Leaderboard

YOU'RE BRILLIANT ♥️ | We have just received news from the Ayres family that Danny's bike has been FOUND! And we're even more delighted to report that it has been returned to Jodie and the girls in time for Danny's Day. Thank you so much to everyone who shared their plight, the Speedway Family has truly outdone itself today. You made that bike too hot to handle... YOU'RE ALL AMAZING! #DoItForDanny #WhoDAyresWins

All found now ready for today's auction. Thank goodness.

Whilst the Welsh government provide funding for Cardiff, I doubt very much you'll see a second gp in Great Britain.

2pm today bikes being started up on line to remember Danny . many doing it live on facebook.

Name it the Welsh GP and they might double the money.

great tribute for Danny with bikes throughout the country and at Midenhall started up at 2pm ...it should have been his meeting today there and hopefully when the meeting is able to be run there will be a large crowd .

I think that I'm right that Len became the first "official Team Manager" as prior to that it was on an ad hoc basis? Len became manager between 1973 - 76 and again in 1981 -1983. John Berry was manager in 1977 - 79 and again in 1985. Ian Thomas and Eric Boocock in 1980. Eric Boocock and John Berry in 1981 but John resigned. Wally Mawdesly in 1984. Carl Glover in 1986. Colin Pratt and Eric Boocock in 1987 - 1989. Reg Fearman took charge on trips "Down Under" I recall as did John Berry (certainly during 1975/76) I'm only going on memory but I'm sure there are many out there who can provide a more comprehensive and/or accurate list?

What a very strange sequence of Events. The most important thing though is that the Bike is back for Danny's Day . Hopefully the person/persons who took it can sit down with Danny's family and sort out whatever the grievance is or was. At least no one can say they have forgotten the importance of today as "Danny's Day" Ever the Showman #RIPDanny

That would be me but unfortunately for Andrew I'm still here.....at the moment.......and he's not.

I've been to Cardiff probably 15 times since the first GP there and have never failed to have a brilliant weekend. From Friday night through to Sunday morning, speedway fans take over the city and every time, it's been a cracking atmosphere and a lot of fun in and around the stadium and city centre. It's a hole in my summer this year....as it is for 40,000 others. Racing wise, there have been 3-4 classics, 1-2 shockers, but by and large pretty good stuff. I think to not enjoy the whole weekend, you'd have to make a very determined effort to be miserable.

Just heard a rumour on the grapevine is Glasgow have been replaced by Isle of Snow Wight Dwarfs with their 1 to 7 made up of riders called Happy (got a big sponsor ship deal), Sneezy (who has a dust allergy), Dopey (who is addicted to the smell of methanol and Castrol R), Bashful (returns to the pits straight after winning a race), Grumpy (always get last gate choice if nominated for ht15), Doc (got a good supplier of face masks) and Sleepy (who always misses the gate). Well if racing goes ahead it is going to be a bit of a fairy tale.

or the European GP slot

Ha! :-) Nice try, but I think we all know that to be untrue. The kudos of being the British GP and the exclusivity of having the only GP in Britain to draw fans UK wide are what secures that investment. Without it, there wouldn't be any government support.

Surely it would help build up local sponsors as well? I own a business and I'd preferably want a long term relationship with a rider than 'this year's model'.

Early link for Friday`s 2 matches http://www.maniak.tv/mk1 If anyone is not used to watching Polish Speedway on the internet- DO NOT DOWNLOAD ANYTHING IF PROMPTED just click away any crosses and continue until screen is clear and you can go full screen. I would suggest trying it beforehand.

I agree and it was more accustomed back then for riders to spend a large chunk of their careers connected to a particular club.

As usual this is compulsive reading! I locked myself away for a few hours on Friday when it arrived and still keep dipping back into it. Although I've always been a Belle Vue supporter, I've always regarded Terry Betts as a real gentleman and a true club legend. I don't see any riders having such an affinity to their clubs for so long ever again - the season at the end of his career at Reading almost felt 'wrong' to me, a bit like Steven Gerrard having a year in Los Angeles at the end of his career. The Steve McDermott interview was also eye opening, Jack Millen must have been a real headache to work with, but what a character!

