uk_martin

I have no idea. Given up caring about the wizardry, sourcery and black magic that calculates these things. I just guess that if Phil Morris says it's 8.90 then he has his reasons for saying so.

Tell you what... let's have a real test to find out...one meeting at a British track of the BSPA's choice, the next at Daugavpils. Aggregate scores decide. Bearing in mind that Daugavpils is the only real track in Latvia, they've done miracles to get the national team to where they are. They have one track, we have threee leagues full of tracks. We have lots of tracks up and down the country and yet none of them can boast the accomplishment of Daugavpils. "Not invented here syndrome" all over again innit?

Good to see Iwade still going

Maybe old age is playing tricks with me. I've found this record of Tom Perry appearing for the Brummies at Stoke...but I could have sworn it was earlier than this when he first rode... still, no matter. http://www.speedwayresults.com/result.php?type=273&season=2010

...a match for Bryant & May to put into one of their matchboxes. That's a team for those who can't see beyond the end of next week. It's only my opinion, but I think we ought to realise that the team for the present won't win anything, so needs to be sidelined in favour of "fast tracking" the next generation. Yes we'll be beaten in everything that we enter for a couple of years, but our Chelsea Pensioner team gets handsomly beaten anyway. We need to build for 3 or 4 years down the road, and that process has to start somewhere.

I think that the top 7 British riders would struggle in a "test match" against the top 7 Latvians. GB has 2 decent spearhead riders, but behind them likes so much either mediocrity and/or inexperience. Can't do anything about mediocrity but you can do something about inexperience. Problem is that SCB/BSPA refuse to do so.

From http://www.sportowefakty.pl/zuzel/488487/pzm-opublikowal-kalendarz-sportu-zuzlowego-sezon-ruszy-26-marca (and subject to correct translation and someone making head or tail of what the Polish National Team Match ** is all about) 28 (Friday) - the final of the Junior League of IM - unconfirmed location 29 (Saturday) - Polish Grand Prix in Gorzow 30 (Sunday) - Polish national team match (reserve date for all leagues provided that in the case of having to play the superior league match ASN does not appoint to match the Polish National Team players appearing in the game supervisor) 30 (Sunday) - the final of the Silver Helmet - Pila This has the potential makings of a great long weekend away.

http://www.sportowefakty.pl/zuzel/488487/pzm-opublikowal-kalendarz-sportu-zuzlowego-sezon-ruszy-26-marca Can someone please do a better job than Google on translating please?? What is IMSJ, MDMP, DMSJ, IMP MIMP etc etc. What's this examination of the license "Y" all about? Wonder what sort of National Team matches these are in the calendar.

Not the 9.34 that is quoted on the first page. That means that there's another 0.44 of spending power left for the remaining signings too.

Correct - in the past tense. Came third in a semi-final beating Germany (good job there wasn't a penalty shoot-out wasn't it?) and only out-scoring Germany and Finland out of the 8 teams in the semi-finals. Not what I would call "doing quite well" or anything to be satisfied about unless it was a stepping stone in a long-term process...SO why is there is no news about an entry into the 2015 competition? From reading the International section of BSF it looks like the BSPA are entering no-one into the SEC, no-one into the Best Pairs, and only one rider into the u21's. Nothing has been said about an entry into the u21 SWC.

Congratulations, that't the right answer...and don't worry, you're not on your own. I've not seen anyone else who's advcocated "a Barry Urn" type of person to head up the sport, to have the answers to those questions either.

Good to know. The thing is, that I for one (and I doubt if I'm on my own), without having slaved through books and books of statistics haven't have come across many of the names in the NL (some fast trackers aside) so a helping hand on who are the good who are the bad and who are the ugly is appreciated.

Some questions about Barry Hearne... 1. Do you really think he would want anything to do with this sport? Really? 2. Who would appoint him? Can you really see the BSPA turkeys voting for Christmas? 3. Who would pay him? (and how much would he need to make it worth getting out of bed for?) 4. With reference to the last question, wouldn't those who paid the piper, not call the tune? 5. Suppose he takes the sport in a direction YOU don't like...then what? Who get's rid of him?

