chunky

His path to most has been easy????? Yeah, it doesn't take any ability or effort to win a GP World Championship series! Three times! He's really lucky that was all given to him. And pray tell what relevance the GB team manager has as far as a GP wild card?

Not necessarily. Unfortunately, there can be be some serious repercussions from throwing kids in at the deep end - and it is not just something that is confined to speedway. Sport - in particular, top-level sport - is all about confidence. I'm not saying it always happens, but it very easy to destroy confidence by throwing someone into something they are not ready for. Take them along to let them soak up the atmosphere by all means. Maybe give them a ride or two against weaker teams. However, with the way things started out yesterday, Bewley would undoubtedly been turning out in the majority of races. Cook wasn't fit after the crash, but he soldiered on as we had nobody else. Lambert wasn't fit to ride after the crash, but he felt he had to make the effort. I applaud their commitment to the cause. As I said, had Bewley been there, he would have been used, and as good and promising he is, he would have probably struggled to get any points on the board. Getting consistently tailed off - even if it is the world's best - can really cause someone to have doubts, and that is the last thing anybody wants. Was it a disaster for British hopes? Yes! Was it embarrassing? I think not. As has been mentioned by others, out top three riders (the ONLY three who can genuinely merit a place in such a lineup) were all missing or injured. Okay, how would the Russians have fared without Sayfutdinov, Laguta, and Chugunov? Would Sweden have been competitive without Lindgren and Ljung? Or Australia, just without Doyle? It is sad that we don't have the strength in depth, but GB were felled by a totally bizarre -- and tragic - combination of incidents. Sometimes things happen, and we just have to deal with it. Should Harris have been there? Probably not, but again, quality (and suitable) British riders are thin on the ground right now. As far as the actual event... It WAS poor, on a poor track. Is that indicative of the way speedway has deteriorated? Not in any way, shape, or form. There have ALWAYS been crap meetings. On crap tracks. There will be more. There were complaints about Amsterdam, Munich, and plenty of others, but you know what, we moved on. It doesn't help that the riders want slick tracks (mostly because modern speedway bikes are allergic to dirt and grip), and don't have the skills and mentality to deal with deeper tracks, but that still doesn't mean that the tracks are going to be like this weekend's. Maybe that was a one-off at Togliatti, maybe not, but you can't judge an entire sport on one weekend. Of course, it is sad that tracks are so adversely affected not just by rain, but by sunshine and heat... Refereeing? One of the biggest problems in football these days is the correct (and consistent) application of the rules. Speedway is no different, and I believe that we should have an elite group of individuals for major events. With the ref's performance this weekend, and Ackroyd's pathetic display a couple of GP's back, that really is something that needs to be improved. I don't have all the answers as far as starting offences, but I do know that in the case of simple restarts, the riders should just get straight back to the tapes. No two minutes, no mechanics, nothing like that... Steve

...if you buy his books...

If that is an interrogatory statement - which it is - then why no question mark???

Ruddy pessimist... And it's THAN!!!!! Cook did well considering, but in hindsight, it now looks like Lambert actually came off worse...

But you don't look it!!!

Are good when using the 75? Anyway, everybody else is complaining about everything, so I thought I would join in!

I was thinking the exact same thing. Seriously!

Spelling/grammar rubbish - should be THAN...

Tony put years on us all!

You mean TONY Millard? Keith rode for Exeter...

Comment of the day!!!

He was going by the camera work, not the results!

I'm sure you've forgotten a couple of things...

Not sure about that; Cook isn't known for standing still at the tapes...

Wow! Still having more problems with the forum, eh? All these posts disappearing... Where, oh where, can they be? Any idea, Mr. H???

In YOUR opinion. There are many sports where a "National League" is not the highest level of competition, or even an official competition. The definition of a "National League" should surely be a competition that is open to teams (or individual) on a nationwide basis. Is a "National" league really superior to a "British" league? Or a "Premier" league? Or an "Elite" League? Looking at the world's most popular sport, how many "National" leagues are there? The strongest domestic leagues include Premier League, Bundesliga (Federal League), the Ligue de Football Professionel, etc. Even those under the umbrella of a "National" league system (which usually consists of multiple levels), they are not usually called by the term "National League". Yet you maintain that a "genuine National League should typify the best teams available in the country."... Steve

In all fairness, I feel that the majority of the blame should fall on the authorities rather than independent magazines. Certainly as far as "official" meetings sanctioned by a governing body, and counting toward an "official" competition, then the said governing body should be the ones to provide official records. Unfortunately, we know we can't rely on that either... Steve

That's one of the things I was looking for! The only tracks I have found multiple appearances were Rye and Coventry; everywhere else seems to be a one-off, but without complete records, it's difficult to tell. There is one other item I found. It's a write-up in the Peterborough Advertiser from 17 June 1955, and references a line-up for a meeting. I can't access the complete article, but looking at some of the riders listed, it would suggest that it was at Norwich. Joe is listed with names such as Tip Mills, Ivor Brown, Malcolm Flood, Wal Morton, and Harold Sansby. Again, I am trying to find out more about that! Steve

Can't say I've heard of him before, and there isn't much to be found online. What I did find - and I assume it's the same guy - was that he went into sidecar speedway. There are records of him racing at Coventry in 1962 and at Norwich and Hednesford the following year. Unfortunately, even looking for more info with regard to the outfits doesn't lead anywhere. One interesting thing is that at Norwich, he apparently raced against Harry Denton, who also rode solos. Harry rode in the "Stars of Tomorrow" meeting at King's Lynn in 1965 (at the age of 49 or 50!), but tragically lost his life at Adelaide's Rowley Park in November 1967. Back to Joe Neath, and I wonder if he just dabbled in various forms of motorsport, without committing to any. I will keep looking... Steve

Exactly. It would be okay if there were enough teams to provide some variety, but there aren't.

The regular baseball season is 162 games. I would love to see how that would work in British speedway! Steve

I've said repeatedly that we should have a dozen or so races, and THEN start the meeting! Once a track has settled, it is so different... Steve

Certainly agree with your comment about "simple and striking", and that applies to most teams. Belle Vue, Southampton, West Ham, Doncaster (1969), New Cross, Newcastle, original Canterbury etc... All "simple and striking"! Early Wembley racejackets were the same as the Polish flag... Steve

Fabulous! However - and I hate to say this - but the sponsor was "Montine", not "Montime"... Steve