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What a joke that is and totally unfair on both KL and Leicester. We should stuck with Monday and Thursday and told the CL Thursday teams who wouldn't budge that the PL teams had priority on all riders all of the time.

At least this year it was only a mid meeting apology needed rather than sackings

The two over hyped Poles are doing no better than Joe Jacobs and Ellis Perks could have done with some encouragement. What a waste of money and British talent.

Edited for accuracy

BACKTRACK Our sister publication specialising on speedway in the 70s & 80s pays in-depth tribute to IVAN MAUGER 48 full colour pages dedicated to the man we believe was The Greatest ISSUE 86 (MAY-JUNE, 2018) WHEN the sad news reached us that Ivan Mauger had died in a Gold Coast nursing home, aged 78, on April 16, 2018, we decided there and then that issue of Backtrack would be devoted entirely to the memory of the man we recognise as the greatest-ever speedway rider. The special commemorative collectors' edition is packed with tributes from many of his biggest friends and rivals, including Ronnie Moore, Barry Briggs, Ole Olsen, Peter Collins and Anders Michanek, plus Bruce Penhall, Hans Nielsen and many others. We hear from Guy Allott and Gordon Stobbs, two key members of Ivan's mechanical support team. Supporters from all over the globe also share their personal memories of the great man, who played a very influential role in winning league championships with Newcastle, Belle Vue (three) and Exeter before leading Hull to their best-ever top tier season. For the statistically minded, we have the Mauger Timeline, Ivan's British League season-by-season career record, from 1965 to 1984, as well as his 'British Track Tour', listing every UK venue at which he rode (excluding training schools). Drawing on his past interviews in the magazine, we reproduce some of Ivan's thoughts on key subjects that affected his time in the game. Martin Rogers and Tony Mac offer their personal take on the man who changed the face of speedway forever. Our coverage of Ivan's funeral includes comments of appreciation from Ivan's three children. ------------------------------------ To order this single edition for £4.00 (plus £2 P&P if ordering from overseas), or subscribe for a year for £22 (UK), £29 (Europe & Ireland) or £37 (Rest of World), visit www.retro-speedway.com or phone 01708 734 502.

Traditional race sheet for 2018 Warsaw Speedway Grand Prix of Poland:- https://www.keepandshare.com/doc16/20911/gp-2018-1-pdf-39k?da=y

A rod was made for their own back. Thursdays should have been the race night. Top league should have had priority. Simple as that. It's amazing the clubs couldn't see this coming, but the fans - once again - could.

Monday’s are not ideal wedged between Poland Sunday Sweden Tuesday and stock cars most weekends at Lynn but what are the options? Lynn as a club will suffer by signing Danish riders - how can fans be expected to turn up each meeting when we don’t have our own 1-7 we’ve had one home meeting with our own team . The organisation of speedway in this country = couldn’t organise piss up in brewery

Too true, I feel these fixed race night (FRN) idea is about 10 yrs too late. This should have been introduced to help and assist the schedule of those top riders when they rode over here, not wait till they had all gone before implementing the idea. But as like most things the BSPA do, the FRN has now been done solely to safeguard the promoters, giving them the opportunity to sign the riders for both leagues.. The main reason clubs like Ipswich and Sheffield refused to join the Premiership was that their teams are made up of riders doing both leagues... The only people to benefit from FRN are the riders.....

A fantastic result for the Comets tonight with some stand out performances from Ty, Dan and BWD, but with everyone chipping in. Same again at Glasgow on Sunday would be good. Bring it on.

You can't get banned for speaking the truth

You chat absolute bollox

What about Buckowski again - he is due a decent performance for Poole. Better still - what about Miedzinski? If all else fails what about coaxing Bjarne back? I was led to believe by some Poole fans in the past that riders were lining up to race for Poole rather than any other team. How is Poole’s huge asset list doing - surely someone on that wants to ride for the mighty pie rats?

the whole team is abysmal on shale. league champs on paper tho.

Reckon they know which visa is needed. As the article says stumbling blocks have been put in the way .

