Mr Ore

Shane Bowes seemed a far safer rider but Nagy was class on the international circuit. He almost singlehandedly was responsible for Glasgow beating Cradley in the Interleague Cup, although mostly from the gate. I am not a Glasgow fan though; although having a haggis supper with a wee dram every Burns night, so don't know if my neutral vote is valid. ,

Thanks for clarifying matters both. I hate to say that it is not my favourite venue, from a viewing stance, but the whole weekend is a real buzz in the town and stadium and it will be a tremendous loss. Memories of some great races there too. I am being wined and dined by my Championship football team on the Saturday but will try to get across for the Sunday event. I'd rather it was not to say "goodbye" though. I like to think I am a realist rather than a dreamer but, clutching at straws perhaps, if the arena could last until 2016, even if there is no World event scheduled, maybe a formal farewell event could be considered. Again I prefer official meetings but feel with a great deal of advance notice such an event would show the demand for Ice Speedway in the region and attract a big crowd.

Not looking at all good as the closing date is the weekend before the Assen round is scheduled. Unless the hotel owners are prepared to extend the deadline the last meeting at Assen may already have taken place. Logistics of a date change would mean other venues also being able to accommodate, as wel as availability of the Bonte Wever.

With the interest generated plus the acknowledged tightness of posters on this forum, I think it would be more accurate if the apostrophe was before the "S"and not after it.

Other than Steady's dive between the two Witches in heat 13 two things stuck in my memory. I had heard about the open seating on the back straight and assumed it would be very basic. Totally gobsmacked when I saw it with the size and appearance. Be great to get some sunny afternoon meetings in there (Saturday's when football season is finished?) when it could be more fully used and create an even better picture. Also as well as Dan Holt's appreciated use of the two minute warning wasn't it great to go through a meeting with no interval. Nobody complained but I heard many comment positively on the way out. Queues at the various franchises didn't get stacked out as a result of a mad rush once a declared interval starts plus extra time at the Dove afterwards (Fat Cat before though to appease the sponsors). How very European and didn't it help to keep the atmosphere going?

Strong talk is of him standing in Uxbridge. Nearest track to there would obviously be Slough. Having seen him at Wembley for American Football I can vouch for the fact that he is a total a**e so would be great PR for speedway. Incredibly though he got a bigger cheer than John Terry did the year before.

Cheers Steve. I actually will be there (subject to it being on) and think it could be close. Won't comment on the Mark Lemon situation as I actually like the guy and know he could get injured if he were to ride, but seems a fairly unique reason for R/R.

If that's the case maybe Thrillpool's industrial sized tin of mushy peas will ensure everyone has a decent portion on the night. I always look forward to having a nice pea on a Wednesday evening. Should be a good meeting. Looking forward to it. Come and say hello. Does anyone know what the teams will be? With apologies to the many other BSF clichés I have omitted.

Terribly sad news. A real entertainer RIP

Robert Lambert. Everyone's talking about him; it seems.

There was definitely a round of the World Championships, The Team Final, in 1989 held in Alma ata (Now called Almaty) which was the capital city at the time. I read about it in a soccer magazine which had photos of local football grounds under snow accompanying the article. At that time it was part of the USSR. I later saw a Kazak team (post Soviet Union) finish third in Frankfurt am Main in 1995 (Stanislav Kuznetsov 28(12+16), Vladimir Cheblakov 9(5+4), Nail Galiakberov 0(0+0)) 37) having seen each of these riders race under the Hammer and Sickle of USSR pre 90s. I believe they were third the following year too before finance saw their federation pull the plug on international competition.

Excellent galleries Conkers. Pleased you made it there and back safe and sound. (Taxi apart) Seemingly the locals love having it in Krasnogorsk and I'm sure you would agree a great cross section of age groups were in attendance. Long may it continue.

Agree with all comments and also assumed a local connection regarding Makarov, although similar level of noise for the Kosov brothers. Svensson and Aakko made a fist of it and early on Saturday Stellingwerf looked like he may give it a go but flattered to deceive. Not the greatest of meetings tbh but a good time, spent in the company of a group of amiable Russians on the back straight on Sunday, who plied us with copious amounts of rum, coffee and chocolate. As they said the Russian and. English elephants will always be friends, which when explained was great sentiment and is aparantly in Russian folklore. Made our own arrangements and by Metro and train it cost less than £1.80 return from our central Moscow hotel to the track. Answering my earlier question on here it is possible to make your own arrangements to do Krasnogorsk and visa costs apart, which you can't avoid, for not that much. Great range of beers in the Zhitgurli brewery last night, almost ruined by Denver's inept Superbowl attempt.