Be real. We got to the final because Australia coq'd up big style. They lost it rather than GB winning it. So why don't the BSPA / SCB enter a u21 team into the FIM u21 SWC? - or is that because apart from Adam Ellis and Rob Lambert, we don't have any worthy riders under the age of 21? The resf of our "young hopefuls" in the fast track system are over 21 and as old as 28.

Can someone remind me. Was it Tom Perry that got a guest appearance for the Brummies, away at Stoke, back in 2008? Probably in the same meeting that Mattia Carpanese threw his hands up in surrender? If so, welcome back to where you started Tom. Again??? Now that would be a shock won't it? The team that bought us cheque book speedway in the 1970's still winning everything at all costs. Plus ca change...

Wow - this is what those immoral and greedy bankers do to one of their own who's caught fare dodging. So what does that say about the BSPA who allow their chairman to get away with the same offence without even batting an eyelid. If the greedy bankers are supposed to be the cesspit of society, and yet they have the decency to discipline one of their kind when caught out, then where does that leave the BSPA? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-30475232

From the wording on the home page of that site: All action motorcycle sport, Speedway GB, is rapidly gaining popularity this side of the pond* following British rider Tai Woffinden’s 2013 World Championship win. With a growing UK fanbase**, a string of successful seasons for British riders*** and a new five year TV deal with Sky Sports, the brand is on the cusp of mainstream success****. We’ve become worldwide licensee for Speedway GB and will be working alongside parent brand, Go Speed International****, to propel the brand into sport stardom. * "this side of the pond" - what sort of comparison statement is that? What's the point that they are making? Like it's even "bigger" on the other side of the pond??? What???? ** This has to be a joke. *** This goes back to the fundamental question of "how long is a piece of string?" - Not a very long piece of string as far as successful seasons for British riders is it though? **** Is "the cusp of mainstream success" the same as being virtually bankrupt and being within a hairs bredth of losing the SkySports deal? ***** Is this the GoSpeed International Ltd that was liquidated in 2010 with debts of some £39,000 or the GoSpeed International Ltd that rose from the ashes? And we've seen BBC Watchdog programmes about companies that do that sort of thing haven't we? Seems Terry Russel is still pulling the strings then! Well I doubt if any of the political parties at the next General Election will be able to put on spin like that, some of which is pushing the boundaries of honesty and credibility. Still, let's hope that all this "artistic license" will endow the sport with the kind of riches that Terry Russell can finally retire on.

British speedway and forward planning? C'mon

No, it's the start of a discussion on a topic that lots of people will have lots of opinions on. If you have one, please feel free to join in.