To be fair to SS, in a poor team it is easily possible to be the second best rider and still be abysmal.

If - as it seems - it is proving too difficult to get the 'top speedway riders' riding over here in this country despite moving to almost fixed day racing ( possibly because British Tracks cannot afford them ? ) ... then cannot be too far away from having one large League in GB surely ?

Kildermand had good scores in his first 3 meetings and Poole fans all wanted him to stay , now you fickle lot want him gone! He has been far from abysmal and dont forget he is riding in a poor team which will drain confidence to. Smolinski for Kildemand is quite simply shocking. He was awful in 2013 and he hardly getting better. If you think he is a better option than PK im astounded. The Holder issue is destroying Pooles season...............will he ever ride over here this year?

It's only below the Danish league because it voted itself to be.

Once the BSPA agreed to run on Wednesdays, this was always going to be the case. Teams like Leicester and Lynn, by their inclusion of Danish riders would always suffer the most. I cant believe the mentality of a committee that would agree to run on Wednesdays, knowing full well the Danes have priority on that day. To compound the situation, the Stars now have 4 Danish riders in their team. This could always be a stumbling block if we continue racing Wednesday meetings.. Also, because we have these FRN now, the chances of adequate replacement are slim. 2 other matches on that same night, leaving only Wolves or Belle Vue riders would be the only options available . So, by allowing the clubs to choose their race night, the BSPA has destroyed any chance of the Premiership running as a sustainable option. They've made a real 'Pigs Ear' of the whole mess, just to satisfy CL teams who race on Thursday. Once the UK had been given the priority on Thursdays, that had to be our FRN. Those clubs still wanting to retain those Thursdays should have been told it was a Premiership FRD. Either they race in the PL or choose another day. NB A few days back , I and a few others, were discussing the idea of the Stars doing well, and that each time we sense we could be in with a shout , something crops up, rules get changed, someone gets injured, too swarth our chances. it was said it happens everytime. A poster from Swindon even said they felt the same when they went years without success, but keep faith and it will come. It seems our chances this year could be destroyed before it has even begun. This will be our third home meeting of the season, and the second without a full team. What chances have we got to succeed when we cant even guarantee what the team will be.....

I've been a Poole supporter since the Sixties. I read this forum quite often, and get cheesed off at some attacking the poster. Gavan always comes in for a lot of criticism, as he chooses to make his opinions known about Poole. That is his choice, and I respect that. A "forum" means discussion. He raises many valid points, the majority of which have merit. If he gets his facts wrong, he admits it. I value his contributions, although it is apparent that many don't. As for Matt Ford Fan, I don't care who he is. I am interested in his contributions. Similarly, he raises many valuable points that I find worthy of discussion. gav

And they say that exercise is good for you!

Quite right Danny. it doesnt always work for a lot of people, but you will find some who will say, oh its worked for me to save face. As you and a lot on here know, ive just had a major brain tumour op in the last five months, im still recovering slowly. and its still very scary. I also suffer from Tinitus, im finding it hard to get it back down to the level it was before the op, hopefully it will but its not going to happen in 5 minutes. Axniety comes in different forms, mine stemmed from my panic attacks concurrant with this operation, id go to bed worrying if i was going to have one that night, they are not nice. Depression lives here, this is very hard, although ive come out, fairing better than a lot do after this op, its still hard and worrying, believe me, ive heard some stories from people who have had this op, ive been very, very lucky and had a very, good surgeon. but you have to occupy your mind to take it away, go for a walk in my case look at some racing form and breding or go for a walk, go and look round the shops, put on a DVD you know, you will watch, do something to take your mind away from any negative thoughts, take on positive thoughts. Not easy but it can be done. Willpower. Sometimes its good to talk to somebody who doesnt know you, but it would be far better to talk to somebody who does, providing they are re-assuring have patience and helpful. We all know what a problem it is getting an appointment with YOUR GP, but if you have questions you must ask, and your Dr will listen. make an appointment to see him/her as many times as you like, dont feel guilty, but you have to ask, it wont get offered., the same as if you speak to a specialist. Its also good to speak to somebody that has been through the same thing that gives you an insight, to hopefully, deal with it better. fight or flight, it works, but you have to make it happen. I am now in a position to talk to anybody who's had this op, i can give them an insight as to what to expect.. re-assurance these panic attacks do subside, the titainium pins will not move, dont do to much, you do get fatigued its normal. try not to get stressed , very hard nowadays, enlist as much help as you can from reliatives and friends/neighbours. but in my case you have to do it all, by the book, you dont bugger about with the Brain. Everybody has a different reason for there Aniety and depression, you have to find a way of dealing with it. In the meantime, my ears are singing like bloody canaries, and the head fluid is driving me round the bend, 1 2 3 and four...