I remember that PC definitely had a fall on Superstars during the cycling event. I was very young at the time but remember loads of people who I worked with who used to follow Wembley in the early 70s so much speedway talk at that time. Discussion was around how PC kept hold of the handlebars when he slid off so was able to remount and not lose too much time as a result. He told the commentator that this was natural in speedway as (from memory) you were less likely to be hit by your bike in a fall if you were holding onto them. Makes sense. Also recall PC in a televised celebrity darts tournament playing with Leighton "The Man Who Played Before Players Had Nicknames" Rees. Like many posts on the BSF I may not be telling the truth here but I think he was the only celebrity to either hit a ton or hit a winning double. Also sure he was the only sporting celebrity in the contest, with others being from TV etc. Got a feeling Susan Hanson aka Miss Diane from Crossroads was one of the other celebs, so good opposition to beat. Surprised that Jason Crump's appearance on QOS hasn't been bigged up more here as he proved to be one of the most generically knowledgeable panellists ever; answering questions on cricket, soccer, rugby union etc as well as recognising Greg "The Grin" Hancock in a cryptic photo round. Jason is well known for his knowledge of speedway's history but he showed up most major celebs who are applauded for knowing the most basic stuff about their own sport with his brilliance on a whole range. Totally eloquent too. Mr "Iron" Ore.

Having had a warm off in St Johann last year it couldn't happen in Krasnogorsk; could it? I suppose it is a matter of definition but I see on the Speedway Star Travel club blurb they state the meeting will start early evening on Saturday. I had a mail from Russian Motor Federation however confirming heat 1 will be at 3 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday so more of an afternoon. Tickets available on the day from 200 - 500 roubles £4 - £10 approx.

Only received my invite today so seems more seats may have been released, otherwise a waste of £840

Wouldn't it be great to have an audience full of speedway fans to actually show what the demand is for our sport? At only £840 a head inc VAT, especially bearing in mind what you are getting for this is excellent value so get into your groups of 10 and take advantage of our big chance to push the sport forward. Hope to see loads of you there. SPORTS PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR We are delighted to offer hospitality for this memorable occasion on Sunday 15 December 2013 at The First Direct Arena, Leeds. Hospitality includes; A private table for 10 in Leeds Town Hall, Drinks reception on arrival, Three course dinner with selected wines, beers and soft drinks, Premium seating for the live show, Access to the VIP post show event with complimentary refreshments, Souvenir BBC Sports Personality of the Year brochure for each guest, Full event documentation, Event management throughout & VIP parking (1 per 2 guests). Cost; £699 pp + vat. Accommodation With some superb hotel deals in Leeds on a very busy evening, why not let us organise your accommodation for the evening as well? For a list of hotel prices, please email; sales@galahospitality.co.uk To reserve your places today, please contact us on 0844 811 6800 or email; sales@galahospitality.co.uk

Hope the following link may be of assistance, although it shows details of just one specific train which covers the route needed and only for this week. If you go to the home page fron there you can get all manner of info regarding train services in Russia. It seems there are loads of trains which we can take, assuming they can deal with the wrong type of snow in a better manner than Network South East!!! http://mapofmoscow.net/railway/suburban-train/rijsky--nakhabino--6209g/ Pavshino is the nearest station to the stadium and I would assume it to be much closer than both Assen and Upsalla stations are to their stadia, and almost due north from the station (slightly west towards the end). Rijsky is the Moscow terminal for this route and other routes also pass through Pavshino from this terminal. Leningradskaya mainline station is on the route and only 17 minutes (5 stops) away. It is a much larger station than Rijsky though and has a metro within, so I assume it may be a better bet to travel from/to with better ticketing services. The site also shows station names in Cyrillic which is a huge help. Sadly it seems there are no ice hockey or bandy fixtures in the Moscow area that weekend; maybe owing to the Winter Olympics and it is much too early for fooball. Bolshoi is very expensive but as a one off visit may be a good option for one of the evenings. Several micro breweries already sorted for fine dining.

Thanks for the update. Myakinino station is at the end of the Metro and is in Krasnogorsk. Looking at Google earth though there is a massive stretch of the river Moskva to cross from the station with no direct bridge from this terminus in the direction of the stadium. Your info seems pretty sound therefore. Have used Metro and busses in Moscow with no probs and, heaven forbid, taxis and lived to tell the tale. Pavishino (I think it is spelled) station seems nearer the stadium and is on mainline from Moscow. I would also assume stadium tickets can be bought on the day but it would be good to know that bit in advance and to be able to purchase, if possible before the events. Good luck with your arrangements. More thanks. Hotels can usually supply invitations so hopefully visas will be OK. I needed my passport the week before my last Moscow visit (to attend a rain off in Eskilstuna) so could not send off for my visa with the group application my friends were on. I paid extra for a swift guaranteed visa but with the documents supplied by the hotel, i was in the embassy for no more than 10 minutes to drop off and collect my passport 48 hours later. Impressed with your venturing outside without trousers. I only went out without a scarf and got a stiff neck!!!

