FAST GATER

Great news about Andre get back soon and a special mention to Aspgren who did his level best to avoid him at high speed and close quarters ,these fellows earn every penny they are paid and more IMO.

Sounds like AC is not too badly injured which is great news ,when he was struck by the rider following( who did everthing he could not to hit AC) I thought the worst as everyone else did .Hope to see him back on a bike in the near future ,the way he was riding last night proved IMO he was right to return to the sport.

That sounds hopeful that he may not be too badly injured after a heart stopping crash like that

Nasty to say the least and just when he was getting some of his oid form back best wishes and hope there are no bad injuries

Who cares as long as the tapes aren't broken let them do what they like I have never had an issue with it but I was brought up on 70's speedway and no one stopped going watch the sport because of rolling starts as far as I know.The sport has a reputation for being "bland" ,predicable and boring ,nothing better than Mauger ,Olsen and Co being sent back to the pits for breaking the tapes HAPPY DAYS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.The starts are half the race for me and I hate seeing four robots in line leaving the start as if they were welded together no wonder there are so many restarts with all four riders hurtling it the 1st turn side by side.No one got injured from a flying start as far as I remember so maybe the present rules for starting could be deemed dangerous LOL

You have me there what can I say dyslexia runs in the family ( not a joke) my apologies no offence meant to Tai

While the GP's are run in the present manner British s/way will always suffer whether it is run on one night or not and I for one can live without the glory boys .The sport is not suffering because people can't see Tia ( and his league scoring at times leaves a lot to be desired IMO) it is because the powers that be will not improve or invest in a better product and decent advertising . New fans would not know who was riding in races as long as they were competively match riders and presented in a manner that caught their attention the sport should sell itself .

One night a week for EL yes let's make it Saturday ,kids have no scchool better for young famiies the future fan base of the sport hang on the powers that be gave it to the Olsen Circus.

t Don't forget the "boys club"that run this sport or try anyway in their own inept manner, they will do their best to wreck any half decent idea that might threaten to help or improve the sport .

Wasn't the Isle of White run in a similar fashion?

IMO if I were to change things it would be to part with Lanham ( brought in as h/leader ) and Proctor who is hit and miss ,Compton is doing his bit riding to his average and is only a s/string these days with the odd big win left in him now and again.The big question is who and if you keep chopping and changing you don't help the situation either.One change in the right direction and your whole season could turn for the better, hope it will as it is a great track( worth 140 mile round trip when I can afford it ) and a decent bunch of supporters deserve it

He was one of the last to race a Jap I remember( memory could be playing tricks) him winning an open meeting at the SHAY in 74 i think and the prize was a new Weslake engine , there were some big names but the track was wet and he just flew that night .Remember thinking he looked about a 100yrs old ( I was 14yrs old) and did not even smile at the presentation but he looked almost asleep on a bike even round the Shay .

Could not agree more needs every scrap of help they can get but until the people running the sport realise that it needs to change the problems will just increase ,they need to improve the image in the eyes of prospective new fans .Many people I speak to think races are predictable and boring or that it is watched elderly bikers or people stuck in a time warp!!

How can you say Compton is not performing ,forget the level of rider he was (in part 1 of his career) and accept the rider he is now .LL sadly needs a small home track and would be a candidate for asking to move on along with Proctor who just cannot put it together in the PL.Poole IMO will come good but needs some decent kit and maybe his confidence will improve .

Taking things a little too far what next worse than touching tapes or moving IMO

Well this is the problem in the 70's( i know I'm old out of touch memory selective and all that ) the average rider between races changed tyres ,wheelbase ,gearing and adjusted or changed clutch plates and managed to put on races I was happy to watch that much I do remember,

These riders put their lives on the line every race without adding a blinding sun to their problems just one of those things , I have no problem in waiting for the track to be safe to be ridden on .

Is Compton not at least riding to his average he will never be the rider he was but IMO overall he is at least doing the job he was brought in for scoring 6+ and helping the younger team members,Prehaps the manager better dust off his Kav's and try and pull things together as a stop gap ,Hall is not the answer IMO to hit and miss and always has his eye on Longtracking .

Could not" AGREE" more I am with you there could not agree more ,

I take your points on board but slowing down by any amount even fractions may be woth it surely lap times have not dropped by that much in the last 20yrs have they but the cost in money and rider injury to gain have and this is unacceptable IMO.

It would appear that a return to upright engines would have an immediate effect in slowing the bikes down( due to the gravity effect on the engine) and make it harder for the riders to enter corners at the speed they are at the moment .There would appear no reason that the laydown engines could not be adapted to go in upright frames thus using up the existing stock of these engines and giving existing users time to move over to a more standardised unit .It would not be unreasonable ( a word not known to s/way it would appear) for there to be a timescale of 3yrs for this to happen as i would image any rider would have a change of engine unit in this time what ever level they compete at.It would also give Jawa time to produce a new engine unit and GM to protect their current business if onlry Briggo & Co were attracted to this element of the sport instead of the infamous" dirt deflector " I live in hope .

There speaks the voice of reason pity that it will fall on "deaf ears " within this sport, change is something this sport chooses to ignore at it's own peril. It is obsessed with a rider moving at the start( or getting a flyer) but shy's away from sorting out measures to reduce injury ,death and costs within the sport no wonder outsiders think it's a Mickey Mouse sport .

I believe one of the main assets of the laydown is that it lowers the centre of gavity making the bike much easier to ride and user freindly ,the overtuned and excessive power of the engines used today is the main problem IMO.

Where there is a will there is a way but what would be achieved by this I believe that whilst they are not cheap frames are not the expensive problem in todays sport.Engines seem to be the the most significant cost not just the purchase but the upkeep and life span of them in contrast to the older upright models previously used .

I seem to remember Sudden Sam being one of the last top line riders using an upright and some said he should have moved over sooner to a laydown ?