uk_martin

OR - we might find an increase in the number of motorised satellite installations amongst speedway fans, and decoders that show the foreign versions of Eurosport (and all the Polish TV stations too, come to that) - all in wonderful HD!

Is there a bookmaker that is still offering odds on the Turbo Twins? This competition seems tailor made for Ward/Holder to clean up...be it in Australia or Torun colours.

Is it photo http://www.flickr.com/photos/92444687@N04/8401884698/in/photolist-dNrRB1-eitKYW-bb1Zqc-dX2zqE-dzdpcR-dWWDnR-dX3ix7-fKYA6t-fKZUwF-d317YN-fKZKr8-fKYBp4-fKYDon-d2iwES-fKYLDp-fL1mVz-fL14GB-dGdY9r-eUVA9A-fL1xqc-d319QU-fL1cCz-fKZRkx-fL1sui-d2rBF7-d2ru99-d2ikvA-d2raSG-d2ohw9-d2ob5S-9dJNY6-cNmnmd-cNkWqb-cNk3Fs-cNjTBs-cNUUQ5-cNm6PQ-cNjWn1-cNm3V5-cM6DYj-cM9S3s-cNT3DA-cNTZ7q-cNT5cQ-cNTmg3-cNTk4U-cMaDrA-cMaKYj-cG9ZVY-cM6Fod-cNTXXQ that you are referring to? If so, then thats a single offset carb, so the other two photos of the bike would also be the same. The twin carb Weslakes were instantly distinctive as they had air intakes/filters to the upper rear left and right of the engine, under the seats. They were the visible tell-tale signs, the carbs themselves would be obscured by the "air funnels". It would be easier to spot from the centre green, as only the twin carb bikes would have air funnels pointing at someone on that side of the bike.

Thanks Zak.

Just on an off chance... Does anyone have any photos of the following please? 1. Weslake engined speedway bike fitted with TWIN CARBURETORS - like the one used by Malcolm Simmons 2. Weslake engine with twin spark plugs fitted in the cylinder head? The mid-late 1970's were pioneering days for engine designs - 2 valves, 4 valves, push rods being overtaken by SOHC and DOHC...all those have photos somewhere in a Google search but I can't find the two mutations mentioned above. If anyone can help, I'd be much obliged! Thanks Martin

Ray Reardon isn't dead. Dracula will never die!

One of them now plays for Manchester City... nailed on to win the Premier League if you ask me. (mind you, Moses, playing for West Bromwich Albion and Manchester United didn't exactly part any seas did he?)

Torun have the best stadium, and host an SGP...How much do you tarnish your most prestige product?...How embarrassing would it be for Polish speedway in the worlds eyes to say, "Welcome to Torun, our Liga I or Liga II club"? Just how much credibility has Scottish football lost since Rangers were demoted to the bottom of the league structure? Kicking Torun out of the Extraliga will do the same. Only problem is that it will also be equally much deserved, right and proper. "Justice" and "Realpolitik" may be at odds with each other over this one...glad I'm not an arbitrator.

Christianity has Jesus Christ Islam has Mohammed Torun have Tomasz Gollob and they think that he is in that class too, and without him a meeting is not worthy of being held. Shame on you Torun.

Is that really so surprising? After the success of BBC Radio WM's coverage of Midlands speedway (and look what happened there) if memory serves me correctly, Radio 5Live were due to provide coverage of the 2012 play-offs...until the fixtures were re-arranged, as is the way with speedway... so that they fell on nights when other things took priority. Bear in mind also the famous tale of BBC Radio reporters being ejected mid-meeting from the Norfolk Area when covering a Kings Lynn v Brummies meeting. Are you really surprised that the BBC isn't bothered about speedway?

Birmingham will have a problem convincing anyone to buy season tickets next year. Just with the 10% off the admission prices by buying tickets over the phone alone, the total outlay for the season will be less than the cost of the season ticket, then add to that the savings from the discount schemes and the 2013 season ticket holder can consider themselves to have been well and truly shafted. It's a situation that's been created out of necessity and to their credit, it's a problem that the management know about, but what the solution will be remains to be seen.

Where would all these British riders come from? There are 16 British riders presently in the Elite League. A quarter of those ride for the Brummies, 3 more ride for Swindon with the rest distributed to the other teams, 6 of which don't meet the criteria. Someone who is keen to see this happen, please supply a list of 9 British riders of suitable quality, who aren't already on the EL GSA's to make up the numbers for the other teams. And while you are at it, please list out the 9 current riders who you would replace. These would need to be: 1 rider at Belle Vue (currently only 1 Brit) 2 riders at Eastbourne (currently no Brits) 1 rider at Kings Lynn (currently only 1 Brit) 2 riders at Peterborough (currently no Brits) 2 riders at Poole (currently no Brits) 1 rider at Wolverhampton (currently only 1 Brit) Birmingham, Coventry, Swindon and Lakeside have at least 2 Brits each already.

