uk_martin

Looking forward to supporting Team GB in Sweden on Thursday and I think that they will get through in Kings Lynn as long as they don't make a mess of things and end up having to decide the last qualifying place against Germany in a Penalty Shoot-Out.

I stand corrected. I had in my mind that Gorzow was 360m, but you're right. Mind you, Gdansk looked a bit tighter than Gorzow, to me at least (on telly last week) which gave me the impression that it was smaller.

Are you sure? I think I've seen scorecards where Adrian Cyfer of Stal Gorzow has only had one ride. I may be wrong and I wish I could know where to find an archive of score cards to check on this. But back to the point...Zmarzlik was outstanding last week in the SGP on his own track, last Saturday, then on Sunday, he was utterly mediocre away in Gdansk, and today, 10 (paid 11) from 4 rides on his home track, with Emil Saturdayjob being the only Polonia Big-Dosh rider to beat him. Funnily enough, Gdansk is rather smaller than Gorzow, kind of lending credance to the thought that BZ needs to get out more and gain experience on a wider number of tracks and environments, else he could end up a one-track-pony.

IF you've got his number you can ring bluejam up. He was in Gdansk this afternoon to watch Tarnow getting beaten. Seems that Bogdanovs rode a blinder, and that Tarnow were effectively a 3-man team for the day.

Poor old Google Translate. Now and again in an effort to serve us well, it throws up a couple of howlers. Usually, it's where names are translated straight into English when of course, the software isn't aware that it's a name at all. Here's a couple that amused me... Adrian Digits = Adrian Cyfer (Stal Gorzow) David Leopard = Dawid Lampart Joseph Snuff = Josef Tabaka What have you found that Google Translate has come up with that has made you smile?

Don't over-egg that one. Don't forget that in Poland at least, this "getting a chance in the big league" could mean one solitary outing in Bieg 1 only. How many British riders would want to, or be able to afford to ride in a reserve berth in an EL team and only get an ride in the reserves race?

Top post! Well said. Depends on where his schooling is. As I alluded to before, if he sticks to the Ekstraliga Akademie of Zuzel, then his development will be slower than if he goes to the University of the Big Wide World. I mentioned about the Swedish, Danish and British leagues, A winter in Australia wouldn't hurt him either.

Who would have thought, back in the days of Peter Collins, Michael Lee, Kenny Carter etc etc, that British riders would fail, where riders from such powerhouses of world speedway such as Slovakia, Croatia, Slovenia and Germany would get their qualifiers through?

Too bad that they didn't hear you...Tomasz Gollob, Gregorz Walasek etc Zmarzlik has shown that he has some raw talent. He has a great teacher in Gollob too, however I wonder how blinkered his education will be? MJJ is getting to experience tracks in the Danish, British, Swedish and Polish leagues, whereas BZ has had 3 Swedish meetings and a handfull of FIM qualifying events away from Poland. BZ's performance in Sweden shows his lack of experience on smaller more technical tracks too. http://www.speedwayresults.com/rider.php?name=Bartosz&surname=Zmarzlik&type=Swedish%20Alsvenskan&season=2012 I hope that once his schooldays are over, he too can get to learn a bit more about tracks less than 360m in length and hopefully a British team will be blessed with his presence in the near future.

Well done to the Birmingham Brummies 2011 Heat 1 pairing of "KK" & "Officer Dibble". Who'd have forecasted Officer Dibble would win in Divisov, and what will the Belle Vue faithful think when he only gets 5 or 6 in his next league meeting after this? lol

Is attending practise compulsary? If so, that will scupper the 14th as well as the 15th for the PL guys.

Ha ha, I remember those from my TA days, on exercise in Germany...otherwise known as a "TURDIS" ! Likewise I was at Vojens in the early 1980's just after Ole Olsen had built it, when that too was just a shale track with grass banking all around and precious little else. It's a bit different now though. Does he have to wear it for the rest of the season? Will it fit over his helmet?

It might help to highlight that point if you can explain what it is that the PZM do for the Polish youngsters, as a point of comparison to what the BSPA "don't" do.

Yes, well done to Richie...looks like I owe Wizzer a pint of beer too...

39 sounds very limited until you bear in mind that the reserves are 2 x 2.5, leaving 34 to be spread around the other 5 places. What's with the minimum 31 points limit though? Which clubs would field a 31-point aggregate average team? I would think that implimenting this is going to make Greek austerity plans sound like a walk in the park. If the Stal Gorzow budget for 2012 that I was told about is anything to go by, and if that's typical of other clubs, then this is going to be drastic with a capital D-R-A-S-T-I-C.

As a slight aside, if Wroclaw (Breslau) is close enough, maybe see you there in August? Three of us are flying into Leipzig, then staying a night in Colditz before getting the train to Wroclaw for their match against Tarnow. Be good to be able to wear red and yellow in Poland and shouting for Seb Ulamek without confusing the locals lol.

I didn't see whether at the time of the collision, Hancock had crossed the line or not. In either circumstances... 1. If he had crossed the line, the rule quoted by NeilWatson applies, and the ref got it right. 2. If Hancock hadn't crossed the line and the race was still "live" at the time of the collision, then Crump should have been excluded anyway for both wheels crossing the inside line in his drama-queen attempt at avoiding the pile-up and grass-tracking his way to the finishing line. Either way, the eventual outcome was correct, and hats off to the referee for the right call.

Thanks Pawel. Something like that for next year would be well worth looking forward to. This year, I've got the trip to Malilla (SWC) and a trip to Wroclaw v Tarnow (via Leipzig and Colditz!), with the possiblitiy of a non-speedway trip to Krakow in Sept/Oct which I'd like to convert to a speedway trip if there is a play-off match in the area (in Tarnow?) to look forward to. But next year with info like that at hand at an early stage, there may be some even more interesting trips to be planned.

Naughty Nicki!

Speedway Sar I take it? Ah well, my fault then...not being a reader of that mag. Still it would be nice to have a consolidated fixture list for next year, that include all the individual events, SGP qualifiers, etc etc that go on, so that those of us who intend to travel can plan ahead to best effect. Maybe having it as a "sticky" at the top of the forum or something? For those of us still finding our feet with the Polish speedway scene, I think it would be a great help.

Is this an annual thing? Would love to know more about events like this much further in advance. I'm happy enough to travel to Poland 2 or 3 times a year just to see a league or play-off meeting but if the trip could include something on a Saturday as well as a Sunday league match, then that would be twice as good. Any chance that a list of meetings like this could be compiled and posted at about the same time as the league fixtures next year, to help with the forward planning please?

Is there any of the Alf Busk lineage in Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen?

Don't get me wrong Phil, the heart is with them, but the head says otherwise...only my opinion like. The photos of the Italian track suggest it will suit the Poles and those who ride in the Polish leagues and other big tracks. If the English lads were at Berwick or Workington every week, my opinion may be different, but the "muck" of Newcastle isn't really the best preparation ground for a 400m semi-longtrack circuit, with what looks like a cement dust surface. I do wish the British lads all the best out there, and if they can pull it off, there'll be a pint waiting for you in the bar at the Barr the following Thursday, Phil.

Fair enough, lol. My 8+8 have been edited down to 7+7

Are you trying to make a comeback Phil?