Parsloes 1928 nearly

Now THIS is what I would've posted if I'd have gone and been a victim of this near-criminal act!! Up to now there have been far too many people willing to shrug their shoulders and say it's one of those things..! Admirable "British upper-lip" stuff sure..: but IMHO unacceptable as it gets these charlatans off the hook.. I'm still intrigued (from afar!!) by the story about the programmes. Being involved with producing programmes over here I know that if a meeting is called off and is rearranged, say the next week, one would certainly use the same already printed prog. But at the venue on Saturday we've already heard it said that no progs were for sale.. I still haven't heard if any were seen. Can someone clarify this..? IF the prog. for the rearranged meeting in Poland next Saturday turns out not to be a copy printed for this Saturday (and that'll be easy enuff to identify containing references to Gelsenkirchen/Germany etc.) then it's further evidence that something potentially very underhand has happened here... I also agree that the extra prize money next week should be forsaken and passed on as compensation instead to those who travelled...

What I like about this is that anywhere else the opposition would be called the 'Rest of the World' but not with the Americans!! They obviously regard the USA as one world (the more important one!!) and everyone else is in another world!!!!!

Cheers mate!! One more question (I was obviously very dim on the day...: must've been the stress of following that bloody tractor for miles!! ): Can you clarify..: what WAS the correct order in heat 3 of the 250cc class..??

Alright then, there was nothing wrong with calling off an 'indoor' meeting despite the fact that hundreds (don't know if it ran to 1,000s did it...??) of fans from the UK had travelled to see it. And the GPs are wonderful spectacles and will be the salvation of Speedway. What matter that sometimes they fall victim to slight technical hitches. Never mind, they can always be staged the next weekj. Oh and those rubbish riders Ronnie Moore, Barry Briggs, Peter Collins...: they were not proper World Champs coz all they had to do was turn up beat some rubbish Eastern Europeans on one day. Nothing like the might that is Greg Hancock. Oh, and that 1977 Inter Continental Final..?? Staged in front of me and my dog in a tin pot place..: a meaningless meeting.. This is the reality you'd prefer to accept then you're welcome to it...

Bloomin' 'eck I was there Malc and never saw you..!! Mind you. my specs were permanently covered in drizzle and it was misty..!! You could've bought me a cup of tea!! Still, there's always tomorrow at the NA!!! You're right about the talent..: I thought in particular young Jason Garrity looked absolutely first class!!

Come on, that's utter rot!! When you turned up for a World Final you didn't know who was going to leave as World Champ. There's no doubt is there who's walking out of Bydgoszcz as World Champ is there..??!! And the winner on the day..?? Well, frankly who gives one!!!!

Hmm, seriously think you need your head examining..!!!!

Purely unofficial and relying on my rather addled brain and not top-notch maths, but this how I reckon the 500cc class panned out in the end..??!! 1st Jason GARRITY 14 16 14 18 48 2nd. James SARJEANT 11 18 12 16 46 3rd. John RESCH 18 14 11 11 43 4th. Joseph JACOBS 12 10 16 9 38 5th. = Marc OWEN 18 12 30 5th. = Jack HIRST 8 12 10 30 7th. Cameron HOSKINS 9 11 8 7 28 8th. Jack BUTLER 10 9 8 27 9th. Scott DAY 6 8 10 6 24 10th = DANIEL GREENWOOD 16 16 10th. =Scott GIBBONS 9 7 16 12th. Kyle HOWORTH 14 14 The score in italics is the one knocked off as the lowest (that's where a full house of four scores were obtained) Couple of questions 1) young Kyle, is it Howarth (as in yesterday's prog.) or Haworth as people who know him have posted on here..?? 2) Why were there last chance eliminators and 'Grand Finals' in rounds one and two but not in the final two rounds.. Seems very odd!! 3) Looking at the rules about ties for rostrum positions, I can see why it was deemed that James finished ahead of Kyle in second. But the same logic applied surely to the 250s so why was it decided to have a run-off there..??!!

