Grachan

I like the idea of the leagues amalgamating an splitting into divisions with promotion and relegation. One problem with that might be the lack of riders to go round though. This is one reason we need double up riders, fast track riders and so on. If you were to make a league of 18 teams - as it once was - and then start putting the riders that currently ride in the UK into those teams, you are down to National League riders by the time you get to the reserves. But I say if there are enough riders to go round then amalgamate the leagues and have promotion and relegation. Have the same points limit in all leagues but have a rider average conversion between the leagues, so that if a rider drops down his average goes up or if he goes up a league his average drops. Same as now. Any rider from a relegated team can keep his higher league average if he stays with the same team so that it gives an incentive the better teams to be a "glamour" club in the higher league and give them a good chance of going back up. Not sure where the extra riders come from though! Maybe we should go back to fat old blokes with moustaches riding at reserve like we had in them there good old days.

You give up on speedway because Chris Harris qualified from the GP Challenge? Bit of a drastic decision that, isn't it?

Yeah. It depends where you look. I looked on Eurosport player and it wasn't showing. Looked on the actual Eurosport site and it was showing there. So I got rid of my post, but you quoted me damn you

I seem to remember they had a non World Championship Grand Prix series in the 70s and Morton actually did win it.

It's often said about Carter's tyres in 1982, and because Ivan Mauger said it then it's seen as gospel. The thing is, Carter was won his first 3 rides so his tyres couldn't have had too ngative an effect. And looked on for a second place until Penhall knocked him off. Then, of course, his head went totally, but I think that had Penhall been excluded in that race then Carter would have won the re-run and been on a maximum going into his last ride. So he certainly had it in him, but sometimes things just go against you. If he was ever going to win then it would have been that year. With regards Jessup, I never really saw him as World Champion material, but maybe that was because he rode for Reading.

Depends on the system. Using the ko system Gundersen would havewon a few by sneaking into the finals many times via the eliminators, then doing Nielsen in the final. Using the current format Nielsen would probably won them all and gone down as the undisputed greatest rider of all time that he should have.

If you agree he's innocent until proven guilty, why would you want him banned now when he's still innocent?

Not really a relevant argument as Darcy Ward is 22 and Nicki Pedersen won his first World title at 26.

Surely this should be a 2 minutes exclusion for the USA if they sent the wrong rider out,

They gained more than that. They had tac subs too. This was a very good performance by GB.

I remember averages remaining unchanged when Oxford pulled out of the league

I shall probably be going next year. I've got a Hotel booked, anyway. Booked into The Hilton, which was fairly expensive, but I often stay in London Hotels and it's no more expensive than they are. Plus, it seems they didn't put their prices up. I tried for a room in a couple of weeks time, just to see, and that was actually more expensive. One in about 6 months time was about the same. Planning to go mainly because my son has got more into speedway lately, plus t'wife enjoys it. Alo, having a genuine British title contender makes it more appealing too. I think the last time I went was 2007, so first time for a while should I actually make it!

If you had the top riders spread over 18 teams, with number ones having the choice of gates and riding the old 13 heat formula where they raced each other just once and included bonus points in their average you'd get plenty of 10 point plus riders. It's nothing to do with how good they were then and now. I don't see a Mauger or a Neilsen, though, who would consistently average over 11.

I think you need a new computer.

The Northern Irish aren't British.

The first time I saw Tai ride was at Sheffield. I think he was 16 and he just shot out from the start and flew round there, annihilating all the other reserves. I remember thinking he was brilliant and could be a future World Champion. Then I remember thinking a few years later how it's a shame how he never really lived up to that potential. So I'm not sure if I was right or wrong.

Seriously? I used to write for Speedway Mail and got nearly all my information from what was said over the tannoy at Reading on a Monday evening. Still, if you prefer that, then thanks for the compliment.

Wow. People talk about gaps between races in the uk but it seems a lot worse in Poland.

That would have been 1976. In 1977 he didn't ride at White City and they used r/r all year, winning the league title.

I do. I was at that meeting. It's funny how when tracks became slippery everyone would ride slower yet Lovaas would carry on as normal. I seem to recall he used to practice on frozen lakes in Norway.

Best rider in the world if it was raining.

I remember that picture. I had it glued into my folder. I can picture it clearly in my head even now.

Very true. I was 13 when Gary Petersen was killed and I kept all the clippings plus went back through old Speedway Stars and cut out all references and photos and kept them in a folder. It was weird. Thinking back, it was, perhaps, my first "death" experience (even though I wasn't there and I don't think I even saw him ride).

PC later admitted in one of his books that he was actually too scared to ride that night. It was the same with me regarding Gary Petersen and then Tommy Jansson. I saw Tommy ride a couple of times in 1976, and got his autograph at Swindon when he rode there in the Golden Helmet.

The "3 years" was a clever ploy. It takes any immediacy out of things. I don't know why Coventry fans have done nothing. Fan campaigns had a big effect at Swindon and still it carries on at Oxford with certain positive obstacles being passed all the time.