RogH

There were desk top published annuals by Maurice Jones of Speedway Surveys up to 1998 I think.

I've often thought about racing circuits, they have a large infield, and the noise problem is already known. We have disused dock land here in Hull which has been redeveloped and is well away from housing, there is still some of it available should we need to seek a site away from Craven Park.

Not many of these modern stadiums with electronic scoreboards, replay screens etc are speedway stadiums. OK we get the Millennium Stadium once a year but the modern football stadiums are not built for speedway and do not want speedway as they are designed square so the fans can be close to the pitch. Even Odsal has now slammed the door on speedway with hospitality boxes at one end and the former speedway track concreted. It seems our sport has to go the way of Somerset, Trelawny etc and set up venues from scratch out of the towns to avoid noise nuisance. Therefore we must ensure that these venues have adequate PA systems so that fans can be properly informed and fill their programmes in correctly.

Hear hear, filling in your programme is part of speedway. We all like to try to guess what replacements, tac subs are coming, you don't have a chance if you have'nt got a programme. Sometimes on Sky riders appear in races and no explanation is given as to why, and they rarely show the riders scorechart so you can see the riders totals. I now have my own prog for televised matches.

Six teams would surely magnify the boredom of seeing the same teams so often and in reality is unworkable as any kind of credible competition. I agree the EL promoters have a real problem as it seems no PL clubs are interested in moving up.

Sounds like a good varied programme, but promoters these days are reluctant to put on matches other than league or cup because crowds drop for these type of meetings. I see the Elite League remaining much the same for next year, serious persuasion will be exerted to keep Ipswich in the EL, but after 2004 when the Sky deal expires, well that's another matter.

If we secured that kind of money there would be enough for a decent share out to secure the future of clubs at all levels plus set up proper training facilities etc. However, the question of how such money would be distributed would no doubt be shrouded in the usual secrecy beloved of the powers that be.

Looks like a very disappointing 6 qualifiers to me. The triumph of the been there, not quite done it brigade. Protasiewicz, Brhel, Pedersen are already there and not making much impact. Laukkanen and Jensen have been there before and Ales Dryml has an Elite League average of less than 4. Don't see the GP upper echelons losing any sleep over that lot.

Although I don't know the figures, I get the impression that Sky are getting speedway very much on the cheap. When the current deal expires at the end of 2004 we should stick out for a figure a lot nearer the £50 odd million on offer for Rugby League which after all is basically a regional game. That kind of money, if spent wisely (that opens up an entirely different can of worms!) could do major things for our sport.

Nigel Wordsworth is very active on our forum and is also approachable on race nights. He is prepared to listen to fans. If more promoters were open we might move forward as a sport.

I think that has to do with the fact that Messrs Carr and Collins are representing Scottish teams, whereas the perception is that Team GB is really England, not helped by some of the Sky presenters referring to the team as England.

Back in the 70s and 80s, there were separate England and Scotland teams. You won't get any support from Scots for Team GB because they see it as an England team. The examples you quote are from countries who have a federal system. England and Scotland are not states within a federal system but are countries in their own right. In the Commonwealth Games, there are separate teams from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the same applies in Soccer, Rugby Union and other sports.

Very much my own thoughts. At the moment you've got Australia, Denmark, Poland, Sweden, GB, USA, and Czech Rep as the top level teams. They should be joined by one qualifer for an eight team tournament. There should be two semi finals with the winners automatically progressing to the final and the fourth place teams being eliminated. The second and third place teams have a race off and the top two make up the four finalists. The first round fourth placed teams would need to qualify for the next world cup. There would be no more five man races. The tournament should be staged max every two years, there are not enough staging countries to give a variety for an annual staging. No more "Team GB". Let's be England and allow the Scots and Welsh to field their own teams if they wish.

It's got to come, something like the "Commissioner" role they have in American sports. This is an area where respected ex riders could play a part, and their vast experience could benefit the sport. Riders coming to the end of their careers like the ones currently working for Sky spring to mind. The BSPA was a good idea back in 1965, but things have moved on a bit since then.

Best reason in the world to jettison this Team GB nonsense and be what we really are - England After all the Scots don't have a rider anywhere near getting in the team.

What I find difficult to understand is how some EL clubs stay in existence when their crowds are not much more than PL clubs who are maybe just breaking even but don't have to pay GP riders' wages, air fares etc. They must get some form of subsidy, but nobody will say how much money Sky are paying for TV rights, sponsorship.

The idea sounds good but does this not disadvantage the tracks who would like to train riders but are prevented from doing so by stadium / planning restrictions. The idea you suggest was tried in the early 70s but led to some teams becoming very powerful, one sided matches etc. In this region, because Sheffield have training facilities, they have virtually hoovered up all the young talent in the Yorkshire region. What does that leave for others ?

The heats have not come out right but they are as follows: Heats 1,7,14,19 Team A v Team B Heats 2,8,14,22 Team C v Team D Heats 3,9,15,23 Team A v Team D Heats 4,10,16,24 Team B v Team C Heats 5,11,17,20 Team A v Team C Heats 6,12,18,21 Team B v Team D

Below is a format which I believe would be far better for the World Cup than the one currently used. The advantages are : 1. No 5 team matches, therefore no 5 rider races. 2. Riders ride as pairs, therefore encouraging team riding, it is after all a team championship. 3. Every rider has each gate position at least once. I would add, if a team is eight points behind the leaders, they can bring in a golden double for double points, but the sub has a 15 yd handicap as in league racing. Normal tac subs allowed if six points behind the leaders. Only one sub per rider. Each team would nominate a reserve who can be introduced at any time tactically or for tapes offences, 2 minutes etc up to a maximum 6 rides. What do you think ? Ht Team A Team B Team C Team D 1 1,2 1,2 2 1,2 1,2 3 3,4 3,4 4 3,4 3,4 5 1,2 1,2 6 1,2 1,2 7 3,4 3,4 8 3,4 3,4 9 1,2 1,2 10 1,2 1,2 11 3,4 3,4 12 3,4 3,4 13 3,4 1,2 14 3,4 1,2 15 1,2 3,4 16 3,4 1,2 17 1,2 3,4 18 1,2 3,4 19 1,2 3,4 20 3,4 1,2 21 3,4 1,2 22 1,2 3,4 23 3,4 1,2 24 1,2 3,4 Gate Positions A1 - 1,4,3,2,2,1 A2 - 3,2,1,4,4,3 A3 - 4,1,2,1,3,2 A4 - 2,3,4,3,1,4 B1 - 2,3,4,2,1,3 B2 - 4,1,2,4,3,1 B3 - 3,2,4,1,2,3 B4 - 1,4,2,3,4,1 C1 - 2,1,3,4,2,3 C2 - 4,3,1,2,4,1 C3 - 4,1,3,2,1,4 C4 - 2,3,1,4,3,2 D1 - 3,2,4,1,2,3 D2 - 1,4,2,3,4,1 D3 - 1,2,3,1,4,2 D4 - 3,4,1,3,2,4

We always get the 6 heat second half match completed, there is even 5 or 10 mins free practice after that before the 10 pm curfew.

Coventry v Swindon, 14 July 1962 The bug bit and it still bites !!

Think yourselves lucky you don't have rugby league where you are !

Never sen one, but a good idea if there is a Bees fan who is a club historian. One of speedway's longest standing and traditional clubs deserves a history written.

Hyde Road does take some beating. For track only, Cradley Heath was pretty good. Perry Barr at Birmingham was good, decent venue too. Modern day, Trelawny, Somerset, Glasgow for racing Millennium Stadium and Wimbledon for stadium.

Kelly Moran / Dennis Sigalos