And an appropriate location too - just a few hundred metres from the late lamented White City where I witnessed the greatest Speedway meeting I've ever seen: the 1977 Inter-Continental Final If ever anyone wants evidence to show how much better the old World Championship system was than the old tat they call the GPs then visit http://speedwayondisc.blogspot.com/2008/09...r-mr-davis.html And this wasn't even the Final..: but an incredible penultimate qualifying round... Ah, those were the days - but I guess one's "Not Nineteen Forever"..!! I know what you'll say next, in fact "What Took You So Long?"!: that I'm living in the past..: but when it comes to Speedway it's "Yesterday, Today & Probably Tomorrow".. And as for what you've posted, well all I can say is "No, you didn't, No You don't" I pity anyone standing near us at the Courteeners gig though!! * for the record I was only 17 not 19 in 1977..: but a bit of poetic licence, eh!!!

Actually I don't know anything!! Which is why I was asking if it's true about (1) there being no programmes and (2) the rather odd Sky scheduling..!! I don't think that there's any loss of a sense of perspective here!! Good job I hadn't gone (though fat chance, as you know, that I'd cross the road to see a GP let alone cross the channel!! ) because I would have lost it BIG TIME!!! You're right that you support the GPs and I'm firmly in the 'World Final'- camp...: but that doesn't mean you have to defend what's happened this weekend..!! Surely there IS no defence is there..!!

The situation re. the meeting programme seems to me here to be critical. We've seen mention that someone trying to buy a prog. was told there weren't any..!! Did anyone who was there get one or see one..?? If the answer to that is "no", then there can surely be absolutely no doubt that this meeting was called off long before yesterday or rather that there was no plan to hold it yesterday at this venue. If I was one of those who had travelled I would be preparing to sue the ar*e off the crooks who have done this. Can the whole group not get together to do this..??? This effectively now MUST be the end of the GPs. If it isn't then it IS the end of international individual Speedway as any kind of serious sport. It is also remarkable that Sky hadn't programmed in 'reruns' of the GP. I haven't checked this but IF this was the case it would, extraordinarily, imply that somehow they were in on this. An unlikely concept - and I'd intrinsically be against the conspiracy theories myself too.. - but what other rational explanations can people suggest. And sorry, m8, but I can't believe you've posted this..!! This whole thing sums up the GPs and has pushed Speedway much, much nearer total extinction.. You know, extinction...: like the dinosaurs..!!

Wot for the marvellous GPs, "so much better than the old rubbish World Finals", only a couple of thousand tickets sold..??!! Shorely shome mistook... Mind you, that's still a couple of thousand more than they'll sell for this rubbish in the future..!!

Hmm, well I know where I'd want him to ride if I were you Jayne!!! Many thanx to all at Buxton for an excellent afternoon...: we had a torrid journey (stuck for yonks behind a tractor on the A6!!) and then got there to find Hi Edge surrounded by a deep mist. Had given up on there being any racing so it was literally like a desert wanderer coming across an oasis to see the bikes actually in action around your fabulous circuit..!! And no, it wasn't a mirage!! How ironic that the same afternoon the youngsters who are Speedway's future were showing how to make light of difficult conditions, that others (who I feel so sorry for... ) from our 'family' of Speedway supporters had travelled to Germany for the absolute guarantee of a meeting going ahead INDOORS, only to find incredibly that meeting called off.. Those who run the so-called GPs should hang their heads in shame; as for me, give me Buxton on a misty, drizzly October afternoon any time!!!

Like yours, my prog. is STILL soaking...!! But I make it just slightly different in the 250s with Tyler Govier on 6 and Lloyd Barrett on 8. Must differ regarding the result of heat three in that class which I marked down as a third place for Tyler ahead of Lloyd. I could easily be wrong!!! An excellent afternoon's racing in pretty shocking conditions. The whole of Hi Edge was under the lowest of low clouds or heavy mist whatever they call it in the Peaks and it was that fine rain, which as Peter Kay points out, gets you soaked; so well done to ALL the lads for coping so well...! I have to say that Jason Garrity was simply awesome. Where's he from and when he is 15..??!!! BTW, can anyone out there explain why there was a run-off for second place on the day in the 250s (Rhys beating Daniel I'anson) but not in the 500s even though the very promising indeed debutant Kyle Howarth and Jack S, were also tied on points (10 each)..??

