Grachan

Poole in danger of getting turned over here. Wells was the length of a straight behind there.

Belle Vue chose the gate positions. Swindon won the toss but went for heat 15.

Zagar has already qualified, via the Challenge.

To be fair, that stock car meeting was, apparently, a World Final. If you had a World Speedway final there you'd get at least a similar crowd.

Swindon fans will definitely be cheering you on if you are against Wolves in the semi!

I just don't see how it is more interesting watching a sporting event where I already know the score. I know what you mean about all the fill ins though. I normally start watching about an hour after the start and skip bits until I catch up.

A highlights magazine would be rubbish. It would just be like the 15 minutes before the racing now starts, which nobody bothers to watch anyway and just fast forwards if they've recorded it. Live speedway on Sky, by the way, got me back into going, so it improved attendances by at least one.

The attraction is that it helps to maintain interest in the sport. I cannot understand why people think it is a bad thing to have speedway on tv. I remember the 1990s, when there was no speedway on, and it helped towards the decline. I think a major contribution towards falling crowds has been the points limit - even more so now it is lower. I remember Oxford in the 80s. Succesful team. Big crowds. Eventually the points limit got them. Crowds visibly dropped instsntly. It's then hard to get those lost supporters back. So, another team takes over from Oxford. They then finish top, get nobbled by the points limit. The crowds drop. Then another team. Then another team. And so on, until, eventually, Swindon get to win the league. Then they get get nobbled by points limit too. Vicious circle. The only other time I've seen an instant, visible drop in crowds was when the double points replaced tatical subs. Did those people return when the tac subs came back? Not many, I'll bet. Anyone who thinks wesker sides is the key to the future, by the way, is clearly nuts.

Have you seen Ipswich's 2 results at Swindon this year?

Where did you get the idea that Mondays and Thursdays are because of BT? Surely Mondays and Thursdays are because Poland have weekends, Sweden have Tuesdays and Denmark have Wednesdays.

How is that an advantage if your reserve gets voted into heat 14?

Why have Belle Vue put Etheridge up for heat 14 instead of Fricke? Come on Swindon fans, get voting. Doyle not up either. Jensen, who has had 2 lasts, leading the vote.

Vissing appealed but was refused a hearing.

An explanation as to why might have been useful. Seems unfair on the riders that did receive a ban.

I think it's pretty obvious that thebpoint Rosco was clumsily trying to make is that if there is a fall then there is no stated difference in the referee's discretion regardless of what point in the race it happens. For me, to bring all 4 back would be a cop out. If there is a crash, someone should be excluded. It's part of the fun. It would be too easy to gonfor the "racing incident" option. The ref made the correct decision anyway. Vissing leaned onto Tungate's back wheel.

How is a new fan going to know the result of the first leg?

There's nothing wrong with it. The only thing wrong is the 2 points for winning at home for less than 6 was taken away. You say bonus points are ok. Well, just think of it as a bonus point for getting within 6 away from home. Lose by 6 the away team get a bonus point. Draw then 1 point each. Plus the bonus point for the away team. Win by up to 6. 2 points. Plus the original bonus if it is the away team. Win by over 6. 3 points plus the bonus point if it is the away team. It would be as simple as that except they took away the 2 points for the home team winning by 6 or less. It's still ok, but made more sense when it was 3, 2, 1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4.

Ever since his 13 point average, I get a sense of Doyle managing his average to a certain degree - just dropping a point or two here and there but always doing the business when it's required.

Swindon lose by 6. The perfect result. Just hope Poole don't let everyone down now!

You'll take "there is no apology" as an apology?

My thoughts exactly.

You're so heartless.

Swindon could do with a spot of average management and also keeping Wolves out of the play-offs. Just saying.

I'm not sure on this, but don't the home promotion pay both sides? In which case, it will make no difference.

An enjoyable evening, despite its flaws! Exciting riding from Jensen and Perks, in particular, kept it entertaining. Swindon looked good, but Ipswich were hopeless. How did this team nearly win at Blunsdon last month yet be so bad tonight? Their riders often pulled out of the race when at the back. Too many starts pulled back for me. Surely fast starts like the ones from Musielak and Pieszczek are better left as they are rather than constant restarts. If anyone was keeping an eye on averages tonight, though, I'd say it wasn't Ipswich but Jason Doyle. No idea why Ipswich used Harris as a ts when it was clear that Danny King was the only top 5 Ipswich rider giving Swindon anything to think about up to that point. Did they, perhaps, think they couldn't use King as he'd had an r/r ride? Vissing impressed from reserve and was given a well deserved man of the match. Can't see this Witches side staying in the top four. Wolves look much more threatening. Maybe we should have let Ipswich get a point!