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And to think that everyone who didn`t used to watch the Polish league were moaning about the starts( including Nige and Kelv !!) when the GP`s had a Polish ref or were in Poland, it`s how they do it and long may it continue.

Spoiler for those who didn't know the result! Antonio Lindback's damaged ankle.... My Foot!

Wroclaw have today announced the " guest rider" signing of Torun rider Chris Holder. I think they were unable to use him yesterday because the 1st Extraleague transfer window didn`t open until today.

The track at Fazeley did linger on until about 1961, as a greyhound circuit which also staged stock car racing. I believe it was looked at as a potential Provincial League track but I think it was already doomed to demolition by then. That's a pity, as Tamworth is a much larger town these days than it was in the 1940/50's.

By the way, how good do the Poole racesuits look? Top job whoever designed them.

I’ve written off this season. Sticking to watching Polish league for my fix. Try again next year.

I can see both sides of the argument. Guess it depends which side you want to sit on. For me, if something looks suspicious, then it probably is. To me, he looks significantly quicker. Too quick to be quite honest. Now that is certainly not jealousy from my end, I’m just a man say watching him on the TV, thinking ‘he’s unnaturally quick’

Also want to say a big thanks for racers and royals for constantly putting up links for the weekends fixtures, glad ive got something to watch.

I have watched the same meeting on Polish TV with all the Polish commentators, reporters, re-plays and interviews, and found it highly exciting to watch (even without understanding the Polish language!), and then the same meeting with english commentary on Premier Sports felt so drawn out and rather boring to watch. So the problem seems to be the presentation of the Ekstraliga on Premier Sports, rather than the raw product, which is good quality as we get to see on nSport+ and on Eleven Sports each week. By the way, it is the same problem with speedway on TV here in Germany. Speedway has never caught on with a wider sports audience on TV here in Germany, because speedway on TV has NEVER been presented in a good enough quality to capture the casual viewer. The coverage is more often than not drawn out with lengthy spells of nothign Happening. Our commentators usually lack in-depth knowledge of the Sport, tend to talk non-sense, and never ever reach the level of excitement that we get to experience in Poland. The Polish style of commentary is so full of excitement and enthusiasm. They show us how it should be done.

100%agree,he seems to get his wheels in line even riding a tighter line,great skill.

And from what I saw yesterday Drabik and Janowski had as much straight line speed as Madsen. There does appear to be a 'Karlsson corridor' at Czestowocha, coming out of the second turn and he seems to use it better than anyone.. Down, it seems to me, to the way he can ride the whole bend tighter than other riders, at a speed similar to his opponents who are using the wider arc nearer the fence... He then manages to get his wheels in line without locking up, and scrubbing speed off, even on such a tight line.. And he does this at most tracks.. He isn't going faster (sideways) than his opponents I would suggest, but he is just taking the shortest route, and gets the rewards exiting the bends, which at World level racing pace takes some doing..

Pretty much the same for me. The recent rewind meetings have done little to rekindle any enthusiasm.

Madsen is like Doyle IMO he has developed a little bit late in his career but that not to say he won't be a world champ ,as has been said is very viewer/fan friendly just what the sport needs .

My first year 1960...20 league teams, 6 still operating, 3 at the same Track. e&oe, open license tracks not included.

Enjoyed yesterday’s 2 matches probably better than anything I have watched in GB recently.Tracks are well prepared and kept decent during meeting.Madsen have fastest time in meeting in Ht 15 yesterday!

Yeah can remember it, got drenched, how we came back from 16pts down on the night in those conditions still dumfoundes me to this day

Just finished reading the Tamworth addition of the Defunct tracks. Really interesting read as living in Tamworth I was aware of Old Deer Park but not the other track in the 30's Shame Tamworth went so quickly though fans not going when they became a Birmingham feeder side obviously did not help. Shows how times have changed as they closed due to low crowds of around 3,000, think some teams would love that figure now!

RIP Maurice . worked with him at Newport . Condolences to the family

If the bikes are checked every GP that is not every meeting . My understanding is that only the bike on which the rider completes his last ride goes into the parke ferme, but he still has two others. Theoretically the top three finishers are liable to be “checked “ by which I mean stripped down, but I think ( and I stand to be corrected if it is otherwise) that it rarely happens . Think about it a rider spends an arm and a leg on tuners getting it right them some F.I.M bloke strips it down and leaves it for the tuner to put all back together at great expense. Some riders are better than others, some have enormous talent, far above the rest. That’s what makes it so difficult to pin point anything. I am not pointing the finger at Madsen or Bartosz or anyone else. I am only going by what I have heard from riders. Two ex GP riders have told me that you wouldn’t be competitive in Poland if you didn’t have “something done “ to the engines . I didn’t ask them to enlarge on what “something done “ meant. All we do know is that odd ones here and there have been caught cheating so it does happen at least occasionally. Anything beyond that is speculation.