Who do you think will be in line for call ups to the national team this year? What do you feel will be their prospects at international level? For me two riders are obvious choices. Bear in mind that there are only 3 British riders who are likely to be exclusively EL in 2015, and out of them Scott Nicholls won't ride for Team GB again. So that leaves Chris Harris as the stand out rider from the EL for a place in the team. That leaves the other all-EL rider (at the moment) - Steve Worrall. He's inexperienced, but he's got the balls to commit to the EL full time, and he'll come good in the long run, so for that reason, I'd pick him. Tai Woffinden, despite not riding in Britain next year will be the other obvious choice for me. There are those who say that he's turned his back on his country, and others who want to say he's not really British anyway and all that...but that's all opinion. My opinion is that he's the best GB have and should be in. Greg Hancock doesn't ride in the USA and no-one complains about him wearing the stars and stripes, so if it's OK for the World Champion, it should be OK for the former World Champion. So that leaves the riders who've chosen to double up/down between the EL and PL. What to do for those? The obvious choice would be to pick from the "oldies" (King, Barker, Stead etc) but where will that get the GB team in the long run? And what will become of the career double-uppers (Barker etc) who could have kicked on if they's have got themselves experience in Sweden and Denmark but instead chose the comforts of home? What happens to them when their 2-year lease on a doubling up slot expires and they are 2 years older? Sadly I only see their fate sliding down hill and that their fate will be in the PL from 2017 onwards, so should Team GB pick riders whose career paths are on the slide? And especially, should team GB pick a rider who has just stated that his heart lies in Edinburgh and who in the past has turned his nose up at riding for GB in a domestic test series? So for me Craig Cook, Ben Barker, Simon Stead Danny King and for other reasons, Lewis Bridger are out of my equation. What to do with Richard Lawson? Not signed for an EL team yet and at 28 years old, is he the future? Should he be in the way of a youngster who is keen to get on with their career? Hard choice but I think his race is run in international terms. My picks for the remaining places will go to young chargers who seem keen to progress. I admit that it will be a steep learning curve, but they have to start at some time, and as Jason Garrity showed at the British Final in 2014, they are no respecters of reputations, so to quote Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in "Full Metal Jacket" - "they may be silly and they may be ignorant but they've got guts and guts is enough". As for their chances iin 2015. They'll not come 4th at Kings Lynn, so will progress to Vojens where they'll be knocked out of the play-offs. HOWEVER, some young riders will learn from the experience and that will bode well for the future. The team I'd chose (in no particular order): 1. Tai Woffinden 2. Chris Harris 3. Steve Worrall 4. Rob Lambert Reserve choices: 5. Ashley Birks 6. Jason Garrity 7. Richie Worrall 8. Kyle Newman

Nothing more sophisticated than good old fashioned and very petty, "not invented here" and "what's in it for me"? Some folk in the BSPA & SCB still think that Great Britain has an empire and that everything to do with speedway should revolve around this country. This is a tournament, like the SEC that's basically being run by Poles, out of Poland, and so, to the tune of "boo hoo, a-waahhh a-wahhh" the BSPA / SCB stamped their feet, turned their backs on One Sport (the promoters) and decided not to play with their train set. Meanwhile, whilst the likes of the Turbo Twins, Greg Hancock etc etc were earning big money from this competition, (was it about £12,000 for a win?) the British World Champion, Tai Woffinden, was barred from taking part, just to show the Poles that they can't mess with the British authorities. Sadly it also meant that Woffy (and partner) didn't have the advantage of the extra income that from one meeting alone could have paid for a whole new bike, or more, as he strove to defend his crown last year.

So does it go on age only? In which case why aren't we hearing British promoters complaining about the cost every 7 years or so? PL and NL teams needed special fund raising efforts to roll out air fences all round. Gawd help them iF they all have to replace them in 2020.

The thing is, the BSPA are only concerned with league racing in the UK. As long as Percy Pensioner walks in through the turnstiles at Belle Vue and Buxton, then the promoters are happy. Anything else that goes on in the world doesn't earn them any money so they don't care. If the BSPA/SCB wasn't committed by FIM obligations they would be even happier not to take part in the SWC as well. The SCB run the sport in the country, and they delegate the running of league speedway to the BSPA. Maybe in reality it's the SCB that we need to moan about for not looking after our national interests? The fact that the people that sit round the SCB table are pretty much the same as the ones that sit around the BSPA table (give or take a few referees) does sort of blur the issue though, so no wonder everyone gets confused. What really gets my back up is the fact that there are a couple of British riders who could be earning good money in the Best Pairs. The sort of prize money for winning just one round would do very nicely thank you. The fact will be that foreign riders will be earning that money, probably re-investing it in better equpment, making themselves more competitive, especially in the SGP's and SWC, therefore further relegating the British riders down the international pecking order. The downward spiral of the fortunes of British speedway has been further accelerated.

7 years use out of an air fence? Do British clubs renew their air fences every 7 years? Wow, do the maths, 200k zloties is roughly £40,000 divided by each usable season = just under £6000 per season. Including play-off's and GP's that's £600 per meeting. Good job that they get an average attendance of over 13,000 innit?

"Warning, warning, danger Will Robinson" - will be the new 2 minute time allowance alarm lol