spanner47

Just driven up from Helsinki. Through the Town to the stadium and onto our hotel. Had it not been for the floodlights being on, there's no way you'd have known there was anything going on here tonight.

Fair comment, but I've been to Finland for the past few seasons to watch other meetings, and compared with Denmark prices are quite reasonable. I just thought they'd be a bit cheaper to attract the locals that don't usually go. 90, 70 and 55 euros for the cheapest is certainly dearer than I expected. I admit I could have brought cheaper by booking early, but without knowing the forecast that wasn't a sensible option, at least now I can buy the cheapest as the forecast appears ok.

It's not often the BSPA come up with a good rule, but the decision to call a meeting after 10 heats, and not give fans any sort of a refund is a good one in my opinion. Certainly makes my mind up, any threat of rain, stay at home!!

Ditto, can't believe it hasn't been called off. Unless of course the weather is very different 8 miles up the road from where I am, been raining steadily for 3 hours here.

Be interesting to see how many tickets have been sold. Was horrified when I saw the price, but as I'm going I suppose I'll have to pay it. Just hope I'm in the right place at the right time and someone has got some spares and is trying to flog them cheap, happened before so you never know. I'm fully expecting to be watching this in a (almost) empty stadium after last year. I assume the only fans that will be travelling any distance will either be, A, those that have to go to every GP. B, those that have to "tick" every track. Talking of "A", heard about some chap flying to Melbourne, out Thursday night, arrive Saturday Morning, watch meeting, come home Sunday. Dedicated? mad? or sad?, option 3 for me. By the way, I fall into category "B", which many will say is just as sad, but at least it gets me around Europe when there's no Football to watch over here.

I can't believe the riders were refusing to ride because of the track, we've seen far worse and they've got on with it. If it was the track then surely they'd have spent more time working on it, but all the time was spent trying to get the tapes to work. If they were complaining about starting with a light then they should all be heavily fined. If 20 F1 cars can stay completely still until a light says go, then surely 4 blokes on bikes can. Hopefully this will be remembered and the guilty riders will NEVER be considered for a wild card again. And the fireworks weren't that brilliant either, for those that just happened to be in the right place to see them. Apart from that, we had a very nice day. I'll still be going to Oz, but more for the meetings at Mildura and Gillman, a bit of sightseeing and hopefully some footy and cricket chucked in, then if we get another joke at some one off track in a super stadium, I won't really care.

Danny and Rohan looked classy, Rohan's heat 15 was superb. Reserves were both excellent. Hope Gino is ok. Cam looked sluggish. I assume the Captain isn't fully fit yet.

But as we all know, for some obscure reason fans generally flock to Foxhall on a Good Friday, even though the racing is usually the worst we get all season. Probably down to the fact there's not much else to do. Be interesting to see the affect that clashing with the football has on the crowd, hopefully not much as fans should have the time to do both.

When I went out to the garden at 19-00 and the wind was blowing a good un, I said I'm bloody glad I'm not at Foxhall tonight. Certainly the right decision, they're running a business and hoping to make money or at least break even. Not many tracks can survive on diehard supporters alone, and when the weather is crap, the 2,5,10 times a season punters certainly stay at home. For the past few seasons we've got meetings on when others wouldn't have bothered, but what's the point of making the extra effort when you know the crowd will be crap, hopefully we've learnt our lesson, weather crap, call it off.

According to someone much closer to the club than me, Gino's 4th place the year before is good enough. I didn't think it was. but he's been assured it is.

Wouldn't say there's any mud, but they cant tell you what they don't know. Just a case of wait and hope. Both qualify, but there are other issues, both appear fairly minor. When I say minor, they sound minor to me, but if it was my job to keep immigration figures down, and I could find an excuse to stop people coming in, then I'd find any excuse.

Prices now coming down on viagogo, hopefully they'll be lumbered with a load, along with all the other touts.

Was away from computer all day yesterday, then just found this out. I'm sure the touts will have plenty, but having never been to a sold out Speedway event before, what will they be charging? I know it's a case of supply and demand, I suppose it's worth keeping an eye on ebay. But flight is booked, thankfully it's in the footy season, so if all else fails I watch that instead.

I go to Foxhall hoping to be entertained. Gino, Cam (towards the end of the season) and Ritchie provided me with most of my entertainment last season, so I'm certainly happy with that trio. Hopefully Danny and Rohan will provide a good top end. Fingers crossed that CL can find another Gino, unlikely but you never know.

Didn't know that, does that go for teams that have a Swede who rides on a Thursday as well?

I thought this nonsense any money had finished these days, obviously not. Nothing has happened in the past couple of seasons that says we don't pay as much ( or more) than anybody else in this division. I'm led to believe that Mr Worrall doesn't ride for peanuts and the only time I've heard the phrase "my agent" used in Speedway was when he walked out on Lakeside. Last season fans were whinging about how many meetings Adam was missing, now they're whinging he won't be back, I don't want to watch a 3 point no hoper at No 7 when Adam isn't there. Not too bad if Danny doubles up, plenty of good choices to replace him. Can't be bothered to go back and see how many times that it was mentioned that Mort would certainly be in the side, just goes to show how wrong people can be. I'm sure CL will put together a decent side, but unlike Edinburgh last season, one the club can afford.I'd rather finish mid table and still have a team, than win it and go bust, because unlike Edinburgh we don't have Directors with big pockets to bail the club out.

For the past 3 seasons CL has gone out and got the best "available" No 1, let's hope It's 3rd time lucky, knowing Danny I'm sure it will be. As for the rest of the team? Don't really care as long as Gino and Cam are there.

More importantly, who's paying for the other 3 teams to get there?

Modlin is the best bet. When you get there walk outside and get the small local bus, this takes you to the small Railway station, then this line goes to the stadium, last time I was there it didn't stop at the stadium, that station (it appeared) is only used on event days. That info comes from my memory bank, so hopefully It's correct. The Ryanair flight from Stansted is currently £72, out early Saturday, back late Sunday.

Flight (£66) and hotel (within walking distance of the stadium) booked. I suppose they've kept the ticket prices down to encourage fans to travel. Take out the VIP thing, cant recall getting best seats at a GP for about £20 for a long time. Don't usually bother with the first year at a new venue, but just got to see Tomasz's farewell.

Had no intention of reading this waffle until after the BSPA conference, but currently bored at Vienna airport for three hours so I thought I'd have a look. As expected total waffle and as with every season nothing can be sorted and top riders can't be signed until we know what is happening with the elite league. When we know what is possible in terms of team averages and rider availability, I'll stick my oar in. But some appear to have short memories, Rohan and Mort were far superior than Richie for almost all of last season, but as Richie was a let down, his average now fits, how bloody unfair is this sport!!

Well done to the Monarchs, even with a decent Ref the best we would have got is 41. As for poor Gino, he's been great this season, and we love him. I just hope CL tells him to get to Heathrow tomorrow and go home and see his family, there's no point him staying here now, I know he's supposed to attend the end of season thing, but under the circumstances he should go home and give his babe a cuddle, and then come back next year and become a real star.

The best thing about this is that away fans can now do the Plymouth / Somerset tour.

Lovely weather ( for October ) will hopefully bring out a good crowd tonight. Just hope we've got a decent Ref who the riders respect, then we wont have too much messing around at the start.

The play offs are always going to be the final meetings, cant really be any other way. It's the cup finals that should be earlier.