Right, the above might help clarify things going into tomorrow's final round!! The 10 riders in blue are riding tomorrow in the 500cc class. Where a score is shown in red this is that rider's current lowest score and this rider will be doing all four rounds and has to getison his lowest score. The one shown, of course, may NOT end up his lowest score as that could happen in Round Four! The others have missed at least one round and so their score tomorrow will definitely count towards their final score. The total underlined is their actual total but in most cases this will need to be adjusted by the loss of one score of course. The far right hand column shows their current indicative score arrived at by deducting the current lowest score where applicable. VERY close, so should be a very exciting afternoon's racing!!!

MUCH better news from the Met Office site today as regards tomorrow... Mind you, one can't help feel that they make this stuff up as they go along. Wake up this morning, it's a lovely day ..: whoops, we've been predicting heavy rain for Saturday all week folks...: best change that, eh..!! So, all being well I WILL now be at Buxton tomorrow. Question is...: what riders shall I be seeing..??!!!

Alright, alright.. We're on the same 'side' here!!! Just pointing out that Buxton have done their bit. A full line-up is something I'd expect the BSPA to be telling us... And as the meeting is tomorrow...: telling us pretty darned quickly!!!

And it IS in the Star...! (see Buxton news piece on page 35 *) I guess what people are saying, though, is rather than just the staging track providing the publicity (which Buxton have of course done admirably..) that, as this is a national championship (one won previously by the likes of Josh Auty and Joe Haines - so clearly a very important thing for the future of British Speedway ) that one might've thought that it would receive publicity from the sport's governing body (if that's the word.. ) too..?? * BTW that article mentions Tom Woolley riding - can anyone confirm if he is, as I understand he did injury his collar-bone in a crash at KL last weekend..??? And any chance, from anyone of the line up...???

Would've been nice to have seen more interest in this meeting..!! Worst still, my attempts to get up to Buxton remain seemingly jinxed as the Met Office site seems determined (and has done for days now) to have Saturday in Buxton marked down as heavy rain all day..! It's asking for weather predictive skills I guess none of us can be expected to have..: but does ANYONE out there have any better idea on what really is the likelihood of rain meaning this meeting is off on Saturday. Will need to leave home before 11am and am hoping to take in this and Stoke in the evening..: don't much fancy two bloody rain offs though!!!

You're right!! Certainly better than investing in Iceland..!! Though surely no-one be surprised that Iceland's gone t*ts up after employing that bird from Atomic Kitten to do their ads!!!

Very good, Tony. Briiliant value... Funny isn't it that Mr. Scott NEVER reduces the price of his books though!! Yes, the 'Showered in Shale' tome of some years ago now STILL retails for a huge twenty quid! Still ya takes yer money, ya takes yer choice!!!!

At the end of the day, we'll always disagree about this..: coz you think the GPs are good; and I think they are complete pants and are throttling the life out of Speedway! Part of this disagreement is that you are happy for the same old faces, year in year out at the GPs, for it to be virtually a closed shop. Such a policy IMHO runs completely contrary to proper sport and is more like a circus (bit like the Formula One nonsense which the Speedway GPs take their 'inspiration' from...) You see, Speedway USED to have a proper World Championship dependent on ability in the year concerned; not on qualifying years ago and pulling up the ladder. You'll be no doubt astonished to hear that the likes of Peter Collins and Michael Lee qualified for World Finals when teenagers (in the case of the latter within two years of making his second division debut) and both were World Champs at a younger age than the one you belive Tai has to be before he's "allowed" to be a GP rider. Which goes to prove frankly that you have an argument, it's just that yours is about stifling young talent (which your comments in this thread amply show, is certainly a course of conduct you entirely sign up to..); whereas mine is that we need to give encoragement to the best young talent in our sport... I know which side on this divide offers hope for the future of the sport; and it patently and by definition cannot be yours!!!

No they're not are they..? Soon they'll be for 37 & 38 years olds... : as clearly the 'format' (sic) is designed only to maintain the status quo. Greg Hancock's pension..?? It certainly is.. BTW, if ever one wanted to construct an argument about all that's wrong with the world Speedway championship read SCB's postings here..: his attitude says it all..!!

Hmm, "later this month"..?? Actually THIS Saturday!!!

Defending his national title in the Final Round of the 2008 STUK championship at Scunny that afternoon...!!! Anyone know if young Tom is riding in the (also final) round on the Under 15s Speedway championship the week before at Hi Edge..?? Would be fascinating to see Tom up against Marc..!!