Leaderboard

Superb talent and remember him bursting onto the scene well. I think it would be fair to say with his talent at a young age , he should of ended up with a world championship medal. was arguably the most exciting rider in the world around 2004/5/6ish.

Well he does go a 'little early'...

THE column by Tomas Lorek has been a great addition. He is a very respected writer and broadcaster.

He was the ref at the 1983 World Pairs Final and allowed PC back into the rerun after he appeared to fall on his own at the first bend in the race against the Danes...Not sure if that's the one you are thinking of?

Would be better for the F.I.M. to run the complete ice speedway season in Russia then, just like they did with the Speedway SGP/SON/SEC this year in Poland.

Phil died in 2006,Steve earlier this year, I think there was a 4th brother Sam who managed the national side on occasions.

As expected MJJ, Logachev and Trofimow are next Leon Flint has also signed a 4 year contract

He often finishes last too though, the ladies appreciate that...

You forgot your Durex

Rory confirmed he was riding on for another year, so I’d almost be certain that he’s in the team again.

DON'T put your money on a second Swedish SGP ... nor Gorican

It’s also worth noting, that regardless of the money actually on offer, Poland and Sweden ran league seasons in 2020 whereas over here we didn’t because it wasn’t viable. That probably tells you all you need to know.

Jeremy Doncaster works at RAF Wattisham which started with electrics many years ago but has widened a lot since then. He's also a machine examiner at Ipswich. Backtrack magazine is a good source of articles such as this thread, well worth a subscription.

Could you explain how this works please? I don't have any knowledge of VPN's and if I signed up for one, how would I access the live feed for the Speedway GP's and the Moto GP's which I also enjoy. I currently get Eurosport as part of my Sky deal, but have just cancelled BT Sport which I was getting at a special price due to the fact I have BT Internet. However BT have now increased BT Sport on the Sky platform by £4 a month so as the Speedway GP's are finished I have cancelled. Not sure what to do next year, so this VPN idea sounds a possibility, but not sure what it involves, and if it would work for me. Is there a VPN you use or can recommend that works for the Speedway live feed?

It’s quite simple logic too. If Poland take the monopoly on the sport then ourselves, Denmark and Sweden will fall even further behind. Less fans means less future riders. A vicious circle which continues to get smaller. That means in 15-20 years a Grand Pix full of solely Polish riders with maybe the anomaly of a breakout natural talent from another nation (a Zagar, Vaculik etc.), but these anomalies will encompass the interest from the previously strong Speedway nations too. It no longer becomes a World Championship because the World is no longer interested, only the Polish. You and I might be interested still because we’re already speedway fans but the next generation won’t be because they won’t have the same exposure to the sport here as have/had growing up. Poland being the mega power closes the shop, if interest in the sport there wanes as as it continues to do here, for example, then the sport as a whole suffers. A slight tangent but look at darts, it was always a reasonably big concern in Britain, the sport has actively looked to increase its fan base abroad. That has led to more players from more countries, in turn leading to more interest, that means more tournaments in more countries, bigger sponsorship etc. A snowball effect. Whether you like the sport or not, darts is massive now in more countries than ever before. Speedway is currently doing the opposite. Let’s not kid ourselves that the Poles want to have all of the pie for the good of the sport as a whole, they’re being selfish. As we can see from our own leagues, self-interest is one of the biggest flaws in Speedway moving forward. How it can then be seen as a good thing because it’s happening in Poland now too is short sighted.

A number of Overseas Riders live in the UK and spend winter here. A similar number have properties they own or rent and have European base in UK. Probably a few may decide not to ride in UK in 2021. Poland and Sweden now have Covid 19 outbreaks as bad as or worse than us so no safer. There is no indication of mass absentees, definitely not in the Championship as yet. Jason Doyle is definitely basing in UK to ride for Swindon. Generalisations don't reflect a lot of positive intent that is coming out of BSPL. I went to watch speedway in a safe environment with 400 others in September. If the Covid cycle is similar I Spring, who would deny all other tracks to open with measures in place and viable crowd limits especially if early vaccines are on stream for the most vulnerable.

Damned if they do, Damned if they don't on here! If they wait for Covid to go they'll wait until 2022 or 2023 and that would kill any Sport. Better to plan and announce as usual in hope something may be possible, than do nothing and then have to rush with accusations they haven't planned. A few teams got racing on with 400 to 500 allowed in September, if that's how speedway has to start up so be it. Something is better than nothing so may be for once stop moaning and whining and cut them some slack. I'm sure all Promoters and Clubs want to race so let's support speedway, why else are we here?

SOME really good features being lined up for inclusion in SS over the coming winter months... ideal reading in lockdown