Honestly End of June and nearly July... WOW... Longest day gone and darker nights are coming and only 179 days to Christmas... Where the hell has this year gone... an still no Speedway... Oh well 2nd last joke for your delight... In the great desert lived a bunch of nomads. Their leader, Benny, had risen to his rank, due to his magnificent beard. His people believed a man's strength and courage came from his beard, and thus the man with the biggest beard was their chief. After leading the band for many years, Benny began to feel uncomfortable wearing a beard, especially in this hot and dusty land. So he decided that he wanted to shave it off, so he called his council together to get their advice. When he said he wanted to shave, the councilmen were shocked. One said, "Do you now remember the ancient legend, sire? The leader who removes his beard is cursed and made into a piece of earthenware." Benny had heard this legend, but being a modern man, he scoffed at the tale. Being headstrong, he went ahead and cut and scraped away his once magnificent beard. As the final whisker was cut off, a huge dust storm came up. It lasted only a few seconds, and when it cleared, there was a man-sized clay vessel where only moments before had stood their leader. The council then knew the legend must be true. Their conclusion? "A Benny shaved is a Benny urned." Boom Boom Regards THJ

As far as i can see all sporting events are currently restricted to 50 people.

Can i clarify what we think is going to happen ? 8 teams- meet each other once( 7 meetings) so that it equals out home and away they will meet 1 team again( derby match ) so that will mean every team will ride 4 H 4 A and after that QF`s, SF`s and final.

The speedway was meant to go out at 1am but the live NASCAR race that was on before it over ran because of - YOU GUESSED IT - a sodding rain delay. I think motorsport promoters are just going to give up completely soon.

Most of the top men are trying to get one over on the opposition without breaking rules( whatever they are in Speedway).I was always suspicious of Hancock ,but Greg is such a nice guy he wouldn’t cheat!!!!

I think the key point made is that ‘he generates speed from nowhere’. Zmarzlik usually gathers momentum during his races. I agree with acef, without proof nobody can accuse him directly but what people can see with their own eyes is enough to raise some suspicion and keep an open mind.

The return of greyhounds to Poole Stadium - as with Speedway - is based upon the same 'go-ahead' from Government, so that the furloughed stadium staff can return to work.

If his bikes are checked at every GP's and in the League what can be your suspicion ? Some riders are better than others, they have better bike control.

Do they all still get their methanol from a communal drum? Or do they all provide their own? If so. His might be 4 star..

That’s a good point, they certainly don’t mess about or ignore the start Marshall. Luckily the ones I pay for are mostly at Peterborough, they are better than most I have to say.

and what a great society she left us with. Not as if the rich got richer and found it easier to avoid paying tax is it? Actually she did roll over after the Poll Tax riots and switched it from a tax on every adult to one on households. Who do you think benefited most from that? Oh yes those who owned more than one house. Funny that.

Confirmation today that the 2nd round in Bydgoszcz on Wednesday July 8th is live on Eurosport 2 at 6pm

sad news - got to know Maurice (and Wally) when i was at Canterbury

Quiet right, difference is, she didn't roll over and let the f***ers win.

Same here, he does a great job

I really enjoyed that observation. A great quote from a well known promoter..."Wally walked over and looked me straight in the ear "...(priceless)

Once a cheat, always a cheat.....

If ever you needed proof that you don’t need an overtake for it to be a great race, that was it. What a ride from the young Pole against his old club.

Don't know how many women's hairdressers wash hair from the back, nearly always face to face. Inconsistencies is why people are confused and not complying with the guidance. Speedway has very limited risk and I think should be able to resume now.

Another piece of history gone.The sport has a lot to thank him for.

I’ve been a little underwhelmed with Poland so far but acknowledge that it’s early days and that there hasn’t been a meeting in a full stadium yet. It’s been like most other speedway, mostly FTG’s with a few good heats thrown in and an occasional very good heat. Those very good heats are so good because the tracks are fast and the riders are top quality, a high speed good race will always trump one on a small track or with lesser riders such as NL in my opinion because if the skill levels and the extra speed which always makes things look much more spectacular but it is very much each to their own. One thing which has been lacking so far is a close meeting until last night, there have been far too many one sided contests.

The problem ist that Goddard has to do the commentary all alone. He should get a co-commentor, best some rider or ex-rider (like with Pearson & Tatum). This would make it much easier for him and more entertaining for the viewers.

Mike, Polish Speedway is brilliant. The tracks, the stars, the atmosphere, the professionalism. i could go on and on. There is no tractor racing in Polish speedway just 100% commitment in every race. Dave Goddard does a decent job- he knows his Speedway.

By the look of the readers comments on this link, this development has little chance of being completed (except for housing). Those comments that you can actually read that is, some of them are worse than some of the semi-literate comments on here, or are they by the same people?