There's a tribute to Eric in the latest edition of "Backtrack". He passed away in a Leicestershire care home in April aged 94.

I seem to recall that Dent Oliver "looked after" the England team for a while, but agree re John Berry's comment that it was often just the home promoter

there was no rain when they did the bike warm ups at 2pm ..overcast but ok ... there are several videos of it on facebook

Another excellent publication this week... So sad to see the photo of Stoke's demolished stadium... Another one bites the dust (literally)...

Doesn`t look as if there will be any " sparing " matches( pre season friendlies) this year, just intensive practice sessions before Friday`s openers.

I think that Dent Oliver's name was mentioned and Jack Parker rode as Captain and Team Manager (?) and Frank Varey may have played a role but I'm really not sure. Having read John Berry's book he did quote that when England/Great Britain rode it was often the Home Promoter/Team Manager who took charge?

Is all this about Ward before or after the rape trial?

I know of Len Silver, Reg Fearman, John Berry, Ian Thomas & Eric Boocock, Colin Pratt & Eric Boocock, Wally Mawdsley, Carl Glover of those during the seventies & eighties.

Yeh there was a thing in the Star that he passed away i'm sure it was only this year. Bob Radford sadly went a while back as Chunky said - he had a fair old fight against the big C. Great servant to Reading and others in the south. Lovely fella.

I totally agree Steve. Great News!!!

Why did they hold world finals at wembley - where racing was often poor- rather than Hyde Rd? Why did people bemoan the loss of Wembley when it was "replaced" by Odsal, which again produced better racing, and indeed, run-offs to determine the world chsmpion?

HAVE you ever been in Cardiff around 9am on SGP day ... it is already packed with fans from all over the country and elsewhere.

Agreed, until social distancing is relaxed and apparently that’s going to be some time off, there will be no speedway in the UK. To suggest there will be racing is pie in the sky and I feel is misleading fans for alternative reasons! Speedway was on its knees before this pandemic and now the financial disaster the sport could be all but wiped out. Just look at all the businesses now going bust, even good ones before the crisis!

I had a look on goggle map and all it did was show me where I could find some safety glasses.

Must be on a wind up.

Many top athletes are nut jobs but make world champion. Has there ever been a bigger nutter than Mike Tyson? Ward in his final season seemed to of matured and was superb , i have no doubt he would of gone on to be world champion. Its a shame his accident happened, as he was seemingly maturing .

Finnish SM-liiga will start on June 17th at Seinäjoki with all five teams taking part. With current covid-19 restrictions in place until the end of July we are allowed to have sporting events for the athletes + crowd of 500. So basically business as usual with social distancing added. We have a few meetings from May postponed without a new date, but expect them all (except LT) to find a new date later in the year. If there a second wave of covid19 things might change. But ATM is going ahead. For a second year the series has a facebook site under ”speedway sm-liiga”.

Not sure why you can't do both.. Do BV at the very start of the year (as you say great racing to launch the series), and then do Cardiff maybe as the penultimate one, so hopefully all still up for grabs, meaning no threat to crowd levels dropping, which could happen if you run the last GP when all could be done and dusted. (Leave that to the Poles who can guarantee a crowd).. A 10k crowd at the NSS paying £25 to £30, around five months before Cardiff, wouldn't impact the GP crowd levels in Wales I would suggest.. Suppose it depends on how much the organisers want for the rights to hold a GP at the NSS...

There is a lot of good things about the Polish TV coverage. Marcelina Rutkowska( Eleven) comes high up on my list Lukasz Benz(N) is also good value.

Correct. Should Cardiff lose its "British GP" tag and be threatened by another UK-hosted GP then it would be hugely less appealing to the Welsh Government.