FAST GATER

RIP always liked his posts will be greatly missed by us all

I was thinking along the same lines myself rider /coach Kelvin would be a huge draw and star in the third tier ,it may also get the riding bug out of his system !!!

Old Tony going to mix it again at 50 yrs old with the young bucks he is a true asset to the NL and they should make the most of him while he's there just hope he has a safe season .

On the whole this has to be a good thing for s/way in the long term , there is going to be a period of adjustment and much resistance from riders but more directly from tuners who at the end of the day do nothing for the well being of the sport.I accept that tuners were merely taking advantage of a market within the sport but in so doing they have added a significant cost that it can no longer afford . This is a watershed period in the sport from a machinery point of view and sadly there has to be casualties (tuners) and the riders have to embrace the fact that they are purchasing an engine not because it may be a 10th of second a lap faster( if it was they would be ordering pairs of these engines by the shed load ) than the next rider but because they will be able to race on a more level plainfield at mutual cost . As to what happens to the old engines and their investment anyone who remember the 4 valve revolution will have witnessed 2 valve engines being discarded wholesale almost overnight because they were chasing speed with no regard of the financial implications of their actions what so ever .

Think that Rory is a big risk IMO

Sorry can't resist the fact that for the first time in about 25yrs PK name will not be popping up , just seems a little odd but i am sure PA and CVS will put a good team together to defend the title.

iMO Peter Karlsson has all the qualities to be a first rate manager( I believe he is helping Tai at the GP's ) and I hope we see him in this country in the near future now he has retired from riding .

IMO very often the best managers have not reached very top in their chosen sport ( I mean they maybe what is called journeymen or may not of actually taken part) that's not to say they were not good or successful but never reached ""superstar status as it were .

I believe that every s/way rider should be paid as much as possible and begrudge them nothing ,however sadly it is a dangerous sport with marginal rewards at best and anyone who embarks on a career in s/way should accept that financial reward is a bonus not a right .

I do hope Doyle is able to return to the rider he was but his age no spring chicken ( there is and will only be one Grin !) and he was busted up badly quite badly an elbow or a thigh breakage are just about the worst injury for s/way rider .

I maybe alone in this but I really do feel for Chris Morton as I have witnessed on numereous occasions the effort he put in to get this project completed ,no matter how bad anyone feels I am sure they feel no worse than he will at this moment . The most important thing now is that speedway and the Aces continue to race at the NSS as this staduim really is the jewel in the crown of this sport and the Ace's are part of speedway heritage that must be protected at all costs

IMO Stead has had one too many injuries of a serious nature would have finished many a rider before now and his form this last season has been up and down by his high standards .Nothing to prove time for him to move on with his reputation in tact and more importantly still in one piece great rider but his best days are behind him .

Sad loss to the EL but maybe PL for 12mths and then back again ,just as long as the team are not lost to the sport .

If it was to become more widely used would there be a chance to make them more affordable plus with the inferred maintenance saving this must compensate for the greater initial outlay but this is s/way of course so common sense is often thin on the ground !

RIP voice of speedway past !!!!!!!!!

I think that Dean is spot on the sport at PL and NL level has to be treated as a semi pro sport ,there have always been the the chosen few in the Pl who can command high pay ( normally an ex EL star topping up his pension pot ) but in general riders have to accept that they are being rewarded for doing something they like .I would be the first to admit that for risking life and limb they are not paid enough but it it is not there then it can't be given. I don't think that any sane person would honestly say that tuners are beneficial and merely represent a huge drain on riders incomes ,IMO they belong in the GP series where there appears to be much more money sloshing about .A fixed pay structure within the NL & Pl league and standardised motors are a must for their suvival ,with regards to the EL I think they have a little more latitude with the Sky Money but still think standard motors are the way to go .

A great influence within the sport that will be sadly missed and hard to replace many thanks and best wishes for your retirement

With regards to cost cutting I think that the riders will have to be forced as by nature they want to go faster will spend and do anything to achieve this using any reason for not stopping ranging from a safety issues to the fact of not being able to earn a living . How to do this will take some strong and brave decisions being made by the sports governing body and I don't hold my breath on that happening anytime soon . It would be interesting to prehaps see some match races or an open meeting even with factory GTR being provided for all riders to see how they coped it would be on a level plainfield and should be down to pure skill and ability to adapt .

v If the Ref felt that Greg had committed this offense he should have been disqualified after the race not when a fellow competitor starts winging so it could have not been that obvious , or at least not to the Ref .As for being gullible if anyone thinks that riders were not helping others then they are the gullible ones , it smacks of the nonsense that goes on in F1 which I no longer watch for that very reason .Funny also how the rider he is accused of helping went on to win the GP but that will be ignored by the "Hancock hate brigade"sadly

Well done Greg just hope this sport is not going like F1 he has explained what happened and Morris and the Ref know better how many titles have they won or raced at the top of the sport ,no wonder he withdrew . .

I actually meant "an" Nl old second division number 1 rider ( I have NO idea what Joe Owen ever earn ) I apologise if I gave that impression unreservedly .

You are right he was fully sponsored and tuning was done in house all he had to find was his leathers ,boots and helmet .He did work in the off season and took add hock work during the season but accepted that he would never make a fortune at the sport and thought of it as paying hobby and did it for the love of it .This was agreat period in speedway history perhaps modern day riders may need a reality check and accept the sport can't support them as a full time career.

1976 NL number 1( NOW PL) with doubling up guest bookings averaged between £300-£400 a week which included a guaranteed sum before going to the tapes

I have often wondered if he had business interests/job outside the sport( I know he was in Tai's management crew for GP'S this year) or has he managed to make a living solely from s/way for all these yrs ?

Always dreaded this day but he has had an amazing long career leaves with the respect of everyone in the sport and no rider could ask for more best wishes to the "Milky Bar Kid" .