cleared after a short while. With one leg ‘dead’ and the other still badly cut from his recent crash on Sky (v Swindon), he wisely withdrew from the meeting. Shame, as he was looking awesome until then. Although limping, he seemed to be getting better as time went on. Practice is not compulsory. Both Darcy Ward and Tai Woffinden were missing, as they were riding in Poland. Tai and crew drove through the night, getting to our hotel at 8am! Mitch Davey was riding for Glasgow. The track. It was excellent in practice. However on the day, it rutted up very badly indeed. Strange to note that while the track was in reasonable shape, the Germans looked quite ordinary. When it started to rut up, they came back strongly. Coincidence? After the meeting PhilK walked the track with Brendan, to see for himself what was causing all the trouble. I will let him reply fully on that one, but one rut was well over 6 inches deep. The track fence is indeed very, very hard indeed. Makes Kings Lynn’s look like cotton wool! It didn’t in my opinion contribute to Sonke’s injuries. He fell very awkwardly. I do agree that any track with FIM accreditation should have an air fence. Race jackets etc. According the FIM ‘bible’ of rules, says that each team should bring their own race jackets to the meeting. U21’s Manager, # Name Removed #, had some specially made for the event. Only to get there to find that the host club had a set made for all teams! Lucky really, as Boycie turned up with an old set of jackets, with Crump, Adams etc on the back. Gaffa was coming to the rescue!! Sweden were deserved winners. All in brand new team Kevlar’s, very professional outfit. Congratulations. Simply must mention Darcy Ward. Fantastic performance. In his last race,he went down the back straight,4/5 bikes lengths behind early leader,Facher,(Ger).Quite how he made up the ground to not only pass him,and come across the start finish line 4/5 bike lengths AHEAD of Facher, at the end of the first lap,I honestly dont know.Superb,all the same. Team GB. Not a good result, that’s obvious. Team spirit was top-drawer stuff, in difficult circumstances. I have been a critic of Lewis on more than one occasion. Having seen him at work, chatting over dinner, I can honestly say I have a new found respect for the guy. Both he and Tai were immense towards Brendan and Simon. Anything they needed or wanted, they were both there for them. They BOTH had spare bikes and engines if required. Rob Woffinden deserves a mention as well. Happily helping and chatting, doing whatever was required. I genuinely cannot praise them highly enough. Understandably,heads dropped a little when Lewis was injured. Thanks guys, you have set a very high standard of expectation Awesome is an over used word, but from my perspective, it fits you all perfectly. Again, Best wishes to Sonke and family at this difficult time.

Our lads enjoyed a good practice session.Baking hot conditions,yet track was kept in excellent condition throughout. Some lively action in the 250cc class,with 9 riders over 12 heats.Couldnt tell you who won though,as there werent listed in the main programmes. One or two team changes for today. Sweden...Thomas H Jonasson,Jonas Messing,Linus Eklof,Kim Nilsson,Ludvig Lindgren. Germany...Kevin Wobert,Max Dilger,Frank Facher,Eric Pudel,Sonke Petersen Australia....Darcy Ward,Justin Sedgman,Mitchell Davey,Richard Sweetman,Josh Grajczonek GB....Simon Lambert,Brendan Johnson,Tai Woffinden,Lewis Bridger,4 riders only. Another scorching day here,at the moment. Looking forward to it now.

YeP,just text Rabs with that news.Hadnt realised we have free internet in our hotel! It seems that team GB will run with only 4 riders,all taking an extra ride to cover.Lambert left at 7pm local time to get here,while Tai will miss practice,as he has to ride for his team in Poland. Im here with Bren,Dave and PhilK.Great hotel,right in centre of town.As its a Bank Holiday weekend,the town is closed off,with a fun fair with not 1,but 2 beer Kelliers! Thoroughly enjoyed meeting the locals,great beer,and excellent food! Will report on how practice goes later tomorrow.There is also a 250cc meeting as well as practice.Busy day ahead.

I noticed that too Phil. Disgraceful,in my opinion. Hope you are ready for the long drive to Abensberg. See you Saturday.

Very good to meet you too Tomaz. I must say we were really well looked after by our hosts.Very friendly folk,and smashing set up they have too. Im so pleased to read that Samo Kukovica is ok after his frightening crash.We could hear the sickening thud as his bike smashed into the fence,and we were at the opposite end of the stadium.When we saw his bike in two pieces,we all stood in shock.Believe me,he is a very lucky chap. We left straight after the meeting,9.30pm UK time on Saturday.Arrived safely back in Poole at around 5.15pm today. Not such a great result for Brendan,who is ok,just sore,fingers still a little swollen.Otherwise another great trip to be involved with. Thank you to Tomaz and everyone in Slovenia for their help and kindness to us all.

Tomaz,many thanks for your help with hotels etc.Very much appreciated.Please introduce yourself,we would like to say hi. Leaving Poole at lunchtime on Thursday for the long drive. See you there.

Rene and his dad are with us at our hotel.They are a smashing family.Rene and Bren have become the best of pals,both inviting each other to stay over,when they visit each others country.He also mentioned that 3 British clubs have shown an interest. Must say,Rene was extremely unlucky not to qualify.With a very safe 2nd place in the bag,enough to do it,he blew a motor. Im certainly going to be looking at this lads results.Wont be long before he is over here.

So pleased to have helped Brendan and Dave out with the driving,etc.A great time,and something Im glad to been able to experience. Back at our hotel for good meal before the 30 hour drive back home tomorrow. Very hard work on a track with little or no shale.I must say a big thank you to the organisers at the track,as they were all very friendly.Foods great too. Shame about the dust,as we were all covered from head to toe,and that was just from the dirt car park! Many thanks from all of us here.The messages and texts of support are genuinely appreciated. Hopefully all back safely by Sunday afternoon. Once again,Cheers folks.

The Brits in the pits! Riders have been put together in the pits by nationality. In Brens crew are Big Dave,myself In Jaimies crew,there is,his dad,Fez and Nicky Glanz,who is doing a great job helping both riders. Cant wait for the meeting to start.