Is it fair that teams like Eastbourne and Lakeside (both play-off contenders in recent years) have big home track advantages and others like Birmingham have tracks that are fair to all? The principle applies just as well to the PL where Edinburgh have a big home track advantage and Somerset have a fair track. Life just ain't fair sometimes. Live with it.

Not if the alternative when you are 12 points behind after 5 heats at Trick Track Central and the only other thought in your head is "shall we make an early start on our journey home" As for dumping the TR in play-off's, shall we also dump home track advantages and have all the meetings at neutral venues? Dumping the TR's will play right into the hands of the teams with the biggest home track advantages.

Then please explain why there was a "Tactical" rule in one guise or another in the days of black and white television, let alone before Sky. Also what is the excuse for the Polish League still having a TS rule that is very similar to what was in use in Britain in the 70's and 80's? No doubts the Swedes use something similar too... Like it or lump it the TR / TS has been part of speedway for longer than we've been around, and they do something to keep meetings alive. Unlike football or rugby (etc) where if one team is way better than the opposition, you can still marvel at their quality of play, in speedway, it has the opposite effect. One team being way better than their opponents leads to boring 4-lap motorcycle processions that do nothing to entertain the paying public. Something has to be in place to counter that, and the TR/TS is what we have.

If you're running a chocolate business, the customer cares that the bars of chocolate are on the shelves in the shops when they come in to buy them. I don't think that the customer is told, nor do they care twopence about the behind the scenes issues such as transportation, logistics, packing, warehousing, production, raw materials etc. Why is it that in speedway, the "customer" thinks that the product of regular racing isn't enough for them? How come speedway has been turned from a sport into a soap opera, with all the characters, their interactions and relationships as well as all the minutiae of the running of speedway on a daily basis being of such concern? Do football fans care this much about what happens in the boardrooms of the FA etc? The average footie fans I know take a passing interest in what's happening in the transfer market, and after that it's all about "X United" beating "Z City" on the pitch. They can't believe what ultra-anoraks speedway fans are, and if anything that image of the speedway fan is a deterrent against wanting to mix with that kind of person and giving speedway a try.

I'd add another angle to the debate, and that's that a rider with "decent" body mass and inherent strength that goes with it, may well be able to withstand the bumps and bangs of racing a lot better than the "will'o'the whisp" riders. Compare Arthur Browning's (lack of an) injury record with that of someone like Adam Roynon.

Going back a few years, their sizes never held the legendary Arthur Browning or Michael Lee back. http://www.trialonline.org/01%20TRIAL.FIM/00%20CHARLY%20AIDE/DRAP%20PHOTOS/DRAP.BROWNING%20ARTHUR.jpg

Do a search on this forum for "Smolinski" and "600cc" to see what other people think about the upkeep of his machinery That said he is a former World Champion, at Longtrack Speedway. So he's not totally without skill, ability, and a head for speed!

So the season will end at EL level, for the most part by the middle of September. Two months then get wasted. Then there's the AGM on or around the 3rd weekend of November. Then it's only 4 working week's til the Christmas / New Year break And with the whole root and branch structure of the sport in need of revamping and redesigning, you have to wonder where they will find the time to reconstruct the sport let alone sign any riders or agree a fixture list in time for next March.

Well precisely, one would, wouldn't one? After all they are all "successful" businessmen , with their own legal advisers for their "other" business interests. Surely they can negotiate a bit of a contract can't they? Any of them?

Somebody remind us all please...how much was the Sky Contract, and what percentage of it all went to Terry Russell's GoSpeed company as "commission"?

Be nice to have a second Brummies rider to cheer on at Poole. As for WHY he was chosen, well at a guess, because he is British would be one reason, his high ranking amongst British riders would be another, and he's not too bad around Poole. I don't think Middlo / BSPA / SCB / ACU would have had the slightest input into this decision. It's BSI's train set and they will play with it the way they want to play with it. I dare say someone at BSI made the decision based on who would add value to the event / ticket sales, and that Danny King ended up being the best answer that there was to that...in their opinion, and at the end of the day, they will get the financial rewards / penalties of their decision, so let them live with it. How about we now look forward to the event and some really good racing?

So if Gorzow beat Leszno and Torun beat Tarnow...have a guess who'll be straight onto the Wizzair and Ryanair sites to about flights to the play-off's lol Likewise Falubaz & Stal I was there for the SWC and have to say that the stadium and track are first rate. If you can stay somewhere "nice" in that part of Poland and commute directly to the stadium and back, then that would be ideal. The town of Czestochowa itself a dump though. Not had the money spent on it that other places have to bring it into the 21st century, and is really a throw-back to the Communistical era. Nothing there to endear it to you at all. The sort of place where you want to send your trendy-lefty mates for a 6-month sentence, just to kick-start them into a life in the real world after they see the products of communism.

Has the penny dropped yet? To conquer Lakeside on their trick track you need as many guests who are specialists on that track as possible. "Normal" teams face too much of a disadvantage with the home track favouring the Hammers to the value of at least 10 points a match.