And this text after the second and final round of the FT World Championship at Boves in Italy Ferran Cardús (Grau Racing Suzuki) claimed his first FIM Flat Track victory with a determined fifth-to-first ride in Boves, but two dramatic final laps saw Lasse Kurvinen (LK-Racing Polaria KTM) proclaimed World Champion. The Finn, with two runner-up positions from the two 2020 Finals, unseats Francesco Cecchini (Cecchini Racing Zaeta) from the top of the FIM Flat Track pecking order for the first time since 2013. Cecchini, Final winner three weeks ago in Pardubice, held the points lead heading to the Bisalta Motor Park for the FIM’s first Flat Track TT. And the Italian was again among the men to beat, lining up from the front row and twice hitting the front in the Grand Final. The initial running of a tense title-deciding race was brought back with Cecchini well clear, after Ferran Cardús collected Gianni Borgiottti at the start of the third lap in the battle for fourth. Cardús was fortunate not to be penalised for his ambitious passing effort, but he showed his class by capitalising to maximum extent in the re-staging. From fifth on the line-out, a more confident Cardús was already in the podium places by the end of lap two in the re-start, first Gianni Borgiotti and then Wild Card Elia Bartolini falling behind the Suzuki man. But it took more determination to break past the Championship’s top two. Cardús repeatedly made an overtaking masterclass of the top bend, an aggressive move on the inside of Kurvinen for second foreshadowing his later pass on Cecchini. It was just 500 metres from the finish that Cardús made his bid for victory, an aggressive move from four bike lengths back and down the inside to lead. Cecchini slipped off the line and his front wheel dropped from under him, Cardús moving through to win on the afternoon and Kurvinen scoring the points he needed to secure the world crown. Cecchini re-mounted for fifth on the day and the silver medal; scant consolation after seeing his run six consecutive seasons on top brought to an end. Two tight chicanes made overtaking a challenge in Boves, but Cardús was the star of the show throughout the day, dropping just a single point to fellow countryman Guillermo Cano in Heat Two before going on a four ride unbeaten streak to the 2020 bronze. His from-the-back efforts in Heat Nine were particularly well received by the Italian spectators, who would later see their man overhauled by a similarly determined effort. Although Francesco Cecchini’s lightning get-away made him the Champion elect for the majority of the Final, he had tied on points during the Heats with direct rival Kurvinen. Cecchini came home just fourth in Heat Six from the outside of the second row, and second in Heat Ten behind lively Wild Card Elia Bartolini. Kurvinen, meanwhile, struggled to cut through traffic but made no mistake from his front row starts and ultimately scored the points he needed from the Final. Bartolini completed the front row for the Final after matching Cecchini and Kurvinen on 24 heat points, and it was the Wild Card who inherited the third step on the podium after Cecchini went down. But the day belonged to Kurvinen, the top three separated by just four points in the Classification with the Finn most consistent through the short season to become the first FIM Flat Track World Champion. RESULT, FINAL TWO BOVES: 1st Ferran Cardús, 2nd Lasse Kurvinen, 3rd Elia Bartolini, 4th Guillermo Cano, 5th Francesco Cecchini, 6th Gianni Borgiotti, 7th Mikko Koskinen, 8th Kevin Corradetti CHAMPIONSHIP CLASSIFICATION: 1st Lasse Kurvinen 44, 2nd Francesco Cecchini 41, 3rd Ferran Cardús 40, 4th Guillermo Cano 34, 5th Kevin Corradetti 31, 6th Daniele Moschini 29, 7th Mikko Koskinen 27, 8th Gianni Borgiotti 26 Lasse Kurvinen (LK-Racing Polaria KTM): “It’s an unbelievable feeling, a dream come true. I got on a motocross bike at the age of three and by the age of seven I was thinking about becoming World Champion, but it never happened. I’ve since raced Supermoto, Ice Road Racing, Enduro, and now in my fifth different discipline I am finally World Champion. The Supermoto certainly helped me with the TT, although it’s a new thing for me and I felt very nervous at the start of the day. In my last heat I said to myself ‘you have to find your speed now before the Final’. I wasn’t the fastest guy in the Final but that’s racing. When Ferran came past me I started to think about the silver medal, but then I saw Cecchini’s front tyre slip away and I started to believe again. I was able to concentrate and ride that last lap well, but when I came over the line I was a real mess. I still can’t describe this feeling, particularly when it looked for a long time in that race as though I wouldn’t be able to do it.” Francesco Cecchini (Cecchini Racing Zaeta): “It’s a tough defeat for me because I was looking to win the Championship and I was riding very well. The collision I had with Ferran has ultimately been decisive. I thought I had Kurvinen behind me; if I had known it was Cardús I would have let him go because I didn’t need to beat him for the title. I realised too late and by then he had hit my arm and I lost control of the bike. I didn’t agree with the referee but that’s racing. Really that was my only mistake of the season, but because there are just two Rounds it has been costly. I would like to congratulate Lasse who was the first to commiserate with me; I respect him a lot as a person and as a rider.” Ferrán Cardús (Grau Racing Suzuki): “We’re really happy. It’s my first season of FIM Flat Track and I was caught out in Pardubice where the track was very different to what we usually see in Spain. The track and surface was more similar here in Italy and we were able to fight for the win. I was a bit nervous at the start of the Final, the track was very damp; I had a collision at the first bend and the race was re-started. I calmed down for the second start and I was able to gradually find my way to the front. Once I got onto Francesco’s tail it was the penultimate lap and I thought it was now or never, knowing that on the last lap he would defend. I felt confident so I made the move; my intention definitely wasn’t to touch him and I’m very sorry he went down but I don’t think I was to blame. This season has forced me and the team to make a step forward; it was a shame we couldn’t fight for gold but I’m pleased with this podium.” FIM Communications http://www.fim-live.com/en/article/cardus-victorious-kurvinen-world-champion/

Scientist are we ?

No it is not pointless, there maybe 50,000 fans at Warsaw, 42000 at Cardiff, as low as 12000 at Vojens....... but there are many many more speedway fans who won’t be there but can watch on TV. If crowds still on lockdown then that means even more watching on tv.

This is pointless for fans. A vaccine won't be found until 2024/2025 at the earliest.

No, it isn’t. It’s logical to plan for the worst and hope for the best. To plan a full season that won’t happen (again) would be foolish and incur more needless expense. The state of the sport here it won’t be hard to pull a season together if we need to come spring. Fixtures are never released until late in the day anyway. This is a forum for opinion, that is why we’re here. Not to blindly just go “Speedway is great isn’t it,” like automatons. Sadly the opinion of most Speedway fans (the most important people), is seemingly that the people running the sport have used up their credit of goodwill and need to pull their finger out and do something positive. And that is regardless of the fact that there is a pandemic going on.