chunky

I know we touched briefly on the subject some years ago (based largely on a SpeedwayPlus article), but does anyone have any memories - good or bad - of Elfield Park? Of course, the place was reminiscent of a post-war Flanders battlefield, but I loved the place. The track could be a little iffy at times, but I thought the racing was okay. Being set down in a bowl, the first time I started a Dons war cry there, the whole effect sent shivers down my spine! Unfortunately, all the problems they had there, particularly with the vandalism and arson, meant that it was never destined to become a truly established venue. I felt bad for Terry Cheney and all the efforts he and his crew made to make it a success, but they were always fighting a losing battle. Even though it wasn't around for long, I went there quite a few times, and always enjoyed my visits.

That is my point exactly. When somebody is placed at a certain stage without competing, that is "seeding"; that certainly doesn't apply to the GP's - unlike the old World Final system. The ONLY time I can recall an attempt at that was when Greg Hancock was offered a wild card after having a year off.

The problem is that you can't get your head around the fact that it is not "seeding". Look, let's take darts. The bulk of the World Championship field is made up from the rankings. In other words, players battle it out over a number of tournaments during the year, and get points based on their performances. Fair? The GP is just the same. Riders compete not only tp be World Champion, but to QUALIFY for the following year. When you have a series lasting several months, it os virtualli impossible - and unfair - to introduce various qualification systems on top of the main qualification system You are making a common mistake. As a speedway fan, you are still thinking, "Well, this is the way we've always done it, so it must be the best!"

No. "Seeding" is qualifying without competing, which is NOT what the GP riders do. They qualify from their performances the previous year, which is by far the hardest means of qualification, particularly for riders like Lambert, Fricke, and Thomsen. They are up against the very best the sport has to offer several times a year. Coming through a handful of qualifying meetings against mediocre riders is a lot easier than QUALIFYING from the GP's themselves.

Several times, Ole Olsen was seeded directly to the Nordic Final, and a couple of times, he reached the World Final after riding in only two meetings.

I'm sure Olsen was the same one year? Plus riders were seeded to different stages of their own qualifying rounds too... It annoys me when I hear people complain about the top guys being "seeded" these days. They are NOT seeded. They have to qualify by competing against the world's top riders for a whole GP season the previous year.

Sadly, that is the way of the world these days. Everyone is "entitled" to say whatever they want, to whoever they want, and anybody who complains about their language is a snowflake...

Of course it's not. Crowds are nowhere near the size they used to be, and that results in lost atmosphere...

Shut up, gustix...

He passed away in December 1991.

I never said it was a valid reason FOR ME. However, I see the frustration from most of the posters on here regarding that! My point was that we've been down to a handful of teams before - and we survived. That isn't - and shouldn't be - an issue...

The fact that there aren't many teams isn't the problem; the problem is that there is no loyalty and you have no idea who is riding for your team on a certain night!

.Remember, when I was still in the UK, I wasn't watching it from the living room or internet. I would drive all over the country, even missing out on Wimbledon meetings so I could take in multiple meetings on Bank Holidays! Yes, I too have have had numerous disappointments like rain-offs and crap meetings, but it never stopped me from heading out somewhere a few days later. I will admit that in the current climate, I would probably think twice about going to certain meetings, particularly if the weather is dodgy.

See? The supporters are NEVER happy. They always find a reason to complain, and a reason not to go. I just enjoy watching racing, and it's a pity others can't...

Thing is, with the quality of riders competing, the regional championships (Southern Riders, Midland Riders etc) actually MEANT something - even the qualifying rounds. Hell, with three teams, the London Riders Championship even meant something! As I keep saying, the variety of meetings kept everything "fresh". We started the season with the Metropolitan Gold Cup before we got into league action. Then we had the KOC. At Plough Lane, we had the Daily Express Sping Classic, the Internationale, and the Laurels - plus odd ones like the "Levi's for Feet". We had a couple of 4TT, including the Inter-League which was run over four legs. Often there was a best pairs during the season, and the crowning glory was being awarded a Test Match! There as ALWAYS something different, and ALWAYS something to look forward to.

And that could easily be done a couple of weeks after the last GP... They make it WAY more complicated than it needs to be.

Zarnovica Result 1 - Martin Vaculik - 14 2 - Dan Bewley - 13 (after runoff) 3 - Robert Lambert - 13 4 - Rasmus Jensen - 12 5 - Peter Ljung - 11 6 - Luke Becker - 10 7 - Dimitri Berge - 9 8 - Jan Kvech - 7 9 - Jacob Thorssell - 7 10 - Eduard Krcmar - 6 11 - Matic Ivacic - 5 12 - Daniils Kolodinskis - 5 13 - Tero Aarnio - 3 14 - Max Ruml - 2 15 - Daniele Tessari - 2 16 - Erik Bachhuber - 1

Nice win for Bewley over Vaculik, there...

How did everyone manage with newspapers and magazines, which were full of ads on every page? Again, if you want something to be free (which I'm sure you do), then you have to put up with the ads...

Well, I have been called a 'king anorak before!

Let me look into that (yeah, the twins might be an issue)...

That drives me crazy!!! Particularly at the start of a race, when they list each rider's current points - which are usually wrong...

If only more people could do that...

Hmmmm... As I said, I will keep looking.

There is a sidecar driver called Chris (drove in the early 80's), and another driver called Joe from 2010 or so. They are both from Helston, so I would think they're related.