R/R got 11 from 12 tonight... it seems to be working for us... I wouldn't be against using that option next week, gives our lads an extra ride and chance to earn a tad more. You never know what you're gonna get from a guest.

Oh no how many forum spelling and puncuation police officers can one place afford. If thats the best you can do you have no chance of being taken seriously. Infact after asking the poster to retract a statement they made your cred was shot right there and then. But im glad you don't take things to seriously as you seem pretty boring anyway, but obviously you need a sense of humour before you can participate in not taking things seriously. Enough from me as i dont really see the point in engaging any further with you as you are really seriously boring the arse right of me.

No he was right.... .....it was one of the closest meetings to a total humiliation

Each year I wait the results of the AGM, wondering what decisions they have done this time. Needless to say my confidence in them is not that good. When an organisation is so determined to keep everything a secret, one can only be suspicious. It seems the BSPA is run on similar lines to the Stone Masons, where information is restricted to the chosen few. They are known to make decisions purposely to protect the movement. Where this similarity falls down is that the BSPA need the public participation, whereas the Stone Masons don't. The BSPA have a big problem understanding that without the supporters there will be no BSPA..... This FRN on a Wednesday was probably the worse decision I can remember.... Guaranteed to lose more supporters than it gains...

Its aboot time Robbo got his finger oot

Few random photo's from practice today: https://www.baansportfansite.nl/nieuws/1574/speedway-grand-prix-in-warschau-van-start-met-vrije-training.html

I wasn't impressed with him TBH. Don't think he beat anyone bar the reserves.

Today is Somerset Day. This is an initiative by Somerset County Council to celebrate all things Somerset. People were asked to nominate what they thought was good about the county & one of those nominations was Somerset Rebels. It didn't look as though they had much chance of progressing against the giants of the county, but they have made it to the Final. Its a great way to not only promote the county & the team, but also, I feel, the sport itself. So if you have a minute to spare & have a twitter account, why not visit the link below & cast a vote for the Rebel. Anything that brings the sport to a wider audience can only be a benefit Thanks Dave https://twitter.com/SomersetCouncil/status/994827145242431491?s=19

if you are still in the comp for round 2 could you edit the original bet rather than having 2 different bets.

Knowing the BSPA they wouldn’t have the brains to think that one out lets face the Danes have only raced on Wednesdays for ever and a day

Not great Geoff, feel sorry for Laura and Jacko must be a nightmare sorting guests out !! We are without Dan Bewley and BWD I think next weekend for our Scunny fixtures , hopefully we can field our 1-7 for Sheffield away on 24th May. From what I can see we don't have another Home meeting until Saturday 23rd June which is 5 weeks after next Saturday !!

I agree its hard to find riders who want to ride here......but Smolinski for Kildemand is an awful move

Hope it doesn't affect his GP summarising with Natalie on Saturday?!