Thinking of doing Krasnogorsk next year. Has anybody made their own way there in the past? Wondered if there is any advice about obtaining tickets, getting there from Moscow or other guidance. I see there is a station not too far from the stadium and the Metro is not that far away. We have been to Moscow for football but got tickets through our team. Any guidance will be much appreciated.

Thanks.

Nothing said at the time but what was the second half race between Ben Morley and Tyson Nelson about? Certainly Nelson's bike with the huge handlebars looked a bit unusual or maybe he had just put them on a regular machine which, without the covers either; made it look different from the norm. .

Surely the Somerset fans singing happy birthday would have taken his mind off the lack of fish. Made me think of egg sandwiches and trfle. It's all relative but the sausages looked much longer today and only £1.70 a throw but they aren't really fish. Talking of fish I thought Nick Morris was worth more than his final total and why Jason Garrity wasn't allowed to ride just showed us yet again what a farce the rules are. We are told that it is important that all teams are equal and yet we had the weaker team today unable to use their own rider. Hardly equal and yet more proof that points limits should be consigned to history.The most important cup final in British speedway ruined by a team being unable to use their best rider. What a prima donna Jez Pestell is. Fell with nobody near him yet appeals to get Shaun Tedman excluded. Lucky the referee wasn't impressed. Disappointed not to see more from Milton Keynes but made the trip home easier. Couldn't see an Ivan Mauger T shirt but assume you may have been the guy with the comb over and body warmer. Would have said hello but thought you might have eaten me.

A good balanced post. For years the question regarding why a team can declare R/R before a match starts yet lose a top rider as soon as the tapes have gone up in heat 1 and not have any facility has never been addressed. Ignoring the fact that he was a guest, another wrong with the sport, and already using r/r Sheffield's faint hopes at Ipswich were totally lost with Ollie Allan's heat 1 fall with only reserves able to cover his remaining rides. As a result, with Simon Lambert's injury too, they also could only track 1 rider in several heats and do nothing about it. Although needing to be six behind at least with the old rule Ricky Wells, for example, could have an extra TS ride in addition to r/r yet with the present double points borax watched his team being only able to track one rider in the knowledge they were going to fall further behind. Two birds killed therefore in keeping the the match competitive and also ensuring more liklihood of 4 rider heats by going back to the old rule. Regarding the rubbish about poor reserves having to face heat leaders in heat 8 you can learn much more racing a top guy than you can beating a poorer rider easily. Also with various rules stopping people actually being able to earn a living owing to having an average 0.01 too high and being unable to get a team place, it is crocodile tears to use alleged sympathy for the plight of a second string in maybe not getting an easy win but at least having the opportunity to do so. How much better too when a second string lead a number 1 in heat 8; creating a good atmopshere as the (usually) home fans got behind the alleged lesser rider? Plus even if a home rider wins heat 8 under existing double points he could still be beaten points wise by a rider he has just left in his wake. Finally with the 6 point TS and need to have 3 rides a team manager actually had to think ahead as did most of the crowd who would discuss whom to bring in and when between heats. If you replaced a reserve in two of his races you had to ensure he came in for someone else to get his obigatory third ride. It is funny how a team manager with bu**er all to do now is called a great tactician. Under the old rule you at least needed some skills.

I think you may have leapt before looking here. If you check my posts throughout the one category of person I have never been rude about are the riders: quite the opposite I have defended their safety and worth against others who have said they are overpaid, greedy and pampered and moan about the price of admission, number of chips you used to get in the good old days and how much we could save if the riders paid fans to attend. I referred to Al Sparrey's (someone I have never heard of I must admit) days as the era and did not say he was a thug at all; just that he rode in seemingly thuggish times, based on linking elements of your posts.. As well as revering said Al you had defended the behaviour of someone (dare I say whom I would assume is in your age group) on this thread who several posters on here saw being a total nob on Saturday night; with one expanding to say this is his usual behaviour. I don’t see how when you do not witness something you can defend it on the basis of the person being a “fan” of longstanding. Clearly we had someone who will have been around during Mr Sparrey’s era being given licence to be a thug in more civilised times, which I feel is totally out of order. More out of order is that he is defended by someone who had not witnessed his excesses. If one of the many teenagers at Rye had behaved in this manner they would have no doubt been pilloried by those of more advanced years so to defend someone on the basis of being an old boy really sucks. As a side I do comedy workshops at various venues; only £500 per day plus VAT, plus a percentage of any bookings taken as a direct consequence of my tutoring. I am sure this would assist you in extracting the irony from some elements in my posts but, other than thinking with a name like Sparrey he must have had a nickname the 50s, my insults are not aimed towards Super Al but at someone who would have been around to see him ride and the social values of the time, as perceived by me based upon reading this forum.. Still as my old grandma used to say, “Keep well clear of the boy scouts who wear long trousers”. That's the one. Must admit with his terminal speed I thought Lykke had done enough at the line but Ulrich had led all the way until then. I wasn't as close as you guys no doubt were though but still had a great view of the antics.