Grachan

What a great story it would have been if Andy Smith had, once again, qualified for the GPs. I was looking forwad to seeing if he could do it. Poor old Smudger must think that the entire British world is designed to stitch him up. If he was next in line then he should go through. A chance to give the British Final credibility has been missed here.

Did they interview Leigh 3 times? I thought the last two were repeats. To be fair, Leigh was unbeaten up to his last race. Did anyone notice, by the way, that despite Leigh being the meeting leader at the time of his last race, Tony Millard didn't mention the fact that he was in last place at all during the entire race?

I don't see how you can say Leigh deserved to get into the final more than Antonio. It's not like he had an ef or anything. He just failed to pull it off at the last hurdle. Same old story for Leigh. I've given up even expecting him to get into the final any more. There are two things you can almost guarantee in these GPs. Leigh Adams will baffle with another failure, and Scott Nicholls will fall off in a key race. Well done to Lee Richardson tonight. Did well. Not earth shattering or anything like that, but enough to stick two fingers up to the dullards who reckon he shouldn't be in the Great Britain team. Talking of sticking up two fingers - well done Hans. Proved a point tonight.

There's loads of trains to Reading from Paddington Station. Get a tube to there and you'll have no problems reaching Reading. It's the first stop as long as you get a fast train. There's normally a line of taxis waiting at Reading station.

I remember the cycle speedway at Hungerford. I watched a few matches there when I was younger, and a few mates and myself used to ride our bikes round the track sometimes. When I was a kid the team that rode there was actually called 'Swindon', even though Swindon was about 15 miles away. The track closed down and was allowed to grow over and the Cycle Speedway moved to the Oasis Leisure Centre in Swindon proper (must have been late 70s??).

Especially when you consider that those below him weren't promoted a place. That would have meant that nobody was world champion.

Who's that nerdy looking curly topped anorkak type with Simmo on page 8? Anyone other than me find the Ken Eyre 'then and now' pictures highly amusing? This month's lookalikes: Bernt Persson - Philip Seymour Hoffman (P10). Graham Miles - Bob Dylan (P31).

I agree the event would be richer if Andersen was in it. He would be a real contender this year. At the end of the day, though, he failed to qualify. This left him at the mercy of the qualifying system - unfortunately at a time when it was all down to selection. He has a opportunity to get in next year and, hopefully he will. It also shows a flaw in having qualification for next year a season behind. Last year I still never thought of Hans as a true, out and out World Class rider, but this year he has become one but has to wait until next year for an opportunity to ride in the GP.

When I boughht my tickets I asked for seats on the home straight but they said there were none available! Obviously they decided to fill up the back straight first before selling home straight tickets.

Interesting odds. Steady has been in better form that Lee this year, but if one of them is going to suddenly come up with a blinding display that gets them into the final I'd say it's more likely to be Richardson. I've got my usual 10p each way on him anyway.

We're very lucky to have it on Sky. If it wasn't on there it wouldn't be on at all - certainly not live anyway. When has terrestrial TV ever shown live speedway anyway? Even when the sport was at its peak it was highlights later. Yeah, it would be great if BBC1 decided to replace Dr Who with the live coverage of the Speedway GP, but if anyone there made the decision to do that then they'd be out on their ear pretty damn sharpish I'll bet. Points of View would be interesting viewing that week though.

I've done a good old fashioned, traditional scorechart. If you want it, it's here. http://www.grachan.co.uk/speedway_ind.pdf Might be worth checking it's right though. I think it is, but I've just done it and you can never be sure! Text came out quite small when I printed it, but not too bad. PS - if you do check it and it's wrong, you will let me know won't you?

Easy solution. Get Sky.

We were. Had a letter to sign giving permission for our daughter to be photographed for this and at school events etc. At her Christmas play parents just turned up with camras, videos etc. and just took whatever they wanted and nobody batted an eyelid. I think it's a nonsense if you can't take photos of events just because there are children there. I'm not sure how real this claim is. I've certainly never come across it in reality.

I'm going on a Swindon coach. Five coaches going. More than Coventry. Nur! I bought 5 tickets last week - one family of 4 and one old age pensioner ticket for me dear ol' mum (Gawd bless her). Can't believe they only offer concessions in the cheapest price tickets. When I ordered them I was told they had no more £29 tickets left on the home straight. If true - although the guy on the phone did seem a bit dozy - then that must be better than previoius years.

Even more off target, but.... I remember that day really well. Swindon were at Coventry that evening and I went up in my Dad's car. Going to the stadium there was a gauntlet of people on the sides of the roads waving banners, scarves etc, plus people hanging out the windows of packed trains celebrating. Can't remember the Speedway though.

No! Rockin' Renat can't be injured. It's all going Pete Tong. Such a safe rider too. Let's hope it's nothing serious and he's at Oxford on Wednesday.

I feel that too. I figured he was definitely worth a 10p E/W bet at 100-1 on Saturday (last of the big spenders I am), and will be next time too if the odds remain like that.

Either that or he blew up the bike he was planning to use in the GP at Swindon last Thursday.

Funny you have him in your ignore box, but read a thread about him. That's not how I tend to ignore people. Go on, admit it. You often have a little peek at what he's written, don't you?

No way should Jonsson have got a re-run. Look at the replays. You can see him shut down the throttle and lay the bike down.

Scott Nicholls will be there next year whatever. They need a British rider in it. I can't see Lee Richardson being in it though, and to be honest I'll be quite relieved as I think he does too much and it gets on top of him. Simon Stead? Not sure he's ready, but then NKI isn't but it never stopped him being in it.

That is interesting. Thanks Conkers. Jimmy is certainly the best (only??) known rider here in the West due to that Internationale appearence. I think that the tracks had already changed to asphalt by then, and he was one of the veterens of the dirt track days. Interesting, also, that Funabashi (oneof the tracks I attended) was once a conventional dirt track Speedway.

Doesn't.

Well my 'Speedway with Briggo' book which I chose as a Good Work Prize at school for getting 10 commendations (Oh yes!!) had a whole section on Speedway in Japan. Can you guess which Sport it featured?