Grachan

With tactical substitutes, the same race and gate position format and bonus points included my guess is about the same percentage.

So, if that is the most recent rule book then it means FIM races CAN be awarded. So why do they keep saying they can't?

If that's what happened tonight, then effectively the rule is the same as allowing races to be awarded if the riders are on the last lap. For example, if a rider was brought off on the first bend of lap 4 then the race could just continue to its conclusion and the race awarded.

Just watched replay. He hadn't crossed the line.

Right decision to exclude Nicki. Wrong decision to award the race - which is what the ref did.

I remember a match at Swindon when he was about 16 too, and came in as a replacement for someone for Coventry. When he was announced the Coventry fans behind me all cheered and started laughing. I think he fell off in every race, and each time they all cheered and laughed again.

I think Howard Cole rode as Kid Bodie so his mum wouldn't find out he was riding speedway! It was something like that anyway. The story was on one of the history of speedway videos that came out a few years back. Trevor Charley is another name that leaps out from the past when I see it. I have a feeling he may have ridden underage too and that is why I remember it. Didn't Mitch Shirra ride underage at either Coventry or Glasgow as well?

Not sure why Fundin would have won more and Briggs less. Nobody was close to Briggs in form in 1967 - and Fundin was a surprise winner. You'd have to have Briggs as the expected winner that year, although I don't know enough about the era to predict how other years would go.

Autorace is the direct descendent of speedway in Japan. Speedway was banned there is around the late 60s/early 70s I believe because it was considered too dangerous due to the sliding and loose track surface! I've actually been to a couple of Autorace meetings in Japan. I enjoyed the experience, but it is really a purely betting sport - more along the lines of horse or greyhound racing but using motorbikes. Oh lord! Just read the link. Sad news. When I was there riders fall off and the race just carries on, with people being dragged off the track and into an ambulance while the races continued.

I seem to remember Gordon Kennett coming pretty close to changing nationality to Danish to give himself a better chance of qualifying. It's not such a new concept.

I recall Michael Lee having the temerity to make a complete mug of Crumpy round the Abbey by not only beating him easily in the Golden Helmet but pulling wheelies down the straights at the same time. Could well have been 1983.

Didn't Karger and Dugard have two seperate comings together on different occasions? Not sure, but I think they did. Kojak, normally, was funny and good for a wind-up, but that night he was well out of order and in no way having a joke. He was well mardy at the Cheetahs having been given a stuffing and then ran and shut the gate just as Swindon were coming out onto the track for a victory parade. The mass brawl that ensued was great. I remember that far more than the actual match. Oxford v Swindon was always the big rivalry match for me. There was always something happening in the Cowley matches.

Unlikely as it was the first one of the season. Had it been an old style World Final though there would only have been 20 heats. And I think the winner of that would have been... Greg Hancock! The World Final was always staged in September though, so taking the Nordic round is a better example of "had it been a one-off World Final". Had that been the case the winner would have been... Greg Hancock!

I don't buy that argument at all as a defence of a one-off final. If anything, it's more an argument against it. I don't know which meeting you refer to, but if Crump didn't make the final then he wasn't the best rider of the night. You could say the same about Jack Biggs in 1952 (or whenever it was)who messed up his final ride or Carter in 1982 whose fate was possibly decided on one refereeing decision. Difference being, Crump would have a whole series to get the points.

To be fair to Poland they are just doing a similar thing to the UK with the one rider over 8 rule, but using GP riders as the guidline instead. This is more a personal choice by Darcy Ward than anything if it does mean he is rejecting the GPs.

So if Darcy turns it down then why let him in in the future? It's an interesting scenario. Given a couple of years - if he's still turning it down - we could have a situation where the rider who is possibly the best in the world is not in the World Championship. It'll be like Ali/Fazier all over again. Who's the real champ? The champ can't be the worlds champ coz he ain't beaten Darcy! Maybe others will drop out too. Then we could see a split and two seperate "World" championships - a GRand Prix and a one-off individual one. Sounds far fetched but it's happened in other sports so it could happen. Can see a big thrilling meeting in Manila deciding it in the end.

Both systems are ok by me

http://www.youtube.com/user/Grachan#p/u/26/spjW95dYAQQ Another good one from the 1973 World Team Cup. You'd never guess who turned out the winner if you tried to after a couple of laps. http://www.youtube.com/user/Grachan#p/u/20/5LDH5QO47BA

Personally I'd rate Kenny Carter as one of the best British riders of my time watching speedway. Not as good as Lee or Collins maybe, but I've always thought of him as better than Havelock and Loram even if he didn't ever make it to the top of the world. Carter should, maybe, have won in 1982. That was the year he could and should have won it really, and I finally saw good quality video of the incident with Penhall a couple of years ago that confirmed that he was taken off by Juicy Brucey. If Penhall had been excluded, I think the title of World Champ would certainly have fitted with Carter better than Les Collins and I think he would have won had he been in the re-run of that race. Remember going to see Halifax v Swindon in the early 80's and Phil Crump beating him twice in the match and again in the second half final. And it made for a fabulous night because of that. There aren't many British riders that have had such an effect as that. I mean to say, Phil Crump was a great rider yet we were, like, "wow! He did Kenny Carter at the Shay" I agree that I don't think he would have had an impact on the Neilsen/Gundersen era though. Would have had to do it before then.

I'd say it's pretty much a given that Darcy Ward will become champion - and probably sooner rather than later. He's a great young talent, and the fact that the old boys still sominate the top of the sport says to me that there aren't many great young talents about. Tomasz got his title. Greg made history. Anyone else due a swansong before the new boy takes control?

Must admit i'm a bit with Orion on this. Was quite relieved to read his post actually because it made me realise it's not just me! I do kind of shake my head in disbelief at all this "amazingly popular rider" stuff. All that grinning and smiling don't wash with me I tells ya. All very strange. And blatently advertising that drink product during his national anthem had me metaphorically reaching for the sick bag. Good and fair rider though. No arguments about that.

My biggest Golden Helmet memory is also of Tommy Jansson. It was him and Martin Ashby at Swindon. I can't remember the races, but I remember Tommy sat in the pits during the meeting waiting to take part in the second half and I leaned through the gap at the back and got his autograph. He died soon after that. I always get the same image in my head of him sat there when I think about it.

Or Stoke maybe, having Googled it. Remember Broady riding for Stoke, so probably more likely.

As someone has said, some great riders in that 1971 line-up. 1973. Mike Broadbanks, Chesterton? This was one year before I strated going and I never knew there was a team called Chesterton! Presumably they morphed into Peterborough.

Nothing on the BSPA website at the moment. No statement in the Press Release section there either. Is this the first announcement of this? If so, is using this forum to come on and have a rant really the way to go? Sure, a lot of people have got it in for the BSPA at the moment - including me!! - but there's only one side of the story here and it's clearly been posted in an area where the BSPA can not respond.