It's not just restricted to Dane's. Our most outstanding rider and local Robert Lambert is also caught up in this. If Denmark pick him he has to go. We run the risk of losing 5 rider's on our home fixtures. It absolutely absurd

Rawicz v Poznan Saturday May 5th

We will see tomorrow he’s only had one great meeting! Hopefully he can continue on from Sunday

Amen, very much so sid thank you. I met a girl at the brain injury group last friday who had the same op as me. She spent 11 days on ITU, then when she came out of hospital didnt leave the house for 5 mths. she had all the same post op symptoms concurrant with this op ie the panic attacks the extreme tiredness fatigue. She has half an eye on her right side . She could not believe i was sitting there like i am. I have so many people , poole fans coming up to me, shaking my hand and asking as to my welbeing, fans say they pray for me its humbling mate. I have OT's drs consultants my surgeon who is always, happy to talk if he's not in theatre. my GP who i have known sinse he was a medical student. As i have said before, the tumour was 2 inchs in diameter totally benign, it was a very deliacate operation. Some patients come out of this and not able to eat whole food, it has to be liquidised, i went straight on to solids without giving it a second thought. the following day i was up out of bed talking to the other patients My surgeon says it is highly, unlikely it will come back, they got it all out what they could see with the naked eyes, ie microscoped glasses, and the CT scan the following day backed that up. I have all my faculties i walk a lot, but have done no proper exercises for 5 mths, i have a physio coming to my house in 2 weeks time to work with me to sort out what i can do all arranged by the brain injury OT team. atm my nose is bunged up and my ears are going mad, the fluid sits then runs like a waterfall, you think its running down your face, but its not. Nothing is set in stone mate, so i want to do what i can, bucket list while i can, we are only here a short time in reality, so you have to do that, this has changed my life outlook big time, i will have MRI scans for the next 4 years, they will be a worry, everytime. But, i say to all those suffering from depression and axniety, ask yourself the question, why ? write it down if nessercary ask questions, believe me, ive been through hell and back but, there are a lot worse than me, and those that sadly dont make it. You are alive, you can go out you can do what you want to do. Theres a 43 yr old lad who comes to the headway group who is confined to a motorised wheelchair, his car was hit by a lorry 20 years ago whist the prat in the lorry was on his mobile, imagine what he went through, i wouldnt like to guess. There are many selfish people in this world, take a walk round the cancer wards or the Neuro surgical wards, they might just think differently. I owe my life to my surgeon, and a very dear friend of mine jayne, who i have known for 37 years who was before she retired senior Nursing coo- ordinator of poole maternity unit i went to see her before christmas she took me to cas, had she not been there, because she worked odd days gawd knows what might have happened to me. Whilst in poole general, i had a massive panic attack where my blood went wrong that was very scary, i lost hair in the op i have a numb righthandside of my head, but, im here im living walking talking seeing hearing and am very very greatful for that. It could have been oh so much worse. and i will always, remember that.

The club keeps on giving for people to criticise.

That's a very naive statement. Things have worked for you and that's pleasing. For me no amount of medication or therapy is working. Had all sorts of counselling and every antidepressants going to no avail, been out of work for 2yrs now through this, all started from a bang to the head. There is no 1 quick fix to everybody's evils, we're all different.

The key is overseas rider ..Woffy is not a overseas rider ..most riders no matter what ride in there own league ...most people can live with the fact he can make more money in Poland and Sweden and does not ride here that is fair enough, but not turning up for the world cup and the British Title is not in most people's eyes .

Congrats Doyley, first of many golds for Somerset!

Most of them have been missing every meeting so far!!

Exactly... I find it hard to believe people still hand their cash over week in week out . I no longer do. I suppose it's easier to do so at the showground though.as the racing is normally always top drawer.

There are plenty more that have walked away i'm afraid ....

Their has been a further GSA today (issue 2 dated 1/5/18) which supercedes Issue 1dated 30/4/18. This has changed completely a lot of the averages for the fixtures at the end of the week. Its clear that the GSA now include Championship Shield matches, which is of course completely contrary to the current SCB regulations. The words utter shambles spring to mind.

Indeed, I dare say the real reason for now including Shield matches will show its face with some new team declarations.

Traditional race sheet for 2017 Australian Go :- https://www.keepandshare.com/doc16/19607/gp-2017-12-pdf-39k?da=y